Spinning in the Air

Oh my! It's a bird, it's a plane, no....it's Matt! Matt is our second son who has a joie de vivre and abandon towards life (and risk) that is responsible for the fact that I need to get my hair colored these days on a regular basis.

Here he is this past winter in Beaver Creek, CO (where he was paid to snowboard, I might add...) doing some kind of mega move off a mega jump made out snow that is bigger than my house.

When he attempted this two years ago when he worked in Breckenridge, he didn't fare so well. He was attempting a 900 off another jump made out of snow that was bigger than my house and didn't quite land it. If you need a refresher course in math, a 900 is two and a half complete revolutions, with a snowboard attached to his body, no less! That jump resulted in a broken arm (number five, but who is counting...well, actually, the insurance company is paying attention) and an abrupt ending to the snowboarding season.

At any rate, as you can see, that minor mishap (that did require surgery that added hardware to his wrist that will forever more be detected when being screened by TSA) didn't end his desire to jump and spin into the heavens. I think the desire is to return there next winter as soon as the mountain opens.

So what is an outdoor adventure fiend to do in the summer, you ask? What ranks right up there with being paid to snowboard? Why being paid to whitewater raft, of course! This summer's adventure includes whitewater rafting in Boone, NC on an impossible to pronounce river with equally challenging rapids to negotiate. Always ready for a good challenge this seemed to fit the bill. The summer digs are a pop up camper at a camp site bartered for cleaning toilets and mulching shrubs. Ahhh, to be young! But the price was definitely right. And there is something to be said for simple, unencumbered living, after all, there is only so much stuff that can be kept in a pop up. I should know, the rest of it is in my garage!

Matt will return to Ithaca College in the fall where he will graduate with a degree in Outdoor Adventure Leadership and then, no doubt, head west.

So how do I deal with his risky choices? Prayer, letting go, and reminding him that he will need to pay careful attention to benefits, specifically health insurance, when he applies for jobs.