Sunday, February 22, 2009

The Secret Ingredient to my Secret Ingredient Soup is...

Nothing. There is no secret ingredient. You have just have to believe something is special for it to be.

It has been an interesting three weeks for sure. I am VERY excited to write a post about training in Aspen, about Cliff Hucking Camp in Crested Butte, and about the five or six other things I've been pondering lately. I've been invited to ski with Kim Reichhelm in Alaska in a Steep Skiing Camp and to write an article about it. (wow!)

But right now, in the midst of some personal turbulence, I have to say that I'm grateful for my team, my support group, my friends and family, and, yes, Po from Kung Fu Panda.

When things get nutty like this, and many things happen at once, for instance, I'm on the road, training, missing my kids, meeting deadlines, catching up on homework, interviewing for jobs, and going through an amicable divorce with my best friend, the thing that keeps me grounded is...

Well, here's how I do it. Step one: snuggle the kids a lot. Step two: call someone when I feel wobbly inside. If that doesn't do it, call someone else. Write about it. Snuggle the kids some more. Check in with Tom and talk about it. Go up and ski some, teach some (wow, that helps a LOT), give some massage, snuggle the kids, watch some of my favorite movies that make me feel strong: Kung Fu Panda, Meet the Robinsons, Steep. Yup, kid movies. OOH! And Secrets of the Furious Five. That's a great one.

I think about the fact that Suffering is wishing that something was other than it is. I try to let go of my desire for this to be other, and accept that it is how it is, so I can let go and move forward.

I listen to music that lifts me up, I sing out loud and off key in my car, songs like Proud by Heather Small. Cheesy? Maybe. Powerful? Definitely.

I call my mom, I call my mentor. I ask for hugs from my friends on the hill. I listen to myself, and try to make some space in my crazy schedule for healing, mine and Tom's.

And then, as my spirit starts to lift, I say thank you to all the amazing people in my life that help me get across gaps like this. I do believe in myself again. I feel back on track, it's been a very very hard 48 hours, and I feel I'm coming out of the tunnel, its not strange that life continues, people go to work, kids go to school, cars drive on the road.

I choose to rejoin and to focus on my task at hand.

So thanks for your help and support, stay tuned, as the ducks line up, the posts will start rollin' in.

Much love and gratitude,
Kate

5 comments:

SkiingandTheWorld said...

proud of you; you're doing well and it will just get better for you every day :)

Jo said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jo said...

Kate, You rock and Bozeman is glad that you're back. Yes, I speak for all of Bozeman now. Thank you for being a role model in finding your passion in life and living it. I find living your passion to be incredibly hard some days and seeing other people doing it makes it much easier. My season is just ramping up and my training is changing focus. I can only hope that I can progress in my pursuits as much as you have this year as you have in yours. All the best... Keep posting and I'll keep reading.

P.S. Bonnie said she can't get Kate Howe PSIA posters in packs of less than 150 so I don't know how I will get my hands on one. Any ideas?

Anonymous said...

Keep on truckin! Love your attitude:)

a said...

Thanks so much, guys!! Its times like these that I really REALLY love to hear from you. You put a smile on my face and I had a much better day!

Jonathan, I'll check with Andy and see if there's any way around that!

Thanks, guys!
xo
k