Lakeshore Ski Lesson

I remember learning to ski this way.

As your tiny boots shuffle just ahead of me.

A bright, still winter day. A sea of uneven lake snow. Trying to stay balanced on one foot while swinging the other foot straight forward just like mom and dad did.

I remember the spring of the blue plastic skis. The frustration when they would swerve at odd angles. The comfort of laying flat on my back, exhaling steam up into the infinite blue sky. The weight of my hot exhausted body pressing on the cold snow. The prospect of warm cocoa at the far-off horizon.

I remember learning to ski this way.

But I can’t imagine my game-face was as fierce as yours is at age two.