Lessons From a Snowboarder

I am getting older. Okay, who am I kidding? Many would say I’ve already arrived. After all, I do receive a Senior Citizen discount in many restaurants and my hair is much lighter than it was a number of years ago.

Why am I telling you this? I think it makes it all the more surprising that I am interested in snowboarding, which I am. No, I do not plan to take up the sport myself. That would be ludicrous at my age, right? Nor do I like to watch just any snowboarding videos. The ones that catch my attention are the ones of little girls, some as young as 2-years-old. Lest you’ve never before seen these videos and decide to look for them yourself, let me advise you to turn up the sound/volume. Doing so will definitely enhance the viewing experience. These snowboarders are equipped with microphones and hearing their delight in the adventure is amazing. Their giggles definitely make me smile.

God has shown me some valuable lessons from these young snowboarders.

Choose what you wear carefully.

There is a lot of truth to the common phrase Dress for Success. When we feel good about the way we look (the clothes we’re wearing, etc.) it builds our confidence.

My favorite little snowboarder wears a tutu. Yes, you read that correctly – a tutu. She looks adorable bundled up in her snowsuit with her tutu billowing out as she takes on the slopes. What little girl doesn’t like a tutu? She surely feels more confident wearing it.

When we feel confident, we have the inner strength to work hard toward our goals.

During the COVID pandemic many found themselves abruptly thrust into a virtual work force. Working from home. Isolated. Unseen. Workplace dress codes seemed unnecessary, yet many virtual workers noticed they were most productive when they put aside their pajamas/loungewear and dressed for work, even wearing their favorite necklace or accessory.

Perhaps the most important accessory any of us can wear is a smile. Those we encounter would certainly benefit from that.

What we wear builds confidence. Choose wisely.

Be willing to accept help when needed.

When these young snowboarders first start out, their parent (usually a dad) stands beside them on his own snowboard, holding onto the child’s snowsuit and gently gliding her through the snow, As the child’s skill improves, a rope is attached to the child’s snowsuit and the dad holds onto it at a bit of a distance as they both move over small slopes of snow. The child is gradually learning the skills needed and the independence that will allow her to take on bigger snow slopes.

If they didn’t go through these steps, the child would likely have a more difficult time mastering snowboarding.

We all need help from time to time whether it’s learning a new skill, facing a challenge in life, or something else. Accept the help graciously. That is easier for some of us than it is for others, I know. I tend to be much too independent and hesitant to let others help. If you doubt that, just ask Carmen Halsey-Menghini. Oh, the stories she could tell about me. But I try to remind myself of what someone once told me. When we turn down someone’s offer to help, we are cheating that person out of a blessing.

I have to wonder, are we also hesitant to accept the Lord’s help? Do we try to do things on our own? Do we face mountains in our own strength? My prayer is we will be more like David, who said “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.” Psalm 56:3

Repeat good instructions until you get it right.

In one video my favorite little tutu-wearing snowboarder, now five-years-old, is snowboarding down a curvy hill. You can hear her say, Toe ohhh OHHHH! Heee eel! which is what one needs to do to successful make the turns around the curves. Once she’s through the maneuver, she asks, “Did I do good, Daddy?” and he assures her that she did.

She had listened to his instructions in the past and repeated them herself as she mastered the skill.

Sometimes if we want to be successful, we need to repeat the instructions again and again… and again.

Laugh at your failures and get up and try again.

In another video the tutu-wearing snowboarder falls on her well-padded bottom (thanks to her snowsuit) and she erupts into giggles and says, “That didn’t hurt.” She then gets up and goes again, but instead of snowboarding on the glazed icy area of the slope as before, she moved to the softer, more-powdery snow. She learned from her mistake and tried again.

Obviously, there are times that we shouldn’t laugh at our mistakes; for instance, something we did hurt another. However, we can learn from those mistakes and strive to do better in the future.

Years ago I had the opportunity to go with a group into a women’s prison and meet with some inmates there. One young woman in particular touched my heart. She had committed a horrendous crime. She took ownership of her actions and calmly accepted her sentence – life in prison with no chance for parole. She had found the Lord in prison and was striving to be an exemplary inmate. Most of all, she wanted others to know her Jesus. I remember her sitting on the edge of her seat, looking at those of us who were there visiting, and saying, “I will never leave this prison, so you need to tell my story. You need to let others know that Christ can make a difference in their lives.”

When we make mistakes, let’s learn from them and become better people.

Celebrate your successes.

Again, from my favorite little tutu-wearing snowboarder, after a grueling slope that she had maneuvered successfully, in her bubbly little voice, she said to her dad, “That was sick.” For those of us that are too old to keep up with the modern lingo, that translates, “Woo Hoo! I did great!”

It’s good to celebrate our successes. Praise the Lord for what he’s done through you. Oh, and let others celebrate, too – accept compliments graciously.

Bring joy to others.

Lastly, I’ve learned the value of bringing joy to others from these little snowboarders. When I see one of their videos pop up on my Instagram feed, I smile – even before I watch the video. Why? Because I know from past experience that watching it is going to bring me joy.

I want to be the kind of person who brings joy to others; who makes them smile. No, not from a snowboard; remember, I said I’ll not be taking up that sport so don’t be watching for any videos of me in a tutu. That’s a scary thought, isn’t it?

Instead, I want to take notice of your accomplishments and compliment you on them. I want to see your struggles with a prayerful attitude and offer to help. I want to walk alongside you and strengthen you. I want to be a friend.

Jeanette Cloyd’s days are busy working alongside her husband Brent who is the Associational Mission Strategist of Greater Wabash Baptist Association, caring for their son Brock, visiting her dad and the other residents of the Assisted Living Facility in Fairfield where they live, and doing volunteer work. At day’s end, she spends time indulging her creative side by making cards, which can be seen on her blog Cre8tive Play, Facebook, and Instagram.