It must find you working.

My favourite quote for times like these is

“Inspiration Does Exist, But It Must Find You Working.”

It is suited for these days when I have fallen so out of my routine of creativity. Instead of easily sitting down and writing out a few thousand words for a purpose of some sort I find my days more rejuvenating than interesting per say. But alas inspiration will not strike me like lightning out of a clear sky and must instead find me sitting town to write for it to flow freely.

What did strike me today came at the end. I was sitting in the lodge at our tiny local ski hill after chasing my father through trees and bumps and off tiny tiny cliffs for the better part of the afternoon. As I looked around me I was impressed and humbled by what I saw. The lodge at WhiteWater is truly the hub of a bustling little community. For a Tuesday afternoon I was shocked by who I saw. There were young teenage boys with boots slung over shoulders by the straps. Munching peanut butter sandwich half in their mouths and half in their hands with looks of pure stoke across their faces. There was an older lady, in her mid 70s who starred in an episode of Salomon freeski TV (check it out at the bottom!). She skis almost everyday and does it purely for the love of the sport and the outdoors in all this. I watched 2 little girls with hair still sun-bleached from summer on the lake chase a little boy around the lodge, he started it I promise. Sitting drinking my coffee and observing I felt like an outsider. Casually observing but not part of the bustle. Part of this was I was used to something different from my last few years on the slopes. Coming from big resorts it is about the so many other things. It is about the pros, about labels and brands, about the newest gear, the fastest lifts, the most gourmet lunches (no hill has anything on WhiteWater's kitchen). WhiteWater is about why so many of us ski. Good snow, good terrain, good people. 

Yes, it is no Whistler, they are 2 entirely different beasts. The lodge is just a great reminder of the importance of community and a place to gather. And of course, if you are a little girl with sun-bleached hair, a place to chase little boys around without your mum noticing.