It snowed 32 inches the last weekend of April.

Lucky for me, I love to ski.

And I get to think, “Still skiing!” I’ve had that thought throughout the spring months as storms have moved across Northern Arizona dusting and drenching the region, and I’ve had that thought since I started skiing in my twenties and picked up my first job in the ski industry living in a dorm in Germany.

I am curious how long I will say, “Still skiing!” this season. It pushes me to a recognition of my limits and expansions. As I drive the highways of Arizona, I see slivers of snow high in the mountains and ask myself, “Could I ski that in June? Could I find that in July? Still skiing?”

I surely won’t get a chairlift ride to the pockets of shadowed snow in July, but I could hike through the wilderness with my ski gear for that hidden bit of snow. Limits and expansions- in this example there are many limits: closed roads, high elevation, fitness! And there are opportunities for expansion: navigation, wilderness travel, year-round skiing in Arizona.

Who knows if I’ll ski in July, but I appreciate the thought exercise. It helps me think outside the box and wonder what is possible in the world and in myself.

My sense of limits and expansions is awakened by skiing, but I see it other places in my life. It shows up in work, in relationships, in family. I wonder what is possible. Sometimes I find a shot I hadn’t known was an option, other times I find a risk that’s not worth the potential outcomes.

Going back to my first ski season at a dorm in Germany, I wasn’t thinking about hiking in the wilderness in July searching for a secret stash of snow, I was just trying to stay upright! My limits and expansions have changed since then.

Where do you see your limits and expansions? How have they changed?

Best- Judy Tincher, Lancaster Leadership Facilitator

Learn more about Judy here.