Lessons Learned…
On The Toboggan
Out
the back door of our home in the country was a gigantic hill covered with
trees, bushes, and berries of various sorts, and wandering circuitously through
them all were paths, some secret and some not as secret. These paths were the
routes to countless adventures upon which the children, grandchildren, Labrador
Retrievers, and other friends would meanderingly rove throughout all four very
distinct seasons of the year. But one particular path contained no winds or
bends; it was stick straight. It was the fastest way to the bottom of the hill,
and it was the winter season’s path of choice among the crowd of adventurers.
It was the toboggan run, this path that was carved straight down through the
trees. Upon this path, upon the toboggan, the riding team could quickly gain
enough speed to send the forested world whizzing past in a white and chilly
blur of excitement. With dogs frolicking and barking, pig-tails and snow wildly
flying, raucous laughter rippling among the woods, and several evel knievel
cousin toboggan drivers taking turns at the helm, time danced away on the
wintery breeze for these rosy-cheeked adventurers on the back of the toboggan.
Once through the trees that hugged the steep, straight path, the toboggan would
burst out full-steam into the vast open field that rolled in gentle downward
waves across twenty acres. Hanging on to
each other fiercely yet hilariously with
woolen-mitted hands, carefully keeping all appendages tucked safely and
streamliningly onboard, the esprit-de-corps riders enthusiastically chased the
previous riders’ path hoping beyond hope to exceed their distance record. Then
together, with all woolly hands on the rope, the rider team, knee deep or more
in snow, would lug the beloved toboggan back to the hilltop for another greatly
anticipated run by another anxiously awaiting rider team. Over and over and over and over again we
learned to play, to share, to help, to be on a team, to love the outdoors, to
take turns and be glad for each other, to drive, to ride, and that laughter and
cousins and winter are another perfect recipe for awesomeness.
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