Falling

When I was about 8 years old, one of my older cousins gave me my first skiing lesson. 

He took me to a place called the Blue Hills Ski Resort. With just over 300 feet in vertical drop, it was more like one big bunny slope. Still, that was plenty for this beginner.

After renting my gear, we both clomped out to the snowy flat at the base of the chair lift. But instead of instructing me on the vagrancies of snowplow turns or how best to plant my poles, he simply pushed me over. Surprised, I glanced up at him and struggled back to my feet. At which point, he pushed me over. AGAIN. 

He then explained the real challenge of this particular sport was knowing how to avoid obstacles, how to stop, and how to recover once you fell. Skiing was the easy part he assured me. Once I knew how to get knocked down AND get up, I would be ready to ski. 

Older cousins, as it turns out, can be surprisingly wise.

"Perseverance. The secret to all triumphs." - Victor Hugo