Travel & Tourism

Creating Fun in Your Life – Just Do It

March 2, 2011 by Shelli

Since selling our business in September 2008, some people think I’m retired, or semi-retired. While I’ve certainly gained more personal time and freedom, I’m not retired and don’t plan on retiring anytime soon — if ever.

P2270055 — Family fun in our backyard, Sinks Canyon.

In fact, in addition to doing my best to be a good mother to our three sons and a good wife, this past week I worked at least 40 hours a week, coaching clients, working on consulting projects and developing my new business.

Like most people — and other parents — it’s easy to come up with excuses for not having enough time for many important things, such as exercising, making time for relationships that are dear to us, and having fun.

Although I’ve always been pretty good at having fun, at times it takes effort even for me to do so. This past Sunday we went to church, and I had loads of laundry to catch up on and some consulting and coaching work to do. We helped our middle son on a big solar system project, bird-dogged homework, and so on. By 3:30 pm on Sunday, Jerry, I and our three sons had each/all had a very busy day. We were tired and feeling pretty lazy. It was tempting, and certainly justified, for us to just settle in, lounge, and call it a day.

At the same time, upon looking outside, I spied a cloudless, blue sky, a bright sun, mild (30-degree) temperatures, and sparkly white snow everywhere. We should go out and do something fun, I thought. But frankly, I wasn’t feeling particularly motivated to do so.

So I forced it. I “notified” the family to get their snow gear on, we were headed to Sinks Canyon for some sledding. Jerry, my wonderful husband, went along with it and helped me rally our sons and puppy for the sudden adventure.

It would have been easier to not do anything. It’s work to get out the door with kiddos and pets and winter clothing and sleds. But one of the things I want to help my life coaching clients do is to create more fun in their own lives. I need to practice what I preach, right? And I knew from past experience that we’re always better as a result of such adventures.

So, to see what happened next, watch the following video. And to think we almost missed out on this! The moral of the story is to create fun. Don’t think about it, just do it. It can happen in five minutes time and doesn’t have to be an elaborate, or outdoor adventure. It just has to cause smiles and/or laughter, even if for a very brief time.

Of course, the house is a mess. But that’s okay. (Just please don’t stop by unannounced!) I have a feeling I won’t regret that I didn’t keep a super neat and tidy house. I would, however, regret it if I didn’t take time to create fun with my family.

Chasing Moose on Skinny Skis

February 22, 2011 by Shelli

Our family just returned from a weekend in the spectacular Jackson Hole region of Wyoming.

P2191355 — Family photo after finishing the Moose Chase 30k ski race. (Photo taken by Carolyn Gilbertson)

Our purpose of the trip was mostly to be on skis — a little work and a lot of play. We started the weekend off at the Moose Chase ski race. I entered the 30-kilometer race and our oldest two sons, Wolf, 10, and Hayden, 8, entered the 5k. My husband, Jerry, and our 3-year-old son, Finis, were our support and cheering team.

This was my second ski race. (Last March I did the Rendezvous 25k in West Yellowstone, MT.) My 30k was the first event and we literally chased two moose that were ahead of us on the trail at the 1k mark. Although I didn’t see any moose after the start, there was evidence of the big animals throughout the course in the form of moose droppings. (I can report that moose droppings are not your skis’ friend. I almost biffed it when one ski tried to glide over a scattering of them, coming to a complete, and very sudden, halt.)

P2191340 — The Johnson ski race participants. Wolf, 10, me, 42, and Hayden, 8.

The course for my 30k involved skiing two 15k laps. The terrain was hilly and rolling and through forest and open meadows and fields. The scenery was awesome. There were some short, incredibly steep uphills (one aptly called “Grunt Hill”), as well as long, seemingly never-ending uphills. The terrain reminded me of Beaver Creek on South Pass, only the trails were longer.

The downhills were awesome — except for one called “Faceplant.” This was the steepest downhill I’ve ever done on skinny, free-heel skis. It was so steep and big that on the first lap, I literally came to a stop at the top, to size it up, before descending. Let’s just say it took gumption for me to go down it. My snowplow had little impact on my speed. I flew down it. Because the 30k required I ski two laps, I would have to fly down it twice. Both times I prayed (out loud) to not fall and to not blow anything out. Whew. It was exhilarating.

P2191358 — Our boys took the podium following the event. 🙂

At the start of the event, I purposefully started near the end of the crowd of skiers. The first lap was faster than the second. The falling snow lightened up a bit and the (surface) conditions seemed pretty fast, but like in most race situations, it was a “cluster” for a while. The second lap was my favorite, despite a pretty good blizzard and the much softer trail conditions. I liked it best, though, because by this time skiers were spread out and I could enjoy solitude and the scenery. I covered the distance in 2 hours and 17 minutes. The first lap took me 1:07 and the second 1:10.

It was a difficult-but-fun-and-beautiful course, and I did about the best I could. I maybe could have pushed it a little more, but felt great during the event so I have not a single complaint. And, very importantly, I was not sore or tired the next day, which worked out well because we had a family day of downhill fun planned at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, where I enjoyed my second attempt at telemark skiing, which is not an effortless activity to do, in my humble opinion.

This event was super special for me, and the reason is two of our sons also participated in it. It was their first-ever race event. We told them to stay together and visit and, mainly, have fun. We also told them not to take off their skis off and stay too long when they got to the aid station with the cookies. 🙂

By far, the highlight for me was seeing Wolf and Hayden out on the course, and skiing with each of them briefly, as they approached the finish line and I approached the end of my first lap. They were having fun, smiling, and moving their legs briskly. It was a sight for this mom to behold! I cheered them and they cheered me. Then, I heard Jerry cheering loudly for us. Our 3-year-old son, Fin, yelled “I love you, Mommy!”

My skiing in the Moose Chase was just a very small part of my experience. Sharing the event with my family was the big/main part. After the event was over we called my parents. Hayden reported to them, happily, “I finished second to last. It was hard, but it was fun.”

Below is a video. (If you watch it to the end, which I hope you will, you’ll hear the best part, which is Fin yelling, enthusiastically, “I love you!” to us as each of us approached the finish line.)

It does not escape me that I am a very lucky girl.

NOTE: Thanks to friend, Norm Cessna, for waxing my skis with some magic.

This Parent’s Children Will Be In The Woods

February 9, 2011 by Shelli

“In every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.” (John Muir)

The book, Last Child in the Woods, by Richard Louv, tells the story of today’s staggering divide between children and the outdoors. It is not a new book. I think I first read it three years ago. It has since been expanded.

P2031255_2 — Enjoying northern California's Muir Woods on a trip last week.

The book should be required reading for all parents – and heck, even for all educators.

Louv is a journalist and author of seven books about the connections between family, nature and community. In Last Child in the Woods, Louv links today’s wired, “nature-deficit” generation with rises in obesity, attention disorders, and depression. This important book has essentially created a national conversation about the disconnection between children and nature, and its message has inspired “Leave No Child Inside” initiatives throughout the country.

As a very wired person, myself, and someone who adores the outdoors but also loves technology for its connectivity and enabling features, I’m very interested in nature-deficit disorder. Specifically, I’m interested in seeing that it doesn’t penetrate my family and the upbringing of our three young sons.

I am so enriched by my own time spent outdoors and in nature, that I really think people are robbing their lives from being full when they don’t allow for the experience of being outdoors. In my humble opinion, there is no more effective way to “create space for oneself” than to step outside. Sure, I like to go for miles outside, usually on foot. And, I’m lucky that I live on the frontier of Wyoming, where it’s pretty easy to create space. Heck, there is nothing but space here. Big open, empty space.

PA300480 — Our sons and some of their friends playing for hours in an old tree.

But a person needs only to step outside to find the opportunity for creating space and solitude. A bird’s song, the sound of a creek flowing nearby, the smell of pine, or of rain on sagebrush, fresh air or the sun’s warmth against the face. All of these things are effective in creating not only a physical, but emotional and mental space that facilitates a clearing of sorts, as well as rejuvenation, creativity, restoration and other outcomes. (Again, John Muir said it best: “Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.”)

Some of my most successful business ideas came to me when I was exploring some trail. I most easily solve problems or find answers to big questions during solitude in nature. And, time shared outdoors with my family often feels richer than time shared indoors.

By the way, I am grateful to my parents, who got us out often for weekends in Yellowstone, picnics on the South Pass and in Sinks Canyon and on ski outings. All of this exposure to the outdoors at an early age had a big impact on me.

Articles like Solitude and Leadership, which does a compelling job of linking solitude to leadership, are intriguing. (Thanks to friend Dan Mezick for sharing the article with me).

I am a huge fan and evangelist for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), which is headquartered here in my town of Lander, WY. NOLS teaches leadership to thousands of young and old using nature and the outdoors as a platform. Courses are provided throughout the world.

As parents of three young sons, my husband, Jerry, and I do not take the outdoors and its impact on a person lightly. We want to give it to — and require it for — our sons, Wolf, 10, Hayden, 8, and Fin, 3.

Here are some of the moments that the outdoors have facilitated for our family:

Just Being With It — or Trying To, Anyway

February 4, 2011 by Shelli

I know, I often quote Yoda: Do or do not. There is no try. But I’m not a natural when it comes to present time consciousness. Really living in the moment, fully, without thinking of the past or future, is work for me. I can’t just do it. For me, it requires practice. So that I did — during a hike among towering Coastal Redwoods in California’s Muir Woods.
Check it out:

Do You Detect A “Service Engine Soon” Alert?

January 29, 2011 by Shelli

Yesterday I was driving to Beaver Creek Nordic Area south of my hometown of Lander, WY, when the “Service Engine Soon” indicator light came on.

“Just great,” I thought. Suddenly I became uneasy, concerned if I was going to have car problems. Sure, I had my cell phone and I’m a member of AAA and I’m in shape enough to hoof it some miles if necessary. Still, the anxiety that encompassed me because of the constant reminder of this “alert” was disconcerting. It was nagging at me. Try as I might, I couldn’t get the alert and the uneasiness it cast over me, out of my mind.

My destination was on South Pass, on the Continental Divide, about 26 miles away, where there is no cell phone signal.

The “Service Engine Soon” alert could mean I was about to have car problems. Or, it could mean that it’s not an emergency, just to be mindful of getting the engine serviced. I could have hundreds of miles to drive with that alert lit up without anything happening. I resigned to the latter. I just couldn’t bring myself to ditch the pre-arranged ski outing I had planned.

This got me thinking about the “Service Engine Soon” alert and how it is a great metaphor in so many situations in life. I began to realize that a version of this alert — the nagging and uneasiness it brings with it — happens frequently for me. It just doesn’t show itself in the form of a lit-up alert that is in front of my face.

Here are some examples of when my own”Service Engine Soon” alert is detected:

• My parents live here in town. I want to spend more time with them. When a couple of days have gone by and I haven’t talked to either of them, my “Service Engine Soon” alert comes on.

• If it’s been a few days and I haven’t been to the gym, the “Service Engine Soon” nagging kicks in.

• When the day is finally over and everyone in our house is in bed and sleeping. Except for me. I’m thinking about a question one of our sons asked that I didn’t at the time hear or respond to. The “Service Engine Soon” alerts me and I make a mental note that I need to make this right at the earliest opportunity. It’s too important not to, and I’m sorry I wasn’t paying better attention.

• When it’s Friday and I’m reviewing my task/to-do list for the week and realize there is a task or two that were to be done earlier in the week and should be checked off, but for one reason or another I keep ignoring or working around them.

• When I’ve skipped going to church, especially if it’s becoming too frequent of an occurrence. When I drive by the church, the “Service Engine Soon” alert inside me goes off.

• It’s been a month since I’ve had a “date night” with my husband, Jerry. We usually enjoy a couple of date nights every month. The indicator goes off in my mind if we haven’t been honoring this.

• I have two sisters and a brother, who all have families and do not live in Lander. They mean the world to me. And yet, I’m not keeping in good touch with them — and I want and intend to. Again, I can detect the alert and its nagging as a result of this.

• I’ve received not one, but two, reminders from the dentist about an appointment for teeth cleaning/oral prevention.

• The basement continues to be cluttered, despite my intention to gradually be making progress in sorting through it.

Of course this is only a small sampling. In reviewing this, it’s clear to me that this “Service Engine Soon” detection brings with it not only a nagging, but also feelings of guilt. In my experience, when I feel guilt that is self-imposed (not guilt placed on me by others), it usually means I’m not honoring things that are of value to me, and as a result, there could be unwanted consequences.

For this reason, I value the “Service Engine Soon” alert implications in my own life. (By the way, I made it to my destination and had a stellar morning of skiing. But when I got back in the car to return home, there was that pesky alert again. It didn’t go away. The engine still needs serviced.)

Do you ever have “Service Engine Soon” moments, and if so, would you care to share some of yours?

As usual, thanks so much for reading.