snowrider 寫:Thanks for sharing your story! I remember that you have a very good quote something like, "If there is no dream, life is just struggling" something like that. I really like that words of wisdom. What exactly is that quote?
Thanks for quoting my words, not sure where I picked it up, but it sure serves a wisdom for a lifetime. Actually, that is my lifetime story.
It all began when I planned a trip riding a bicycle across North America, from Long Beach, CA to Boston, MA via Canada in my 30s. The roads were long and the world was big then. My wife didn’t know how to ride a bicycle yet, and I have never camped before... so I had to train her, and to strengthen myself physically and to increase my camping/living knowledge to prepared for the life on the roads, which was a totally brand new world for us, so it was quite an adventure.
The plan originally was to make the trip in five years, but we made it in nine mouths. My wife made it to Vancouver, BC, and I continued go solo; I made it to Banff National Park, Canada, some 2,500 miles, not a bad achievement for then a rookie, but technically, I failed my goal. But for what I have learned about “life”during the trip was really immeasurable, and I learned, life is a trip and the purpose of the trip is in the [process of] doing, not the destination, and in the end, your life is only what you can remember. And that is what buddists’ idea of “life is an illusion.”
Later, I met my mom, and she scorned me “神經,”as I quit my programming job to ride the bicycle trip. I told her that I was just choosing a different way to solve the “life” problems. I would rather be enjoying/living my life instead of working/making money for my life. I made my philosophy for life then.
After the bike trip, I ended up in Bedford, MA, and worked for high-tech for two years. During the bike trip I learned the name “Alaska” and the term and the environments of “wilderness,”and New England skiing wasn’t so great then, I was disappointed, so after some planning, (this “five-year” plan we made it in two years,) we moved to Alaska, for the purpose of “to experience life”under the nature's terms, i.e. to be a “nature man” like a bear, subsistence living and seemly abundant snow for skiing. I screwed up, didn’t make it the first time, and tried to move back in to Alaska the second time two years later but failed again, due to the bad economy. Out of Alaska the second time I was totally broke, both economically and mentally, I lost my dream.
Back to New England and high-tech. Didn’t know skiing industry’s八股, tried and failed to get into teaching skiing business. To be frank, later I learned, my skills were not up to par then neither.
Moved to Canada, trying to make it into Canadian Rockies, didn’t make it and got stuck at Winnipeg, MB, a totally flat place for thousands miles. Without skiing, I was like a fish out of water, I was miserable. Finally we decided to make it back to Tahoe. When we came back to Tahoe, we realized that we were “home,” but Tahoe was rich people’s playgrounds, it was difficult to get in and stay in. After ten years struggle, we finally built a strong enough foundation and settled down. And I still have a lot of skiing skills and knowledge to catch up, and I kept at it and finally broke through in Taichi Skiing. By now it’s 17 consecutive years ski 120+ days a year, Skiing is not a play to me but a way of life, I have made my dream of being a skier, weird for a person grown up in Taiwan, but I made my dream life. Based on that experience, I drew the conclusion that “pursue your dream, without dream life is only perpetuated struggle.”
‘later, :)
IS