Used skis

The other day an email advertising a 25% off sale on skis landed in my mailbox. Enough to tempt me into thinking that maybe I actually could use a new pair of ski. Not that there's anything wrong with the skis I have, other than, they're to narrow. To narrow for what? Well with all the wide skis on the market these days, my skis just aren't wide enough, at least in order to be tackling all the powder we're looking forward to this winter. At least that was my initial thought.

It's easy to get distracted from our honest intentions of trying to live a conscientiously with as little impact as possible. Sure, I could try to justify my wants, I'd be passing along an old pair of skis that I don't need anymore  (recycling), but do I really need that extra 1 cm of width? Will I have less fun skiing? The truth is, it probably won't make that much of a difference. You see, it's not about the skis. It's about being outside communing with nature and enjoying the elements. Sure the skis help, but they aren't the deciding factor. I've been enjoying powder for years with much narrower skis than those I have now. Maybe it requires a little more effort, and maybe it's little different experience, but any less fun?



So this evening I had a epiphany, that sure I could sell an old pair of skis, but that doesn't mean I need a new pair. And to paraphrase Mariann, just because I want a new pair of skis, that doesn't mean they have to be new. Perhaps if I decide I really need a new pair of skis I can find a pair of used skis that someone else is trying to recycle.

Everyday we are faced with choices, and what we choose and how we justify our choices says something about the world we want to live in. Often it's easy to be tempted by the abundance of consumerism surrounding us, but the rewards of not succumbing are usually much greater. Even if skis are one of the few vices I have, that also means it's one of the areas I can make a difference in my own life. I can be more aware of what I really need and why. It's hard to completely strip away the temptation and live an ascetic life, but it is within our means to lead an examined life and to truly question our wants and needs and how we fulfill these.