COVID, Adventures and Teens:
Creating connections, providing metaphors, and clearing out the cobwebs
2020 has been an interesting year. COVID-19 has definitely affected our young people.
My son Cai recently turned 16.
I must confess I'm worried. I see a different quality etched in his face, and I want him to take a look around. I want him to gain some context.
And so I take him outside. I take him into the mountains.
When I think of life at his age, I was surrounded by friends, and yet because of the current situation, he is strangely isolated, and that's hard.
So I want him to experience hardship in a way that he can deal with it.
I want him to graft.
I want him to dig deep and feel what resiliency really is.
I want him to know that he can be successful, whatever is thrown at him.
The mountains have always been the best place for me to experience this.
When I'm getting beaten up by the weather, something magical happens.
I also get the chance to teach him, and while it may appear that we're talking about snow safety, we're considering so much more.
We're looking at metaphors.
We're looking at how to collect data and make good decisions.
We're talking about managing risks, and I'm giving him life strategies and tools that will serve him well.
And then there's the sheer majesty of the mountains.
Who can fail to have their breath taken away?
Who can not gain a sense of perspective when faced with such grandeur?
If we throw in the fact that harnessing gravity provides some of the most fun he will ever experience, then our little trips take on a whole new meaning.
Suddenly the glaze is lifted from his eyes.
He gains a sense of purpose.
There's a feeling of lightness and being able to take on the world.
There's also the joy of watching people you love having fun.
Ultimately, he gains that altered perspective that I was aiming for.
He gets to have Hope.
He recognizes that Hope is the result of his actions and behaviors. And he has control of it.
And herein lies what this is all about.
It's about recognizing what we do have control over.
In addition, I get to see him happy in a place that I love.
This, to me, is the best outcome.
Seeing him smile and knowing that he'll sleep the sleep of a warrior, I am content.