a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://www.webskis.com/uploaded_images/grumpy-712219.jpg”img style=”float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;” src=”http://www.webskis.com/uploaded_images/grumpy-712208.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”” //abr /br /Gliding man was in a foul mood. The winter season was coming to an end and there wasn’t much to do around his small cabin or in the wax shop. He looked in the mirror and saw the reflection of an old man. His beard and hair were the color of the snow on Solda Mountain and he could feel that his legs and back were not as strong as in his youth. He put on his coat and trudged out the door toward his shop. On the way he met his wife, Garden Woman, who was coming from the little greenhouse where she grew a marvelous array of green foods using the heat from the wax shop. Her apron was dirty and her hands smeared with black soil. Since they had been together for generations, she could read his mood just by taking a quick look. His discontent surrounded him and she asked about the cause of such unhappiness. Gliding man pointed to the small cabin and his old, ramshackle shop. Inside the walls were covered with old, well worn tools and batches of new wax lay unfinished in their vessels on the bench. Not much to show for a lifetime of work. br /Garden woman smiled and said to him, “Then, go on a quest. Look in the wider world for a better way. We are not too old or feeble to try something new. Go. See what is out of the great woods here at the base of Solda Mountain.” So Gliding Man packed a lunch of homemade cookies, cheese and bread. He filled his water bottle from the spring that bubbled from the rock of the mountain. He pulled out his old, white parka and pants so he would not be conspicuous. He then set out on the trails that led from his simple shop and circled Solda Mountain and descended to the big towns in the valley below. br /br /The snow was transformed and fast and as Gliding Man warmed up his mood began to change. The skiing increased his heart rate and it seemed that his body and mind came awake and his energy -level increased. When he reached the valley he stayed close to the woods and skied along to where large, new houses had recently been built. Hidden at the edge of the woods he sipped water and watched the people come and go from their homes. He noticed that there were few smiles on the faces of the people even though they had many new things. He skied along the edge of the town until he came to the local school. There were no foot tracks in the playground and the ski trails that had been laid out behind the school were unused. As Gliding Man watched, the bell rang and the school children left the building. He could not help but notice that they did not have the graceful movement of children for earlier times. They seemed heavy, slow and awkward. br /br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://www.webskis.com/uploaded_images/ChildrenSkiers-732500.jpg”img style=”float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 194px; height: 200px;” src=”http://www.webskis.com/uploaded_images/ChildrenSkiers-732486.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”” //abr /br /br /The sun had moved across the sky and was making its way toward darkness for a rest beyond the mountain. Gliding Man had seen enough. He started the long climb back to his home in the high valley on the shoulder of the mountain. On the way the trail passed a small mountain village where in the growing darkness children were outside chasing each other on skis around a central courtyard. There was much shouting and laughing and falling in a tangle of legs and skis. br /br /br /br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://www.webskis.com/uploaded_images/erin-corb-pack-798046.JPG”img style=”float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;” src=”http://www.webskis.com/uploaded_images/erin-corb-pack-798043.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” //abr /br /br /br /br /br /Gliding man smiled as he quietly passed the modest mountain houses. Some of the shops were still open and in the lights he could see a few people putting the finishing touches on their day’s work. Although tired, Gliding Man was feeling much better. Another hour of skiing and he approached the lights of his cabin. As he put his skis away after coating them with Performance Red, he heard familiar voices approaching the cabin. Upon closing the shop door he turned and saw his daughter, grandson and son-in-law coming up the darkened trail. They were singing an old folk song about chasing monsters back to the dark side. Their laughter caused Gliding Man to ponder his accomplishments. His tools were old and his shop small and his food simple. His foul mood had dissipated. He smiled and opened the door for his family. br /br /br /br /br /br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://www.webskis.com/uploaded_images/wintercabin-764630.JPG”img style=”float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;” src=”http://www.webskis.com/uploaded_images/wintercabin-764615.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” //adiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6589659500745667109-1374376929573678586?l=www.webskis.com%2Fwebskisblog.html’ alt=” //div
