Momentum

photo by Coleen Sullins

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Time spent skiing alone in the quiet woods with only my body, skis, and thoughts tends to birth an unending stream of Life-Ski analogies.

Observation of the Day: Momentum is Sweet.

Momentum propels you halfway up the next hill with no effort.  Life is good, you feel like you’ve ‘got it’…momentum allows you to fly without working hard.  But momentum can disappear for various reasons (falling, slow glide, deep snow, whatever) and once you have lost that free ride then the reality of creating your own momentum sets in.  Time to examine technique and look closely if all is functioning well. This is when we have to proceed slowly, and going slow requires balance and patience since there is no momentum to keep you upright.  No free glide.  When we’re slow we can re-examine if we are doing the movements as perfectly as possible: are we leaning forward with no fear, are we are balanced and committing to one foot, are we fully gliding on one ski—by going at an achingly deliberate pace we’re more prone to the keen (but sometimes annoying) self-observations.

Going slowly reveals if we’ve glossed-over any unfinished business, cover-ups or weak spots.  Lack of momentum can force us to become more fluid, and being fluid means we spend less energy to move.

Go slowly helps us learn how to exert less energy. 

Interesting.

Lots of interesting moments out there on the trail with one’s skis.

No recipe this week, just one of my numerous ski analogies and a couple favorites from the FEAST Local Foods Extravaganza in Rochester, MN last December.

Badgersett Farms in southern Minnesota has been working for years on creating nut trees that grow in the colder climates.  A “neohybrid” of European and Asian chestnuts, their chestnut is an attempt to recreate the properties of the thought-to-be-extinct North American chestnut.  They are easy to peel, can be eaten raw or roasted, and are utterly scrumptious.  They must be refrigerated and only keep a few months so it’s best to snack heartily on them in the fall and winter.

Badgersett has also developed a cold-climate hickory-pecan.  These buddies take some time to extract from the shell and in small pieces, but they have a true pecan flavor.

Another favorite from the day was a taste of unsweetened dried cranberries by Honestly Cranberry.  No oils, no sugars, just pure cranberry.  The tartness reminded me of dried Goldenberries, and you easily adjust to that altered level of sweetness.  Without any added oils they are quite light—we were told they yield around thirteen cups per pound.

Check out the the FEAST List of Exhibitors from 2015 to find these interesting entrepreneurs.

May you enjoy the beauties of this season!