To the Top

If you have ever been snow skiing and snowboarding you know the challenges beginners often face with getting on and off of the lift. I always get a good laugh when someone falls getting off the lift or gets knocked in the head when they try to get on. I realized today while contemplating stories and analogies a young counselor could make about the therapy process, ah ha, the ski lift is a great analogy.

In life, we ski downhill trying to navigate new paths and old paths. We fall going down the hill and get back up. Skiing is a communal and individual activity that brings joy and frustration. Sometimes we get to the bottom after being beaten down the run of life and do not want to get back on and go to the top. The counseling process is essentially helping individuals and families get back on the lift and head to the top. During the conversation on the lift back to the top we will look below talking about the difficulties on the last run. We will look forward to the top of the mountain and discuss what it means to find joy when getting off the lift and making the most of the journey back down. We must continue the cycle of skiing down the paths of life and making the most of every opportunity. Then when we get to the bottom, we get back on the lift and look at the big picture going back to the top. What went good? What went wrong? Now make a plan when you get to the top and enjoy the ride again.