Chair Lift Therapy

I think that if I were a Clinical Psychologist I would use a ride up a chair lift as setting for a counseling session. I am amazed how much exchange can occur between the two riders in a six minute ride up the slope. This seems to be true whether it is a couple of old geezer friends or a chance pairing when you are solo skiing. In six or seven minutes I have learned more about perfect strangers lives than one could imagine. My experience with a chance companion on the lift is that usually the conversation starts with where are you from and do you ski here often. Quite often if there is family skiing at the area the conversation will drift to family and then on to what you do or are you retired. If someone has a pet peeve or something bothering them it will come out too. It must be that riding up a lift is a non threatening situation with no chance of a long term relationship with any obligations since it is a chance encounter. Maybe it is like speed dating, but not having had that experience I have no first hand comparison.

As a Tough Old Geezer Skier with a name tag to that effect, perhaps people find it amusing and intriguing to talk to an old geezer. Whatever the case, I find that I am continually amazed how entertaining and interesting a ski lift ride with a chance seat mate can be. As far as old friends and acquaintances go the same old stories often get repeated ad infinitum, but from time to time real problems get hashed out.

Maybe I should set up a stand like Lucy did in the Peanuts Comic Strip by Charles Schulz. The sign reads,

"Psychiatric Help - 5 Cents".