Addiction

 Recently I had a conversation with my son about addiction.  We both have observed addictive behaviors in close friends and family.  They have both prevailed and have been conquered by some.  We mutually celebrated the recoveries and lamented the challenges for those continuing to have difficulties.  

 Our conversation moved on from destructive addictions to what we considered a welcome addictions.  Because this is essentially a ski blog you can guess what addiction we came up with that we thought was a delight.   You guessed it!   Downhill skiing as much as possible!  As an early retiree, he has had the good fortune to exceed 100 days or more on the slopes for many years.   In my retirement over thirty years I have managed to hit the slopes for over 70 days a season.   At 91 now, I am not sure how long that is going to last!   As you might expect the father and son addiction to skiing has been passed on to the children and siblings.  

In closing it would seem that addictions build communities either of mutual misery or mutual celebration.  Humans are certainly social animals both for the good and evil.  My prayer is that good will win out.   I am so fortunate to have a wife who raises me up when I feel despair.  May we all have a partner that prods us toward the good.