Freedom Curves, Pattee Canyon, Missoula, Montana

Blanketed silence, but for the shuush-shuush-shuushing of distant skiers along the groomed trail.

In my limited experience, actual strapping on skis is a far cry from working out on a NordicTrack. You might be mentally contrasting a four-wall view against the freedom of shuushing along a trail, sun diamonds on the snow, hair flying out from the bottom of your toque. For me, I remember that I tend to awkwardly tilt on the machine and must leverage my grip on the "poles" to stave off carpet burn. On actual skis, I stayed pretty upright, perhaps motivated by a childhood abhorrence of snow inevitably wedging in the back of my pants.

Thinking more on freedom, I was challenged this weekend with some serious thoughts about it and wanted to share the resources that provoked me. If you would like to learn more about friends of mine who are committed to freeing young women in desperate need of rescue, or are needing to gather hope toward more of your own internal freedom, I invite you to click the text links in this last paragraph.