off balance

Sorry for continual commentary on snow, but damn! I love it! This pic was only the beginning as well. So much snow I couldn't get the wagon out, and had to dig around it. When I came home it had pretty much filled in and so I reversed into the driveway opposite my spot and had to 4-wheel haulin' ass to plow back into my space. It goes without saying that the mountain has been sweet as well. 220cm at the lowest mountain with a good bit of untracked powder. On that note I have pretty much converted myself to Celsius and metric. I'm sorry, but , it's the future. Inches, feet, pounds, miles; seriously, what the hell is that. Do it by tens and there, you have it. 0 degrees is freezing, and 100 is boiling, got it. Anyway, I'm not trying to knock the way the good ol' U.S. and A. do things, (I love our crazy stubbornness) but I've realized that to really live in a new place, and not to just be an outsider, you gotta think like the natives right? When in Rome...
So, its been a upward, yet rewarding battle to abandon the crutch of mental translation and just begin to THINK in another way. To think in Japanese, Celcius, and metric. It has opened me to the commonly taken-for-granted understanding that this world is full of varying outlooks on life, and that although we may think we know it, we don't really comprehend the reality that other people simply do not think the same as ourselves. This works internationally AND interpersonally. Not sure if thats a word, but you get my drift.
Realizing how little I know in this world, gives me inspiration to also realize I should never be bored. There are an infinite number of subjects to be explored, and an equal number of world views. I was sitting on the lift at my local ski hill and was thinking about why we push ourselves to find a job to make money. What its really all about. And then this alternate world view concept hit me. There is no law forcing us to choose a certain path in life. We can do whatever we want. There are societal laws that may have an influence in what kind of career we choose or decide not to choose because of the consequences, but generally all in all, we can do whatever the hell we want. But somewhere along the line the pursuit of money got mixed up with the pursuit of happiness. It's not really the life I want, but who's to say working a little here and there just to be able to ride all year 'round isn't a worthwhile path. All paths lead to the same destination anyway right? So why not choose the most fun?
As a wise man I know says, "There's big fun, and little fun." Big fun are the moments in life that lend to personal and spiritual progress as well as enrich relationships with loved ones, and little fun are the moments that bring us immediate yet ephemeral pleasure. I guess the ideal is to enjoy both, but not to sacrifice the big fun, for the little fun. But I think the question comes into play when you look at a specific example. For me, let's say snowboarding. At first it seems like little fun. I enjoy it at the time, but obviously it only lasts for that moment. Yet, if one is open, it's possible to learn much about life and one's self through any activity. Just observing emotions and reactions and studying one's own behavior even in an activity like snowboarding can offer great insights into spirituality. So, this sounds like big fun now. That's why I came to thinking about how ANY path in life can offer fulfilling rewards. One just has to have an open and observational attitude.
Anyways, I'll stop trying obfuscate a helpful and insightful piece of wisdom. Besides, my ramen is almost here and I'm starving