Monday, 8 September 2008

不是浪而是泪海

cable-skiing mirrors so many of life's experiences.

it all begins with a briefing by the instructor, but no matter how eloquent the instructor is, no matter how clear the instructions given are, they are but mere words that mean nothing, till we get on our skis and experience skiing for ourselves.

then, on the starting mat, in our starting stances, focusing on the little green light and the hook that is heading our way, but one can never be fully prepared for the moment when the hook hauls one away. it kind of just happens.

and most first-timers fall into the water soon after take-off, perhaps due to inexperience. and the only thing to do now is to let go gracefully; it's do no good hanging on desperately. rather, let go of the handle, pick the pieces up (one's equipments) and swim back to shore, get in line, grab a rest and be mentally and physically ready for the next ski.

after the first 20 meters or so, the next challenge is the turn. and like the challenges that we face soon after we begin to feel a little more comfortable in whatever that we're doing, many stumble at the first turn. most of us get caught off-guard by the sudden slackening of the cable and then the sudden tug, especially while we are feeling triumphant and exhilarated and not expecting the challenge that the turn will bring.

successfully negotiate the first turn however, and the rest of the turns should be fairly easy to deal with, because the way to approach the turns are fundamentally similar. however, a different force, a force more sinister then troubles starts to creep in: weariness. soon, the dull ache in the thighs intensifies, and becomes an acute anguish, and suddenly, the water seem choppy and one finds oneself losing balance. 2 choices now, to either will oneself to endure the agony, force the muscle to keep working, or bail out.

every time one falls into the water, it is painful - it should be - we're travelling at speeds topping at almost 60km/hr. in fact, i had one particularly nasty fall when i got rather complacent after cruising through a few rounds. i fell face down into the water, and felt a severe pain in my right knee, and i was horrified at that instant, fearing the worst. thankfully, no real harm was done, and the pain subsided soon after.

no matter how hard one tries though, there finally comes a time when the ski must end. again, one can choose to try and fight the inevitable, and go down with a splash, or one can let go of the handle gracefully, embracing the inevitability of life, and moving on.

cable-skiing mirrors so many of life's experiences. one experience that it reflects so faithfully to though, is the sharing of our lives with others: the relationships that we build.

words cannot describe it, we can never really be prepared for it, it is difficult to maintain, with a dissimilar set of challenges at differing stages of the relationship, it is painful when it ends, and it will end, eventually. but it was exhilarating while it lasted.

matt,
23:51:00