On Compromises
To live our best lives, we all must make compromises. Where we choose to spend our days is one of our most significant decisions, as the laws of space and time dictate that if you’re in one place, you can’t be in another. The location you live in will determine how often you are first in the lift line at your favorite ski resort on a chest-deep powder day, and it will also influence your options for career, partner, and lifestyle. These days I live in a mountain town, but I spent many years of my life living in world-class cities. There are many incredible opportunities and offerings found exclusively in our urban meccas, but I can only be in one place at a time, so I gravitate to the mountains.
From time to time I still hear the siren song of the big city. The buzz of a sushi restaurant in Los Angeles on a Friday evening or the after-midnight vibe of a nightclub in New York City is energizing to the sometimes-extrovert part of my psyche. I spent my college years in the bohemian-influenced enclave of Ann Arbor, Michigan, so the eclectic nature of San Francisco makes it feel like home and feeds my creative soul.
None of these amenities feature in the small mountain town in which I live today. I’ve chosen to sacrifice them, and all the other so-called “civilized” perks of urban life, to be the first guy in line on a powder day. To be on my mountain bike an hour after the rain ends when the trails are paved with tacky-as-glue “hero dirt.” To be in the backcountry at dawn, watching the sun rise over Lake Tahoe from the top of a mountain before skiing down with only the sound of a friend’s skis to break the silence.
These are my choices, and yours will be different. We’re all required to select our individual paths to walk, suffering the consequences and reaping the benefits of the bargains we make with ourselves. We can’t make perfect decisions, but we can make informed compromises. Recognizing this and doing it with patience and wisdom will point us in the direction of our best lives.
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