Conquering my fear of the bunny slopes

Maybe you’ll think “soar” is the wrong word to describe skiing down the bunny slope for the first time, but it really expresses the freedom I felt after conquering and healing a fear of downhill skiing.

I had harbored this fear for a number of years. It began in 2001, when I joined 30 other Christian Scientists for a week of fun – enjoying all the winter activities Colorado has to offer – skiing, snowmobiling, soaking in hot springs, group board games, and our own church services. On that trip I really wanted to learn how to downhill ski. I’d never tried it before, and for as long as I could remember I’d been somewhat fearful about skiing.

On that trip I did take some downhill ski lessons. But after the first day of lessons, I was sunburned and sore. I was grateful when a friend read to me from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, a book that provides me with clarity about what I read in the Bible. How wonderful to acknowledge that “[man] is not made up of brain, blood, bones, and other material elements,” but rather that man is “the image and likeness of God.” Buoyed by this thought, I felt peaceful enough to sleep.

Sadly, another member of the group broke his leg that same day, which further fueled my fear of skiing with the lingering thought that “if it can happen to him, an accomplished skier, it could happen to me, a novice.”

Several years later, I had the opportunity to go on another trip to Colorado with the same group. Again, I wanted to learn how to downhill ski. It wasn’t so much that I wanted to ski for fun; rather, I wanted to persist and persevere with whatever is set before me, and to recognize that what challenges me is really an opportunity for spiritual growth.

To prepare for the trip, I went skiing with some friends in New England. I did okay skiing with an instructor, but I was afraid to try anything other than a wedge – so I became a “wedge warrior,” putting the tips of my skis together and moving cautiously. I prayed that day to know that God was present and actively caring for me. I knew He wouldn’t give me a day with friends without also giving me the grace and poise to enjoy the day.

As the Colorado trip approached, I prayed to see that fear had no hold on me. I was reminded of the phrase that fear is really just “false evidence appearing real.” What was the false evidence? One, that I was too old to take on skiing as an athletic endeavor; two, that I could hurt myself; and three, that I wasn’t physically fit enough to do this sport. I prayed with ideas from the Bible and from the writings of Mary Baker Eddy to gain a clearer understanding of my nature as God’s idea – a reflection of God. Did God create man as aging? Did God create man as fearful? Did God create man as unfit? All the answers of course came back with a definitive, “No.”

I truly felt uplifted by the time I went on the trip to Colorado. I was ready to conquer the bunny slope!

We arrived in Colorado on a Saturday evening, and I planned to take my first lesson on Monday. However, facing some of my old fears about skiing again, I began to feel a numbness extending the entire length of both of my legs. I called a Christian Science practitioner for prayerful support, and we prayed with the idea that woman has dominion; woman is always in her right place with the freedom to express joy and love.

I also prayed with the idea of balance. I saw that as a reflection of God, I was able to move with complete ease. I felt that in trying to conquer my fear of skiing, I was being asked to know God better, to be a witness to the full expression of God – in balance, activity, strength, and grace. I saw that I possessed all of these qualities as a pure reflection of God. In other words, if I were to look in a mirror, the qualities and characteristics of God would be smiling back at me.

I also prayed to know that my being was not confined within matter, but made by Spirit. In Science and Health, the chapter on Physiology reinforced the idea that I could lay aside the idea that matter was controlling my thoughts or my activities. My being was spiritual, not material!

On Tuesday the physical pain in my legs had ceased, but the fear remained. As a group of us were driving to the mountain, I called the practitioner again and said, “The pain is gone, but the fear is not.” She said she had been focusing on the idea that all in God’s kingdom is sound, safe, secure, and sane. That thought was reassuring, and I felt comfortable as I started out relearning basic skiing skills.

After lunch the class went to the longest bunny slope I had ever seen! I can’t say I was having fun yet, but I found that my fears had disappeared.

The last day of the trip I again glided down the bunny slope–and it was almost fun! I continue to discover that when we let fear go, we see God clearly. I remember stopping once to look around. All I saw and felt was God’s glory and His majesty. My heart soared!

God's perfect creation:

Science and Health
475:6-9 Man
xi:9-14

King James Bible
Gen. 1:26,27