On the same day that Monika fell through a cornice to her death on Red Mountain, I went for a jog in Snoqualmie Valley in the afternoon light. The sun filtered through the trees in a way that caused a short-circuit in my brain, an electrical storm, a seizure. Wearing my black VertFest tee-shirt, I went down to the ground and spent some time unconscious and in that 'in-between' reality.
Monika won the VertFest every year, hands down, beating many men and all the women by a huge gap. I admired her athleticism, but more than that, I admired the life energy that overflowed (literally could not be contained) through her smile and twinkling eyes. When you live life fully, as Monika clearly did, it is apparent to all who meet you immediately.
It wasn't until the next day that we learned about Monika's accident on Red Mountain. For the next several days, many in the backcountry ski community prayed for her safe rescue. On Saturday, the sad ending came in her body being retrieved from the backcountry.
My thoughts might appear disconnected and random but follow me a bit further...I am grateful for my life, even and especially with the affliction of seizures, for they serve as a reminder. I am grateful to know -as Monika did- that life is an amazing gift that we should spend not squander. For those of you with dull eyes, you will get the point too late. Perhaps as a final tribute in Monika's memory, God sent snow today for the first time in weeks; and, although I've seen it a bazillion times before, a smile spreads across my face and I look at it in awe. Go find the awe and wonder...
Monika Johnson- RIP February 2011
No comments:
Post a Comment