And So It Starts

I was snowboarding with my 7 year old daughter on Friday, and about half way down a moderately long run towards the end of the day, we had the following conversation:

Me:	"Cassia ... (huff, puff, gasp, wheeze) ... let's stop ... (pant, pant, heave, snort) ... and rest here ... (gulp, suck, gasp) ... just for a minute."
Cassia:	"I don't want to stop, Daddy. You rest here and I'll wait for you at the bottom."

Ouch! Okay, well then. I don't think anything has ever made me feel quite so old as this exchange. The fact that this was only the second day she's ever snowboarded (and she's never skied) didn't help. At seven years old! Couldn't my not being able to keep up with my children have waited until she was at least ten?

Granted, it was only my second day ever on a snowboard (Howie was there for the first time, about eight years ago, do you remember Howie?), and Cassia's technique has a ways to go (she cheats by staying on her heel edge and alternating between regular and goofy-foot heel traverses, so her movement down the slope looks sort of like a falling leaf), but she never falls and keeps going, and going, and going, and going, and ... I'm glad she's learning how to do it as quickly as she is, but I wish I had been able to keep myself in better shape. All the rest of you with older children have been through this already, but it's been quite a shock for me.

Exercise has suddenly become a much higher priority for me.