There were a few items left to cross of my list in Burlington. I wanted to attend a session in the government building to see what that might look like. Politics always had seemed to be quite glamorous to me and the perks and benefits; even after leaving office, were quite good; even unimaginable. Who gets a salary for life, an office for life, a new car every three years and free healthcare? Answer, former politicians!

On the coming Thursday, there was a session that I was able to attend. The topics were not exciting, but I was able to catch a glimpse of the process. The airports in Vermont needed some infrastructure updating, and the vote was around the firm that the government would choose to use for general obligation bonds. This firm would also be tapped to perhaps do some bond issuance for road for roadway infrastructure as well.  I was asked to attend lunch by one of the councilman and I was able to tell my story a bit.

I had come to Vermont to find myself. To ski, to study and to chart a path that would take me to the next level in my life and career. He asked me many questions, and I answered succinctly. This particular House member had taken a hiatus to Europe in his younger years, so we found some common ground. Upon returning, he attended law school at Yale and had been in the same class as George H. W. Bush. Yale was no stranger to politicians, and he had made it onto several important committees including the finance committee meeting that I had just attended. While he had only twelve years in office, he was vested for all benefits.

Thursday's meeting was interesting, but I was more excited for Saturday. At Sugarbush, they were having an amateur junior slalom race. I had entered and paid the $75 entry fee. I was one of sixteen who had entered and would take my run in fifteenth place.

As I stood at the top of the mountain, stretched back, poles securely in the ground and awaiting the horn, I was a ball of anticipation. Once the horn sounded, I thrust forward and began my downhill run. The sun was blazing and made the snow and patterns before me glare with an almost unmistakable line. There had been fourteen skiers before me creating the S-curve paths.

I made it to the halfway point just a one-hundredth of a second behind the leader. It would be hard to gain ground as the second half was quite longer and wider sweeping than the first. As I was winding thru the course, I noticed my breathing getting stronger and my heart beating faster. It was only a few poles to the finish line and when I reached it I bent over and pushed my chest thru the the finishing rope. I had made it. By two-hundredths of a second, I held the lead with one skier to go.