December 31, 2018 – Kirkwood Mountain, California

I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t drinking over the holidays.

18? 19?

I made a pact a couple weeks ago with a family member (to support their sobriety), but the significance really sinks in as I sip my soda water with lime amongst my coworkers and guests alike at the local sports bar on the mountain. It’s New Year’s Eve, so naturally everyone in the place is drinking. This is not a new practice for me, but the timing is, and I do feel bad (for my coworkers) that I’m not “as fun” as I would normally be in this environment.

(We’ve reached the point in the season where a number of friendships with coworkers have been developed. I’ve spent the most time around Jake and Melissa due to carpooling with them, but there is no shortage of interesting characters here. The “J-1’s” have arrived as well, mostly coming from Argentina and Peru this season. Thank God for them.)

My decision grants Melissa the opportunity to let loose and enjoy herself. Playing designated driver has its perks—a rare occasion for me to provide a friend with a safe ride home and feel a sense of service simultaneously. She has shown tremendous kindness already this season, both at work and as my primary transportation.

A rare friend in this industry.

We all watch a sporting event on TV and enjoy each other’s company as people rotate in and out from the table. Many a glass is raised. Midnight approaches as we watch the ball drop in New York. And though I feel most alone during the holidays, the company of my new friends helps dissipate that emotion.

“There is a magnet in your heart that will attract true friends. That magnet is unselfishness, thinking of others first; when you learn to live for others, they will live for you.” – Paramahansa Yogananda