I spoke with several snowboarding instructors during my recent trip to Japan. One instructor from Poland teaches snowboarding in the winter and works as a photographer during other seasons, contributing to newspapers and magazines. He also plays music with his bands in Poland and jams with other musicians in Japan after work. When the snow conditions are good, he takes breaks from teaching to enjoy snowboarding. He’s in his late 40s, and I assume he’s single to maintain this lifestyle.
Another young instructor teaches snowboarding year-round, dividing his time between Japan and New Zealand. His girlfriend is also an instructor, allowing them to travel and work together throughout the year.
These lifestyles differ from mine and seem like dream lifestyles. Although there are likely many challenges in their lives that I don’t see, learning about them reveals possibilities. I think we should periodically evaluate how we want to live our lives, perhaps every 5-10 years, as time is limited. We could also experiment living a different lifestyle from time to time, which would likely help us appreciate things more.
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