Nice surprises I still remember...

Some folks are luckier than others. Some get lots of freebees that they're not supposed to expect. I can't say that I've been particularly spoiled in that department. 

The good things I got in life, I fought for them and I really earned them. Often, luck helped, but no one ever handed me anything on a silver platter. I can only remember a handful of gifts that somehow changed my life. Here they are:

- My first pair of skis made from scratch by my Dad in 1957; it got me going!

- Being named to the French Demo (ski) Team. This happened in the Fall of 1973; it made my winter!

- Being offered a tiny Casio calculator for the times; it was gifted to me by a Japanese that I took – as a guest – on the Ski World Cup circuit in December of 1974.

- Having a farewell party thrown for me at Nordica by Jim Garland, the then top honcho there. I received a huge, silver trophy and wasn't expected anything. This was in the spring of 1982.

These are it; these token of appreciation might sound trivial, super ordinary today, but they certainly did touched me very deeply; I'll never forget them and will treasure them forever...