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I just got back from Copper Mountain, Colorado, having spent most of last week there on business (hence the weeklong gap in blog entries). The location was wisely chosen by my client for a reason that’s relevant to his business but not necessary to explain here.

What is relevant is the fact that Copper is extremely far removed from my day to day life, different in many ways:

Ridiculously clean air. The kind you wouldn’t know existed unless you arrived straight from The City. The folks who live there may not know it, but I could feel it, and I was constantly trying to take giant breaths to stock up on what felt like invisible energy.

No cars. Some shuttle buses, no traffic. You can stand in the middle of a snow-packed street for 10 minutes with no danger of getting hit by anything other than an errant snowboarder.

Ridiculously nice people. Not even in Disney World did I meet such happy people. I spent some time in Telluride in the late ‘80’s, and nothing has changed in the 25 years since: people who inhabit these towns live to ski (or snowboard), so they serve pizza or fix roofs or drive shuttle buses so they can spend the rest of their time on the slopes. In the dog-eat-dog big-city world of big business, you have to claw your way to the top. In Copper, a ski lift takes you there.

Copper is hundreds of miles from Chicago, but it felt like I was on a different planet. It was inspiring to be in such an alien environment. It reminded me of the importance of getting away from places in which you usually find yourself. Down the road or across the ocean, find yourself somewhere new. Soon. The air may not be all that much cleaner, but the energy you get will be worth it.