When we were younger, and had more cartilage.

You only live once, so take note of your insurance deductible.

Steep hill in Santiago, Chile.

Once, when I was younger and had more cartilage, when I had no foreknowledge of all but one other family member blowing out their knee, when invincibility still seemed possible, I was an aggressive—though polite—skier.

But now, nearing age 50, I frequently make decisions about physical tomfoolery by calculating my insurance …