So I mentioned that I'd be trying to integrate more thoughts. Here's one:
This week, Zach mentioned another staff, Jesse, introducing himself with a fun fact: that he'd stayed with head-hunters in Borneo for two weeks before they gave him a native tribal tattoo.
"Whoa!! What?! Who does that?! Who can say they've done that?!" was Zach's reaction.
My reaction was, "yeah, but did he climb with them?"
Oi. This is the point at which I get so stoked on climbing that I lose sense of what life can be outside of it. When rainy days send me into a tailspin, and animal closures make me want to scare the piss (literally) out of desert tortoises. (*little known fact: if you scare a desert tortoise, their natural response is to pee--which could be the releasing of water they've collected over the course of 10 months or more).
Obsession. That's what this mindset is. It's unbalanced idolatry. Sure it's passionate. It's commitment. It has some redemptive qualities. But it is not beneficial when it comes to measuring every other part of life against the focus, adrenaline, pursuit, community, and time investment that it requires.
So I've been pursuing relationships that include mountain biking, running, watching movies, slacklining and throwing a frisbee at the park...basically trying to balance all the other things in my life that I enjoy.
In a word: balance.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Week in Review 04.25.11
Hey y'all! So, this is what it looked like:
Wednesday: I woke up after 4 hours with an insatiable desire to make a video about a lamb we killed and roasted Argentinian-style the week before.
Later, I was surprised to find that I was able to perform well enough to climb a 12b that I'd never been on. Sent it in one session, because I climbed smart, not hard <enter cliched idiom>.
Some friends met up for coffee, a couple of them being from out-of-town. Elena and Emily, both inspiring women that make you want to be a better you after just having conversation with them--friends of Katie's from grad school.
An evening run took me up to a bouldering spot where I got an anaerobic work out--climbing--before running back home. Slamming some protein when getting back home, I joined other friends at open mic where Paul and Zach performed some Avett Brothers' covers.
Our friends, Sean and Lauren invited over a cookout at their house. They didn't have corhole bag, only the boards, so we sewed some when we arrived. The party must go on!
Saturday: Happy Birthday Dave!! Yeah, we did have that many birthdays to celebrate in a row. :) Unfortunately, Dave had to work, so we celebrated the night before.
Most of the day was actually spent cashing in on Margaret time. Breakfast, park session, and OH don't forget St. George Day! haha At the park we slacklined (tight rope walking, essentially), played frisbee and picnicked. We had the girls over for dinner and went on a nice walk after eating.
Sunday: Happy Easter! (Oh, the festivities this week) Watching Last of the Mohicans in the morning is an intense way to start the day. Jazzed on man stuff, I planted flowers in the front and backyard. Also, I have some germinating in the flower box. Oi!
A largely domestic day led to dinner in Cedar City with awesome food (amazing salad, a Jewish desert, and elk which Zach shot this past winter).
And now it's Monday: A bit of laundry, some errands, ultimate frisbee in the park and Monday Night Dinner (a tradition before going into the field).
Wow! I don't know that I'll give you the play-by-play in the future. Maybe more of a highlight reel, and better written. Give me feedback, please. I will also include more thoughts, and less event-based life, as they are the relevant musings of a human experience. Hopefully something you can relate to more as well.
Adventures in blogging...here we go!
Wednesday: I woke up after 4 hours with an insatiable desire to make a video about a lamb we killed and roasted Argentinian-style the week before.
Later, I was surprised to find that I was able to perform well enough to climb a 12b that I'd never been on. Sent it in one session, because I climbed smart, not hard <enter cliched idiom>.
Some friends met up for coffee, a couple of them being from out-of-town. Elena and Emily, both inspiring women that make you want to be a better you after just having conversation with them--friends of Katie's from grad school.
An evening run took me up to a bouldering spot where I got an anaerobic work out--climbing--before running back home. Slamming some protein when getting back home, I joined other friends at open mic where Paul and Zach performed some Avett Brothers' covers.
Thursday: Happy Birthday Elena! She loves swimming, so we braved the chilly water of Sand Hollow by jumping off cliffs, then warmed ourselves in the sun.
Zion NP was the next stop on the list. We cruised up a 2-pitch climb named Ashtar Command, and gave Elena a wooden spoon I'd carved as a b.day gift. Our tradition is to go out for burgers at a cafe named Oscar's. My friend Juli joined us for dinner, and went back to her apartment to hangout for awhile afterward.
Friday: Happy Birthday Margaret! Melissa and I had a friend we know from Red River Gorge, KY that visited for the weekend. A strong climber herself, we took her to our local crag--Chuckawalla--and watched her send things we'd projected for awhile. Nice work Margaret!
The fellows of the Microcosm, along with the help of Andrew (a friend of Z and P's, in from a climbing trip), were inspired to dig a firepit in the back yard. Home Depot here we come!
Our friends, Sean and Lauren invited over a cookout at their house. They didn't have corhole bag, only the boards, so we sewed some when we arrived. The party must go on!
Saturday: Happy Birthday Dave!! Yeah, we did have that many birthdays to celebrate in a row. :) Unfortunately, Dave had to work, so we celebrated the night before.
Most of the day was actually spent cashing in on Margaret time. Breakfast, park session, and OH don't forget St. George Day! haha At the park we slacklined (tight rope walking, essentially), played frisbee and picnicked. We had the girls over for dinner and went on a nice walk after eating.
Sunday: Happy Easter! (Oh, the festivities this week) Watching Last of the Mohicans in the morning is an intense way to start the day. Jazzed on man stuff, I planted flowers in the front and backyard. Also, I have some germinating in the flower box. Oi!
A largely domestic day led to dinner in Cedar City with awesome food (amazing salad, a Jewish desert, and elk which Zach shot this past winter).
And now it's Monday: A bit of laundry, some errands, ultimate frisbee in the park and Monday Night Dinner (a tradition before going into the field).
Wow! I don't know that I'll give you the play-by-play in the future. Maybe more of a highlight reel, and better written. Give me feedback, please. I will also include more thoughts, and less event-based life, as they are the relevant musings of a human experience. Hopefully something you can relate to more as well.
Adventures in blogging...here we go!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Let a Joy Kill You
Oh, and I quick note about the darkish title I chose for my blog: it's a line from one of my favourite poems..."Joy" by Carl Sandberg.
JOY
LET a joy keep you.
Reach out your hands
And take it when it runs by,
As the Apache dancer
Clutches his woman.
I have seen them
Live long and laugh loud,
Sent on singing, singing,
Smashed to the heart
Under the ribs
With a terrible love.
Joy always,
Joy everywhere--
Let joy kill you!
Keep away from the little deaths.
Wilkommen!
Knowing others and being known are a basic needs of every human being. Blogging is a win-win because it not only informs you of my life, but also couples well with my narcissism. I'm going to play some basic catch up with you so that everyone's on the same page, then I'll be progressively moving into more and more real time events, stories, pics, vids, et cetera.
Recently, I've been given the grace to share more from my faith at work. More specifically, I've been reading from my Bible to the clients. For example, in a conversation about our morality, I shared how God's wisdom influences mine. James 3:17-->"God's wisdom is peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of grace and good fruits, impartial, and sincere." Also, my clients are very intentional with their language, so I read from James 3:2-6 which has some incredible imagery about taming the tongue.
Rock climbing has been a HUGE part of my life in the past 8 years and this week has been a strong push. I've made relatively quick work of two 5.12bs (moderate/hard) since Wednesday and will soon be pushing through a roof in my training to hit 5.13.
My best buds here are Zach, Paul, Dave, and Katie. We have a ton of fun and solidarity, as most of our life pursuits and passions coincide (i.e. Climbing, running, biking, movies, music, grilling out, conversation, COFFEE, and people). Zach and Paul are my roommates, and together with Steven we live in the Microcosm of Coolness! The Microcosm has three rules: #1 Look Good, #2 Have fun, Safety Third, (and no Jedi Mind tricks, Anthony).
Well, that's it for now. The trifecta of my life passions: God, People, Climbing (and in that order).
I'll be posting more real time stories as they evolve.
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