Climbing Update!

              Climbing--it requires skill, athleticism, coordination and motivation, all things that I'm pretty generally lacking. . .
              So why do I enjoy it? I'm certainly not naturally good at it.

Climbing Classic Crack

       Deep, philosophical answer: because it's fun! Such a thrill rush. I've been making tons of time for it lately. Out of the last three days, I climbed . . . uh, all three days. Whoops. Well I found myself some climber friends with the know-how and willingness to instruct me in it, so I'm taking advantage of it while the getting's good (I'm such a good person).

Lead climbing: means you can't hang around like this.

        I bring this up now because yesterday I did my first lead climb! A few months ago lead climbing was inconceivable to me, so it means quite a lot. (Lead climbing, as opposed to top roping, means that as you climb you're attaching yourself to bolts on the rock as you go, leaving a lot more space in between draws to fall if you do slip). There's a lot more possibility of getting hurt . . . and you don't have the rope to lean your weight on and take a rest partway up if you need it. You just gotta go, go, go for it.
      And now I can say I've done my first one! Ah, life. And my "instructor" cooked me a steak dinner afterward in congratulations. (Seems a little backward to me but I'm not complaining). It's not just the climbing of course, but the company that comes along with it . . .
     So I guess the moral here is, even if you suck at something, the real question is whether you enjoy it. And if you do enjoy it, then damn, go for it. Go on and cheerfully, bravely, suck at it until you don't anymore.