The Climb

Last week ten guys on my floor (me included) got together to go rock-climbing, something I haven't done in years. I realized quickly that there is a big difference between strength & balance, the prior which I've trained through weekly gym sessions, however, gripping tiny rocks while being perched dozens of feet in the air *gulp* can create stress.

I'm not a heavy person, but your fingers and toes feel the strain after a few hours. Once you get past the blistering and the bumped kneecaps it can be a thrilling form of exercise.

The different routes you could climb were given a number/color system. Whites, the easiest, were often 5.6. The more challenging were Black that held a rating of 5.12 (if memory serves). When climbing indoors, the routes often are overlapped, enabling so that you can "cheat" by using multiple colors to scale the surface. It's recommended that you stay in your lane however so that you can truly conquer the specific route you start on.

I'm bouncing in my seat as I share this, I love symbolism so much!

We are all on different routes in life, and some of us start at a more difficult level than others, but we all have a place where we can go that's higher. For those who were given an easy route, victory is almost assured. But is an easy victory even something worth celebrating?

Once one of the guys finished a white route for the first time the others cheered and congratulated the climber. Then, as most males do, the next would attempt a more challenging route. Pink and Orange routes were the step up, and after an hour, one of our more veteran climbers conquered a brightly colored route to the delight of those below. This sparked others to try the more challenging routes, until all difficulties were being tried.

I couldn't complete anything other than white but I wasn't discouraged. Next time I go, the experience from last week will aid me in my ascent. This is so relatable to life! We may not be at the desired level of skill/success today, but that doesn't mean failure equates to elimination. Failure in life means we lean back and let gravity take us down so we can start from the base.

Here's my favorite part :D

And when you can't get the route, sometimes you need to look at it from a different angle, from the ground below. When you are halfway up the cliff-face it can be difficult to see where your hands/feet should move next. When you are on the cushioned-flooring below however, you can see the route clearly and imagine yourself scaling the wall, planing out your movements.

Being on the ground isn't bad, it's the first step in a long and tedious process. And once you're up at the top, you've done it, and you want to do it all over again. Enjoy the process :)