Grateful for rock-climbing

My list of “what I’m thankful for” has a new addition this year…my first rock-climbing experience.  My buddy, Derek, had been promising me a climb for over a year…finally, that day came.  An unexpected text of “wanna climb today?” caught me off-guard; before I put any thought into it, I replied/lied, “absolutley”.

There were helmets, gear, shoes, ropes, clips, harnesses, and a ton of crazy people climbing all over the side of a hill where  the original Planet Of The Apes was filmed.  My buddy did the hard work, and by the time I started to climb, falling was not an option–if I fell, I just hung in the air until I figured out the next pocket to grip or found the next toe hold.

It was an emotional roller-coaster, a finger-punisher, a trapezius-killer, a forearm-cramper, and knee-scraper.  When the lump in my throat and the knot in my stomach began to disappear, I could understand some of the beauty of rock-climbing: there is always another way to get to the top; changing course is not giving up; the view from every step of the way is amazing; you shouldn’t be that afraid of falling–you’ve got the support of a good friend; when you step out of your comfort zone, you meet some new part of yourself; and, you experience that great-kind-of-tired when it’s over.

This Thanksgiving, I am very grateful for my climb.

Happy Thanksgiving, and make your people feel loved this holiday season–remember that HazelMail is here to help you out with that.  Take care.