I have been going into these experiences with the mindset of, "You know, I may never have another chance to do this in my life, so I might as well just do it now while it's presented." That might be an unusual way to approach a new situation, but I also feel like it's a valid one. Visiting the colonias, seeing a full moon/jumping off sand dunes/sledding down sand dunes/dancing under the stars and full moon at White Sands, venturing 750 ft below ground into Carlsbad Caverns, hiking up 3 different mountain ranges, and rock climbing in the Franklin Mountains...for all of the above, when will be my next opportunity? I have also walked away from these experiences with TONS of joy and gratitude. I did not earn nor deserve to have those experiences, they were only given to me at the right time. These experiences have made me understand what it means to truly live in the moment.
Yesterday, Erin and I had the privilege of joining one of the Cristo Rey volunteer's, Megan, and her husband, Andre, in a rock climbing adventure. We drove out to the Franklin Mountains where we met a group of people who get together on Saturday mornings to rock climb. As usual, the view out to the Franklins was gorgeous. The mountain ranges were surrounding us, and the brief hike to the climbing ledge was amazing. The sun was not at its highest, thankfully. This was my first time rock climbing, so I was very excited to dig my feet into this new experience! Erin had rock climbed previously at an indoor wall at her school. However, she had a bad experience. The person who was belaying her was not paying attention when Erin fell, and barely caught Erin in time. She was about a foot from landing on the floor before the person caught her. That means that Erin fell about 15 feet. Luckily, this second time around for her was a much more positive experience!
Megan and Andre helped us gear up and taught us how to tie on the climbing gear. We did 3 climbs. The first one wasn't too bad! I struggled to get started because of my height. I was unable to lift my hip to get onto the "easiest" path. I took my time and was able to make it up. When I reached the top and yelled "take!" I turned around to see the view behind me. It was breathtaking! You could see the mountains on all sides, and El Paso off in the distance. It's amazing being able to see how the world unfolds in front of you. They brought me down, and that was almost more fun than going up. I was a little nervous when they said "just sit backwards and let go of the rope," but it ended up being one of the greatest and most freeing feelings! I was lowered slowly onto the ground and, for once, adored the feeling of slightly falling. It was extremely liberating and stretched my trust by knowing that my life was in this man's hands.
The second climb was a little bit of a struggle. I actually did not make it up this one because of my height. There was no possible path for me to step up or grab. My hips could not reach that high. There was a part in this climb where you had to switch your center of gravity, turn to the left, and also bring your right foot up to a higher edge. Every time I did this, I ended up falling and swinging. This swinging incident happened twice. The first time I was very much startled, the second time I was just too annoyed. I told them to lower me, as it seemed impossible for me to actually make it up more than halfway. Someday I hope to return to that path and make it to the top.
The third climb was definitely higher than the first and second. I made it up after some readjusting of climbing paths due to my height. My legs were shaky and sore after this one, but it was such a cool feeling being able to yell "take!" at the top and, again, look out at the world below. El Paso is such a beautiful city to see from all points of view, pedestrian and birds-eye.
After I was done with my climbing paths, this strange, therapeutic feeling came over me. I realized how much rock climbing resembled life. There are so many paths that you can take to reach the top, and life comes in the same way. It's good to remind yourself every now and then that you do not have to do what everyone else is doing. In fact, this summer I've been surrounded by people who are definitely far from the majority when it comes to how they live their life. Justin tells me all the time, "I would much rather be unordinary than normal. I love to laugh at weird stuff and just be weird, and I don't want to change that." As long as you reach your goal in being a kind person who makes a difference in the world (aka, the top of the mountain), then it truly does not matter how you get there. You also may slip, fall, and swing a little bit, but the perseverance and courage to swing back on path, keep climbing, reach the top, and yell "take!" will be a feeling that you will always remember. It's the healthiest decision to just step out of your comfort zone and just do something bold.
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| "Take!" |
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