For what its Worth.

*Image of Lisa Rands

"This is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time." There are a plethora of quotes or sayings from authors and intellectuals who have found eloquent ways to sum up life and how precious or short it is. The idea of making the most of your life is not a new phenomenon but seems to quickly be forgotten as we get caught up in our day to day lives. What we do each day is living our normal lives which is perfect, but we all need to be reminded to do those extra things for ourselves to ensure we are getting the most from our life.

Why do I bring this up? Why do I bring anything up? Well hopefully to inspire myself to try new things and maintain the old ones. But I also do so to hopefully scratch sparks for others.

While attending university I really didn’t have the time or money to keep rock climbing so I gave it up for the most part. I didn’t have the time or money to head to the rock gym, let alone start purchasing the gear I needed for outdoor climbing. I truly missed it and now working full-time that should all change.

Where I was holding myself back slightly was in the fact that when my first climbing partner was not available any more I figured that I would have to wait for some who was already a lead climber to start again. But there is no reason to wait so the plan is to take a lead climbing course this June of July and slowly purchase the gear as I go as it is a costly affair. It was also too bad that my original partner is not available as he had all the rope, nuts and beaners required. On top of that he was great to learn from as he had been climbing for many years and traveled the world to do so.

Although I have only second climbs in the past I am sure that with the climbing course it won’t take me long to learn and become comfortable with leading climbs. Now I just need to find a rube, I mean partner that will trust me and second my climbs. Until then I will practice and hopefully perfect the art of Solo climbing.

So with the cash coming in and a little more free time available I think it is time to get back into the sport full force. Although I have to be cautious of injury and fatigue with the race coming up in May, starting tomorrow I hope to hit the rock gym about once a week. Not only is it a great pastime but an amazing working.

Now to tie this mixed up dialogue together by coming back to my opening point, with climbing in mind, there is definitely the raw adrenaline, fun sport, out in nature aspect from climbing but there is an awe inspiring feeling of living life to its fullest as well. Hanging off the side of a rock 50, 100 or 1000ft up is truly "a near life experience." Experiences and activities that make us utilize our talents or discover new ones truly keep up us going and make life worth while.

There are some great climbing videos available on youtube including this trailer. Just a way to see the absolutely inspiring determination, passion and work ethic these people have with their life.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. What will you do with it?