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Climbing, Adventure, Gear & Choss
A Life of Ease
“We seek out challenge so that when it is forced upon us, we are better equipped to handle it.” – Timmy O’Neill
We live in a culture where convenience and ease are touted as the highest ideals. I was at a wedding recently where one of the people making toasts said they hoped the new couple had a “life of ease.” I almost laughed out loud. A life of ease? Besides being impossible, how about something a little more interesting? How about a life of adventure?
Adversity will never be avoidable, despite what our society would have us believe. And if we are looking for ease, we are sure to be sorely disappointed. But if we embrace adventure, and challenge and the unknown, then each new day presents an incredible amount of opportunities for learning and growth. Now what does that sound like….
Climbing teaches us so many things. How to push past our fears. How to push past our perceived limits. How to hone body and mind into something that produces results far beyond what we could ever expect. But only if we seek these things out. Because the truth is that the life of ease can be found at the cliffs. I can go climb on routes that are “safe”, within my limits, that I know well, that present little challenge. And it’s fun in a rent-a-movie-and-eat-popcorn kind of way, but it provides little growth.
It’s only when we step into the unknown, into that space we fear and yet desperately need as humans, that really exciting things can happen.
What would my toast have looked like? Maybe something like this: I wish for you a life of adventure. A road filled with twists and turns and challenges and rewards beyond what you could expect. Because that is where learning and magic can truly happen.
3 Responses to A Life of Ease
Bulldog Creek Dog Walk (IV WI 4+)
Hayden Carpenter and Tom Bohanon recently repeated an obscure ice climb on the south side of Mt Sopris. Given a brief mention in Jack Robert’s ice guide, Bulldog Creek Walk is described as being 100 meters of WI 4. What they found was seven pitches of ice in a remote setting that makes for one […]
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Thanks again BJ.
Wonderful, short and sweet.
Here’s to the adventure.
Made me think of http://xkcd.com/308/ – thanks for the reminder.
Man, I feel this sentiment very deeply. Choosing to become a photographer and take the risks was a hard choice. I endure the uncertainty, nay-saying of family friends who want to protect me, financial uncertainty, real physical risk and more.
But I tried the life of ease. I did the traditional 9 to 5 (more like 8 to 10) hourly job. I found that world to be misery and suffering beyond even the hardest photo shoot I’ve ever done and it was thus on a daily basis. Life of ease? Yeah, no thanks.