Today at the climbing gym I challenged my climbing partners with this idea, "We've been watching the really good climbers and we've all commented on how they use their feet and not just their arms. Let's climb a couple grades below our regular level and really focus on good foot work."
As I climbed, I looked around to find good foot placement, I twisted my hips to get closer to the wall, extended my foot and used my toes to grip the rock and pull my body up. The part of my brain that was always afraid of bad handholds, or of getting burned out, or of swinging far if I fell got filled instead with a quiet peace as I just looked for footholds. My knees and ankles didn't get tired, I didn't get bruised from banging myself carelessly into the wall. From the ground, my climbing partners said my climbing looked totally different.
I truly felt like I could take on any climb! It was like I'd been using 40% of my capacity and found an extra 30-45% sitting around unused. Somehow the 'engine', the center of my power shifted from my chest (focus on my arms) to my pelvis. I could push past any barrier, creatively solve any problem. For months now I've enjoyed the time with my partners, but not the climbing itself as much. Today I fell in love all over again.
Where else in my life have I not been using my feet?
At work I've been functioning in my own abilities without asking / praying for guidance, wisdom, order or anything. I've been facing the future move with my own wisdom. Trying to CONTROL my way toward getting pregnant. Working furiously until I just can't give anymore. I've got so much more juice than what I'm using! Just look around. Find the small holds and pull up with a centered gravity.
Go!
2 comments:
I love this post and I love climbing stories and analogies drawn from climbing. So this one was a favorite, for sure. It's funny. I took my almost two year old to the park a couple weeks ago and let him begin to climb this 6 foot tall red tower. I figured he would just climb a couple levels about 8 inches off the ground and let it go at that. Instead, he climbed all the way to the top with me spotting him and made it to the platform that held the tallest slide on the playground. After I recovered from my coronary, I was able to realize how he had accomplished much of that by figuring out how to use his feet and avoid his knees. Back in the day when I could climb whenever I wanted, Walden was forever telling me to watch my feet and avoid using my knees. So this post and the memory of my own little guy came together in a profound way tonight. I look forward to seeing what it does to my literal climbing and to my metaphorical climbing. Thanks!
What a sweet response from Inkling. I had a coronary just reading it!
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