Falling is the most natural fear for a human to have . Falling means getting hurt, falling could mean death. So why then do certain individuals choose to ignore this fear, swallow it down,chalk up their hands and ascend high off the ground. Strapped into a harness and rope (maybe) or just going solo, using nothing other than their bodies to climb. Perhaps there is simply less joy living your whole life on the ground.Perhaps climbing is the closest we can get to flying.
The rock climbing community consists of not only the bravest souls I have ever met, but the kindest. It is a community of true sportsmanship, commadere, and down to earth people (how ironic). Even a novice climber such as myself can be at ease trying to practice and improve my skills around any group of climbers, because you are met with nothing but support.
Rock climbing has forced me to become a better version of myself. I stumbled upon the sport by chance, I was never athletic in the past (unless marching band counts) and when I started climbing a few months ago, I was a nervous, and incredibly awkward college freshman. I was a small town girl who has recently moved to the 7th largest city in the nation,and I had no idea what I was doing. I also no idea the jewel I had discovered at the spot we simply refer to as “the wall”. It’s not that big, but it raises about 55 feet over our heads and when people peek at us climbing , they seem awed.
Though I am not very good ,climbing has given me confidence. Something I never had much of before, and I owe much of that to the friends I met through my school’s rock climbing club. These friends became my family away from home, through them I learned that the world is full of fun,kind,interesting people. They teach me to live adventurously,and to never give up while climbing, yet another reason I believe I can apply climbing’s aspects and lessons to real life off the rock. Your potential is never capped. Bouldering (climbing without ropes or a harness) problems are based on a scale of V0-V16, V0 basically being a ladder, and a V16 being nearly impossible. You can always climb higher,harder, longer, or faster. That is beautiful thing , but the best part is that there is always more than one way to finish a route, or complete a problem. And a route that may be easy for one person can be a bane to another, and you must find your own strengths to figure out what works best for you , and that is a great way to tackle life. There is always more than one way to solve your problems, and those around you may approach them differently , and that is okay. It's okay to seek their advice or to look to others for answers, but in the end you find your own way and style. Maybe work is your V0 and school is your V16. Perhaps you're trying to write a novel , or you’re living on your own for the first time, or trying to get through school-V10 at least-but once you find your balance you can complete these problems, perhaps even with grace. So I implore you to find what makes you fly and go at it with as little fear as possible,climb on
