Tag Archives: passion

Love

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It’s a topic that I’ve kept off of this blog, but this post has been under my skin all week.  Perhaps I’ve avoided it here by choice, or out of respect for the theme, but if the purpose of the space is to offer the opportunity to examine my life- then it’s only fair to admit that the topic has been on my mind lately.

I won’t pretend to have a good handle on love, in fact, my brother probably puts it best – “romantic relationships seem to have a particularly strong negative effect on your normally sound judgement and careful decision making.”  He’s right, romance tends to bend me out of shape worse than any alpine sufferfest.  Maybe that’s why I’ve found myself rolling solo much more than a duo- but this is not really about romance, it’s about love.

Love is what you share when you are more excited about what you have to give someone than what you might receive from them.  Love is what you accept when being around someone compels you to be the very best version of yourself and no one else.

Thank you to those of you who have recently asked me to be more discerning about what this word really means.

“Love is not sincere until every vestige of feeling that somebody owes us something is surrendered.” (Michael Booth)

Passion

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My friend Chris likes to remind himself (and me) that climbing is not his passion, but the relationships we form through climbing often are.  I had a few great days of climbing this past weekend- working hard in the vertical seems to strip away the unimportant like nothing else can, and energize me for whatever comes next.  “Climbing gives us so much, but when it takes, it takes big.” (Mark Westman)

A number of my friends are hurting today, and while I didn’t have the pleasure of knowing Jack Roberts, his first ascents dance in my head and his partners have shown me the ropes.  I was sad to read of his death this morning.

Polar Circus, one of the greatest routes in the Canadian Rockies. FFA Jack Roberts and Dale Bard. RIP Jack.

Climbing has given me some of my best friends and strongest experiences.  It continually teaches me new things about myself and others, and enables me to give the best of myself to the world like few other things can.  Speaking of those who have not come back from the mountains, they would always say “go”- may their final lesson to us all be not to settle for less than our very best.

This past Saturday night I was playing my bass with some people and feeling antsy.  Talk to Hannah to learn she had almost recovered from her cold, so at the last minute we made plans to climb Sunday morning.  Happily, I finally got to tick the Graineater (70m, WI4, 2p)- the local classic is exactly that, classic.  A few photos:

View from the trail.

For being so close to home, the line is pleasantly NOT small.

Just off the belay on p2, and into the business...

Stoked to tick this one off.

“Don’t worry about what the world needs.  Ask what makes you come alive and do that.  Because what the world needs are people who have come alive.”  (Howard Thurman)