Nerdlets: Climbing

My go-to activity of late - Climbing! I don't like lots of forms of exercise, but climbing engages me in ways other activities don't. It uses my mind, emotions, AND my body all while asking me to solve puzzles that lead me to the top of a wall.

Tune in this week to learn more!

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Joy Bork 0:02

Welcome to Here We Are. The podcast where we talk about all of the beautiful flavors of nerd possible in whatever ways are available at the current moment. I'm your curator, Joy Bork. Back in the day when I lived in Kansas, a sporting goods store was built not too far from our house. I remember looking into those tall, road facing windows and seeing a two story climbing wall through the glass. I wanted to climb. I wanted to ascend. I wanted to feel the things I kept asking and asking to go. And one day, my wish came true. I remember standing at the base of the wall and realizing, oh, this isn't as epic as what I had imagined. The wall towered above me. I was attached to a rope. The only thing left to do was climb. And once the rubber hit the proverbial road, I realized this is way harder than I thought. I didn't make it to the top as I'd hoped. I got burned out pretty quick. But. I tried it. And I was terrified. That terror carried forward to three or four years ago, when my friend Katie invited me to join her at the climbing gym. My gut remembered the terror of li'l Joy and that sporting goods store wall. So I declined. Not wonder we pushed off, Katie's stubbornness kept her asking me to come with her. And eventually I relented. On one condition. That I go with just her. My terror was still in the driver's seat. When that day came to meet her at the gym, I ended up making it up maybe two or three routes that day. The interesting thing about terror being in the driver's seat. Is that terror is a gas guzzler. It drives hard and fast. And before I knew it, I was utterly tanked. I had no energy left. I was dead. I let Katie talk me into joining her again. On like time two or three of going to the climbing gym, I finally realized that I was making progress. I wasn't quite as tired. My forearms weren't burning as bad. I was getting the hang of it. A small part of me was living little Joy's dream of getting to the top of that wall. It was amazing. But here is the thing about climbing. It is an infinite game. Simon Sinek talks about the differences between finite and infinite games. Finite games have a start, a finish, competitors, and rules that everyone goes by. Infinite games are competitions only against yourself. Climbing is an infinite game. The thrill for me comes in being able to accomplish something that I didn't think I could do. Or in finding a creative solution to ascend to the top of the wall. Or in experimenting with a new technique, even if I fail. Because failure means I'm trying and I'm growing. But let's be real. Do I believe that all the time? No. Is it a great concept? Yeah, but details. Every person's body is different. Height, weight, wingspan, flexibility, experience. And yet climbing is adaptable. "But I'm bad at it!" Most people say too that I reply. "Hmm. Well, you just haven't gone with the right coach yet." Just as Katie introduced and coached me into my first successes, I also strive to provide this experience for others. And the more I invite others in, the more I learn about the beauty of the metaphor of climbing. Let's start with how it isn't about what you think it is. It isn't powering and pushing yourself up the wall. In fact, the more I try to power through, the less I am able to accomplish. Most often I find that initial instinct leads us to grip the holds on the wall so tight, because the alternative is falling to sure doom. But again, terror is a gas guzzler, and it zaps any open energy stores it finds. But what the invitation of climbing is asking of us is to grip just enough to hold on. Which is true of life in general as well. It's like trying to hold onto a handful of sand. The harder you squeeze it, the more leaves your hand. But holding it loosely allows for greater capacity and openness. Over gripping often comes with really tense arms. Because there is a slight sense of security given when holding on tight and pulling in close to the wall. Yet again, the invitation is to relax. To hold on just enough and to lean back and let your arms be fully extended. To rest amidst the work. Hold on just enough. Budget energy in order to be able to stay on the wall the longest. "Okay." You might say. "So if I'm holding on just enough, then how do I pull myself up the wall?" That's a great question. You don't pull. You push. When I'm thinking about the human body. What parts are stronger? Arms or legs? I hope you said legs because that's the right answer. One of the hardest things for me to master has been trusting that I can hold on just enough with my hands for my feet to push me up to that next hold. I have so much power in my legs and I have to trust that they'll support my ascent. Even when I'm digging the big toe of my rubber coated climbing shoe into the smallest crevice. The muscles in my feet and legs will and can propel me forward, upward, and onward. Something I've been playing with lately is asking myself and those that I climb with. What are your intentions before climbing a route? Everyone's goals are different. Some people want to just send it. To ascend to the top, to make it. Some people want to just try something new. For me, is my goal to focus on smoothness? Is it to commit to placing my foot right. The first time. So I learned to use my feet with precision? Is my goal to try? What is it? I find joy in this experimenting and finding new things to focus on. And one of the most simple, yet most crucial to focus on is breath. As I have practiced yoga over the last few years, I've been introduced to meditative breathing. Supporting myself in challenging moments with the power of smooth and intentional breath. This type of breathing is the antithesis to the panic I have experienced so many times when climbing. The more I panic, the worst things get. The more I hold my breath, the harder everything becomes. But the more I breathe, the more I am capable of trying. The more I'm present with myself. The more focused I can become. Climbing has helped me build trust. It has pushed me to trust myself. To trust that I can do hard things. I can hold on better by not death gripping. I can ask for help from my belayer, the person who's holding the rope on the ground, keeping me from falling. They have a completely different viewpoint on what's going on, on the wall than I do. I can try as many creative solutions to solve a puzzle I'm facing on the wall as I want. There isn't a single right or wrong way to approach a climbing route. My solution will be different than someone who is taller than I am, or someone who is more spry than I am. And that is a beautiful thing. Because even when I feel like I'm about to fall, I'm learning to try one more push. And if I don't make it, I will be caught. I will be safe. I can do hard things. And so can you. So until next time. Don't forget that curiosity wins and the world needs more nerds. Bye