Week 2 Wanderings (11-16-22)

Rex pondering life, overlooking an Alabama city

This Weeks Adventures

This weekend’s adventure consisted of a rock climbing trip in Alabama. I went with The Roommates and met a friend from college, Casey, and his girlfriend Rita. We drove 6 hours in the absolute animal of a car: The Dodge Grand Caravan (a dark blue trooper of a minivan). 188,424 miles on the odometer and another interstate trip in the bag.

One of The Scariest Things I’ve Done

Lead a Trad climb. That means there was no rope already in place. You start from the ground, climbing with the rope and gear until you find a place to clip into the wall. It means that you put the metal pieces into the rock, and then you clip in the rope that your harness is attached to. You put the equipment in the rock that will save your life if you fall. Terrifying. If you set the metal pieces incorrectly… well let’s just say bad news bears. I liked it a lot because of the science behind the equipment, you have to learn to trust the equipment and trust yourself. It builds confidence… Or so I imagine, this time it was terrifying.

The climbing spots were super cool. It was like tiny little canyons that we could maneuver through. The crevices just kept going deeper and deeper as we kept exploring. These pictures are from the night we arrived, we decided to do a bit of night climbing.

A Realization Younger Me Wouldn’t Have Believed

If you want to block out surrounding noises but also use your brain for other tasks at hand, classical music is a surprisingly good choice. Lyrical music is too engaging, and white noise is too boring. Classical music – Mmm, Goldilocks would be happy.

17 Minutes of Juicy Classical Music

Random Things I Learned

Slacklining is addicting and surprisingly fun. It’s also a beautiful hobby that makes it easy to meet new people. Added Bonus: The barrier to entry is relatively cheap compared to other hobbies or sports
Trad climbing is fucking terrifying
There are 18 parts to the clitoris
A heel hook is a move in climbing as well as a way to break someone’s leg while grappling

They say to choose the road less traveled, not sure if this is what they meant

Some Notes to Self from Vulnerable Convos I Had This Week

It feels impossible to jump straight into a vulnerable story about yourself. Instead, hint at it and have people ask you. Or ask the other person about the topic first and hope they reciprocate. Neither are ideal but are easier to do than pouring out your soul during Thursday brunch
People are more interested in your past than you realize. Ask others about theirs, and tell your own
Lots of people found it hard to have genuine connections in High School – A distinguished friendship is the result of work, time, and effort. Call your Friends if you want to stay friends.
Nobody’s family is perfect and every family has its issues under the surface. Try to instead be grateful for the good parts, and treat the bad parts as challenges to work on
You have more control over the closeness of your family than you realize. Tell your sibling something vulnerable about yourself. Guaranteed they have a similar story

The sooner we get desensitized to rejection, the sooner we desensitize ourselves to fear. The earlier that happens, the sooner we can overcome the fear

Happy Sunday!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

My name is Colin and I like to ramble about life. My mom tells me I’m special and I think the Officials are starting to believe her. I like reading (mostly picture books) and telling people they’re wrong. If you figure this life thing out, pls let me know, it’s a toughie.

You can hear me talk (read?) more about myself here.

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