Ringing in 25 Yosemite Style!

This past weekend I went home for the Friends of Tuckerman annual fundraiser (The Son of the Inferno Pentathlon) and to visit with and celebrate my birthday with my family! The race went off without a hitch! I even got to be the starter of the second race! I got goosebumps when calling the final countdown for the start, then pushing the button which made everyone around me run! It was a long day though... but well worth the drive and the hard work it took to pull the event off!

Sunday morning I had breakfast with my Grampa and enjoyed some really good waffles! Then I drove to Maine and stopped in at my parent's house. My nephew Dominik was there, he's three and a half now, and it was so fun to see him! We played together for hours, and he helped me blow out all of the candles on my brithday cake (we almost had to call the fire department because there were so many on there--just kidding). He is getting so big and so smart! It will be exciting to continue to watch him grow up, I only hope he turns out better than my brother did...

Seeing my Mom and David was really nice too. I like that we have a closer relationship now that I am out of the house. It feels right this way. Nana and Grampa were pretty excited to see me as well! My Grampa bought me a hand mixer for my birthday so that I don't have to mix my cookies and cake by hand anymore. Nana re-gifted a pizza stone that they would never use to Matt and I. It is going to make a great addition to our house (and our meals!)!

My birthday is on Wednesday, the 22nd of April. Also known as Earth Day! I am going to be 25... wow! I remember when I turned 16 and 17 thinking about what life would be like when I turned 25. I've turned out much different from how I'd imagined way back then! First of all... let me tell you that 25 is not nearly as old as it seems when you are still a teenager! I feel better now than I ever did then! And not only that but I am not married and I don't have kids like I thought I would by now. Thank god things turned out differently than I expected! I have so much life to live before the kids thing happens! I get the creeps just thinking about it! (Especially after seeing my mother take fully chewed food out of Dominik's mouth multiple times this weekend).

After work on Wednesday I am boarding a plane and flying to Sacremento, California and meeting Matt. We will then drive the 4 hours to Yosemite Valley where we will free climb the Free Blast and probably higher on El Capitan! It is going to be my first trip out there and I am PUMPED to say the least! I have dreams about it every night and I absolutely cannot wait to experience some big wall fun! I'll have pictures and stories to share for sure!

On the 23rd I hope you'll think of me... I'll be half way up El Cap having a party because I made it to 25!

A little inspiration...

This is a small article I read in a black diamond catalogue. Matt showed it to me, and it has sort of confirmed that I am not the only person who has the drive to live their life for life, not for money... I am copying it here as a reminder for myself, and so maybe someone reading this can find what's missing in their life... 

You are not your Job, by Bill Ramsey

After 18 years at Notre Dame, I've quit my job teaching philosophy and accepted a position at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Despite being happy working at Notre Dame, I was generally miserable living in South Bend, Indiana. Much of my misery stemmed from the absurd amount of driving required to go climbing. I would clock over 800 roundtrip miles to climb at Kentucky's Red River Gorge, spending 14 hours behind the wheel each weekend. By contrast, in Las Vegas superb year-round limestone and sandstone climbing will never be more than 45 minutes away. It was a classic career versus lifestyle decision. As some of my Catholic friends advocate, I chose life. 

Most people who know me understand the decision. Still, some have expressed surprise that I could make such a move. After all, it could be said that I was failing to properly advance my career by accepting a position at a less prestigious university. One friend's email put it this way: 

"Who in their right mind would quit a job at ND to move to Vegas? It's not like you're going to continue to climb hard for many years to come... Are you really so obsessed with climbing that it's more important than your career?" 

The message ignored certain factors to my decision, like what winters are like in northern Indiana--or what everything is like in northern Indiana. But the bottom line is yes, I really am so obsessed with climbing that, in certain respects, it is more important than my career. The fulfillment I get from teaching and writing is enormous. However, I determined long ago that my life without climbing--without the places, people, and experiences that climbing has introduced to me--would be unacceptably diminished. Whether I'm projecting a hard sport route, getting my ass kicked way off the deck on a wall, or taping bloody fingers for the 10th hour of a marathon session in the gym, climbing is a critical dimension of who I am, who I hang out with, and now, where I live. 

When people find out I'm a philosopher, they often ask me about the meaning of life. Bad question. Meaning is not of life but in life. It's in the various endeavors we pursue and relationships we develop that, if we are lucky, prove to be deeply gratifying. The way we earn a living certainly can (and should) be a part of that. I'm happy to have found a career where it is. But it is only one part. That's why professionals who could be earning more money and stature living in Chicago, Los Angeles or New York are moving to towns like Bend, Telluride, Fayetteville and even Las Vegas. What the hell are they thinking? They are thinking about the other parts--the parts with fresh powder, Class V whitewater or miles of pocketed limestone... the parts that enrich their lives in ways no career advancement ever could. 

I make no apologies for choosing a path where my career occasionally comes second, just so I can climb hard. Something, by the way, what will continue for many years to come.

I think there is a lot of pressure on me from all sides of my life sometimes trying to get me to stop taking time off, to be completely committed to my job, and not worry about when I am going to go climbing again. Climbing though, is pretty much what makes my days at work bearable. Knowing I am going to go climbing on the weekend, or after work  is what keeps me going through the work week. It makes it so I can get up in the morning and go to work every day. This article is speaking directly to me, and people like me who live their lives for something more than a job... I live my life for life, and what I get from that... Money, while I have to have it for the necessary things to continue to live, is secondary. I don't think that will ever change.