I want this year to be a grand adventure. I feel in the past the years have always been premeditated and planned out already. Finish the semester, do summer day camp, start school again. Along the way we would say things like, I want to know God better, spend every day with him. Show people his love. That's all great and whatnot but who remembers saying those things in February, or let alone when that guy cuts you off in traffic. I want to do great things, some of them are those small daily challenges, like praying for 15 minutes a morning and spending time in the Bible, which for once won't be a textbook for a class. But I want to make of list of things to do. I want to challenge other people to do the same. I know some are in school and the other person that reads this blog has a job, and so the settings are similar, routine, and maybe sadly, mundane. But it doesn't have to be that way. You can be a weekend warrior. Find local adventures and things to do that will change the way you and I live. Here's my list.
In 2011 I want to:
Climb a 14,000 ft mountain.
Move out west, so the mountains are my backyard.
Start climbing more, and doing yoga and slacklining once it gets above freezing.
Meet new and great people doing the above activities.
Have a diet of most plants and vegetables.
Plant a garden.
Mentor someone.
Ween myself from unwanted and unneeded electronics.
Live a more simple life.
Give more than I receive.
I was reading a blog I really admire and love, the cleanest line, which is Patagonia's blog. It is written sometimes by employee's, sometimes Patagonia ambassador's such as climbers, mountaineer's, or skiers, and also people who love and want to save the environment. As I am unemployed at the moment, I find myself with more time on my hands than I can handle, so I read a lot of their past articles. One I fell in love with was done by a climber that they sponsor, by the name of Sonnie Trotter, a man that I would be very good friends with if we were to ever meet I think. He doesn't seem like he desired climbing to be his life. He loves many other things, and climbing does not consume him like it does many of their other ambassador's. He is a simple man, who loves climbing a lot, does yoga, loves his wife, loves organic food, and giving back. Here is a part of his post that I really connected with:
Everything is changing at a rate I can’t seem to maintain, and don’t even want to. One of my main objectives in life is to keep it as simple as I possibly can. Of course, this is an everyday challenge for all of us. Do we really need an iPod? A cell phone? A computer? A flat-screen TV? We make these decisions all the time, no matter how big or how small, we try to keep going with the social pressures of the world but deep down I think we’d rather back off completely. Most of these plastic gadgets just end up using more electricity, and then we cry and complain when they want to build a hydro project on our favorite river. Didn’t your mother ever tell you that you can’t have your cake and eat it too? Our demand for useless gadgetry is multiplying every year, therefore we need more power, and power comes at an expensive price. My day on the farm was a very quick reminder of how far we’ve stepped away from the rich simplicity of the earth. I know I can do better.
I think he makes a very good point. We love the newest things, coolest gadgets and we use them to make us feel good and make our lives more "convenient", and yet, some of us get upset when we see a new damn is going to be built in Chile, or Alaska, and we complain. We don't want nature there to be touched and tainted by "progress", yet we tell our friends as we download Texas hold'em app on our ipad's.
I know i'm not perfect. I know I still love to watch my house and lie to me on monday's, and heck, i'm writing this blog on my laptop computer, which sits on my desk plug in at all times. And don't even get me started about it come fall when college football starts up (yeah i'm already awaiting next season). I have way's to go, and I know them. It won't be easy for me either, I really love house. But I would really love to simply life together, as a community of people who want something else out of life. Something more community and environmentally driven. To live simply so others can simply live.
I know I promised more to come on my thoughts of being a fat climber, I promise I will get to it eventually, promise.
My 2 cents:
Big Black Car by Gregory Alan Isakov. I'm not to sure about his other stuff sadly, but I can't get enough of this song.
Vivre dans l'amour et la paix,
drew
Il n'y a qu'un bonheur dans la vie, c'est d'aimer et d'être aimé.
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