Climb On!

This is me...rock climbing.

For a middle aged, slightly over weight, mother of six, I'm looking pretty good on that wall.  You might even be tempted to be impressed.  (And maybe the fact that I was willing to put on the harness at all is impressive, but all the kids were watching, I had no choice.)

There are a few things you should know before you get too impressed.

• There is a rope.  If you look closely you can see it.  There were moments when that rope did more than just keep me from falling.  Sometimes it gave me a little boost.
• There was a belayer.  In this case it happened to be my husband.  The rope isn't much good without the belayer.  Not only did he make sure I didn't fall, and give me a couple of boosts, he also gave me instructions about where to find handholds and a lot of encouragement.
• The person who took the photo (maybe it was my sister or maybe my son, I'm not sure) was kind enough to take it from the side, not the back.  I have some pretty awful photos of people's backsides while climbing.  It is not flattering.  Thank you for making me look good.
• The bottom of the photo is about 2 feet above the ground.  That was as far as I got.  I'm not much of a rock climber yet.  I may never be.  My husband and some of my kids love it and I am happy to support them in that hobby.  I'll even put on the harness and try an occasional climb.  If nothing else it makes everyone else feel better about their own attempts.

It is so easy to look at a snapshot of someone else's life and make assumptions that may not be true.  You may not see all of the help they have received from family and friends.  You may not realize that you are only seeing the carefully orchestrated photo shoot.  Taken from a different angle it may be a whole different picture.  

It is ok to have a harness, a rope, a helmet, and a belayer in your life.  In fact, we'd really struggle to get anywhere without them.  And even if you feel like you can only get a few feet off the ground, don't discount the value of the attempt, and the example to those who are watching.

Climb On!