Thoughts on 2014…which is already here way too soon...

It's a bit overdue I guess to talk about goals for the coming year; it is nearly the end of January.  But better late than never I guess.

Welcome to 2014!  The year so far has been a blur of travel and craziness.  I'm still not sure where the month of January went or what time zone I'm in.  I finished up 2013 in Vermont with Leah and some of my family.  My sister Kathy and I traveled up to Stowe to visit our sister Carrie and her two girls, Nadia and Abi.  Leah joined us a few days in when she flew to Boston from Chicago and I picked her up at the airport.  It was a good, cold time in the snowy Green Mountains.  Actually, I was out skiing in conditions that were colder than anything I'd ever experienced…and that's saying something.  It was -7 deg F the day before we left and there I was breaking trail and trying out my new Voile Switchback bindings with my old Karhu 10th Mtn skis.  A few days earlier all of us were out in Wiessner Woods where both Carrie's and Leah's eyelashes and hair became frosted and frozen.  Thankfully it wasn't painful.

After returning from that trip I had about a week to get ready for the trip I'm on right now for work.  Being in Malaysia for a month is not as wonderful as it might sound, even if the weather back home is a far cry from the sunny and balmy conditions here.  For someone who loves and craves the outdoors, having to live in a hotel is not exactly my idea of fun.  And of course I miss friends and family.  But enough complaining for now.

I find myself with a rare day off and some time to write a blog post.  This one is a little bit deep into my psyche but it's me and that's what I try to share through this blog.  So without further adieu, some thoughts on the coming year (in no particular order):

1. Create a real plan for owning a home and figure out where this is going to happen.  There are pros and cons for living in the DC area (I will stay in Virginia though) as well as anywhere else where it might be feasible for me to move, such as Charlottesville.  I have a good job, co-workers and friends in the DC area.  That said, I want some space…a yard or maybe some real land to work with.  I'd really like to be out of my current place by the end of the year.

2. Continue to grow as an outdoorsman and help spread this love to others.  I recently took over as Chairman of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club-Mountaineering Section.  That carries a lot of responsibilities and commitment.  It also brings to me a greater sense of purpose.  I love teaching and I love climbing and all the related aspects involved in the sport especially access issues and trail-building.  I know that I derive a lot of joy in life from working with people in the outdoors.  I'd really like to continue to spread this love to others.  A line from Scouting comes to mind here: Seek to Serve.

3. Work hard to develop the new crag…aka The Worksite.  I won't say much about it because it's location is rather secret, but this is due to legal access issues and the need for trails where access is permitted.  It would be fantastic to see this place developed for climbing.  It would be an absolutely fantastic location for teaching and growing the climbing community in a very positive way.  Hopefully it can be opened up by the end of the year.

4. Try to remember this line and pray/meditate on it often (as part of praying/meditating daily): "To my eyes, I was born with nothing, I was going to leave with nothing; riches are found in experiences and not in material wealth." - Jules Lines, Tears of the Dawn

It's a powerful line I read in Lines' book and it really resonated with me.  I know that I can get caught up in the "possessions game".  Things like "shopping therapy" are incredibly short-lived and leave one feeling very lonely and empty.  As I sit here in Malaysia, I'm surrounded by materialism in the innumerable malls in the Kuala Lumpur area.  It actually sickens me and I pray I get some time outside the city for a bit.

I would add to Jules' thought above by saying that friendships can be an integral part of these experiences.  While I oftentimes like to do things solo, there's probably just as many times when I want someone else to share in the experience with me.  That doesn't always have to be a significant other, but someone that is a true friend and whose company you greatly appreciate and enjoy.

5. Keep my ego in check and stop comparisons to other people.  This is such a toxic thing I know I sometimes do.  Everyone is different.  We move at different paces through life and we have different skills and talents.  It is up to each of us to accept where we are, value who we are and recognize the difference between wanting to create a positive change in our life in some way instead of looking to others with jealousy, resentment, fear, etc.  When we allow this kind of negativity into our lives it keeps us from growing.

6. Remember that growth is typically a painful process.  It isn't easy, else everyone would be doing it.  I know I've sometimes shied away from situations where I might grow because of a fear of the pain…whatever form that might take.  So a definite goal of mine is to really examine my reasons for doing or not doing something.  Is it because there is a sound reason for or against it or am I finding "reasons" because I'm afraid of the pain of growth?

7. Don't forget to thank and love the friends in my life for being there and being a part of the experience of life.  It's pretty easy to forget about the people that really matter to you and keep you going.

8. Slow down.  Everything.  Just as I try to do in climbing, I would like to aim to do in life.  Slow my thoughts down and therefore my speech.  Slow down and listen more and with greater attention.  Breathe.  Take it all in and relax.

Some climbing specific goals that I know some great people will join me in accomplishing:

-Visit the Red River Gorge and at least one other major cliff in the US outside my normal range of Seneca Rocks, the Gunks and the New River Gorge (e.g. Yosemite, Red Rocks, J-Tree, the Sawtooths, etc).

-Seriously consider another climbing trip abroad.  No clue where at this time.

-Climb a few more hard routes at Seneca that I've wanted to do for awhile.  I'll share these as the year goes on. Overall though, I want to climb for the pure enjoyment of a route, its beautiful and thoughtful moves.  I want to continue to work on not being focused on grades and the negative side of egotism that can result when you only focus on the grade.

-Grow the trail-building knowledge base in our climbing club.  I've found this work to be nearly as rewarding to me as actually climbing.  The shared toils and hard work on these projects can be an unforgettable and amazing bonding experience with friends.

Finally, a prayer.  This is one that I try to pray every day very deliberately and contemplatively.  It definitely helps center me and remember what really matters in life…the people with whom we share this time on earth.

A Simple Prayer

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is error, truth.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.
(my own addition…And where there is anxiety, patience and peace).

O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console.
To be understood as to understand.
To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.