- Documentary I watched…
I recently watched the documentary, Free Solo, about professional rock climber Alex Hannold’s attempt to be the first to free solo climb El Capitan’s vertical rock face (900-meter) at Yosemite National Park. To explain a little more… free soloing is where a climber climbs ALONE… WITHOUT the use of any ropes, harnesses, or safety equipment. This is also known as… INSANE! You will be moved by this documentary. It was shot very well, the scenery is incredible, and Alex Hammond in unbelievable. I rented it from Amazon… click here.
2. Experience I had…
For my birthday, I went to see Eric Church in concert. I’ve always liked his music, but there is something about seeing it performed live. One thing that moves me when watching artists like him is knowing that he had a vision of what he wanted to do with music in his life, and despite his family, friends, and others probably discouraging him, he did not give up. He started writing music at age thirteen and taught himself how to play the guitar. At one point in the show, he came down into the crowd, thanking everyone for coming out to see him. He talked about how they started playing for a group of 20, and 20 turned into 40, and 40 turned into 80, and how there they were playing for sold out crowds in Cleveland for two nights (tens of thousands of people). It reminded me that all big things, at one time, started small. It also reminded me that if you’re going to make a really big impact, you have to be careful who you listen to and keep moving forward regardless of what others say.
3. Thought I am pondering…
We go through life with this recurring idea that we will be happy once we… (fill in the blank). Once I get my driver’s license… then I’ll be happy. Once I get that job… then I’ll be happy. Once I make that amount of money… then I’ll be happy. Once I retire… then I’ll be happy. And on and on we go. We achieve the thing we think will make the difference, yet, once we do, we are left longing for the next thing. We go through our entire lives searching for something better, or striving to get to that next destination in our lives, only to let each present moment slip by without appreciating it, experiencing it, or savoring it. I have tried to be more present, and will try harder these next weeks, months, and years, to avoid constantly looking forward and really appreciate where I am. Let’s try it this weekend… get with someone you love, turn off your phone, and really listen. There is something called The Station. We hang it in our office from time to time. Check it out…
