The Next Stupid Thing

Aren't most people supposed to do all the wild and crazy things of their lives in their youth? Isn't that why the phrase 'mellow with age' exists, to illustrate how normal humans are stupid when they're young and become more calm and sensible as they grow older?

Apparently, my wiring is backwards, because I find myself doing things now I wouldn't have dared a couple of decades ago.

It started with para-sailing and snorkeling in Cancun in 1999. I'm petrified of water (as can be re-lived in this blog post), so to snorkel over a reef two miles from shore where the currents were pulling me around when I thought I was remaining totally motionless AND to sit completely free and un-tethered in a ski-lift chair with a parachute high above the ocean while being dragged around by a speedboat....well, I can't believe I actually did either of those things, if the truth be told. But they seem to have started me down a dangerous path. Since then, I have:

 Jumped off a Swiss mountain from THIS point.....

...strapped together with this yummy specimen to get shots like this......

 .....and this.

 Confronted the BIGGEST fear in my life to do this in Colorado......

 .....WTF was I thinking?!

Took Big Chief indoor sky diving for his birthday last year (video to follow in an upcoming post) and LOVED it enough to wish I could afford it every weekend and honestly consider finding a way to get qualified as an instructor, and......

This past weekend, surprised Big Chief with a joint introductory rock-climbing lesson. 

Why?! Why do I do these things? I'm not even a sporty person! Seriously, what next? I promise not REAL sky-diving, because I'm just not that suicidal brave, but I am looking for the next relatively safe adventure sport to try. Suggestions, anyone? It looks like I may just be dumb enough to do it!

I'm not usually one to show off unflattering pictures of my *ss, but I'm so proud of my killer calf muscles that I'm braving the humiliation. I climbed as far as the peachy outcropping in the middle (approx 35'/11meters) then gave up because, as it turns out, I'm totally chicken sh*t when it comes to rock climbing.

 (I know modesty is a virtue, but I can't help it....I'm LOVIN' my right leg there!)

It's about 53' to the top there (16meters)....

 ....and Big Chief made it!

 I think he enjoyed his well-deserved effortless abseil down afterwards.

By the way, I will NOT be repeating this weekend's experience of rock climbing anytime soon. There are times when I can do difficult physical things and really push myself through boundaries, but rock climbing is not one of them. I would start off fine, have a good rhythm, hand, hand, foot, foot, up, up, up.....then would get to a point I'd have to stop and think about where my next move would be, and my brain would start to scream 'You idiot. This is a completely dumb*ss thing for a human being to do. Why exactly are you doing it?' I couldn't come up with a good reason.

Actually, I couldn't come up with any reason whatsoever, be it good, bad, or somewhere in-between. Then I got p*ssed off that I was stuck up a damn wall with my arms and legs aching, for absolutely no point that I could see, and I was only gaining from it was pain, frustration, and (I'll admit it) a little bit of fear that I hadn't anticipated. All I wanted was for it to be over.

The ridiculous thing? I experienced this feeling 6 or 7 times. Because that's how many climbs I did. I got really frustrated and p*ssed off each. And. Every. Damn. Time. And not even the p*ssed off that motivates you to go farther, just plain old boring p*ssed off!

So like I said, I'm onto the NEXT stupid thing......because I'm soooooo done with that one.