The Great Wall

Heights don't scare me.  (I may not be as kick-ass as I dream to be but yeah, heights don't scare me).  There's a bunch of technically "less-threatening" things that scare the wits out of me, and that...I am embarassed to tell.

So wall-climbing had been one of the things in my To Do list for a long, long time.  I grabbed the opportunity yesterday as a spur of the moment thing.  I was in muscle-mode anyway, after hitting the gymn with my buddies.

I was so excited as I looked up the wall and I told myself that as a novice, if I reached even half the height of the wall, I'd be so happy.  My friend Raquel agreed to climb with me. She, who is not exactly a big fan of heights and who doesn't dig these stuff, agreed to climb for our friendship.   

We got ready.  My friends Noreen and Angie cheered on and a small crowd started to form below us (yikes!). I was doing quite well until I glanced sideways at Raquel and saw her doing a swift spiderman move and going up like it was second nature to her (hmmm, have you been secretly doing this, gurl?). That's when I paused and started to wonder how I was doing myself and suddenly, I realized I probably sucked  at it.  My confidence faltered, not to mention the tiny, half-a-lemon-shaped, grip-challenged rock mocking me from 80% of the climb.  My right hand kept slipping off it.  I gave up.

Raquel made it to the top.  I'm really happy for her because it's indeed something she never imagined doing.  In our duo, I have always been the action buff while she's the little-miss-lady-like-princess.  It's really quite a humbling experience for me, in a positive sort of way.  Well, I made 75% of the climb which isn't bad.  I'm actually happy with myself. No, I'm ecstatic because I wanted the experience so much more than the goal.  But looking back now, I realized that I should have pushed for the goal as well.  That's why I'm a bit sad for my friends who cheered me on and truly believed in me. 

That wall gave me a lot of lessons...

* Never give up. I kept looking back and thinking, if I had tried harder, would I have reached and touched the goal rock on the top? Maybe.

* When someone with experience talks, it will pay to listen and follow with blind faith.  TRUST. Raquel said this is what she did. She followed her coach blindly.  I was a little stubborn and even questioned what my coach had to say.  See what happened?

*Aim high.  This may sound so cliche but it's true that you can only reach as far as you dream.  I remember telling myself that if I reach half the length, I'll be happy. Apparently, that's mediocre.  Aim for the moon, so when you fall, you will still land among the stars.

*Your REAL friends will be willing to do anything for you. Suffer with you, maybe even die for you...move mountains...conquer their own fears.  Mine will climb walls, hehehe (and pay for my wall-climbing trip ...Thanks Noreen!)

*When you're almost there, don't stop.  It's okay to pause just enough to rest but not too long to lose it altogether.  (*SIGH* I have issues about this...in the next blogs to come...)

*Sometimes, don't think of yourself...achieve things for the others too, who have so much faith in your own capabilities.  Prove them right.  Usually, if they really know you, they know how far you can go.  Yet, this is somewhat contradicting the other cliche that says...Set your own goals and achieve them for yourself.  Don't let others be a pressure. For this, well, to each his own!

*Lastly, practice makes perfect. If at first you fail, try again.

               I can't wait for my next climb.