On to better things...

Many of you know that this last year and a half has been pretty hard on me. My father died at the end of 2007 which was extremely difficult.  My wife of 10 years left me six months later. My divorce was finalized back in October, and Dad's ashes were buried on a ski slope in Colorado over the holiday's.  We all suffered economic pressure with high gas prices, huge job losses, and more grey hairs from the lead up to the elections.  

I hope you all survived. I think I came out relatively well. I have made some wonderful new friends that I look forward to learning more about. I have connected with some older friends that were there for me when I needed them most. I got to meet my niece and see my family twice in one year. I started swimming and skiing again. I'm in pretty good shape health wise, and all in all ...

Life is Good.
As this new year begins, and we all recover from our late night to ring in the new year, I thought about what I hope to do this year. The usual ideas come to mind... More time climbing, less time working. More time skiing, less time working. More time with friends and family, less time working.

Maybe I am not being clear?  We now have a culture of work-aholics and a cash cow culture driving these systems of nothingness.  I understand being part of it.  I know I like having a house, car, money to buy new climbing and ski gear... but having all that stuff doesn't help if I don't have the time and never get out and enjoy any of it.  There is a beautiful world out there and I know without doubt or reservation that living in it is a wonderful experience.  And, for many, one that is never tiring.

I hope all of you climbing and ski bums know how lucky you are... And those of you not in the know... A loss of a days wage is nothing compared to never having the experience.  If you are someone who is sitting at your desk and wondering how you are going to make ends meet and do your favorite activity I suggest the following (we've all heard this advice before):

1) Eat healthy; if you are going to spend money on something why not on good tasty food?

2) Be OK with stopping.  When you have a week of running around and not resting (this includes trying to fit in your fun time) take one day to not run around.  Be okay with your mess.  You might even find your priorities will shift in what you think you need.

3)  and finally an unpaid day outside is always better than a paid day at a desk.  You can live without all that kipple piling up in your house... in fact you'll probably be happier without more in general.

On that note, I want to talk about kipple.  Kipple was first introduced by Philip K. Dick in his story Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Kipple is a lot like SPAM. It has a way of building up and left unattended can overwhelm you.

As I clean out my home from 10 years of kipple that built up over my marriage (Thanks to Aunt Judy at Dynamic Order for all the hard work) I feel such relief to have it being purged from my life. I can find things all of the sudden. Putting things away has become easy. And that drawer that is overflowing with kipple... gone. I'm trying to move onto better things... getting rid of dead weight... Seriously, a good start!

Cheers to all! May your 2009 be filled with many highs, few lows, lots of smiles and laughter, and great adventures.

Passion, the new drug of choice

I don't think I have ever enjoyed this time of year. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday for certain, but generally I cannot stand the selling of the season. Usually, I would be getting all my climbing gear organized and ready for a trip south to Joshua Tree, or Red Rocks Canyon. This year my family decided it was important to be together. So I'm off to Denver. My sister has made plans for us to ski, and I think I even have plans to get in a little climbing. I'm excited to be with family, see my niece and nephews again, and play in the winter activities that Colorado has to offer.

I'm excited to get back on skis after 14 years. It is something that I enjoyed with my father, but I always hated the ski lift lines, and the cost -- oh my the cost it too high. But this is a sport I was good at doing, and I have fond memories of my dad when I think about skiing. The thing about skiing though -- It was never my passion. It was my fathers, but definitely not mine. You cannot not argue the rush that you get from skiing though -- can you?

Recently, I started to notice something -- everyone is talking about "Living with Passion." Maybe it is because I tweet and you get "followers" who are defining themselves by their jobs -- they have passion for their work. Possibly it is because a friend of mine started a business modeled around the motto "Live Your Passion." Quick Tangent -- Please support Live Your Passion as they really are doing something great to help people live out their dreams. Okay back to the blog. Or maybe the past eight years under such terrible leadership has driven people to realize there has to be something better... anything is better.

Don't get me wrong. I think Passion is wonderful. I feel fortunate that I am a passionate person. Yet, I'm passionate in that traditional way of being fiery and "feeling very strongly about a subject or person" way -- a strong emotion that drives my actions. Now though, the word passion reminds me more of a drug. People cannot wait to get their next hit. It is about the contact high and not the strong emotional feelings -- good or bad. The word "Passion" has become cliche, it is the new religion. Maybe that is my aversion -- has it become a religion?

We all know that many people who play in sports, do extreme activities, even some religious groups, as well as drug users do so for the "now" experience. I have said it many times -- I rock climb because all the other thoughts, worries, problems, etc can all quiet down and I have a very intense rush -- I get to live in the moment and experience all my feelings raw. I would say I'm addicted to climbing. That doesn't happen for me often. I have found even when I swim, ski, or bike ride I have time to think about something other then the immediate moment. Worries of life can still invade me and cause stress. Rock climbing, and now soccer allow me the escape.

So what is my point? Well, the deconstruction of true passion seems to be lost on people right now. People who are running instead of living, who replace meaningful experiences for a momentary rush and call it passion disturb me. I believe I have a passion for climbing... but I realize it is just one facet of my passion for life. I want people around me who are passionate about their life and experiences and recognize that true passion, real passion is fleeting. It isn't in every moment and it doesn't rule your life. Passion, when it is real, is something that provides drive in the moment. Don't let it be something that you need to fulfill your life, to give yourself meaning and happiness... that simply means you are not truly passionate, but rather just addicted.

On Hiatus

It has been a while since I have had much to say. November was a pretty lame month. It started with a cold, a trip to D.C. during a very exciting time, and a trip back from D.C. that set the cold in for the rest of the month. I got out to hike Crystal Mt. and had coughed a bruise into my rib. The docs advice -- stop coughing.

So the climbing season is really too far away. Either by car or by weather. So I decided it was time to return to skiing (yep, that is consistent with my last entry.) And because I hate ski lifts and lines, I decided to dedicate myself to the backcountry and freeriding. I pulled out the old gear and the boots -- well even wrapped in plastic the mice got into them and nested. Boots are on the list to buy. Pulled out two pairs of skis -- the 205s look good, but my knees cannot handle these straight boards. The smaller pair -- the bindings are turning brown. Okay, well at least my poles are still usable.

So I put in a purchase with Backcountry.com for a pair of skis, randonee bindings, and skins. I was going to get boots too, but I figured I would make sure I get comfortable boots. Since they really are the most important part of comfortable skiing. I will check out the local 2nd Ascent.

Now my fingers are crossed. I tweeted a twit friend that I felt Karma owed me a debt. Funny thing about Karma... you think you deserve one thing and you get something you totally didn't know you needed (good and bad.) Fingers are crossed.

Think snow, rumor has it Friday -- Think Snow!