We went climbing, the first outing of the summer with the ladies’ church group that I started with last year. I was excited, could not wait, had been anticipating for weeks. The start to this climbing day felt “normal”, which is far from what we have had the last 3 months. Nothing had been usual, normal, or some days easy (see March Post). And on this day, just a few days after the confusion, anger, and response to the recent George Floyd death it was much needed.
It felt clunky though, not right. I was off, my head not in the game. Everything felt harder than I remembered. Fellow board member Lisa and I had to do our knots repeatedly, we continually asked each other, “Does this look right?” and then redid the knot-again…and again. We climbed, we reconnected with ladies from the summer before and I tried to gather my thoughts as to WHY the work didn’t feel as amazing and wonderful as I remembered?
I got home and looked at the photos I took. I paused at the one with the face of the first climb and the single rope, and us fumbling at the end to tie a damn not (not pictured). And I remembered. I could picture in my head and feel in my heart what I had last summer that I didn’t have that day-or taken time to consider. I thought of these things. A rock-it was in front of me, not easy, not to be taken lightly and it needed intent and purpose. I hadn’t done any of those things-I approached it “easy”. A rope-the one thing that got you up besides yourself-not doing it for you, but there just in case. Faith-here is the hard part. I am not a religious person and I always equate faith with religion and not something I value in my everyday life, but here is the definition: complete trust or confidence in someone or something. This is huge in climbing as trusting and relying on the person on the other end of the rope is key-and trust and confidence in yourself. This is HUGE in our everyday life. As I thought about these three things, I was amazed by how they reflected on all that was hard and harsh in our world and what had made no sense to me and hard to put in words now seemed clearer.
A rock-we are facing huge rocks my friends- ones that only add to our mental wellness needs. Rope or ropes, so many of us are looking for that rope to help us, hold us, keep us safe. Faith, as I said…a key, and we need so much of it and are so lacking it. Read the definition again and the words slowly. Complete. Trust. Confidence. In SOMEONE or SOMETHING.
So here is what we do, here is how I thought of all those things and then went out again, with all this in my mind and my heart. I made a knot. A perfect knot. The knot was strong, smooth, even pretty. I believed in it. I had faith in the knot and more so faith in myself and my purpose and my intention. We must tie some knots, take some rope, and tie ourselves with some really good knots. Tie ourselves tight to each other, to those we love and those we don’t. To those we understand and those we may not. To those we agree with and those we may disagree with. In all these I ask that we tie the knot with kindness. And if it doesn’t “look right” try to tie it again.
Every day have we have these things: a rock, a rope, faith, and knots. What will you do with yours? How will you keep your mental health and those you love focused on and dong the best you can, which knots do you need?
