Yesterday I watched this 60 Minutes video about Alex Honnold and his crazy ability (and desire) to free solo really hard climbs. Free soloing means that you don't use a rope or any kind of protection, and I can't wrap my head around why someone would want to do it, especially on rocks that reach hundreds or thousands of feet into the heavens.
But I don't want to write about free soloing, though I could write an entire essay on my feelings about it. No, today I'm compelled to write about friendship.
Every time Nate and I go to his hometown, I think about where I would like for us to settle down (something about the place inspires the thought in me). My criteria, I've realized, doesn't include access to public transportation or proximity to outdoor activities (though both would be nice). My criteria is simply that I want to be around people (and raise my future children around people) who will come to my house unannounced to drink my coffee and eat my food.
So what does this have to do with Alex Honnold free soloing? Check out this short video that shows Alex in his element, just hanging out, and you'll know what I'm talking about. You can tell that he's the kind of person who doesn't make an event out of spending time with his friends. He's the kind of person who will tell you to come over and then do his laundry while you're left to your own resources to entertain yourself. And those are my favorite kinds of friends.
I found this quality in Nate, and couldn't stop spending time with him because of it. I found it in several other friends in Boulder, and I miss them. And I've found it in other people along the way, but none of them live close to me at the moment. We're all spread across the US and, well, the world.
For this, it seems, I will have to start a community and get all of these friends to settle in one spot with us. We will make meals together and laugh a lot and do fun projects. We will do our laundry in good company and always have a friend to drink coffee with.
Maybe I'll send out an email to get some sense about whether these people would be down to do it. And maybe I'll even CC Alex Honnold...
But I don't want to write about free soloing, though I could write an entire essay on my feelings about it. No, today I'm compelled to write about friendship.
Every time Nate and I go to his hometown, I think about where I would like for us to settle down (something about the place inspires the thought in me). My criteria, I've realized, doesn't include access to public transportation or proximity to outdoor activities (though both would be nice). My criteria is simply that I want to be around people (and raise my future children around people) who will come to my house unannounced to drink my coffee and eat my food.
So what does this have to do with Alex Honnold free soloing? Check out this short video that shows Alex in his element, just hanging out, and you'll know what I'm talking about. You can tell that he's the kind of person who doesn't make an event out of spending time with his friends. He's the kind of person who will tell you to come over and then do his laundry while you're left to your own resources to entertain yourself. And those are my favorite kinds of friends.
I found this quality in Nate, and couldn't stop spending time with him because of it. I found it in several other friends in Boulder, and I miss them. And I've found it in other people along the way, but none of them live close to me at the moment. We're all spread across the US and, well, the world.
For this, it seems, I will have to start a community and get all of these friends to settle in one spot with us. We will make meals together and laugh a lot and do fun projects. We will do our laundry in good company and always have a friend to drink coffee with.
Maybe I'll send out an email to get some sense about whether these people would be down to do it. And maybe I'll even CC Alex Honnold...
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