Afternoon light dances and drifts as a warm breeze teases Ponderosa pine boughs. My backside
nestles comfortably into the sofa, warm laptop on my thighs. My feet are propped on my coffee
table. My backyard obsession, Longs Peak, is the cause of this glorious quagmire. I had just
spent four back-to-back days training around the many aspects of this 4,346m playground.
Running trailhead to summit, dangling on a rope to suss out the moves of its harder, vertical
face climbing routes, and joyously scampering its ridges and peaks. Red face, content heart.
Training for what, you might ask. Sitting, I would exclaim with a laugh.
The most efficient way for me to access a quiet mental space, gain focus on non-moving tasks like computer work or reading a book, is to twirl about physically until I have reached full-body fatigue. As the sofa warms and my legs find rest on this particular evening, I find myself sipping on wine planning the upcoming year’s slew of expeditions. Typing away, detailing new route possibilities on yellow cliffs in Madagascar, Googling images of unclimbed granite spires rising out of the freezing waters on Baffin Island, and giggling in conversation with Libby about the jungle tools we were going to need to machete our way in to
remote Chilean granite domes.
How quickly the simple things can disappear. The daydream subsides as sound and light shift my focus to real time, real places. The room is warm. I am shivering, buried beneath a down comforter. There is a wheelchair by my bedside. It has been there every day now for over a year.
My mood is learned indifference even with the persistent hum and electrical burning in the
lower half of my body. Perhaps I should feel something approaching love for this antiquated and neglected device that only just allows me to roll about a house, a paved lake, or out to dinner.
I am not there yet....
TO BE CONTINUED : I wrote this piece for a lovely little journal called Sidetracked. It contains incredible stories and beautiful photos of adventures, culture and experiences around the world. Get the current issue and you can finish reading my story!
2 comments:
You are inspirational to me as I face my new reality, a world without my son. Evan Millsap died after a fall in Denali Park. Lives change and we do the best we can to move forward one day at a time.
Much love to you as you face your challenges!
Eric
DR WALE, vreau să-ți mulțumesc pentru tot binele pe care l-ai făcut familiei mele. Părinții mei întâmpinau dificultăți în a-și găsi echilibrul, dar nimic nu părea să funcționeze pentru ei. S-au separat, iar acest lucru a fost extrem de greu pentru noi, copiii. Ne doream să-i vedem din nou împreună, așa că am apelat la DR WALE, deoarece el o ajutase pe sora mea să-și salveze căsnicia atunci când avea probleme cu soțul ei. Așadar, l-am contactat pe DR WALE pentru a vedea dacă ne poate reuni părinții. Când am luat legătura cu el, ne-a întrebat de cât timp erau separați părinții noștri. I-am spus că de șase ani. A zis că asta nu e o problemă. După ce totul a fost finalizat, am descoperit că cea mai bună prietenă a mamei noastre fusese cea care făcuse tot posibilul ca părinții noștri să nu mai fie împreună. Dar, datorită lui Dr. Wale, părinții noștri sunt în sfârșit din nou împreună. Acum suntem uniți ca o familie mare. Dacă părinții tăi sunt divorțați și vrei să se împace, Dr. Wale este persoana potrivită pe care să o contactezi. Îl poți contacta pe Dr. Wale prin WhatsApp sau Viber la +2347054019402 ori prin e-mail la drwalespellhome@gmail.com
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