To end of the year I wanted to put together a list of things that I learned, applied, and am still working on, whether spiritually, in friendships, Life Lessons, and recreational insight
*Climb for the beauty of the route/problem, not for Numbers
As an recreational climber who grew up and lives in one of the World Class bouldering capitals of the U.S. I was always looking at the guide book and thinking I can’t do most of the climbs in here because they are rated way harder than I can climb. Early in December I went out to the Happy Boulders and tried a couple burns on one of my projects, then moved on without any more progress, as I was moving on I saw a couple friends I had met the previous week, so I set up and helped spot while they were working on a project, during conversation it came up that if you don’t try harder problems you will always stay in the same grade and never progress.
* Cook for people then play board games
Sure I cook for people on a daily basis at a restaurant and get paid to do it, but that’s not what I’m talking about, I mean share home cooked meals with people you know and sometimes people you don’t know. Food brings people together, and board games spark more conversations.
* Enjoy a beer with a friend once in a while
I’m serious, but only if your at the legal age, and I’m not saying to go get drunk. For me it is a type of therapy to sit and talk with friends, and it doesn’t happen enough as those friends live at least 40 miles away.
* Trust Jesus, not all His followers
It was late Spring when an older mentor figure in my life told me more than once that he thought I should look into a seeking more of a friendship with a friend of my sisters. Bad idea… basically made me question a lot of prophetic stuff that had been spoken over me, and I’m still questioning most of it as I don’t see how all of it lines up with scripture…
*Famous people are people too
This year I went to the local gear consignment shop just about every day, both to see if awesome stuff came in but also to learn from the people who work there and build friendships with them, anyways while I was here one night, while waiting for the movie theater to open, Alex Honnold came in with a bunch of random stuff to sell. And He was just a normal person, didn’t expect to be treated any different, though I noticed that he was. It was weird to me because I knew his name but he didn’t know mine and probably wouldn’t remember me anyhow. It’s just like when I was working at Old Oak Ranch all the campers would know my name but I could only juggle a few names from every week. When you meet so many people in a short period of time all the names bleed together. The next day I went to a local coffee shop and saw Alex sitting in his can using his computer probably using the coffee shop WiFi, which is fine, but it showed how being a “Big Name” can be a lonely thing, no real connection with most of the people who know your name. I feel that way with most of the people in Bishop I’m just a face with a name to them, oh that’s Jeremiah, they know my name, that I’m a nice guy, but don’t give a piece of crap about how I’m really doing. I sometimes feel like I don’t have a friend under the age 35 in Bishop who really cares how I’m actually doing. So if you see someone whose name you know but you know they don’t know yours, whether famous or not, introduce yourself, let them know who you are before you grill them with questions or ask for an autograph.
* Don’t try to be a perfect person
everyone screws up, it happens everyday, admit your mistakes, try to reconcile, and move on. The other day while I was pulling the meat cart out of the fridge at work a six pack of beer was on a higher shelf and leaning on the meat cart, well it decided to go to the floor, I cleaned it up told my boss and went on with the day. No one got hurt, and it was cleaned up pretty quick like it never happened besides the smell of beer that lingered for hours…
* Forgive people even if they don’t know they hurt you
sometimes people don’t realize that they hurt you, basically get over yourself and don’t judge them for going on with their lives like nothing happened because they didn’t even realize anything did.
* Read blogs/articles/comics that are updated frequently
this year I started reading a web comic called Nerf-This, I got into it when a friend who is an amazing artist posted it as something he read, now as its only released when the artist finishes the next few frames, it gives me something to look forward to whether its a week or a month between updates. Also my sister writes pretty frequently on her own blog, and I enjoy most of it as well though she may misrepresent me in some of her posts. I also found another blog that I read frequently by a climber who with her boyfriend decided to take a year off from life and adventure while living in a van.
* Do your research when you buy new car or anything for that matter.
This year I bought my first car with a loan. Big decision on what I was to get, I was thinking of getting a van and converting it to live in, but also wanted a vehicle that had the capability to go anywhere. So I decided on a 2000 Toyota Land Cruiser, yes its thirteen years old and I could have bought a new car for just a little bit more… but my Cruiser will last longer than most if not all of those new cars that I could have bought. And it seats eight and can go anywhere I’m willing to take it and probably more places than I’m willing to go, and if I decide to drive elsewhere in the world I can still get parts because it is a global vehicle.
* Give without expecting something back
This Thanksgiving I had the idea to host a meal for all the climbers visiting the area, so I did with the help of my Church, I put up fliers in the coffee shops and gear shops in town and we cooked a turkey and all the classic Thanksgiving sides that go along with it. I was so discouraged about not having anyone show up until about 12:30 Thanksgiving Day a girl by the name of Amy called and asked if there was anything they could do to contribute, which there really wasn’t, but the call was just so encouraging because it meant that at least one person was going to come. We fed about 20 climbers from all around the country, and even a guy from France, we didn’t preach but just offered a free family style meal for people to share, and we’re looking to do it again.
* Be more Open with your mindset
Don’t judge people so quickly, just because someone chooses to live in their van or car doesn’t mean they are in hard times or dire circumstances. My friend Cody and his wife live in a converted van that they built out. It might seem weird to you, but I admire it, they don’t have a rent bill, so all that money goes to getting them out of debt and then they can save so much more for their future pretty quick. Sure that lifestyle doesn’t ft the standard “American Dream” but who cares about that if they are happy and debt free, I’d love to live without bills but I don’t see how thats going to happen soon.
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