“That looked so smooth.”
“You said there was a hard part, but none of that looked hard for you.”
“You had that dialed.”
These are often the kind of comments I get whenever I send a project.
Which is funny, because, to me, it doesn’t seem true.
Maybe my movement flowed now, but, first of all, I was trying harder than it apparently appeared.
Secondly, and more importantly, the people who say these things were not there for the all the falls.
For the hundreds of times I tried the same move. Over and over again. Until I was strong enough to make it stick. Or figured out the tiny adjustment of a hand or foot that made it go.
For me, climbing is not about the flash.
It’s about the project.
The work I put in.
The falls I take.
The fear I overcome.
It’s about asking for help.
Getting beta.
Getting encouragement.
Getting told to “just do it.” (Because it’s all in my head).
It’s about the magic.
Learning what my body can do.
Realizing what I’m capable of.
Making the impossible possible.
If I send the problem on the first go, I don’t get the same sense of pride as when I send a project.
Sometimes I get frustrated.
Sometimes I want to give up.
Sometimes I do give up.
But then I find a new project.
And I keep trying.
Until what was hard feels easy.
Then it’s on to the next hard thing.