The Random Yak

Yesterday afternoon I left the office in something of a snit, ate a dinner I didn’t really want to eat, grabbed Yak the Younger and headed for the climbing center in a mood I’m generously describing as foul.

The reasons for the anger and frustration don’t concern the rest of you and add nothing to the story, so I’ll leave the setup there – except to say I’ve seldom been quite as frustrated or as tempted to just “give up,” bail out and say “forget it” to the circumstances that spent most of yesterday afternoon twisting my tail out of joint.

As usual, the climbing center wasn’t very busy at 6:00 on a Tuesday night. Yak the Younger and I had our pick of the walls, and after a short warmup climb on an easy face he likes I steered him toward the more challenging wall we’ve been working on lately. The routes on this particular wall represent asignificant increase in difficulty, enough to make them a real challenge. Since YtY had already climbed, I took first turn on the new wall and made three fairly rapid ascents. By the third trip up (and down) the wall, the focus and effort hadworked off most of the frustration and I felt almost human. Almost.

After tying in to take his turn on the new wall, Yak the Younger looked at me and asked, “Are you sure I can do this? I’m a little tired tonight.”

I considered letting him off the hook, telling him we could just climb the easy wall and go home, but truthfully I wanted another shot at the wall myself and I wasn’t ready to go. So I looked him straight in the eye and said, “I don’t know whether you can or not. But you’ve done it before, and if you take your time and pay attention to what you’re doing, I think you can do it again.” (I know. Not the best pep talk in the world – but remember, I said “almost” human.)

Yak the Younger considered this for a moment andheaded up the wall. About ten feet off the ground he reached the bulge that presents the first of several difficult obstacles on this particular face.He hadthree solid holds about six feet to his right, but reaching them would require a tricky traverse – and YtY doesn’t typically think laterally on the wall yet. He’s still in the phase where “up” means “up” and the next hold “must” be found somewhere overhead. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to work for someone his height climbingthis particular route. The only holds “up” from his position offered insufficient purchase – as he quickly discovered. He slipped twice, barely managing to hang onto the wall each time, and then retreated to a more solid position on the wall to consider his options.

At this point I asked whether he wanted help, or whether he wanted to come down and tryagain using a slightly different route.He shook his head. “I just need a minute to think. I can’t find the hold.”

I pointed out the holds to his right. After considering the situation for a minute hemoved slowlyacross the wall,reached a better position and resumed his vertical climb. On his own, he managed a second (leftward) traverse around the other major bulge – evidence that at least for the moment, he’s beginning to think in directions other than “straight up the face.” He reached the top of the wall, tapping the route end marker with pride (and more than a little exhaustion) before returning to the ground. Looking up the wall, he remarked, “Thanks for the help. Ididn’t want to give up.”

I nodded, realizing even then that I was looking down the barrel of God’s Object Lesson #42: From time to time you’re going to find yourself hanging in empty space, without an obvious handhold, unable to move up and incapable of finding the next move on your own. At this point you have two choices: give up and come down or ask for help from someone who’s gota view of the entire route.

Yak the Younger picked Option #2.

So did I.

It’s not a new lesson, but it definitelybears repeating. None of us can get through this on our own. Fortunately, we’re not expected to.

Trackposted to Overtaken by Events, Pet’s Garden Blog, third world county, basil’s blog, and Pursuing Holiness, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.