Lessons learned
So...what have you learned so far this week? Yesterday as I stood in the shower trying to clean the grime of the day away, I thought about the new things I learned over the course of the day and the things that I already knew, but reaffirmed.
#1. It is good to have a strong bodied exploring partner. Even better if they are strong AND kind.
#2. It is good to have a plan B (even if you don't particularly like Plan B).
#3. It's important to remember where you parked your car... and in this case, it is also important to know how to parallel park. A sense of direction is also helpful, but in my case, there is no hope for that.
#4. Be aware of your surroundings. In this case, this means, know which room the skunk is currently in,
#5. Worrying about things that might happen is most likely a waste of time. It uses up a great deal of energy.
#6. I am always impressed when I meet young people that have taken the time to learn how to sew. (Because it is the best thing I have ever learned and no one seems to learn it anymore.)
#7. It sucks to get old.
#8. Adventures are good. Adventures are important to your well being
#9. Overthinking is bad.
#10. I now understand the Nike slogan ... "Just do it."
(I will leave it up to you to decide which of these things I just learned, and which I have reaffirmed.)
In a nut shell.... Standing in the shower, washing off the grime and reviewing the events of the day, (why is the water never hot enough?), a day which I knew was going to start with climbing a ladder over a 10 foot wall, but I was told.... "Don't worry... it will be fine."
The plan was that I was supposed to be surprised by NOT having to climb over the wall, because my friend had the key to the lock on the chain on the gate. The real surprise was that someone else had thrown another lock on the chain, to which he did not have the key and since parking was so difficult, that we all parked more than 5 blocks away and it was now broad daylight, there was also no ladder. Proceed to plan B, which was that my friend hoisted us up and over the wall.... (Which is where having a strong exploring partner comes in, and the first time that the importance of kindness comes into play, with him NOT saying... "Hey, didn't you weigh about 25 pounds less last time we explored together.... ) So we are now on the inside of a 10 foot wall, with him on the outside, which is where he had to remain, sending text messages for me not to worry, to let him know when we were ready to leave and he would drive 45 minutes back from home to rescue us (this of course would add up to him spending 3 hours driving for an adventure that he couldn't even participate in). Now, I knew that my exploring friend for the day was not going to have a problem getting out of there, because she was 40 years younger than me, and fearless. Me, on the other hand, spent a good portion of my exploring time thinking about how I was going to get out of there without having to call my friend and making him come back to rescue me, and also without crawling 5 blocks (assuming I started crawling in the right direction and actually found my car after 5 blocks) back to my car with a broken ankle after going over the wall, splattering on the sidewalk, hoping there would not be a police car driving by on this busy street, and breaking an ankle in the process. At this point the water in my shower is barely lukewarm and I realize that I'm not really trying to wash the grime off anymore, I'm trying to wash away the disappointment in myself for how I ended the day. No, I did not make my friend rescue me, although he texted many times telling me not to worry that he would be there. (See, it really is important to have a kind exploring partner, but I was trying to make being rescued by him my Plan B). Instead, I dragged a step ladder out of the building, which turned out to actually be too short. So while my exploring partner, who could easily have gotten over that wall, was freezing because she didn't wear a coat, I made her investigate every corner of the property with me, trying to find the safest way for me to get out, while dragging our camera gear, the step ladder that was too short, and now another taller wooden ladder that I found outside. Finally I resigned myself to the fact that I was going to have to go out at the same place where we got in, even if it was in the middle of a Sunday afternoon with people walking back and forth on the sidewallk where we were going to land, hopefully unbroken. I then realized (shower water is COLD now) that going in... I had no time to think about it... no time to climb a ladder and look down the other side... and to say "Ok, I'm going over." "No, I'm not.... I can't do it." I was pushed to the top of the wall and had no choice... I had to jump down (Can't say it felt good, but I had to do it... and I survived). Eventually, I put on a pair of gloves so the top of the wooden gate wouldn't rip up my hands, threw a leg over the top, then the other, turned and hung by both arms, let one hand go, then the other, and dropped... and I didn't break an ankle, and it really wasn't all that bad, and I made a big deal out of nothing and wasted a lot of time, while my young exploring partner shivered patiently. (I'm thinking she should have screamed at me "JUST DO IT"!!) See, the Nike slogan.... I get it now!! 40 years ago, I probably wouldn't have worried about it so much... (It sucks to get old) I headed in the right direction and found my car 5 blocks later. I was glad to see it! I have a lot to think about now. I wasted a lot of time and energy worrying about how I was going to get out of a place that I may never get to see again, instead of just worrying about simple things... like rounding a corner and running into the skunk that apparently was also exploring, or maybe lived there. I appreciate my friend that got me in to see the amazing place that I explored yesterday, even though he couldn't join us, and I apologize profusely to the poor young woman that had to put up with me. Thank you both! Adventures are good for the soul.
Lessons learned
So...what have you learned so far this week? Yesterday as I stood in the shower trying to clean the grime of the day away, I thought about the new things I learned over the course of the day and the things that I already knew, but reaffirmed.
#1. It is good to have a strong bodied exploring partner. Even better if they are strong AND kind.
#2. It is good to have a plan B (even if you don't particularly like Plan B).
#3. It's important to remember where you parked your car... and in this case, it is also important to know how to parallel park. A sense of direction is also helpful, but in my case, there is no hope for that.
#4. Be aware of your surroundings. In this case, this means, know which room the skunk is currently in,
#5. Worrying about things that might happen is most likely a waste of time. It uses up a great deal of energy.
#6. I am always impressed when I meet young people that have taken the time to learn how to sew. (Because it is the best thing I have ever learned and no one seems to learn it anymore.)
#7. It sucks to get old.
#8. Adventures are good. Adventures are important to your well being
#9. Overthinking is bad.
#10. I now understand the Nike slogan ... "Just do it."
(I will leave it up to you to decide which of these things I just learned, and which I have reaffirmed.)
In a nut shell.... Standing in the shower, washing off the grime and reviewing the events of the day, (why is the water never hot enough?), a day which I knew was going to start with climbing a ladder over a 10 foot wall, but I was told.... "Don't worry... it will be fine."
The plan was that I was supposed to be surprised by NOT having to climb over the wall, because my friend had the key to the lock on the chain on the gate. The real surprise was that someone else had thrown another lock on the chain, to which he did not have the key and since parking was so difficult, that we all parked more than 5 blocks away and it was now broad daylight, there was also no ladder. Proceed to plan B, which was that my friend hoisted us up and over the wall.... (Which is where having a strong exploring partner comes in, and the first time that the importance of kindness comes into play, with him NOT saying... "Hey, didn't you weigh about 25 pounds less last time we explored together.... ) So we are now on the inside of a 10 foot wall, with him on the outside, which is where he had to remain, sending text messages for me not to worry, to let him know when we were ready to leave and he would drive 45 minutes back from home to rescue us (this of course would add up to him spending 3 hours driving for an adventure that he couldn't even participate in). Now, I knew that my exploring friend for the day was not going to have a problem getting out of there, because she was 40 years younger than me, and fearless. Me, on the other hand, spent a good portion of my exploring time thinking about how I was going to get out of there without having to call my friend and making him come back to rescue me, and also without crawling 5 blocks (assuming I started crawling in the right direction and actually found my car after 5 blocks) back to my car with a broken ankle after going over the wall, splattering on the sidewalk, hoping there would not be a police car driving by on this busy street, and breaking an ankle in the process. At this point the water in my shower is barely lukewarm and I realize that I'm not really trying to wash the grime off anymore, I'm trying to wash away the disappointment in myself for how I ended the day. No, I did not make my friend rescue me, although he texted many times telling me not to worry that he would be there. (See, it really is important to have a kind exploring partner, but I was trying to make being rescued by him my Plan B). Instead, I dragged a step ladder out of the building, which turned out to actually be too short. So while my exploring partner, who could easily have gotten over that wall, was freezing because she didn't wear a coat, I made her investigate every corner of the property with me, trying to find the safest way for me to get out, while dragging our camera gear, the step ladder that was too short, and now another taller wooden ladder that I found outside. Finally I resigned myself to the fact that I was going to have to go out at the same place where we got in, even if it was in the middle of a Sunday afternoon with people walking back and forth on the sidewallk where we were going to land, hopefully unbroken. I then realized (shower water is COLD now) that going in... I had no time to think about it... no time to climb a ladder and look down the other side... and to say "Ok, I'm going over." "No, I'm not.... I can't do it." I was pushed to the top of the wall and had no choice... I had to jump down (Can't say it felt good, but I had to do it... and I survived). Eventually, I put on a pair of gloves so the top of the wooden gate wouldn't rip up my hands, threw a leg over the top, then the other, turned and hung by both arms, let one hand go, then the other, and dropped... and I didn't break an ankle, and it really wasn't all that bad, and I made a big deal out of nothing and wasted a lot of time, while my young exploring partner shivered patiently. (I'm thinking she should have screamed at me "JUST DO IT"!!) See, the Nike slogan.... I get it now!! 40 years ago, I probably wouldn't have worried about it so much... (It sucks to get old) I headed in the right direction and found my car 5 blocks later. I was glad to see it! I have a lot to think about now. I wasted a lot of time and energy worrying about how I was going to get out of a place that I may never get to see again, instead of just worrying about simple things... like rounding a corner and running into the skunk that apparently was also exploring, or maybe lived there. I appreciate my friend that got me in to see the amazing place that I explored yesterday, even though he couldn't join us, and I apologize profusely to the poor young woman that had to put up with me. Thank you both! Adventures are good for the soul.