Monday, November 3, 2008

Every New Beginning Comes from Some Other Beginning's End

I am going to start off by saying that the last post is what it is.  No apologies, but that could very well be a typical post from Rob.  Jason thought it would be a good idea to have several people administrate this blog and give others the opportunity to share their lives as guest authors in the starting lineup.  Should be a refreshing mix of stories and styles.

As Rob said, yesterday he, Greg, and I went to Eldo for "church."  They went for the more appropriate reason (trad climbing) and I for bouldering.  The purpose of the trip was exploration on my part and for the boys to get and take photos for Steve Lavin's upcoming Eldorado Canyon guide Book.  Should be a good one, but only if the boys make the front cover.  Also, as Rob said, "church" lasted a long time yesterday which gave me time call the parental units, have my phone die, and get up a roadside piece of rock known as the Milton Boulder.  Fairly classic boulder I suppose, but I certainly got on better problems earlier in the day (Elegant Universe, Lost, and Blade Runner).  In a half hour I had gone from considering doing a climb to standing on top of the rock listening to hikers cheer for what they had just witnessed.  Never Say Never was the climb.  I'm not sure, but I don't think it has been climbed by many people but that's mostly because the boulders come from the walls, so why not climb hundreds of feet instead of fifteen.  Cool problem at the end of it all, and exciting to have done it.

Today marks the last week that I will be a shoe salesman at Clarks (clarksusa.com).  The past two and a half months have had their highs and lows, and I will miss the job.  Not so much the sixty hours a week and only getting paid for forty of it, but the people who come through the door.  Clarks made me realize that I love making people happy, not as a people pleaser but through random acts of kindness, sincerity, and a smile on my face.  Learning to serve others in a selfless fashion is completely humbling and rewarding without parallel.  The job was just that, a job, and I'm looking for something a little more fulfilling.  So this last week of work marks a new beginning and the end of another.  In a few weeks I will leave Boulder for a climbing trip until the summer comes or my funds get to a predetermined limit.  I have never taken a journey like this, so it should be a wonderful exploration of countryside and self.  Hopefully I can post words and pictures along the way.  Arrevederci.

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