So, I’ve been spending a lot of time with the munchkins doing munchkin type of stuff. That means swimming every day, eating at Sweet Tomatoes (that place is a kid magnet!), listening to kiddie music, and pushing myself out of my comfort zone.
That’s a picture of my comfort zone, in case you were wondering. 😉 And that’s what I willingly gave up when I decided to scale a wall for my munchkins.
Before you start thinking we were trapped in some remote castle and had to climb over a 20-foot wall to get out, it was nothing that fancy. Dramatic, yes, but nowhere as fancy. 😛
In reality, we were at our local trampoline park, which also has a rock climbing wall. The munchkins, particularly C, like watching other kids climb it, but neither one of them has wanted to try it. Even with our words of comfort and encouragement (ie. “It’s fun!”, “You won’t fall; there’s a harness!” and “You get to ring the bell at the top!”), they always shake their heads and opt for the grounded fun of the trampolines.
I knew not to push them; our kids like to play it safe and warm up to new things in their own time. But I thought maybe I could help speed up the process by showing them how fun and easy and safe wall climbing can be!
Both E and C were pretty excited and announced to hubby, “Mom’s going to do it!” Hubby looked at me with a split second of disbelief and wonder before he smiled oh-so warily and said, “You go!”
So, go I did. The nice teenager manning the wall asked if I wanted the easiest course (hmm, did my shaking knees give it away?), then strapped me into my harness and set me loose. I stood in front of the wall and wondered why they didn’t make those grip things bigger and closer together?! As I contemplated which ones to grab and which ones to place my feet on, I decided to stop thinking and just start. I placed my hands on two grips, found grips for my feet, and pulled myself up. Whew. I’d made it one foot off the ground. I looked for the next, best places to hold and stand on … and the next … and the next. Before I knew it, I’d made it halfway up the wall!
And that’s when things got tricky.
As I held on for dear life, I noticed the angle of the wall was changing. It was becoming more slanted the higher you went up. Which meant needing to use more muscles and guts, both of which I lacked. Ack. Cue the white flag. When my biceps started to shake in protest, along with the contents of my stomach, I decided it was time to return to the safety of my bubble. I retraced my steps, slooowly and carefully planting my feet on the grips, and lowered myself to the ground. Whew! Yay! Hallelujah!
I turned to my family, a little disappointed, but mostly relieved. I admitted, “I think it’ll take me a few more tries to get to the top.” But I was happy. Happy that a middle-aged dog can still learn new tricks. Proud that the munchkins got to witness me doing something outside my comfort zone. And grateful for these life lessons I gained.
#1: You’re never too old to try something new.
#2: Often times you won’t succeed the first time, but you can always try again.
#3: Starting is easy, the middle takes more effort, but the ending stretches you the most.
You know what this means, right? I’m going to have to try scaling a wall again … for my munchkins and for myself. Good thing I learned another lesson through this:
#4: The second (and third and fourth, etc.) time around is always better. 🙂
Take a listen to a song I’ve been listening to on repeat with the munchkins. It’s from one of their favorite shows (that teaches math!) called “Odd Squad” (from PBS Kids). If you love boy bands, you’ll love Soundcheck. 😀
What new trick have you learned to do recently?
