“Climbing. You just do better when you climb.”

I saw the Doc yesterday and we talked about what’s been going on lately. There’s been a lot of stress in my life since the beginning of November and now I find myself depressed and exhausted. My doctor said he sees this a lot. “People will have a really high-stress period in their lives and then, even though they got through it and they won, they’re depressed. I think they’re just exhausted.” He’s got that right! Stress is exhausting! “Climb. Climbing. You just do better when you climb.” I nodded. “You kind of got away from it for a while here,” he said, a bit puzzled, but not pushing too hard for an answer. After writing me a prescription for coffee as an analgesic, he said again, ” Climbing. You just do better when you climb.” He shook my hand and I exited his office. I went climbing last evening. It was busy, but I managed to wait out the crowd until most of the kids had left and I got a good shot at the upstairs bouldering wall. There were only two kids that showed up for Steep Team, so I still had the wall largely to myself. I made up my own problems and onsighted many different types of problems, making them up as I went. I did several traverses and was all over the wall as my body moved and an found holds to challenge my balance, footwork, and grip strength. I’m trying to get my mobility ad grip strength back in my injured left wrist, hand, and thumb. That motor vehicle accident really messed up my life, but it also showed me the power of God and the human spirit. Climbing. I just do better when I climb.