I ordered a backup pair of La Sportiva Solution Comp climbing shoes in size 39.0 (M) EU from Moosejaw online. They are a special order, and will not be leaving their warehouse until at least 01 May 2020, but that is okay. I fully expect another Stay-At-Home directive to be in place for our state due to a spread of the COVID-19 pandemic by that time, anyway. I will get to climb again someday…I just do not know when. I would like it to be much sooner than later, but we will have to see how it goes with people being able to show a little discipline and obey at least the minimal social distancing orders. Six feet is a long way for a lot of people’s minds to stretch, I guess. At any rate, I will take climbing when it comes back to me. Climbing right now is like a long, lost lover to me — I pine away for it, and it has left me for a time, even though it was dragged away against its will…like pandemic pirates seizing it from its pinnacle and forcing it onto a ship, abandoning its cliff for a spell despite my need for its touch and presence in my life. The time must come, though, when climbing is again the staple activity of my life and I can go about freely doing it. It is for this time that I have taken steps to procure what should be the best combination of features ever in a shoe, and a worthy comparison to the Lowa Rocket climbing shoe. The Solution Comp has every feature I desire in a shoe. We will see if it is the perfect match for my feet or not. I am praying that it is! The La Sportiva Theory has caught my eye as well, though as an afterthought to the Solution Comp. We will first see if the Solution Comp is what I hope it to be, and then perhaps experiment with the Theory. The La Sportiva Theory climbing shoes might have some potential, too, but I would have to give them a closer look. Unfortunately, climbing shoes have gotten expensive enough that you cannot afford to just buy a pair to try them out and then discover that they do not suit you without considerable heartache! I recognize the value of quality climbing shoes, however, and I am just glad that we still have them right now with the pandemic having ravaged Italy, where La Sportiva is based. For that, I am thankful. I do not mind helping their economy and ours with my purchase of these climbing shoes!
I am drinking some no-pulp, not-from-concentrate orange juice out of my old glass Pepsi-Cola glass to try to boost my body into finally getting completely over this pneumonia that I have had for seven weeks, now. My lungs are deconditioned, and my body is somewhat feeble. I am weak and tired, but my spirit is strong and ready to go. My body, I am afraid, cannot keep up with my desires right now. I went for a walk the other day. I got a block and a half away from my mother’s house when I decided to turn around and come back. The return journey was painful and slow, bringing on a coughing fit and the use of my inhaler to open up my lungs. That was three days ago. I am still recovering from that walk. I pushed myself too far too fast. I felt good on the way up the block, but barely made it back to the house. Odd how such a simple thing wiped me out for days. I have been having to take multiple naps during the day as well. I get fatigued so easily. I find that frustrating, but that is the nature of illness and stress. Both sap me of my strength. I am much better than I was, though. My doctor thinks that my COVID-19 test was a false negative, and I have several nurses who agree. Regardless of what it was, I am glad that I am almost over it! I do hope that the cough does not linger and that my lungs are not scarred, but what will be will be, I guess. There is not much that I can do about it at this point. I look forward to climbing again, hopefully with my La Sportiva Solution Comp shoes. The climbing gym is supposed to open tomorrow afternoon. I still am not well enough to go, so I will stay away until I am fully healed as not to catch something else in my compromised state or give whatever I have to anyone else who might be compromised. More orange juice, I say!
Today, I am teaching a Sunday School class online using Facebook Live, which I figured out how to use the other day after getting very good directions from a friend of mine who also teaches Sunday School online. I am teaching on the topic of continuing revelation. I think it to be an interesting topic and the General Conference talk that it is based on is absolutely inspired! I love that I get to teach from this talk today! I am excited about this opportunity to teach. I do not have anxiety yet, but as the hour draws nigh, I will probably have some, especially as I am setting the computer up, getting the lighting right, and getting Facebook Live ready to go, well, LIVE. I will be teaching to a computer screen, which is much different than my usual teaching style, as you might imagine. I am a very interactive teacher, and I love participation so that I know what the needs of the class members are and which direction we need to go with the lesson. I will not have that today. Today, I will need to fill 40-45 minutes with lesson material from both the talk and my own research, knowledge, and wisdom. Fortunately, I rehearsed my talk the other day and it came to 38 minutes and some odd seconds. Perfect! I made up a few charts using the backs of old desk calendar sheets and fat permanent markers of various colors to use for instruction, because I am a very visual person and I know that component can make or break a lesson for people like me. At 1400hrs MST, I will be “on the air”. Wish me luck!
CLIMBING 4 THE REST OF US 