The Beginner's Heart

I noticed the red and yellow Are You Clipped In? signs everywhere. When I asked Mike if something happened while I was away from climbing, he said that there were two incidents at the new gym. The one climber broke his legs after falling from the top of a route. I thought the climbers involved might have been newbies but Mike told me that they were experienced lead climbers and that he wasn't surprised because new climbers are fresh out of classes etc.

The whole newbie thing makes me think of a yoga class that I took recently. We were doing Ardha Chandrasana or Half Moon Pose when this newbie told me, repeatedly, that I looked like a professional. I told her that I feel like a new yogi all the time and Sharon, the teacher, said You gotta keep that beginners heart and mind.

I am the one who can't get my butt to my heels in Child's Pose and my feet never touch the ground in Downward Facing Dog but, as Sharon said, you have to be patient with yourself and your body.

As far as climbing goes, I'm glad that my crew behaves like newbies -- checking and checking again to make sure that our harnesses are on right, our knots are secure and our carabiners are locked.