8000m peaks

I just finished a great book that I would highly recommend. It's a very easy read and is so much more than a mountaineering book. The book is titled "No Shortcuts to the Top" and it's by Ed Viesturs. He is the first American to climb all 14 of the world's 8000m peaks ( at least 26,247 feet tall or 4.97 miles high) without supplemental oxygen.

I could be really tempted to make this post about climbing mountains which has always been a hobby of mine. Personally, I haven't gotten anywhere near 8000m, but I have had the privilege of climbing some really cool places: Yosemite's Half Dome, many of Colorado's 14,000 foot peaks, Mt. Shasta and a few others in the north Cascades of Washington. I would be lying if I said climbing one of those 8000m peaks wasn't on my "bucket list" of things to do in life though. My wife would kill me if the mountain and my body didn't. I digress.....

The point I really wanted to make about the book is this. When Ed started climbing mountains he didn't have the goal set to climb all 14 of these peaks. He didn't even dream of such a thing. He just wanted to climb the first one which led him to take the first step. Then the second one and so on. Eighteen years after he started climbing the first one he finished the last peak.

What impressed me most about the book is that Ed started someplace and that led him to the next place until he realized what the end goal was. He didn't plan it out at first, he didn't have a map of what life would look like, he couldn't have told you when and how it would be done. I would venture a strong guess (because I have read the book) that he wouldn't have allowed himself to think that far in the future when he started the first one. He just wanted to get through that one.

Probably time for me to back up for a minute and give some perspective on how/why this applies to my blog. After all I'm not here doing book reviews for you all to read. So here comes story time again.

After college I moved back home with the parents and started construction work. I didn't major in construction at school, but I wasn't super excited about what I studied at school at that point in my life (another post for another time) so construction would do. After a year or so I decided to move on from the construction (many, many other factors that I won't go into here led me to this choice as well) job and pursue other things. I had always wanted to go out west, Colorado especially, and decided it was time to go. An acquaintance at the time had told me a simple phrase that has stuck with me and I in turn have told it to many others.

"Home is always home and you can always come back, you'll never know what you might be missing if you don't go."

This is coming from a guy who lived out the motto not just spoke it. He decided that he wanted to learn to surf after high school He and his brother scraped up enough money to purchase one way tickets to Hawaii. They lived (literally in tents)on the beach and learned to surf while working during the days. He not only went to try out his dream, but also came back home. I have given this advice out to many people who are thinking about doing something different in life. It's great wisdom for even the smallest of adventures.

Within a couple of weeks I was packed up, had rented a trailer for my belongings that I would tow behind my truck, applied to grad school (why not, I needed a solid reason to go to Denver anyhow.....why not spend more money on education!), said my farewells and was off for the great adventure. A week or so later I arrived in Denver with no place to live, no job and not knowing anyone. I had found out along the drive out that I had been accepted to grad school so I guess in hindsight I had a purpose to being there. It didn't really matter to me anyhow because as soon as I saw the Rocky Mountains I knew this was it for me. I am not sure what it is about those rocks that draw me in, but I knew I had found it. I quickly found a place to live and started moving in. Quick side note, don't move to the third floor of an apartment building with no elevators when you have just gotten up to altitude, it will kick your butt. I was so winded and tired from moving my few things upstairs I decided I needed a break. I had seen an advertisement for this place called Tommy's Slalom Shop in the back of my Waterski Magazine and thought I would try to find it. Long story cut short, I found the place and was offered a job working there. Very good luck for me.....I went from no job and no place to live to employed and shelter over my head all within a couple of days. Needless to say I never ended up going to grad school in Denver.

I had found myself in the watersports industry almost by accident. I worked hard (3 seperate jobs), played hard (mountain biking, hiking, waterskiing 5 days a week, snowboarding, etc) and generally enjoyed life in Colorado. What I didn't realize is that I was climbing my first mountain (watersports industry) so to speak. I spent 4 years working at Tommy's and then applied for a job and got hired by a larger company out of California. This company was opening a new store in Seattle and needed someone to co-manage it. How could I pass that up? (see my previous post for information about Seattle's weather and you might change your mind.....I did after I was there) I did a good enough job with that store that they offered me a position down in California managing another one of their stores. The great thing is that this store was to be all mine. To be honest, my view of California at the time wasn't the greatest....I thought it was all Hollywood and so forth, but why not. The money was good and the opportunity was great. I won't bore you with the details, but I climbed the ladder and made my store very successful very quickly. It went from being the number 12 store out of 14 in the company to the number 3 store in one year. Eventually I left there to work at some other companies which turned out to be a huge blessing. After I left the company went under in about 2 years. I wish I could say I was smart enough to see it coming, but really the Lord was just looking out for me.

All of this leads me back to my first post. I had climbed the ladder so far that there wasn't anything left for me to do. I really had two choices: I could pursue a different occupation or I could look to the next logical step, be an owner in the boat business. The ownership idea left me with possibilities for the future whereas the different occupation options was the great unknown. I opted for the ownership route......you can read about that above.

So by now (if you are still reading) you are asking so what does this have to do with the book. Good question. I guess I see it like this. Ed was inspired to keep going, not for the quest of all 14 peaks (although he does admit at some point it did turn to that), but because it was what he needed and wanted to do. That is to say, he needed to keep moving on, needed to keep stepping in a direction, needed to continue to pursue what drove him, needed to continually scratch the proverbial itch. At this point in my life I have a great opportunity that most people don't have. I can start from scratch, a "do over" if you will. I have the ability to find new mountains to climb (the analogy is wearing thin, I know) The questions I have been asking myself these past few weeks are where do I want to go, what do I want to do and how will I do it? I am inspired to believe at this point it is not about the end goal, but finding the place to start (the first or new mountain). For me it may be this opportunity in Portland and a chance to start a completely new career. It might be something else. I can't say that I know right now.

As I sit and wait on the Lord to lead I am comforted by the fact that I am not out of His will at any time throughout this thing. I am not doing anything that surprises God in the least. He didn't look down and go "Whoa, Sean you threw me a curve ball there with the job loss thing. I'll have to get back to you with what's next." He isn't surprised by us and the course of our lives. He isn't wondering what will be next. He knows and is waiting to unveil it in His time. So if all that is true then why am I surprised when I feel so lost with a starting point for whats next? Why is the waiting so hard and so painful? Why do I get filled with anxiety over things I can't control? Why don't I drink deeply of the time that I do have now? I feel kinda like a "connect the dot" picture, but I can't see all the dots and therefor can't see the bigger picture. The truth is I may not ever get to see the big picture. Maybe all I need to worry about is the "dot" in front of me....the first step on the journey.

I know the skills I have honed and acquired in my other jobs will be part of the picture. I also know that Elissa, Evan and I will make it through this thing. I know we have many people who care deeply about us. I know there is a perfect plan for us, but it sure looks fuzzy right now. It must be like looking from base camp up to the top of the mountain.....not sure how I am going to get there (where ever there is), but I'll start with the first step and see where it leads me.

Hopefully you are inspired to read the book, not by what I said or how it applies to my life, but by what you might see in it for yourself. Let me know if you do as I would like to hear your take on it.