8 | The Writer • November 2019
FROM THE FRONT LINES
BY YI SHUN LAI
A
fter a long time away,
I’ve rejoined the world of
indoor climbing. This is
that relatively tame sport in
which, in a semi-controlled environ-
ment, you strap on a bunch of gear and
pretend you are on a cliff face with the
eagles* and fresh air, when, really, it’s
Black Sabbath from the in-gym stereo
system and a bunch of chalk dust up
your nose.
I am lazy, and also impatient, with
the idea of having to strap on a bunch
of gear and communicate a bunch of
things to a partner – partner! more
gear – so I have opted to boulder
instead. This is an offshoot of climb-
ing in which you crawl around on a
bunch of holds in prescribed routes,
“solving problems.”
Do not get me wrong. I really like
this sport. As I age, I have begun to
appreciate the more contemplative
physical pursuits – cross country ski-
ing, say, over downhill. “Going for a
jog” over “out for a run.” Sleeping over
sitting upright.
Heh.
Anyway, as my husband and I were
waiting for the muscles in our forearms
to stop jumping after some particularlychallenging beginner’s routes, I
watched a skinny kid spider up the
wall. His dad watched from below,
arms crossed. The kid reached for a
hold that was out of his reach by a good
6 inches. The dad stepped forward a
half-step so he could spot, and the kid
sprung off of one foot and grabbed for
the hold. He made it, and Dad stepped
back into his original position.
I turned to my husband. “We don’t
do that anymore,” I said.
“What?”
“Opt for the possibility of a crash-
and-burn. You know, really go for it.”
On the wall, the kid had finished
the route and was down-climbing.Crash and burn
Why recklessness is good for your creativity.
*The Eagles. Black Sabbath. Did you see what I
did there? Hunh? Oh, never mind. GoodStudio/Shutterstock