Diabetes Archives - Page 2 of 7 -

Mini progress

By Steve on January 4, 2012 in Diabetes, inspirational, LivingVertical

Got done finished unpacking the car. Its a pretty sweet little rig we’ve got, even if it’s no chick magnet! I will have a short video coming up in my next blog to show a little bit of that process. Also, we got some of the episodes of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” transferred onto my Zen media player which may sound like a fools errand but I know that comfort TV will be much appreciated when we are a few months (or weeks?) into this.

So the task at hand is looming large and intimidating before us. So much to do, so little time blah blah blah. At the end of the day I have been realizing (largely through Stef’s input) that we just have to do what we do and not reinvent the wheel. Climbing and going all over the place in beat up cars is what we do. It always has been really. Why the anxiety now?

Lots of people are watching-and more are checking us out every day. This equals pressure. Don’t screw up. Don’t get sick or injured. Don’t forget to film every moment of waking life. Don’t forget to eat. Don’t forget to take your insulin. Don’t forget that eating sh*tty food will make you tired and unable to perform. Don’t forget to check and double check your tie-in knot…

It is a struggle to stay true to one’s self and one’s mission. People watching, looking to you, makes you want to impress people or live up to their expectations. Of course we don’t want to go broke either so there is that piece of the puzzle. Let me rephrase that. We don’t want to go so far into debt that we have to deploy our golden parachutes and piss off all of our constituents! Seriously though, being broke is part of the price that you pay to do this kind of thing and it is a sacrifice that I have found to be totally worth it, and it is nothing new to us. It’s just that sometimes when you see almost everyone else running the opposite direction you DO question if everyone knows something that you have completely overlooked…then again its possible that the opposite scenario is the case!

Forcing myself to relax is something that I have learned (and am still learning) to do when I am climbing. Perhaps that’s another reason why I am drawn to what people perceive as a “risky” activity-because it hones my ability to dial in my brain and see that none of the stuff that I am currently freaking out about really matters.

Climbing is what I do. I just have to go out and do what I do. Like I always have.

Thanks for putting up with my little locker-room speech! I have a video to put together and I am going to be making notes about our dietary approach for the road, so you will be hearing more about those spell-binding topics this week!

In other news, BG (blood glucose) has been good-running a little low but thats ok by me-I like eating!

Also, I would like to point out that the weather here in San Diego is AWWWWWWWEEEEESOMMMME!!!!! I can’t wait to be that annoying asshat that is always rubbing it in that their weather is FANTASTIC in the middle of the winter to the vast annoyance of all their friends. Yep, I am going to be THAT GUY.

Merry Christmas from North Carolina

By Steve on December 25, 2011 in 365 Challenge, Diabetes, project 365, Rock Climbing

This is shaping up to be a very different Christmas than any seasons past; not in the Northeast, no snow, no Mr Kitty, different people to share the holiday with…and it turns out that change can be a really awesome thing. I am thankful to have the opportunity to see members of my family that I haven’t seen except at funerals over the last year and change. With the price of anxiety paid, the reward is reconnecting with people you have not seen in a long time and rediscovering the value of people in your life.

Without waxing too philosophical, I would like to say that were both very appreciative of the support that we have been shown over the last few days as we have begun this journey and left behind our furry companion. It may seem silly to some people, but it’s a palpable vacancy that is still a big part of our daily activity. We did get an update that he has begun eating more and is making transient appearances-so that’s progress.

As we journeyed towards my brother’s house on Thursday night and Kitty was going nuts and Stef was posting the play-by-play on twitter, I kept thinking to myself, ‘how can we make it work out that we can bring him along and not have to leave him behind’. After making the drop off and heading down to our current location in North Carolina, I am certain that we made the right decision even if it was hard.

Right now we are enjoying the holiday celebrations and will soon be outfitted with a new roof rack and turtle-top carrier which will increase the cargo space of the Dragon Wagon by 25% at least thanks to my brother in law, Mario. We are looking to leave NC to head to CA around the 27-29th, but we will post updates as we go along.

I hope that everyone reading this has a very Merry Christmas and I am looking forward to keeping you updated!

Use it or lose it.

By Steve on December 11, 2011 in 365 Challenge, Diabetes, documentary, film, Fitness, project 365, Rock Climbing

Fitness is free. You don’t need health insurance to get it and it requires no prescriptions. You can find it indoors or out at all hours of the day. The catch is this-you have to get off your couch and put away your iPhone, detach from the twitterverse and go GET it for yourself. I read a lot of people clamoring for this or that-health insurance for everyone, cures, social overhauls. To be fair, I agree with many of those initiatives-but what about Occams razor? You know, the idea that the simplest solution is usually the best one? (Hint: this is one idea that spawned Project 365)

We have been conditioned to believe that intricacy and complexity are tantamount to quality. Thanks, technological marketing! We have been conditioned to think that truth about health can only come from a pill, or an injection or some scientific think tank-and so we neglect the simple, and the obvious.

Still not convinced? Watch this movie by a Doctor who did all the research to further reinforce this very simple truth: exercise is the most fundamental thing EVERYONE can do to improve their health. At the end of the day you may still be thinking that these simple, practical initiatives are no cure-and that is true. But if I as a diabetic, put my health first and prioritize my fitness-I can be far healthier than people without medical conditions who fail to do that.

This is your LIFE, not a medical publication. Look around, engage your brain and think for yourself! We as a nation are fatter, lazier and less motivated and ever before-and we keep finding excuses and pass the buck. Ask what YOU can do to improve yourself before asking what medicine or drugs can do to improve you. It’s not judgement, its a challenge!

Diet. Lifestyle. Exercise. Fix the simple problems simply before just medicating yourself into oblivion. You have the power! Use it!

Sargasso

By Steve on December 9, 2011 in Diabetes, LivingVertical, paleo, Rock Climbing

As you may have noticed, I have been MIA this week-finals and paper grading abound and my job has been eating into my blogging time! I have been becalmed on the seas of life (google the blog title). Never fear-we are only a few Ebay transactions away from donning the mantle of the “Fit Homeless” and packing up the Dragon Wagon up to head out on Project 365! So this lull has left me in need of some motivation. I know you have seen this video before and if you haven’t, you need to!

We have lots of exciting things in the works-contributors to thank, sponsors which we may be announcing soon, more professional endorsements, and a proper trailer for Project 365. We still need your help to get our Indiegogo campaign kicking again-so please visit it often, share with your friends and contribute as you are able to!

More to come….!

bishop dblog diabetes dlife documentary gopro icebreaker Indiegogo JDRF livingvertical Patrice ONeal PCGI photography project 365 rockclimbing santa claus

“Getting over” diabetes

By Steve on December 5, 2011 in 365 Challenge, Diabetes, Rock Climbing, Travel

This weekend was our first opportunity to enjoy an informal meet-up while in Boston, visiting family for the weekend. We got a chance to hang out (literally) with Fatima who we met through the twitterverse. We got together and climbed at Metro-Rock gym in Everett and it was an amazing time, in short.

It was very remarkable, as the three of us talked, how despite our differences we had a very similar mindset. I think you don’t have to be a cultural anthropologist to see how different we are. To start with, I can reach holds that Stef and Fatima couldnt-but they were way better on the slackline than I was. But seriously, what brings people together and puts them on such similar paths?

Well, we talked about that too. Diabetes IS a challenge. At the end of the day, it has the power that YOU give it. No, you can’t control everything that happens in your body-but give me an example of where in your life you CAN control everything? Control over your life is a laughable facade that people buy to feel better about the variability that is inherent in daily life. You can choose to fight it and lose-or learn how to appreciate the flux, roll with it and see what heights it takes you to!

We are not victims. We are not diseased. We are not helpless. We are people who have a very specific challenge that has cultivated very specific strengths. At the end of the day, it is a choice to “get over” any challenge. It starts first with your mind, then follows through with physical action. This weekend, climbing was both.

Check this video out-Fatima and I comparing post climbing BG’s and talking shop! She showed me how to do alternate site testing, which I hadn’t seen before!

This was our first time really meeting up with other folks from the DOC (diabetic online community) and it was super refreshing to see that Fatima is a proud member of the reality based community as well! It is so encouraging to see other people who have chosen to use their obstacle as a stepping stone as well-it makes me feel like I am not completely insane. We were hoping to get Maria out to join in the climbing as well but due to scheduling conflicts, she is going to have to take a raincheck-but the awesome news is that we got to be part of getting other people psyched on climbing! How cool is that!

A new poster for Project 365? I think so.

Needless death is the saddest face of diabetes

By Steve on November 29, 2011 in Diabetes, nutrition, paleo, raw food, vegan, vegetarian

Every one of us is going to die someday. The people who clicked through to this site because they misspelled something in the search engine results, our friends and families who read these posts diligently and people who might be infuriated by some of the things I am about to say: all will die someday. Obviously that includes me-I have no delusions of immortality…

What we labor in search of every day between our birth and our demise is simply a quality of life for the intervening years. One of the greatest blessings of being diabetic is that I have been forced to encounter my own mortality-and accept it. Perhaps this is yet another crossover into the world of climbing-but I digress.Today I was deeply saddened when I read about the untimely passing of Patrice O’Neal, at the age of 41 as a result of a stroke which was in part caused by type 2 diabetes. This triggered all of this morbidity and reflection.

This was a preventable death. All death is sad, but at such a young age it is tragic.

I have watched type 2 diabetes take my wife’s grandfather, my grandmother and my uncle away from us in the last several years so I am not simply a detached critic. That pain is still fresh for us-it is a sensitive subject. Losing family and losing beloved public figures forces us to look a this condition and make changes in our own lives while we still can-and while the truth of this may offend some people, that is a risk that must be taken in order to try and empower other people to take control of their health and diet.

Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic condition that is caused by or exacerbated by diet and lifestyle. There is a stereotype that all people with type 2 are overweight-which is not accurate. There are people with type 2 diabetes who have it in part due to genetic triggers that have been tripped by diet. None of our aforementioned relatives that we have lost were obese.

The refusal to acknowledge the dietary and lifestyle correlations associated with this disease is both asinine and dangerous-and furthermore it is ultimately hurtful to the people left behind who deal with the loss of their loved ones. The basis of one’s diet may in fact explain the correlation between obesity and type 2 diabetes-in other words obesity and type 2 are often found together but body fat does not in itself cause diabetes. Hence the occurrence of type 2 in individuals who are not obese.

Consider this study from the University of Saskatchewan from March 2011 which shows that metabolism of carbohydrates produce a chemical bi-product called methylglyoacal or (MG) for short. “They found that high levels of MG produce all the features of Type 2 diabetes, including damage to insulin producing cells in the pancreas, insulin resistance and impairment of body tissue to use glucose properly.”

Most people who are overweight have high carb diets. This is part of the weight gain and part of the cause of diabetes. Now look at the FDA food pyramid. Hmmm….

I am a type1 diabetic-but I am still affected by my bodies metabolic responses and insulin sensitivity. I measure my blood glucose 4-6 times daily and I can tell you that I completely gave up on this suggested diet brought to you by USDA.gov. I have almost entirely eliminated the Bread, Rice, Pasta and the like. I replaced this with fresh greens. Raw. Guess what? My insulin sensitivity increased, along with my energy!

So what am I saying?

There is misinformation out there about the balance of a proper diet.
Following an imbalanced diet is a major contributor to type 2 diabetes as shown by the Univ. of Sas. study.
Continuing with said imbalanced diet once diabetes has been diagnosed leads to untimely (read: unnecessary) death.

There are a lot of complex social and biological issues attached to this condition and I do not pretend to know all of the details. I have SEEN and EXPERIENCED the success of the dietary plan that I follow (my A1c has never been over 7) and I have witnessed the deaths of people who should be alive today if not for type 2 diabetes and the fact that their diets set them up for failure.

I am not trying to blame people with type 2 for being obese or lazy. My late uncle had type 2. That was my Uncle Eddy-and I can tell you after climbing mountains and traveling from coast to coast multiple times, meeting many many people-that he was THE antithesis of lazy and obese. I will tell you his story at another time- but the point is that we are unknowingly (as a society) growing less and less healthy because of the food we are eating. We develop low level chemical addictions to processed carbs and sugars and fats and suddenly we wind up with diseases that we can’t seem to control.

I am not making any claims about “curing” type 1 or type 2 diabetes. I am saying that at least controlling both conditions IS possible through modification of diet and lifestyle. That is why we are spearheading our campaign to “get over” diabetes. This condition does NOT have to limit you, victimize you and ultimately kill you. You may not be able to make it go away but you have the power to hold your own and live.

If this blog post offends-I ask you to put aside your feelings and seriously try opening your mind to the view of a plant-based, whole foods diet. Try it like I have. Live it like I have. See if YOU are not better off for having done so.

I expect this post (and many in the future) to challenge conventional wisdom and that always brings with it some outrage. At the risk of outraging some, I am willing to share what I have experience and what I know to be true if it can open a mind or two.

Black Friday

By Steve on November 25, 2011 in 365 Challenge, Diabetes, LivingVertical

Everyone and their monkey’s uncle is shopping today. Some online, others are going out to wait in lines to participate in the ensuing mosh-pit. Yeah, I think that the whole scene is a big ugly boil on the ass of our society-frenzied materialism isn’t exactly a selling point. But I am not here to preach about materialism as much as I am here to suggest some good alternatives to the conventional shopping strategies since buying “stuff” on black friday is a foregone conclusion.

Sustainable clothing-that is worth its weight in gold. Thats right-I am THANKFUL for MERINO WOOL. What else can you wear for months on end without washing it and it still won’t stink?! Add that to the fact that its soft, durable, sustainable (harvested from Merino Rams in New Zealand) and will keep you warm even if it’s wet and you have a winner. There are many quality brands, but I have been a fan of Icebreaker clothing from way back and I have worn them on countless adventures and I will be wearing them during Project 365. It looks amazing too.

Am I biased? OBVIOUSLY. But I am biased because I use what works and if it’s good, well thats going to skew me in its favor! Another company that makes some pretty awesome gear that I have been looking into recently is Stoic-a fairly new company that is worth taking a look at! They also make some Merino garments-in fact they make everything from soup to nuts, not just apparel. What makes them interesting to me is that they weld the seams of their outerwear which is pretty cutting edge and not easy to do by manufacturing standards. If you Ski, snowboard, run, climb or hike-or wear clothes, you need to check them out.

Lastly, if you’re going to be shopping for gear-do yourself a favor and don’t pay full price. Shop out of the mainstream and you can score some killer deals. Sure, Ebay is one way to do that, but Steep and Cheap is a unique way to catch deals one at a time and with a little luck you can make out like a bandit. They put items up for sale, one at a time. The selection of items are completely random-but if you happen to be on your computer a lot you can download their desktop APP that will pop up and notify you each time a new item goes up for sale. They also have an iPhone app for those of you who roll that way.

Ok, well be safe out there and don’t get trampled. I’d be spending every nickel I have on more Merino if I didnt already have enough to buy out a Swiss bank. I am thankful that on Black Friday I can just go back to sleep and let the world go by because I have enough gear to do what I need to.

Standing on the shoulders of giants

By Steve on November 23, 2011 in 365 Challenge, Diabetes, documentary, film

I am thankful for the people who helped teach me and shared the most important gift of all-knowledge. I would not be here without their influences in my life.

Lets translate this into diabetic-speak. Each of these guys listed below saw that diabetes was a factor in my life. They knew that it was something I had to be vigilant about. None of them gave me any special treatment or babying. They expected me to keep my shit together and made me aware that I had no choice but to be at my best, every day that I would step onto the rock with the lives of others in my charge.

I had similar conversations with each of them at one point or another that went like this:

Me “So. How big of an impact does my diabetes have to play in my climbing/guiding?”

Them “Only as much as you let it. Control it and take care of yourself. You’re no use to anyone else if you’re incapacitated by your condition. Listen to your own body-let this condition make you more aware of yourself and use it as an advantage”

Tony Vuocolo: Tony was the first climber to take an interest in mentoring me when I was a wide-eyed n00b, walking into The Inner Wall gym for the first time looking for some direction. Tony had been a guide for many years and managed our local climbing gear shop in addition to working a few hours a week at the gym. Tony took me and Stefanie outside climbing for the first time, he showed me how to place gear and build anchors but most of all he gave me a powerful mantra to help deal with the many haters and skeptics that I would run across: “Who the f*ck are they?”

Sounds weird, but having used that mantra many times, it really puts life in perspective. Tony taught me how to care about the things that are important while ignoring things that aren’t while being safe in the vertical world.

Frank Sanders: I first met Frank on my first major multi-pitch climb: Durrance on Devil’s Tower, WY. The fact that he befriended me speaks to his incredible vision because I am quite sure that I was not the picture of finesse out there. But he saw my potential and my passion and he believed in me-encouraged me to keep putting in the work and to begin learning about guiding and educate myself. This was a critical step because it changed the way I saw myself.

Zeke Federman: Zeke taught my first guide course through PCGI-an organization that I can’t help but support because they have always supported me. Zeke taught me about shifting my mindset from simply protecting myself on a climb to protecting my partner and how to treat people with respect while sharing knowledge in a guiding context. His training and mentorship helped me begin my career as a guide as I began working for Zion Adventure Company in Utah.

Jonathan Zambella: Jon took a big risk on me. Guiding isn’t like flipping burgers. Mistakes in guiding can have dire consequences-but despite my relative inexperience, Jon took me on and gave me a shot and trusted me to keep his clients safe on canyoneering and climbing trips in and around Zion National Park. He introduced me to the concept of non-interventive guiding: giving people the opportunity to struggle in order to really connect with the natural experience. This concept, that at first was difficult for me to accept, has become a central pillar in my current philosophy and practice.

Seth Zaharias: What can I say about Seth…climb with this guy and you can’t help but get psyched. Seth also is a PCGI mentor and has played a fundamental role in my guide training, teaching me many technical skills along the way. More than anything though, he taught me the importance of really caring about the people you teach. Not simply trying to make a buck but really being invested in the success of those who will someday call you their mentor.

Diabetics don’t belong in the mountains

By Steve on November 22, 2011 in Diabetes, documentary, film, Fitness, inspirational, LivingVertical

Thats what one fellow told me as I sat next to him looking up at Devils tower in Wyoming. He didn’t know that I’m a diabetic-or that I’ve stood on the summit of Devils tower twice in the last 3 years. Not going to lie, I kind of wanted to clock the guy. But I just smiled and walked away.

Not surprisingly that comment stuck in my craw-because that is something the little voices in my head say at times when my situation looks bleak. On the other hand, the fact that statistically “I don’t belong” in the mountains is EXACTLY what has drawn me to them. That challenge is where the value of the outdoors is most dynamically demonstrated.

By nature I am a defiant person. If someone tells me that I can’t do something or scoffs at an idea that I have, I generally decide that that’s exactly what I must do. When I was diagnosed with type1 at age 16 the doctors and nurses looked at me with pity in their eyes. I was now a victim. I was doomed. I would have to stay within a short drive of hospitals and pharmacies and be a slave to my condition.

When I got out of the ICU and back to “normal” life I decided that I was going to show them! I’m not sure if they knew that reverse psychology would make me take better care of myself or if they just thought that I really was going to be tied down for the rest of my life, but I have to say that every time I complete a climb, I smile to think about the fact that I “don’t belong” in the mountains.

Challenge is a natural part of life-and much of the problems in our lives are created by our attempts to pursue less natural lifestyles. Nature built in challenges. We seek to eliminate them and prioritize ease and comfort. I know that I LOVE sitting on the couch and taking in several days worth of The Simpsons or It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. This monkey on my back called “Diabetes” gets me to put down the remote and makes me rage against the limitations that feeble comfort would tell me to accept.

I am blessed to have diabetes. Yup, I went there. I know that is blasphemy to many, but I look at the things I have done in my life, the places I’ve been and the summits I’ve stood on and I know that I would not have felt the urgency to live fully NOW if I had not the uncomfortable needling of impending doom (aka diabetes).

Challenge is opportunity. Thats the driving message behind Project 365 and I have been repeatedly inspired by others who have built on similar foundations: overcoming personal challenge in order to take on objective challenge. So while I am planning my own opus I am inspired and blessed to have seen the guts and heart (in a totally non-cannibalistic way!) of others who have chosen the same path.
You may remember our friends Naomi and Ken—

and this video of the first all-disabled ascent of El Cap. Less than a year from now, we will be up there following in their footsteps, standing on the shoulders of giants.

If this doesnt light a fire inside, check your pulse.

Of gratitude and gravy

By Steve on November 22, 2011 in Diabetes, documentary, film, Fitness, food, inspirational, LivingVertical

Everyone is happy enough to shovel food into their mouths during the Thanksgiving holiday but how much time during this season of eating and shopping (lets call it like it is, folks) do we take to really count our blessings? To whit:

I teach at a college. I have students of all ages. What do I have better to do with my time than a little impromptu social experiment? Every class, I usually allot about 5 minutes to giving the students an opportunity to talk about what is going on in their lives-just stream of consciousness type rants. Stories. Tales of the weekend. What’s new and fresh.

The one thing I have noticed from the “content” generated over the last several weeks is that better than 80% is negative. What happened that is bad, or really sucks.

Tonight, I asked what everyone is thankful for. No negativity allowed. A class of 11 people took over 25 minutes to answer that question. Might not sound like a lot of time, but when you’re standing there, arms folded staring at people, waiting for them to say what they’re thankful for, it seems like FOREVER!

Here’s the funny part-most of my students had really awesome things that they were thankful for. It’s not that they WEREN’T thankful, they just had to dig a little deeper to find the good stuff. One boy was thankful his mom beat cancer. Another girl was thankful her grandparents are healthy and are the motivation for her to stay in school and keep working hard. Another young fellow was thankful that he’s survived a gnarly car accident over the summer.

Ok, they weren’t ALL that deep-I did hear one expression of thanks for the “tight black pants that girls wear”…but you get my drift!

This holiday season when the nation is literally in turmoil and so many people are tense, angry, grim and ready to lash out we may need to dig a little deeper, but the GOOD is there. We all have a LOT to be thankful for and I am reminded of that on a daily basis. So rather than keep it to myself, I am going to focus my blog posts for the next 7 days on the blessings in my life that I have encountered from living the last 13 years of my life with diabetes.

I am psyched about this direction though, because I have said before (and will say it many more times) diabetes (like any challenge) is what you make of it. I’m looking forward to this!

Occupy diabetes

By Steve on November 19, 2011 in 365 Challenge, Diabetes, documentary, film, Fitness

Do more with less; that’s essentially our message. You don’t have to be rich to be healthy. Good health and simple living is for EVERYONE. And it begins with each individual seeing what they can do to take better care of what we are each given at birth. Some of us got dealt a different set of cards-I didn’t ask to have diabetes and neither did anyone else with that condition. However, once the rules of the game change, we have to re-tune our perspective and step up our own game.

Everyone is occupying everything. Everyone is pissed about something. At the end of the day no matter what “percent” you associate yourself with or what income bracket you wish you “occupied” there is little that each person can do to change society.

Stay with me now. I am not saying we are all helpless (read: f*****d).

What I am asserting is that I can change myself-and as part of society, there may just be a loophole that we can squeeze through to create a larger change IF we focus on smaller changes first! It’s not sexy and idealistic enough to be covered on the news and Facebook and Twitter feeds but out in the vertical world, there are no breaks for the wealthy or sympathy for the poor.

There is simply, simple life.

Unplug. Walk away. There is no sense in shouting into deaf ears. The only sound that deaf ears will ever hear is silence.

Less shouting, more DOING will create a silence so overwhelming that no one will be able to turn away.

I have to manage my sugar every day. Every waking minute. Sure, it’s a battle but I am not focused on the problem. I am choosing to focus on the solution. I have a hard time constantly blogging about my diabetes because I am not FOCUSED on my diabetes and I don’t want it to consume me (more than I can help it)

I sometimes feel like I am a lousy diabetic because I am not loud and proud enough about it (although I have created quite a stir with my blue Friday painted nails and such). Maybe that makes me an arrogant poseur. I just want to be normal and when I’m climbing or talking about climbing, I don’t feel like I’m defective. I feel alive and free and its AWESOME. I know that I have to suck it up (my condition) and LIVE or else I may wind up limbless and blind having spent so much time preoccupied with what I DONT have that I miss the opportunities staring me in the face-and I want that same freedom for everyone!

Letting go

By Steve on November 18, 2011 in 365 Challenge, Diabetes, documentary

It’s like moving, only different. It’s abandoning ship-and the civilized life for homelessness and certain adventure. That’s been our week.

After a couple of days of packing up boxes, shuffling stuff around and shaking your head at the sheer volume of material that you have accumulated—it feels like you are trying to drain the ocean with a teaspoon. You stand listlessly with the tides of useless nick-nacks lapping at your feet wondering how it came to this. Bubbling up from within, the inevitable desire to throw it all away and just LEAVE grows like a weed. You cut it down and continue on with the ritual but it grows back-a nagging reminder that no one NEEDS that much STUFF.

But it feels so good-having those piles and boxes. It’s security. It’s everything we fight to gain and to maintain. It’s safety. It’s home.

It’s about to be just a distant memory. We are less than a month from departure-but this time, we are going all in. No trucks, no big boxes. Just one little red 87 Tercel. Whatever fits comes with. Whatever doesn’t fit, gets sold to pay for gas, food and test strips. We have put a lot up Ebay auctions whose proceeds go directly to our filmProject 365 and we still have a bit to get rid of.

I don’t wear that suit hardly ever anyhow. It came out twice for funerals this year. I’m happy to leave it behind, honestly. I should probably be really freaking out. Somehow I’m not-ok I am freaking out about running out of test strips and insulin. Not really sure how that is going to play out. I have a little bit stockpiled and can buy out of pocket for a while…

We registered with Ebay this week-now ANYONE selling on Ebay can donate a portion of their final sale to LivingVertical through GivingWorks. Its a cool system-of course all of our clothes and shoes and etc are going to the cause but I know that some people would like to have more options through which to help us make Project 365 a reality.

We are not getting rid of EVERYTHING though…we are stockpiling a few essentials! I have not attempted to hide my dichotomous love of PROBARs and Clifbars. We are standing on the abyss, looking over the edge and wondering. What comes next. Failure is not an option-success is not yet a clearly defined objective. Everything is shrouded in a mist of obscurity-but these are the very circumstances we are seeking. This risk, this urgency-this is the spawning ground of greatness. Comfort and convenience will ultimately blunt the sharpest edge. So while to many this may seem like an overly ambitious display of hubris, it is more accurately described as a hammering process, a quest to be sharpened through the rough and tumble climbing lifestyle and all of its accompanying friction

One last thought to close this blog. There are a lot of people who are upset these days. A lot of people angry about injustices in our society-about what they should have but don’t. Anyone who has heard my rants (just ask if you haven’t yet, I’m happy to oblige) knows that I am not at a loss for things that I think need changing in our society. But at the end of the day, we all have a LOT to be thankful for. Thankfulness is highly underrated. As we are about to voluntarily step down a few rungs on the social ladder, I am struck by how much we have. Moreover I am amazed at how much we will still have even after discarding the comforts and luxury of conventional life. I vote that we occupy some gratitude. Just sayin’

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