Everything I learned about redpointing I learned from Super Mario Brothers

I wrote an essay called "Everything I learned about redpointing I learned from Super Mario Brothers." It's about some of my mental blocks with redpointing and the realizations that helped me overcome those blocks. The essay was featured yesterday on Moja Gear. If you need a distraction from work, please check it out.

http://mojagear.com/journal/2016/01/19/everything-i-learned-about-redpointing-i-learned-from-super-mario-brothers/

It's kind of weird to self-promote to external sites in forums. If you have something to say, maybe just drop it in the forum itself, and include the link afterwards. Otherwise it looks like drive-by spam.

Kudos to your (now) wife for putting up with all that. Sounds like you probably owe her more thanks and gratitude than your essay shows you giving her (actually sounds like you were downright cruel which is very poor form). It says you're a middle school teacher, but you sound more like a middle schooler. I hope these lessons have created a more mindful, mature you. All the best.

I disagree with dropping the text in here. I'd see a wall of text and move on. Nice essay, fun read.

Sharing links of interest should be encouraged...

Sounds like you care too much about grades. If you aren't having fun climbing, it's probably a waste of your time.

You broke every rule of the Warrior's Way. Nice idea for an essay but kind of shitty that your epiphany came after yelling at your eight-year-old son. Relax dude!

Congrats on learning to enjoy climbing your own way and kudos for trying to put it out there for others to learn from.

May I ask though, did you face failure growing up? Is your wife the most loving, forgiving woman on the planet? Why do you climb? These are questions I kept thinking as I read further into your article.

This last part kind of hurt to consider as a concluding note to your outlook...

"My wife rolls her eyes when I say that Mario taught me how to redpoint. She credits our summer trip and her positive encouragement. Without doubt, those things helped. But the little mustached man is my secret weapon, and I know that when I pick up that Wii controller, I’m pretty much training."

I really hope you have chilled out a lot since writing this because you come across as a real, well, the word I want to use starts in A and ends in E.

Do you even need to swear when you fall off? It sounds like you have anger management issues, separate from climbing. Glad you learned to relax doing redpoints, but what about the rest of your life?

sachimcfarland wrote:I really hope you have chilled out a lot since writing this because you come across as a real, well, the word I want to use starts in A and ends in E.

Creed,
You are a brave man: highlighting your own faults/mistakes/frustrations.
Hopefully the saints among us won't judge you for it.
F them anyway.

Cheers,

Nathan

http://wordsthatstart.com/with-a-and-end-with-e/

Good on you for taking the time to write about climbing and make the effort to put that piece out there- it's easy for us to nitpick a piece of writing while we aren't really contributing anything ourselves.

That being said, do you like climbing? It seems like you are forcing yourself to enjoy it, and that this breakthrough is a way for you to pretend enjoy it more than you used to.

Probably just reading into it.

I hope you've chilled out and give your wife tons of credit for being a badass

So many self righteous hypos on this site. Casting stones with a beam in their own eyes! We all live and learn in different ways at different times and do so for different reasons.

A. is a great girl and you're a good man with one hell of a smart and witty young man for a son.

Glad you shared this with us C.

Only you know where you've been and how far you've come. Keep writing. Keep sharing. Keep going. But most of all, keep climbing.

Love you bro.

First, the guy's name is Creed. That's a situation right there.

Unrelated, but related:

https://youtu.be/ms61I54CeQA

Also, I came up with a TLDR version:

Do you throw tantrums when you climb? Just remember, if you do the same route 1,000 times, you'll eventually get it and be able to make a non-local feel inadequate that's trying to onsite it.

Are you guys just like “fuck clickable links” or what?  If you want people to read what’s in the URL you pasted (I’m assuming you do, because it’s there) then take the extra 2 seconds to make it a link.  

don'tchuffonme wrote: Are you guys just like “fuck clickable links” or what? 

http://mojagear.com/journal/2016/01/19/everything-i-learned-about-redpointing-i-learned-from-super-mario-brothers/

Whoa, Zombie thread.

In case anyone cares, it's been years since I threw a decent wobbler at the crag. Besides Mario, a few other M-words have helped.

Medication - After years of decrying "big pharma," I decided I'd rather be happy than right. Another therapist suggested medication. I started taking Prozac, and it's worked wonders for me, reducing the darkness a bit with no side effects.

Meditation - I use the Headspace app for 10-15 minutes per day. I don't meditate because I'm ultra-spiritual. I meditate because my default spiritual condition sucks, and I want to be a better man.

Marriage - As many people noted, my wife is amazing. Wanting to be worthy of her partnership, I sought out the first two M-words.

I hate to post anything on this thread because I don't want to fan the flames, but being an asshole sucks. If someone else can learn from my experience, it's worth it.