Climbing

To start the week out, Sunday Mark and I got our first, bona fide, official, complete with hourly rate, babysitter. Not to go to a wedding or attend a funeral or see a movie or do anything that was obligatory or scheduled. We went climbing. This is the activity that first brought Mark and me together, and how we fell in love. There is something metaphorical about climbing and building a relationship—the trust that the climber and belayer have to have, their reliance on each other, their physical connection by way of the rope, the natural inclination to shout words of encouragement. Climbing always brings us back to the roots of our relationship where we are our truest, most playful selves. We return to our life of house and marriage and children renewed and reconnected to each other. It’s that shot of energy to our relationship that helps to sustain us through trying times. Did I mention it was a record-breaking, gorgeous, sunny day with cloudless skies? Just icing on the cake.