Aieeeeee!
A Single-Day Featuring Memoir by Russell Cheely
They often say that when you wanna do something good, you have to be terrible at it first. So today after one of my classes at the prestigious Red Rocks Community College, a few friends and I decided to rock climb and play tennis. We've been trying to expand our horizons and get fitter.
I knew rock climbing wouldn't be easy per se, with upper body strength a near-required quality of a climber. However, there's different paths a climber can take depending on their experience. I, of course, picked the easy one. Or rather, the easiest. I figured I would do ok, say sayonara, and book it. Instead, I was met with discouragement at the raw amount of strength required to make some of the paths. One of the staff tried to show me how to do it, and he proceeded to turn himself into a pretzel, using his superior flexibility to gain height.
Beyond flabbergasted, I tried many times to even imitate what he was doing. And I almost, kind of, nearly got to where he was. It was truly incredible, but my forearms were upset. As I type this, they are still somewhat stiff.
Tennis was also an exercise in both endurance, and futility. My friends and I couldn't hit the ball more than three times in a row. The occasional serve or good swing would turn heads for just a few moments before something silly happened, like spiking the ball into our own side or getting it out of the park. It was... an enlightening experience.
The fellas and I did not fret, all things considered. We shall become masters of tennis and ping pong and play in the 2028 Olympics. Our swings may be down but our confidence is up.
The point in this post isn't to infodump about my day, but to point out that sucking at something is crucial to becoming good at it.
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