Three months ago, I injured my A2 pulley while cranking on some crimpers at the local climbing gym.

I’d immediately backed off the route,  and decided to call it quits for the night, hoping and praying that the finger injury I’d sustained was pretty temporary.  Unfortunately,  the pain I’d continued to experience whilst gripping,  along with my occupational therapist’s prognosis told me otherwise.

One of the toughest things to do as a rock climbing enthusiast is to rest (well, and scale vertical walls with no holds and bad pro). Fortunately, I’d a lot of experience with climbing injuries, and learned over the years that in addition to occupational or physical therapy,  one of the best things you can do for your body is to rest.

‘Ok, great, but then how does one keep sane once one’s happy place has been snatched from under them?’, you might ask.

When I quit smoking over 2+ years ago, I’d initially replaced it with chocolate,  and then with green juice and meditation when I (quickly) realized the former ersatz wasn’t sustainable or flattering to my waistline.

Similarly,  I had to quit climbing temporarily (yet again), and instead of feeling the familiar pangs of frustration,  resentment,  and dread, I’d embraced new activities.  This time it was The Bar Method.

Bar kept me sane,  happy, and physically fit. So long as I was getting my endorphins and zen elsewhere,  I was feeling fine.

Now that I’m nearly all healed up, I’m looking forward to getting back on the wall, particularly outside as the climbing season has finally kicked into full gear.

So here’s what half a dozen bouldering injuries, three ruptured left ankle ligaments, a car accident, an antero-inferior labrum tear, and shoulder surgery have taught me over the years: life is too short to be one-dimensional (and master a single trade, as it were).  Learn to fall in love with everything else.

Here’s a handy bucket/hit list that I’ve started to tick off as I undertake new endeavors:

-cycle the friendship highway, tibet/nepal
-volcano board on cerro negro, nicaragua
-trek high atlas, morocco (check)
-cycle safari at mashatu game reserve, botswana
-bag some munros, scotland
-surf jeffrey’s bay, south africa
-trek balistan, pakistan
-trek iuybasdvilub, iceland’s interior
-cycle from baños to puyo, ecuador
-trek ladakh, india
-kiteboard maui, hawaii
-surf puerto escondido, mexico
-sea kayak queensland, australia
-trek to kopra ridge, nepal
-cycle the karakoram highway, china/pakistan
-sail the dalmatian coast, croatia
-go to vietnam (check)
-sandboard swakopmund, namibia
-go to moab (check)
-trek the rwenzoris, uganda
-cycle cuba
-ice climb valdez, alaska
-cycle the tour d’afrique (from egypt to south africa)
-mountain bike in marin, california