It’s Not About the Climb

Over the years I have met a few folks who like to climb things. We are not talking ladders or trees here. No, we are taking this up a few notches to serious heights. Some enjoy the thrill of scampering up indoor climbing walls while locked into a safety harness. Then there are those adventurous free climbers, who love the thrill conquering a cliff face or mountain overhang with just their bare hands, feet and nerves of steel. But for many, the adventure of the climb does not end here.

Taking camping to an extreme

One fellow I know likes to take advantage of a placing his portaledge on one of the many cliffs on the surface of the Gunks (short for Shawangunk’s) and one of America’s and New York State’s premier cliff climbing spots. If you are not familiar with this device, it is basically a hanging tent system that rock climbers use to camp out for multiple days and nights on the side of a mountain or on a big wall climb. When assembled, the portaledge is a fabric-covered platform surrounded by a metal frame along with a few safety straps. The total system hangs from a single anchor point!

As you might suspect, it is not easy to set one of these up as you dangle on ropes a few thousand feet above the ground. Now add in high winds, rain, snow or ice and the fun never stops as you try to assemble a safe shelter to ride out the weather.

Hanging by a thread

Given the portaledge is only held in place by a few pins or by metal chocks embedded or wedged into the rock face, it is easy to see why your focus quickly moves from how to climb a mountain to how not to fall off that mountain in the middle of the night.

When you stop to think about it, mountain climbing is never about the climb. Rather it’s about not losing your grip. In the end, a loss of concentration can be life threatening. The real challenge boils down to your ability to be focused and pay attention to what you are doing, right now, at this very minute. It’s not about tomorrow or yesterday nor is it about the next step. It’s about centering yourself and knowing exactly who you are and where you are right now.

To put it another way, it’s your ability to recognize and stand in your own moment of truth in your life.

How does climbing relate to prostate cancer?

In a strange way prostate cancer is very much like mountain climbing. In many ways, each of us is trying to set up our emotional portaledge for the long haul. Once diagnosed, we can find ourselves isolated on a medical face cliff of fear and indecision. It is so easy to become distracted, ignore the obvious or become obsessed over what should come next. Should I have surgery? Should I ignore this, do I undergo more radiation or chemo. Can I just stay in one place and hope for the best?

All of these are good questions but no matter where you are this journey from newly diagnosed to someone with advancing cancer, from time to time we can all fall into the trap of only seeing endless mountains of doubt and doom that loom ahead of us. As we stand and look at our new surroundings, it is often hard to find the right anchor point. Do you continue to climb or stay safely on your medical portaledge? Do we dare to move on with new treatments and directions?

The perfect answer is different for everyone

While nobody has the perfect answer on this journey with prostate cancer, I offer that we all have those personal connection points that anchor our lives and are unique to us. Perhaps your anchor is a belief in a creator, a spouse, a doctor, friend or support group. Find where that inner strength comes from and make decisions based on where you are anchored right now ... today.

Once you decide, don’t look back or down. Rest well knowing you have made the right decisions.