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Field Notes

I’ve heard it said that the best musicians are those who must sing or must write music. I guess it follows that I write because I can’t not. It only recently dawned on me that my inner muse demands that I open up a notebook or my laptop to capture thoughts. Many are pure musings—slightly self-satisfying and frequently foisted on my wife for her reaction.

All said, perhaps some of the pieces below will contribute to your deeper insight or another way to think about the world. You will find published pieces interspersed with my own regular observations. Enjoy!

Latest Observation

{#30} What Catches Us

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I once fell thirty feet off the Red Slab in Rock Canyon. I say “thirty” because that’s where I stopped—but it began as a fifteen-foot drop. I was leading, and my last piece of gear hadn’t held as expected. What saved me was my belay partner and good friend down below—Stu—his steadiness, his eyes locked on me even as I fell headfirst toward him—and a rope designed to stretch just enough, to hold without snapping.

That rope didn’t just keep me from hitting the ground. It absorbed the force of a fall I couldn’t control. It gave—but it didn’t break.

I’ve thought a lot about ropes since then.

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{#30} What Catches Us

{#30} What Catches Us

I once fell thirty feet off the Red Slab in Rock Canyon. I say “thirty” because that’s where I stopped—but it began as a fifteen-foot drop. I was leading, and my last piece of gear hadn’t held as expected. What saved me was my belay partner and good friend down below—Stu—his steadiness, his eyes locked on me even as I fell headfirst toward him—and a rope designed to stretch just enough, to hold without snapping.

That rope didn’t just keep me from hitting the ground. It absorbed the force of a fall I couldn’t control. It gave—but it didn’t break.

I’ve thought a lot about ropes since then.

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