Throwing yourself at something completely, recklessly, with no thought of success and overflowing compassion and love is not limited to climbing. A friend of mine is a yoga instructor here in North Conway. She directed the same emotions, that same release of control, that I’ve poured into climbing into her yoga. I sat down and talked with her about it briefly this week. This was the result:

I love the idea of the Failure Project, but I also love the idea of the Passion Project — capturing the passions people launch into with no thought of hitting the ground. Surfing, art, music, yoga, running, cycling, dancing, skiing, auto racing, skydiving, sailing, cooking — they can all be launchpoints. Anything can all teach us what it means to be alive, so long as we have the ears to hear the lessons they offer. Thank you, Nichole, for sharing some of the lessons with me.