When I went rock climbing in Colorado in September, I had no idea what I was starting.  I wanted to do it again, so my husband and I went to a local indoor rock climbing gym and spent a few hours climbing the walls.  My husband enjoyed it, so the following week we took the kids with us.  Now my entire family is hooked on rock climbing.

We've been going to the gym just about every weekend.  My five year old son hasn't gotten to the top of the wall yet, but he goes higher each time.  We just let him climb to whatever height is comfortable for him and we can see he is getting more confident.  This is great exercise for him, and we are hoping it is a good outlet for excess energy that's creating some problems in kindergarten.

My daughter gave us the biggest surprise, though.  I never expected her to like climbing.  She is usually worried about breaking her nails - more concerned about how she looks than anything else.  She's a typical teenage girl, from what I can tell.  So when she asked to go back, I was pleasantly surprised.  When she asked to learn to belay, I was even more surprised.  When she told me that she set a goal for herself to conquer a particularly challenging climb by the end of the year, I was shocked.  I think this is the first time I've ever heard her set a goal for herself.  When she's climbing, she doesn't complain about her nails or her hair or her clothes.  She is focused, and she has a smile on her face.  This is an amazing thing.

When I went to the Colorado yoga conference, I was hoping something good would come out of it.  I was expecting my practice to improve, or some new inspiration for teaching.  I thought it would be something for me.  I never imagined, alone and a thousand miles from my family, that I would find something that would bring my family together.  That's why my screen name is Serendipity.  It's not the first time I've found what I needed while I was looking for something else.

Yesterday I came down with a bad cold.  I have all the Nyquil symptoms - sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy head, etc.  I feel lousy, but I am up and moving because I have to get out of the house and go vote.

Looking back, I think I have been sick every time we have a presidential election.  Four years ago I had the flu, but I dragged myself out of bed, put on some warm clothes, and made it to the polling place despite the stupor.   Voting is just that important.

Is voting important enough to you that you wouldn't let some virus stop you?  It should be.  Get out and vote.