GETTING ON THE SAME PAGE

My son, Joshua, told me the story of his first climb up the nose of El Capitan in Yosemite out in California.

El Cap is a sheer rock face reaching into the sky 3600 feet from its base.

Josh was in the climber’s camp searching for a partner to do the climb. They would climb together for three days, spending two nights strapped to the rock. He interviewed several, ruling them out one by one until he and another climber clicked.

They spent hours talking, gauging each other. What will you do if rough weather closes in? What will you do if you or I get hurt? What will you do if …? They worked through one question, one possible problem after another.

It was critically important that they both were clearly on the same page when it came to the climb. Their lives depended on it.

Agreed, they inventoried their gear, double-checked everything, and started their climb at 4:00 a.m. the next morning. Three days later they made it to the top.

When was a time when it was important for you to be on the same page with someone else?