More or less around this time last year, we commented on a certain Nik Wallenda and his heroic crossing of Niagara Falls on a tightrope - Just another day in the office! - all the way from the USA over to Canada surrounded by mist and spray, and the swirling waters a few hundred feet below. It was an awe-inspiring achievement and one which rightly crowned him as the "King of the High Wire".
Last night, on a windy night in Arizona, he became the first human to cross the Grand Canyon on that high wire, in an unbelievably tension-filled half an hour where I think we all realized at one moment of another, that he could be mere seconds away from death. To say that what he did requires some balls (excuse the expression!) would be a bit like saying that Niagara Falls necessitates some water. Gross understatement!
Let's clear one thing up right away, as the naysayers have already begun to claim that the stunt was inappropriately billed - the gorge that he crossed was in fact Little Colorado Gorge in a tribal park on the land of the Navajo nation, and was not in fact in what is known as the Grand Canyon National Park itself. Such an act would not actually be permitted by the park's management, but the Navajo Nation gave Wallenda and the Discovery Channel to use the gorge for the crossing.
My question on this is quite clear, and is meant to be entirely rhetorical - does anyone actually care? What the guy did is so far beyond the ability and comprehension of us "normal" people, us mere mortals if you prefer, that I don't care whether it was strictly on the park or off the park. The guy crossed a canyon above a 1500 foot drop to certain death below on a two inch wide steel wire that was being perturbed by winds and vibrations, with no safety harness or net!
It was amazing to me that he was able to carry out actual conversation during this act, although at one point he told his dad over the line - "I don't want to talk to anyone right now, Dad" - as both Willie Geist and Natalie Morales of NBC's "Today" show were expected to communicate with him during his walk. I felt that this was a little crazy, and I was glad that even they decided to let it go and let him get on with business. There was simply too much at stake.
The fact that he and his dad were able to go back and forth also seems incredible to me, as any distraction could have proved fatal, but it seemed to comfort him that his dad commented on how well he was doing, and that the winds were not beyond levels he had mastered before, and so on. Again, the tension did show when he curtly informed his father - "I don't need to be told how long I have been up here, dad...." - and in an inverse moment towards the end where Wallenda was already clearly celebrating and thanking friends/co-workers instead of Jesus (as he did throughout), his dad got curt and informed him "you aren't done yet, so get back your focus and finish the job".
For both to be so cool, calm and collected under such enormous pressure with the ever-present possibility of a long, deathly plunge into the Little Colorado river below was amazing to witness, on live TV. The pendulums swinging below him, the wire oscillating under his feet, the optical illusions he had to work through which were evident even on monitors, and the winds swirling about him, all contributed to a nerve-wracking 22 minutes and 54 seconds of what can only be called the ultimate TV drama!
He praised Jesus throughout his walk over to the other side, and after seeing him make it, hell, he almost made a believer out of me! I loved seeing how he began to trot along those last few feet, bursting with joy that he had made it, but I felt that he already knew he had made it once he past the three quarter's mark and began thanking humans not Jesus! It was something to witness.
Once more, Nik Wallenda has become a hero and firmly underlined his title as King of the Tightrope, and inspired millions all over the globe by so doing, again. He really is living proof that even us mere mortals are capaable of achieving almost anything if we put our minds to it and dedicate our lives to achieving it.
It doesn't matter what it is, we can do it. If a guy can cross a gorge on a two-inch wide wire that is 1500 feet above a certain instant death, then why can't we achieve much more modest goals? The answer is that we can, and we must refuse to let laziness, apathy, lack of confidence and all sorts of excuses get in our way. As with almost anything in life, it all comes down to dedication, hard work, and yes, of course, a modicum of natural talent, and then, well, anything is possible.
Nik, you are an unbelievable example of how hard work and focus can turn even us mere mortals into modern day superhumans (quite appropriate under a supermoon!) and superheroes, and you continue to inpsire us all. I heard a whisper that you now intend to walk from one skyscraper to another in downtown New York City, and I can't imagine one reason why that will not be something that we will all get to witness - I think you could probably do it tomorrow if pushed!
So, after being suitably inspired, I think I should now apply my focus, work ethic and a modicum of natural talent into producing the ultimate dark chocolate milk foam-topped King's Pyramid Dark Roast, all the way from Egypt. If I pull that off, it will serve as a good way to begin the day and then I can head out to try and lay down a few more bricks into the building of my own particular version of greatness. Thanks, Nik! - Kevin Mc
No comments:
Post a Comment