Inspired by Catherine

Checking my emails has become a morning ritual. I was moved and inspired by what I had received from my friend, Mitra.

It was a rather old short documentary about a climber, but by no means it was dated! The video depicts the 28 year old solo rock climber, Catherine Destivelle, who against the advice of the natives climbs a sandstone cliff in the Mali desert, solo and with no equipment whatsoever, other than her hands and feet and a chalk-filled pouch to dry her sweaty palms which reminded me of the opening sequence of one the Mission Impossible movies showing Tom Cruise hanging from a cliff!
Her beauty was attractive, her smile and generosity at minute 2:07 was heart-warming and her tenacity, focus and determination throughout the film was awesome.

On the day of the climb, she was accompanied by many women of the village and the modernized witch doctor who carried a jazz trumpet under his orange floor-length rope.

She started her ascent while the witch doctor played a tune with his trumpet, accompanied by chants of the villagers cheering her on.
By the time I was 5:05 minutes into the video, I caught myself all tensed, holding my breath and mentally pushing her forward!

In this 4th of July weekend, I am inspired by her sense of independence. Watch and listen to the comments and you will see what I mean and tell me how it moved you!

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