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Walk On Walls Whenever You Have The Chance

As I read this article, 10 Life Lessons I’ve Learned From My Daughter, I wasn’t really expecting to find anything regarding parkour.

But half-way down the list, something jumped out at me…

5. Walk On Walls Whenever You Have The Chance

When was the last time you walked on a wall? Whenever I’m out walking with Ella and we pass a wall, whether it’s a curb or a retaining wall, Ella wants to walk on it. And now she gets me to walk on them with her: “Come on, Dada!” And I must say, if you haven’t walked on a wall in a while, give it a try. It’s a lot of fun!

The life lesson here is that we adult types tend to pass by opportunities for joy and exploration without even noticing them. These opportunities are all around us all the time. We just have to open our eyes and expand our perception. Hanging around kids (even if you don’t have your own) is a great way to do that.

This is probably my favorite aspect of parkour. Opening your eyes to the world around you, and looking at things with a sense of adventure. You look at things and say “What can I do with that?” Suddenly, a bench is no longer a bench. It’s a springboard. A rail is no longer a rail. It’s a balance beam.

When parkour becomes a part of your life the whole world changes. You see opportunity and possibility all around you. When you start to see things that way, it’s hard to shut it off. It transfers to the rest of your life. You stop letting obstacles discourage you, whether they’re physical or mental. A sudden sense of optimism seems to come out of nowhere, and challenges become a means for you to improve.

While I do enjoy being able to run up a wall and launch off of it backwards, I like to remind myself that that’s not what parkour is. It’s about seeing the world differently. Or maybe it’s about seeing the world as it is meant to be seen.