Why Balance?

For the past six years I’ve been living a life on the fringe of modern expectation and society. My definition of “home” has become spatially adaptable, shifting from a sedentary house to the nomadic existence of my wandering Honda Element a.k.a. Tiger Paws. Despite having finished a respectable stint in the public school system, graduating with a bachelors degree in spanish and cultural anthropology from the University of Oregon, I have ultimately strayed from the traditional course of post-college life to an unconventionally focused life on the line. This lifestyle shift has fundamentally lead to many domestic sacrifices and a total reassessment of my life goals, all of which have provided a refreshingly new perspective on the world we live in. The journey has taken many twists and turns, traveling over many mountain passes, always leading toward a slower way of life that helps me balance with every step I take. In short, I have fallen in love with my inner purpose; of seeking better personal balance and helping others to realize their own, by means of walking slacklines in the great outdoors. I willingly choose to live with increasingly greater focus, intention and meaning. I take great joys in climbing rocks of many sizes and walking atop 1-inch wide pieces of webbing over great expanses and voids in space. This is the foundation of my life…

Ethan Holt calmly and cooly walking one of the many lines around Moab, UT

Both rock climbing and slacklining are relatively nonsensical challenges by themselves but what they provide in their opportunities for world exploration and deep human bonds is mind blowing and priceless. The outdoor environments where they are both practiced compliment one another perfectly and are the setting of my balanced essence and total expression of joy. Through one experience you finesse your mind and body up a vertical world of rock while in the other your attention is focused moving across a horizontal line in space. Without the skill sets of rock climbing it’s hard to reach elevated positions, such as the tops of towers or cliffs, and without the rigging and engineering knowledge of constructing slacklines safely it is impossible to connect the two points in space. Let alone walk between them successfully. These disciplines demand no explanation of “why do them” other than the immediate rewards of pure happiness achieved by the committed practitioner. They simply provide myself and others around me an excitement for life unparalleled by any other pursuit I have yet encountered.

I feel most aware and at peace with the world when engaged in these art forms. All attention is distilled down to the most fundamental level of breath, focus and spiritual presence. I become calm. I live in the blissful moment of the present. Aside from the shared physical and meditative movements required of them both, they demand and enhance the human senses. They cultivate a greater understanding of heightened awareness which I have become completely committed to improving. While totally focused, I experience an elevated feeling that shifts my perceived realities in a profound way, transporting the conscious mind elsewhere while moving in and above this great Earth. This has directly resulted in me spending a great deal of time living IN the OUT-of-doors with my best friends and has provided a unique modern opportunity to reconnect with mother nature’s many expressions and mysteries. I am immediately reminded throughout all of these challenges that life is precious and fleeting, not something to be taken for granted or procrastinated into a post career retirement plan.

Lukas Irmler walking the loose 200′ line while the 340′ giant looms in the distance

In essence, the adventures experienced through these filtered moments of balance have shaped my evolving worldview, which continues to expand and appreciate with time. Through thick and thin, the vertical and horizontal worlds have pushed me toward my mental and physical boundaries to the point of many larger than life epiphanies. One of which tells me that the “limits” we so commonly define for ourselves are far too often shortsighted of what our true potentials actually are. I have learned who I am in the moment and what I am capable of achieving through disciplined patience, passion and practice… The lessons learned here are that I will always strive to live a more sustainably balanced life that fully resonates with my ever evolving passions and artistic expressions. This space is a glimpse and testament to the reality I have witnessed, created and pursued…

~Brian Mosbaugh