Unexpected Connections

At the piano, I have learned to make deliberate movements with my fingers, knowing that the slightest adjustment can shape a note. On a climbing wall, I discovered that the same precision matters. Reaching for a small hold requires careful control. It is an unexpected familiarity that makes climbing feel, in some ways, like playing the piano.

It makes me wonder how much of a skill belongs to the skill itself, and how much belongs to the way we learn to use our bodies.

A foothold can be farther away than it first appears. The flexibility I have developed in ballet gives me a way to approach it. Something learned in the studio becomes useful on the wall.

The same body can discover different possibilities depending on the environment.

Playing piano has made me more sensitive to where music is going, whether it is phrasing, expression, or shifts in feeling. When I dance, I carry that listening with me. I am not only hearing the music; I am responding to it with movement.

It makes me wonder whether listening is always something we do with our ears.

Playing powerful octaves is more than finger strength. Without enough support from my back and arms, I tend to carry the effort into my shoulders.

Taekwondo has taught me to build strength while feeling relaxed. I am learning that better support can make movement feel more free.

When breaking a board, the point I aim for must be beyond it. The target I can see is not quite the target I am moving toward. That small change in focus changes how I approach the movement.

It makes me curious about how intention shapes what we are able to do.

Ballet taught me how to communicate without words. MUN taught me to communicate through them. In both, I have to stand in front of other people and make something clear. Ballet communicates through movement; MUN communicates through voice and argument.

The same idea can feel completely different depending on how it is expressed.

In mathematics, I can often check whether an answer is right. In MUN, there may not be a correct answer to check. I have to understand another point of view, build an argument, and think about how I might persuade someone else.

The answer may change depending on the question we are asking.

Knowing how to make a movement is one thing. Making it when I feel nervous or afraid is another. Skiing makes that gap very real, and leaves me curious about what happens to performance under pressure.