Winning, and other Thrills

My plan for today’s thoughtletter was to continue discussing the steps that will get you closer to your dream. But last week, my own dream blossomed just a bit, and I’d like to share that with you.

On August 18, at the Sacramento International Film Festival, the documentary about my life, Climbing Into Life, was awarded “Outstanding Documentary”.

The filmmaker from Philadelphia, Melissa Davey, was thrilled. This is only her second documentary. She’d realized, as she approached her 65th birthday, that she had never yet done some of the things she’d always dreamed of doing…so she quit her lucrative, power job and started making movies. That takes courage, so I knew from the outset that she was the right person for this project.

The videographer, Garet McMackin, was thrilled, too. This was his first documentary. Ever. And certainly, now, not the last.

And me?

Unlike in a movie, in a documentary there are no actors, per se. I was just the subject. No acting involved. Only truth. But truth that someone else shaped and molded and interpreted to present to the public. Scary thought. I had to trust her to understand my truth.

My son, Alex Honnold, has made so many documentaries, including the Oscar-winning documentary Free Solo. So many videos! (Maybe you saw him at the Olympics recently?) Commercials. Interviews. Years ago, when Jimmy Chin and his film crew started following Alex around to film Free Solo, Alex often said that he just had to trust his good friend, Jimmy, to tell his story. I know now that trust is exactly the right word.

Unlike Alex, I’ll probably never tell a story that wins an Oscar. And that’s okay. But the journey to this point has been an amazing learning experience — and learning stuff is the greatest adventure in the world. Ask any kid; they crave learning from the day they’re born, and if they’re lucky, that craving stays with them all through their life.

Once all the film festivals are finished, my documentary can go out to the public. If you’re curious, here’s the trailer.

If you’d like to see a bit more, you can check out the 3-minute video that AARP made about my journey.

And if you’d like to see the whole story, Climbing Into Life is currently scheduled at film festivals in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Statesville (NC), Billings (Montana), Phoenixville (PA), and Washington West (DC). There will probably be others, too. Enjoy!

I’ll continue my travels with you, toward realizing your own personal dream, in weeks to come. How many weeks will depend on how all the impending life stuff goes — including moving, which is turning out to be 100% time-consuming!

In the meantime, enjoy your own journey.