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Up in the winterless north and I had my heart set on walking the Mangawhai Heads Track. The weather is bad – a storm came through and it was followed by very heavy rain showers broken only by brief interludes of sunshine….certainly not long enough to get this ‘piece of work’ done!
This feels just like the dilemmas of work. Despite feeling really excited and motivated about the up-coming prospect, I struggle to get out of the starting blocks.
Day 1: I was distracted by random acts of kindness as I arrived bedraggled and very muddy from taking minor road detours to avoid the highway ….slips, massive puddles hiding deep gouges in the already slippery surfaces of the road which I managed to avoid with varying degrees of success.
Day 2: an unexpected re-union to meet for a coffee turned into an extended ticky-tour of hidden escapes, deep forests and amazing surf beaches stretching as far as the eye could see. My fit friend strides up the odd viewpoint as I puff and blow like an old steam train! It was well worth the effort for the stunning views from the top.
Day 3: I stayed an extra day as a result of the wonderful hospitality, and still I hadn’t walked the coastal track! It was pouring with rain and despite the occasional rays of sunshine that gave promise for an enjoyable hike, they were momentary. I’d worked out the tide and the latest I could leave but I cut it fine as a to visit the Bennett’s chocolatier was an irresistible ‘must’ before leaving the area… and then there was lunch…and then the winds were strong (38kph)…more heavy rain – do I really want to do this…? And then the driver in me overtook the wimp with a final push and an age-old message in my head from my mum: ‘you’ll enjoy it when you get there!’
I started in the dry but within 2 minutes my jacket was on, the rain was hosing down and I was asked where the path to the walk was because the other visitor couldn’t find it. That didn’t fill me with confidence, though I boldly told them it was between two remote houses and I plodded on with the sand blasting my bare legs.
I found the track and 250 steps later I was striding along the side of the hill, through native bush, overlooking the deep, clear blue sea with stormy clouds and patches of blue sandwiching the ‘Hen and Chooks’ and ‘Sail Rock’ in the distance. It was fun to see them from the land and to reminisce about the Coastal Classic race I did with a friend some 20 years ago.
I loved the walk and I felt great having done it. It brought home the number of times I’ve wanted desperately to do something and yet consistently put potential hurdles in the way to put the brakes on my getting started.
Why? Fear I think…
What is fear? (False Expectations Appearing Real). Dipping into an old favourite (Eckhardt Tolle’s) ‘The Power of Now’ I opened it up just at the page talking about this very thing…and the counter to feeling the fear (simply) is to be present to the moment – Now. In this way, I just had to deal with putting one foot in front of the other, rather than imagining that a slip could suddenly send me scooting down the cliff edge!
And here’s a reminder of the poem that I feel it sums up the reason to keep on keeping on, for me:
Key Points:
1. Feeling fear and/or overwhelm is normal!
2. Remember the elephant: one bite at a time.
3. Time Management: address the big rocks first – prioritise.
4. Be present: acknowledge each moment of the journey for what it is.
5. Sometimes challenging, always a great learning experience when we’re open to it.
And I found myself thinking -This is just like life (and work) really, …..What is it that you need to manoeuvre your way through right now?
