I'm Alive

Just Do It!

Be Alive!

Colours

The autumn colours are just absolutely stunning at the moment - that is one thing we don't get in Zimbabwe is the distinct change of seasons.

Chester Marathon

Had a fantastic weekend up in Chester at the Chester Marathon. I didn't run but Jeff came over from Nashville to run with his friend Vince whom he met and ran with in Malawi, and Neil, who I hadn't met before flew in from Malawi to run as well. Great to see Jeff again and he had a great run with Vince who completed his first marathon - many more to go Vince and think about the Windermere Marathon in May 2013!!!!

Some photos on my Facebook page and herewith a short Video of the event.

 

Running and Music

I thought it was a bit optimistic to intend to run a marathon on two months training. I am not as young as I used to be......(perhaps younger!!!). I remember training for a ultra marathon when I was at Cape Town University - the Two Oceans Marathon, a really beautiful run - on two months training, and managed a sub 4 hours for the 56km! But that was a long time ago!

Last week after just increasing my mileage slightly, I must have just compromised my immunity and went down with a flu virus....or something....aching all over, joints, muscles, eyeballs. Nothing like the body to tell you enough is enough...so I will honour that. Took the rest of the week off but am back this week on the trails, gently running 45 mins every second day and with three weeks to go for the marathon I will give it a miss - there are plenty more marathons....if at all! But I will go up and watch the race - Jeff is still coming over from Nashville to run with his friend Vince, so I will go and give my support and it will be good to see him again and catch up his news.

But I have to say, it has been really fantastic to get back into running - there is actually nothing quite like it. I started out as a runner, then went onto triathlons, and then this big bike trip, but running is something special. I started to feel again that inner connection when running which I have not felt with any other activity......apart from meditating...... that inner peace and calmness, that freedom and happiness, that feeling of being centred. I remember a couple of sayings from my youth:

"When you run, you're free; no boss bothers you!" and

"To run is to live; everything else is just waiting!"

****

I have found it difficult settling into a four walled room to sleep with all the noise around, after the three months on the road with the bike. This is a bit strange as I was always complaining about the traffic noise on the road!! Needless to say, I have pitched my tent in the forest and have been sleeping there for the past three weeks - beautiful and quiet.....and close to nature which I love. Waking up to the sound of the birds and going to sleep with the night sounds and sometimes the patter of rain on the tent top - just beautiful. I would prefer to be in my Tipi with an open fire, but that is still in storage in Zimbabwe.......soon. I had an amazing experience after the flu - was pretty much in bed for three days and on the morning of the third day emerged from the tent at 6.00am to an absolutely stunning day, and felt I was emerging from a cocoon, transformed and re-born. It was a lovely feeling.

Good news from Zimbabwe - the house is now rented out again and the dogs looked after which is a huge relief. I am still thinking of putting the house on the market and buying some land in Europe, but will wait until the New Year which will come soon enough. Will hopefully go back to Zim in December for Christmas and spend time in the mountains with the dogs, and then make a decision from there - will see what the Universe has in store for the transition of our planet around that time. "The meek will inherit the Earth".......and become custodians of it!

The Spa where I work has a little cocktail lounge - yes, strange a Spa having a cocktail lounge.....but anyway it is so. After the inspiration of Joe West at Nashville Airport, I have been playing the guitar and singing twice a week in the Lounge. They are all songs that I grew up with - ballads of the 60's - 80's - but going well and thoroughly enjoying it...and hopefully the people are too, but there have been some favourable comments. Fortunately, most of the patrons at the Spa are of my vintage and so can relate to the music.......mind you they don't make music these days like they used to in that era. That was real music - Bob Dylan, Jim Croce, Eagles, Donovan, Simon and Garfunkel, Neil Diamond, Credence Clearwater Revival, Cosby Stills Nash and Young, Neil Young aaahhhhhh! Music.
Have played a couple of my own songs too and wasn't booed, which was encouraging!!

So keeping the legs turning and the voice box turning over!!!!  

Reflections

I have been meaning to write this blog for days, but it is only materializing now.... I don’t know where time is going........remembering of course that we are in a period of ‘time without time!”

I am back in the UK now and the flights all went well albeit a bit expensive with excess baggage fees for the bike and taxi fares from the airport, but all good. I am back working at Grayshott Spa in Surrey, and I have to say that is good to be working again. It is wonderful to be able to say that and I suppose it is a testament to my chosen profession, namely Massage Therapy and Acupuncture. There are so many people out there just doing a job that they don’t particularly resonate with because they have to earn an income. I am just reading a book at the moment by Caroline Myss exploring the concept of finding one’s Life Purpose or Soul Contract for this Lifetime and the importance of finding our individual purpose.

It was a great departure from Nashville airport with live music courtesy of Joe West doing some busking and made me want to pick up my guitar and do the same - perhaps in the future. Talking of Soul Purpose, I had a chat to him and he was a Department Store Manager and had a heart attack, so made a pact with himself to only do what he loved to do from then on, which was music...and preaching!

Thanks Joe for the inspiration.......and the great music!

Family

It was fantastic to see family again in Chicago - my sister and her husband, and my niece. (As mentioned earlier, unfortunately my nephew was on a training seminar in Connecticut so we missed seeing each other, which was a great pity). Now at 50, what really struck me was how important family is, and the need to stay in contact. Over the past years, I have been a little distant from them and the reconnection was very moving and powerful. Thanks, Sarah, Emma and Geoff - love you lots, and hope to see you all again soon.

The Trip

Some reflections on the bike trip. The first words that come to mind are “truly amazing!”  And if you ever get a chance to do something like that, do not hesitate. Go for it! But retrospect is a funny thing and time tends to soften the memories of the hard times. And hard times there were...but then the word ‘hard‘ is just a perception! It wasn’t hard - it was “truly amazing!”

Yes it was way short of my initial plan, but that is fine and I am OK with that! In spite of the situation back in Zim with the tenants pulling out of the contract, and the resultant shortage of funds, I had been thinking for a while on the road that I had had enough......for now! 

And to be able to call it a day and be at peace with that was a huge step for me - especially with something physical. Normally, I push through when it comes to physical challenges, as part of me has always felt that it is a sign of ‘weakness’ to quit. The ‘ego’ can’t quit. 

While I do believe that pushing through and completing physical challenges (and any other challenges!) provides the opportunity for tremendous personal growth, resilience and strength of character, there are times when it is equally appropriate to be able to say, “No, this is not for me, or no, this is no longer for me!” I think wisdom is the key to know when to stay and when to move on or change! Why stay with something that has run its course and no longer provides one with joy - be it a planned trip, a job, a relationship!! As Ramtha says, ‘once boredom sets in, it is time to move on.’ 

But this trip wasn’t about pushing through to the end no matter what. I have done the army training, the marathons and ultra marathons, the triathlons and the Ironman and I took up bike touring to get away from the competitiveness of the above, but still enjoy physical exercise. I took it up as a hobby. But there were times on this trip mainly through environmental factors, where I was pushed as hard as in any of the above....if not more so....and I still saw parts of me that I had never seen before, and grew in many new ways, for which I am truly grateful.

I guess though I still tend to push myself quite hard (again especially with something physical!), but again, as already stated in another blog, there were times when geographically or environmentally one had to push through and continue going. Perhaps the next cycling adventure will be with a group of friends!!

So what now?

Well, get a bit of cash behind me to start with. My dear friends Sharon and Mario in Zimbabwe have been absolutely wonderful in looking after the property when the tenant moved out, and we think we have another tenant interested in taking on the lease from September 1st. And they are prepared to look after the dogs which is fantastic. Nothing signed and sealed yet but will see what happens over the next week.

I will stay on here at Grayshott for a while and think I will slowly move into Private Practice. I don’t have any desire to go back to Zimbabwe, and may decide to sell up and move to Europe. Will be going down to Central Portugal in a few weeks time to have a look at some property there, and get a feel of the place.

Exercise wise, I think I have talked myself into running a marathon in October. Silly idiot!! Jeff, who I was staying with and running with in Nashville, is coming over to the UK to run a Marathon in Chester with another friend of his who he ran with in Malawi, so I have twisted my own arm to maybe run with them. It is a long time since I have done any distance running, so I hope the body will hold together - the mind should be strong enough after the cycle trip! So I am out trail running on the common three mornings a week and absolutely loving it, so will slowly increase the mileage weekly, and hopefully have enough miles in the legs for the marathon on October 7th. Am still out on the bike every other day for a couple of hours and in the gym 4 or 5 times a week, so keeping moving.

Feeling great in Mind, Body and Spirit!

FOR MOTHER EARTH

..on Fire and Water..

"May we open our eyes, our ears and our Hearts to hear your calling and act!"
I Love You!

   

Full Circle

It was a long way back by bus from Chetumal to the USA, but I got a good 2 1/2 hour ride from Belize back into Mexico before sitting on the bus for an age. No problems at the border between Belize and Mexico, and then basically three days on the bus to Matamoros. I decided to take the Mexican bus line “Tornado” from Matamoros through to Nashville, as there was no extra charge for the bike and equipment. When I googled Greyhound from Brownsville (USA side of the border), they charge for extra bags and the bike, which they said had to be boxed. This would have meant finding a bike shop in Brownsville and stripping the bike down to get it on the Greyhound and being charged for it. With Tornado, the bike simply went on its side in the hold. Anyway safe and sound to Nashville and then a short bike ride back to Jeff and Kara. A far cry from 2 years and 50 000km but it was still a moving experience cycling back into the driveway, and I met Kara finishing her run. It was really good to see them both again. 

Trail running with Jeff early the following morning - it was really good to ‘move’ again after four days on the bus and the ankles were quite swollen again with oedema, but the run soon sorted that out, and then basically put my feet up for the day. A 3.00am start on another bus (this time Greyhound, but without the bike) up to Chicago to see my sister for the weekend.

Really good to touch base with family again - it has been 5 years since I have seen them and it was a very special weekend. My niece was 7 when I last saw her and what a change to see her at 12. Unfortunately my nephew, who is now 22 was on a training seminar in Connecticut, so I missed him which was very sad, but c’est la vie.

Another 10 hours back to Nashville and a fantastic trail run again this morning at 5.15 with 95% humidity. Went off to the bike shop to get a bike box, so today has been stripping and packing the bike and equipment for the flight back to the UK tomorrow. So much traveling - will be happy to get back to Grayshott Spa and have feet on terra firma for a few months.

Still no new tenants for the house in Zimbabwe, so fingers crossed that Sharon and Mario will find someone soon. I am really worried about the dogs, but trust that all will be fine with them for a few months to get some cash together before heading back in November. Would love to go back now but just do not have the cash at present. Again, c’est la vie.

So it seems that the circles are closing on themselves - Nashville, UK then Zimbabwe - and then perhaps a new journey begins in Mozambique. We shall see.  

The Sun Sets

It is funny how life pans out. When you have a plan, sometimes Spirit guides you in another direction....or maybe Spirit sees what you truly need and where you truly need to be in spite of where you think you should be or think you want to be, and consequently orchestrates things to direct your path.

The Sun has set on the cycle trip and it is effectively over. I have not received any rental from my tenant for the month of July and in spite of the lease agreement requiring 3 months notice for termination of lease, he has given just 12 days notice and is out at the end of the month without having found a replacement tenant. I was always on a tight budget, but this has now tipped the scales and it is impossible for me to continue financially.

I have rented out my house twice and twice have had the contract breached. The first time the tenants did not pay for 2 months and I returned to a dying dog! She survived! At least this time the dogs are in good shape, but again the tenant has breached the financial agreement. Interesting! Perhaps time to sell! It is such a pity that some people do not have the integrity to honor a lease agreement. I can understand people going through a hard time, but if you don’t have the cash borrow it from a friend, not from me!!!!

I will be starting the long bus ride back through Mexico to the States tomorrow, and then the Greyhound to Nashville from Brownsville. Fortunately, my return ticket to the UK has not yet expired so I will be able to avail of that without any extra expenditure - August 8th.

I am so grateful to Grayshott Spa again in Surrey, UK who have offered me work if I should need it, which I may avail of if I do not need to go back to Zimbabwe immediately. I have also been offered a teaching position in Mozambique, again should I need it, either from September or January next year. Thank you.

My dear friends Sharon and Mario are helping out on the ground in Harare trying to find new tenants asap to look after the house and most importantly the dogs. I am so grateful to you both and I am sorry that this has transpired - I know you are both so busy with work and home, and your own canine family. My heart felt thanks to you both. Sharon’s sister, Moira, who has the amazing skill of being able to ‘talk‘ to animals will have a chat to Lucy and Tango to see how they are feeling and what they would prefer. Hopefully they will be able to hold out for a few months with or without tenants, to enable me to get a few months work behind me in the UK to get some cash flow together, before heading out to Africa again, where I will most probably take up the teaching job in Mozambique.....and be able to have the dogs with me.

Unfortunately, air fares to Zimbabwe from the UK at the moment are horrendously priced due to the Olympics - everything leaving the UK is so expensive while the Games are on and just after, so hopefully I can wait until the end of August or better still the end of November and have some cash in my pocket when I land on the ground in Harare!

As to the house...well, will see what pans out - I will rent if possible for the immediate future and may consider selling if I don’t take up residence in Zim again for a while.

So as the Sun sets beautifully and one door closes with some truly amazing experiences and memories, another door(s) opens with the knowledge that the Sun will rise again as magnificent as it always is, to sustain and nourish the planet and work in tandem with Mother Earth to give all Her inhabitants LIFE and LOVE.

“With your mind’s eye, look in front of you and see the Sun.

See it shining and smiling on You.

Feel the warmth on your face and skin, and feel that warmth deep within.

And know that the Sun is always there....

In the darkness of night....and in the darkness of your life, the Sun is always there

Shining and smiling on you.

And if you keep your face always to the Sun, the shadows will fall behind.”

“Great Spirit

Father Sky and Mother Earth

Grand-Father Sun and Grand-Mother Moon

Plant and Animal Spirits, my Brothers and Sisters

Ancestral Spirits of the places I have visited

Hummingbird, Spirit of the North

THANK YOU.”

HO!