Little did I know, when I set off on a 4 day hike into some of New Zealand’s most gorgeous wilderness, that it would be touch-and-go to make it back under my own steam!
It was all planned – leisurely drive down with close friends Clare & Chris; stopping off for a night in Whitianga on the Coromandel Peninsula to watch a live concert (remember Foreigner? ‘I want to know what love is!’)…
…Cruising into Whakapapa in the Tongaririo National Park the following afternoon, raring to go for the 4 day Northern Circuit Great Walk the next morning.
Have you ever felt a sense of total freedom, almost like you have wings? Plunging into the wilderness, carrying the bare essentials on my back creates this feeling for me and I can feel my very essence lift and beam!
So the interesting adventure that popped up on our second day of hiking came as a complete surprise…and as it turns out, an opportunity in disguise. We’d been hiking for around 6 hours by the time we reached the doc hut where we’d booked for the night. All four of us were keen to push on the next 4 hours or so to the next hut – which we’d heard was brand new and spacious (particularly handy when my husband Chris is 6 foot 6, and so is our hiking buddy – also called Chris.) So we pushed on.
So here I am, half an hour later – with a badly rolled left ankle and possible tear of my right knee meniscus and medial collateral ligament. Extraordinary how searing pain can get me instantly focused!
What happened next proves to me that whatever we think about we bring about. The first few seconds were all about letting go of my nausea and shock. Once I could think clearly, I scanned over my body and figured that whilst there was a lot of pain – my ankle and knee would likely work well enough to continue the tramp, without risking further damage. So I asked myself ‘what if?’, I listened carefully to my intuition and my logic and then heard ‘because I can’ in my head.
So I made the decision, and I committed – 2 powerful steps that two of my fabulous mentors often remind me of when I have a goal in mind.
What a fabulous opportunity the following 4 hours of hiking that day, and the 6 hours the next day, were for reminding myself of that commitment I’d made! It so affirmed to me that I can achieve whatever I put my mind to.
The reports from my osteopath and specialist are encouraging – and my next goal is to rehab in time for the Oxfam Trailwalker in a few weeks (walking 100km non-stop to raise funds to build water wells for families in Africa.)
Take Away – what’s been a scary, stretch goal for you? Something that you REALLY want – maybe to finally master your food cravings, or compete in an upcoming fitness challenge. Something that’s felt too big to tackle or even begin.
Write it down – as if you’ve already achieved it, and include the date. Stick it on the mirror so you can read it out loud to yourself every time you clean your teeth. And then send me an email at fi@fijamiesonfolland.com to tell me what you’re noticing since you’ve done this.
I believe in you.
Because you can.