Wow, so here I sit in my office... the same one as before I climbed Kilimanjaro, at the same desk in front of the same computer. Rode the same scooter to work, from the same house and got out of the same bed. And so I find myself wondering - people said that climbing Kilimanjaro is a life changing experience, but what has changed...
I reached the top of the mountain on the morning of the 19 September 2013, exhausted, not really completely "with it" and there was no great sense of elation, more of relief that we could get back down again to more oxygen. So yes in terms of that it was a success and with hindsight knowing that I reached the top, in spite of the extreme feeling of tiredness, is one of the greatest achievements of my life.
I can only answer by saying that nothing, and everything has changed. My day to day life may continue, but climbing Kilimanjaro helped me to reconnect with myself and with the people in my group. It was a challenge that we faced together and knowing that you can push yourself and succeed is amazing. Climbing Kilimanajro takes your mind to many places, some dark and some filled with brightness. On that mountain I began to believe that loving again was possible, that to live freely and fully does not mean living alone... I learned that success is as much as what you believe as what you do...that thoughts in themselves can be as powerful as actions... and that trying to put a glove on at 5865m above sea level is really quite impossible!!
My fund raising will continue, that mountain I am still busy climbing.
Thank you for reading and I will try and write more..
No comments:
Post a Comment