It’s that time of year – taking a look back over the past 12 months of 2015. And it’s been an interesting one. Highlights A New Year’s midnight swim to enter the year I got to hang out with one of my besties for a warm New Year’s at Orewa beach, one of my favourite … Continue reading The year that was – highlights and lowlights
Comfort zone
Facing negativity
Some people – namely the boyfriend – would say I have a negative mindset. I would argue I’m just realistic. But when I came up with the stupidly ambitious idea to set myself a quest of climbing 40 volcanoes by the age of 40, I think I was neither negative nor realistic. I was in … Continue reading Facing negativity
Time to stop making excuses and just start
Right now I should be getting excited about what should be an impending trip to the tropical island paradise of Tenerife, one of the seven islands that make up the Canary Island archipelago off the west coast of Morocco. There, I was intending to make an ascent of volcano number two, Mt Teide, in my … Continue reading Time to stop making excuses and just start
I am a scaredy cat
Most people will have at some point wondered how they might react in a disaster situation. Secretly they hope they will be brave and strong, bringing down the bad guys Jack Reacher style or pulling out a killer MacGyver or Bear Grylls survival move. I’d like to think I could be the same – despite … Continue reading I am a scaredy cat
Rock climbing over the ocean
Me at the Cattle Troughs, Swanage I was positively sure I was going to die. Tears streamed down my face, my body shook uncontrollably. “I can’t do this,” I heard myself repeat over and over as my self-doubt loomed. But, against the self-preserving urge, I took a deep, shuddering breath, grasped the rope, pushed my … Continue reading Rock climbing over the ocean
Thoughts on knowing oneself
I have a theory. Humans have become locked into a way of living, such that they no longer know who they really are. In today’s 21st century, humans are obsessed with objects and things – that fancy car, that new gizmo with all the bells and whistles. It’s all about the high-paying power job and … Continue reading Thoughts on knowing oneself
Rock climbing at Harrison’s Rocks
Harrison's Rocks I’m strapped into a harness clinging onto the side of a rock face like a barnacle stuck to the hull of a boat. One piece of rope, my trusty belayer and my adrenaline-fuelled muscles are all that are keeping me from falling to certain death. (Ok maybe just a broken leg or two … Continue reading Rock climbing at Harrison’s Rocks
Cultivating a growth mindset
Being new to rock climbing is never going to be easy. But to fail what should have been a relatively easy grade 4 climb – that I’d already climbed, I might add – is beyond annoying. In response, I did what a lot of people would do – I sulked, stomped about, pulled faces, made … Continue reading Cultivating a growth mindset
Why volcanoes?
“Why volcanoes?” you may ask. It’s a fair enough question. So why indeed? Or rather, I might say, why not? For starters, volcanoes fascinate me. The sheer beauty and power they have; that ability to go from gentle sleeping giant to lava-spewing monster and destroyer, all within an instant, makes them both scary and mesmerisingly … Continue reading Why volcanoes?
The #40by40 volcano quest is on
Sure sitting in a cushy office and working the nine-to-overtime drill provides a degree of stability and routine, not to mention financial security, but there are downsides. For one, it can give rise to complacency. It’s easy to perhaps find yourself no longer challenged or you become comfortable with the situation – even if it’s … Continue reading The #40by40 volcano quest is on