A year ago, if someone told me that I would end 2016 at Everest Base Camp, I would never have believed them! Part of my journey last year was about simplifying my life – not adding enormous challenges that I wasn’t sure I could accomplish!

But there you have it – an invitation to join my cousin on a 2-week trip to Nepal where she aimed to reach Everest Base Camp for the second time. To be honest, I was quite curious – I had absolutely no clue where Everest actually was. Or what “Trekking to Base Camp” actually meant. I had also watched the Everest movie and can assure you that there was no way on God’s green earth that I was going to try and reach the summit!

A few hours (and a few drops of Rescue Remedy later), I sat down at my computer and began to research the trip. Firstly, Everest Base Camp is where those planning to summit Everest are based during their acclimatisation time prior to summiting. Secondly, I would just have to walk (not climb). Thirdly, the altitude is pretty high at 5,600m above sea level. Which meant nothing to me at the time – but apparently it was high enough that some people got altitude sickness and had to be taken down by helicopter. Riiiight.

I then entered into this weird headspace where I found myself actually wanting to go – which was alarming in itself. I mean, I’m not sporty. At all. I had one year of Boot Camp under my belt – but being able to do 30 squats in a row would not help me much on this trip. Nor, ironically, would those dreaded “Mountain Climbers” be of much use. So why on earth was I even THINKING about it?CONTINUE READING

I read the most powerful blog post yesterday, titled On The Day I Die by John Pavlovitz. In a nutshell, John speaks about what will truly matter most to you on the day you die (which, let’s face it, we are all going to do.) But it’s the second last paragraph that really hit home for me: “Don’t let your life be stolen every day by all that you’ve been led to believe matters, because on the day you die, the fact is that much of it simply won’t.“

I’ve been thinking for a while that we’ve been so accustomed to hearing tips on how to multitask and squeeze every last drop of productivity out of day that we tend to hit the ground running from the moment we open our eyes. When asked how we are, we quickly reply “crazy busy and you?” – as if “busy” is something to be proud of. We spend our days as slaves to the phone, Facebook, email – because people must be able to contact us AT ALL TIMES. And then we wonder why we collapse into bed at the end of the day. Or suffer from anxiety. Or have forgotten how to play with our children.

What’s more, many of us (myself included) have become reliant on chemical “uppers” or “downers” to help us through the day. Tired? Let’s cram our bodies full of caffeine and sugar to get through the morning or afternoon slump. Anxious? Let’s take something to make us feel calmer (for me, it’s is a cappuccino and a rusk – the cure for all ills). Feeling sad/ panicky/ worried/ left out/ isolated or “peopled out”? Let’s distract ourselves from any uncomfortable feelings by having a glass of wine. Or logging onto social media. Or heading to the pantry for something to make us feel better.CONTINUE READING