Awash in the Wash

There's nothing like a 10 mile walk in the British summer during our annual vacation to the UK. With unrealistic optimism of the weather staying sunny and getting better as we traversed our way across the Wash, we were soon reminded of the unpredictable climate. But with true British stamina, we didn't let the rain stop play.

Packed with a picnic, we decided that it would be nice to take our two older daughters to do the 'Peter Scott Walk', stopping half way near a little island to sit and admire the view and eat our sandwiches while basking in the sun. (Map here) Sir Peter Scott was the only son of the Antarctic explorer, Robert Scott who died when Peter was only two years old. Sir Peter was knighted for his contribution to the conservation of wild animals and he lived in the lighthouse on the East Bank of the River Nene at Sutton Bridge.

We started out from Sir Peter Scott's lighthouse with great optimism, feeling fresh and excited about what we may discover en route. As we walked along the top of the old sea bank, at the edge of The Wash, with a skip in our step, we were inspired by the landscape that was so flat and open, you could see for miles and miles across the green marshland of the north Fens.

One hour later, the sky started turning grey and we could see dark, heavy rainclouds heading straight for us.  Luckily we were equipped with waterproof coats and hoped that the storm would pass as we trudged our way with wet trainers across the path. Fortunately, the storm did pass and the sun appeared with perfect timing to dry out our wet jeans and trainers. Just as I was getting used to feeling warm and dry again, another rainstorm hit us and this time it lasted longer and was much wetter. While receding into the hood of my waterproof coat like a tortoise hiding in its shell, the journey reminded me of the analogy of running our business (or likened to life in general) where we start off optimistically, with a spring in our step and then walk into unexpected storms, some harder and longer than others.

Two hours into our walk, we were ready for our picnic and with no sign of the weather abating, we stopped opposite a little island (the second of two artificial islands created as part of a 1970's fresh water experiment)  our half way point, as planned. We shivered while eating our sandwiches and even though I was tempted to turn around, we had come so far, we moved on again quickly to gain momentum and warm up. Life too is about moving on.

We experienced two more rainstorms and sunny intervals in between, before we finally made it to the end of our journey. The last two miles seemed to go on forever, moving forward a slow step at a time with aching limbs and what seemed little progress, but we made it with an outcome in mind and it felt good when we reached our destination.  Looking back on our long journey and with blisters to show for it, we had made it from one county Lincolnshire to the county of Norfolk, at West Lynn and the ferry crossing to King's Lynn - what a feat!

In spite of experiencing some uncomfortable patches in our journey, we achieved what we set out to do which is a great feeling of accomplishment. It may have not happened in the way we had imagined it to be, however by walking our way through the rougher patches, it made the whole journey even more worthwhile. As Buddha quite rightly says:-

"If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking."

Keep on walking in the right direction and you'll get there.

Janet

Valuing Nature to Put us in a Good State

How often do we stand back to appreciate what is around us?  How often do we take a moment to admire nature and what it has to offer? When was the last time you walked in a forest, garden or park and noticed the good feeling that it gave you?

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been experiencing the value of nature.  The first situation that alerted my awareness was while running our NoLimits leadership programme in Bali where one participant, a successful Chief Executive Officer, talked about appreciating nature as one of his top values.  Although a somewhat unusual response from a CEO (he said he surprised himself too) his comments allowed me to reflect and think to myself  "This guy is right. How much do we take for granted nature that so easily forms itself around us? How often do we admire what nature has created?" The CEO further explained that while appreciating nature, he sees colours more vividly, he hears the sounds of nature more clearly and his good feelings are amplified. What a great state to be in. The next day while riding in our jeep to our training venue, the sun was shining brightly, the sky was powdery blue and the gentle breeze amplified my good feelings. I was much more aware of my environment than usual and by being in touch with nature, I could switch off my incessant self talk and pre-occupations of life. 

We were also extremely fortunate to be running our leadership programme from a wonderful, luxury villa in Bali called 'Jagaditha', where  its breathtaking views overlook the Indian Ocean and the beautifully landscaped tropical gardens are sympathetically designed to fully embrace the exquisite qualities of nature.

This is the ideal location to learn and reflect, be in the now of the natural environment and be stress free from the usual interruptions of a busy life. The senses of seeing the beauty of  nature, the vibrant colours of the tropical flowers, the blueness of the sea and skies, hearing the lapping of the waves and the birds singing and the feeling of happiness are all amplified.  By connecting with and heightening our senses we are so much more easily able to learn while these moments become all the more magical and memorable. We are able to open our minds, be more curious and learn so much more by being inspired through nature.

Another magical time with nature was when my family and I recently climbed Mount Abang in Bali with a group of friends and their children. I was completely awe-struck when I climbed along a narrow path that overlooked a spectacular lake that formed the bottom of the crater of the volcanic mountain.

I didn't know whether to be scared as I gingerly tip-toed my way forward so not to slip down a steep and rocky ravine, but as I caught a of glimpse of what was below me, I couldn't help and be amazed at the wonderful landscape.  All my other thoughts, concerns and things to do that usually keep on alerting my mind - like a pop-up screen on the internet - stopped, as I climbed the mountain and caught glimpses of the dramatic, jagged peak capped view that took my breath away.

How often do we admire what nature has achieved? Do we appreciate the qualities of nature and what a good emotional state it can give us? Albert Hofmann, the man who discovered the psychedelic effects of the drug, LSD and took it quite a few times as part of his experiments, noted that you can easily get to that same place of wonder and ectasy by simply wandering a long forest path, or watching the wind blow a field of yellow chrysanthemums.  His advice to get into a good state was to:-

"Go to the meadow, go to the garden, go to the wood. Open your eyes."

Start opening your eyes, admire what nature has created and notice the good state that it puts you in.

Janet

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