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Dear Reader Taking baby steps …And bit by bit, making progress! I’m so excited to share this with you! If you’ve spent some time around me, you’ve probably heard me say “I want to live to 140!” It’s a goal I’ve had for a long long time. You might also have heard me tell how I thought I’d be dead by the time I reached 40. It was a pleasant surprise to me to realise as I approached my 40th birthday that I was healthy and not at all looking like I wasn’t long for this world. Yay! I made it! For me, life really did start at 40! So … with tongue in cheek, I’ve calculated my age at the number of years I’ve been on the earth since I turned 40 – currently that is 36! So … I’m quite likely to live to 140 in this body if I can be humoured in my claim to currently be 36, not 76. Now the math has got too hard for me to continue this hypothesis – but you get my drift I’m sure. And here’s the exciting part! I’ve been exploring a lot of different ways to bring about a change in my health. I’ve had ups and downs over the past decade or so that have made me determined to get healthier and stronger. I miss the overnight tramps (called hiking or backpacking, elsewhere in the world) that were a regular part of my annual holidays. Neil and I did The Routeburn and Hollyford Tracks when we lived in the South Island. Here’s a snap of on the track with the amazing mountains in view. I wasn’t the fittest then that I’ve been. And I’m nearly at that level of fitness again.
I would love to do the Tongariro Crossing again. (Here’s a link to show you what it’s like: https://www.tongarirocrossing.org.nz/the-track) Neil’s done it several times, I’ve done it only once. To share that amazing trek with him would be awesome. Our gym club did it last weekend and I was disappointed not to be fit enough yet to do it. It’s about 20kms, and really tough going, as you’ll see in that website. Although I’m definitely not fit enough for that challenge, I didn’t realise how close I’ve come to recovering a fitness level that will allow me to enjoy baby versions of these treks. On the day the gym club walked the Tongariro Crossing, we did a 7km walk around the area where we live. I was especially thrilled that I instigated it, feeling like I could do more than our usual 2-3kms. It wasn’t till the last 500m or so that my legs started to feel a bit like jelly. On our river walks we’ve started walking up hills and steps (74 steps at one point) and, at Waitakaruru last Saturday we did the circuit of the Park, which we haven’t done for a while. We took a couple of detours and walked up a steep hill and took a path that we’ve not done before (signposted “Lost” – you might have noticed it in the 7 Sharp programme I linked to last newsletter). I’m not saying the steps and hills aren’t a challenge. I did enjoy them though. And I enjoyed seeing the diversity of planting and the seasonal change happening at the Park. Here’s a photo of the native hibiscus growing there that never ceases to delight me.
What gives me more joy than actually being able to do these physical activities is that I’m looking for the challenges now, just like I used to decades ago. Woohoo! We go to the gym twice a week. I’d like to add a dance class, Mondays preferably! I think I’ll create my own routine. And get up about 5am to fit it in! Exercise, I’m learning is not only good for my mood and body, but it’s good for brain health too. Will I reach 140 years? Probably not, and honestly, it doesn’t matter. What matters to me is that I live a full, active, healthy life, following my heart and challenging my mind and body to continue enjoying this amazing planet we call home. To do this, I’ll keep adding baby steps – and bit by bit I know I’ll be making progress! Till next time, A Final Reminder (truly!)
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This is an amazing event that I’m thrilled to participate in this year (even though I’m scared to death!). I’ll be sharing a table with Pat Backley, who’s books I adore – so that gives me courage.
The event is billed as: a book event where readers can meet over 70 authors, buy books, and have them signed in person. Multiple genres, from NZ and Australian authors. All ages welcome. Free entry.
Facebook page for the event is: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agesofpagesfans
My thoughts for Living Life in 2024 and beyond:
“Write it on my heart that every day is
the best day of the year”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Remember that sometimes not getting
what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck”
Dalai Lama
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave [person] is not [the one] who does not feel afraid, but [the one] who conquers that fear.”
Nelson Mandela
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