“Sometimes, you have to look back in order to understand the things that lie ahead.” ― Yvonne Woon
As anniversaries of last year tick around, friends get married, have children, move out of London and life starts to shift and as planning for next year starts, I seem to have become more reflective on what has gone before and what I would like to go ahead of me.
This time last year I was grieving, had a slipped disc for the third time and was about to be made redundant and lose several other family members and close family friends, not that I knew that then.
Jeremy Kyle seemed to occupy a little too much of my day, sadly, and I wondered what was next and how on earth I would ever get there....
"Get off my stage"
"The DNA test says that..... IS the childs biological Father"
"Get off your backside and get a job"
- Jeremy Kyle
...well, Namibia was next, and here I still am.
Somehow, you pick yourself up and move on. I'm not saying it's easy, but the alternative isn't either.
"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved."- Helen Keller
So, a year on and a couple of things have happened recently that have made me much more reflective and realise what I have achieved in the last few years - both the ability to move on and get where I am today personally and professionally.
At the start of my travels I committed to staying here for 10 months initially, as I had visas for oz and nz that would expire mid November (and due to age restrictions - yes I said it! - I wouldn't be able to get them again).
"A diplomat is a man who always remembers a woman's birthday but never remembers her age. "- Robert Frost
My plan from oz/nz was to see the wider world, meeting old friends, making new ones and experiencing new cultures.
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine
After some soul searching about what I really want and what I have already achieved I came to the conclusion that whilst, yes, I do want to continue my travels at some point, for now I am very content right here, making a difference to our animals, research, clinic patients and school children. Of all the places I have ever worked, here I work with the most passionate people and really see the difference on a day to day basis, as you live and work on the project. I finally feel like I am in the right place, I feel I actually, really make a difference and that inspires me.
"Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm. " - Abraham Lincoln
"Find a place inside where there's joy, and the joy will burn out the pain. "- Joseph Campbell
In the last few days we have gotten a great grant in of around 50,000 Euros for our clinic, which made me so happy. In case any of you were wondering, we have also raised over N$623,000 in our emergency appeal for the burn victim / hero who I told you about a few months ago, and undoubtedly (between all the donors and supporters) saved his life, we have also recently won a couple of awards for the work we do, and our projects go from strength to strength.
"I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him. " - Abraham Lincoln
Aside from the 'should I stay or should I go?' question the other thing that has made me reflective is producing our strategy for 2013, here is not the place to share the details (yawn for you!), but with so many new projects and finally a nearly full team in place we will be able to achieve - and we all know how I like to make lists and tick things off!
At a time when you are assessing things backwards (the past) and forwards (the future) and meeting a few other people who are doing the same, it can challenge your perception of yourself. Generally I never feel satisfied with my achievements and am always pushing to the next goal, however someone recently encouraged me to look back on the last few years and consider what I really have done and it's surprising - you really should try it sometime! Between several charity events, climbing the Great Wall of China (x2), completing the Yorkshire 3 peaks (that nearly killed me!), swimming across Windermere, moving to Africa (which was less scary that moving to London!), getting several jobs which I loved at the time, raising around 2.5million for charities through work and personal goals, completing an MA, seeing some amazing part of the world and picking myself up from tough times, there are a few things on that list. I have to say though, some of my most unusual experiences have to have come from where I am now - hand rearing two baby zebras and a baby donkey, being able to recognise their footprints anywhere on the farm and having an amazing bond with them...
Franks - day one
Cuddles with Dons the feisty donkey
...saving a drowning sheep, filming with a certain welsh hottie from T4 ( and actually being more interested in the San culture and what they had to share!- well most of the time), bottle feeding warthogs, snuggles with a baby baboon (only one, the rest aren't so keen!), seeing cheetahs, leopards and hyenas (who without our intervention may have remained captive or would have been shot) released to be free again,
seeing small children educated
and needy patients treated, working with big names and seeing my pics, work (and my baby donkey) on the Nat Geo website, every day brings something new and the list (of which I am eternally grateful for) and that list goes on and on.....
....Your time on earth is limited, make the most of it, follow your dreams and your heart - even when you feel like there is no hope and you simply won't be able to achieve. Because if you are in the right place for you, you won't be able to do anything other than achieve.
Live extraordinary.
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