Pinch and a punch for the first of the month. It’s the 1st May and today I remembered that exactly 20 years ago today I cycled out of my family home in Cheltenham to Morocco, sort of following in the footsteps of Laurie Lee’s ‘As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning’, with a bike and without a violin (I took a chess board instead). I was 24 and looking for a change, to get to know myself, get fit and improve my French and Spanish.
Over the years I have told this story hundreds of times but here’s 4 things I learned and have brought into my life today:
1) The journey is more important than the destination. When I got back after 4 months and 3k miles everyone asked me what Morocco was like… It was the stories along the way through The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain and Portugal that brought me to the destination and learning to enjoy the everyday is the key to end up where you want to. Enjoy the moment.
2) People are great. We live in a world fuelled by fear but I don’t see it. When forced to make friends and greet strangers every day it becomes overwhelmingly obvious that if you start with a smile you’re well on the way to a positive interaction. ‘Meetings’ are a skill and practice makes perfect. I now know I get a lot of my energy from conversations with people.
3) Perseverance is a muscle you can train. The days when you know you have to cycle uphill most of the day can be hard to overcome. Have a few of them and they get easier. My mantra still is ‘Uphills can bring you down but then the downhills bring you up again.’
4) Adventure. Doing something a little out of the ordinary gives you differentiated life stories, lessons and perspective. People tend to look for and appreciate new perspectives. Be different.
Thanks for indulging me on my journey down memory lane. I think I need to plan another adventure…
Charles Cadbury 