The last months have been hard, very hard. I am not sure about you, but my body has been asking for a rest for quite a long time. After redesigning a few times the plan for the year, I found a way to scope a couple of weeks of vacation before getting back to the road again.
For many days, I visualized myself, seated by the pool or cooling my feet on the Ocean with a fresh drink in one hand and a book on the other. I also imagined myself working intensely on the book I am writing about the Walking Mentorship.
Time flies and week by week, I repeated my mantra from morning to dawn; I want to stop, I need a rest.
At the beginning of August and after a long waiting, we resume our mentoring programs. The first group of parents and kids after the pandemic seemed like a blessing, and indeed it was.
We started the week with 17 beautiful people, connecting by foot the Tagus river and the Atlantic Ocean. We cross the lines of Torres Vedras. A route filled with History about human resilience, a true inspiration for our objectives.
We end up having a little bit of everything. In-depth talks and laughs. Winter and summer weather. Freshwater and fantastic food and great discussions with old and new friends.
I felt so grateful for the endless views and the chance to clear up my (mental) health. But also the opportunity to strengthen my relationship with my youngest son, Michael, who walked with me. The final result can be watched here:
Nevertheless, every afternoon, I continued to complain, nagging fearfully about my much-needed rest.
On the last day of the week, we had a pleasant walk mainly on the coast, touching the sand barefoot. I guess we were feeling like the actors from a movie (some participant suggested the Goonies), a magnificent piece with an epic ending.
When we entered the final section of the walk, I was in front of the group with my pair. And remember to think that the view was incredible to make a video. I turned around quickly and walking backward; I pointed the camera to capture the moment.
Suddenly I felt a needle perforating my leg. For a few seconds, I could not breathe because of the pain. I looked around to find the reason for my situation, but I couldn’t see anything, I was almost sure to have been hit by a stone or a lost bullet.
My walking buddy asked me if everything was okay, but I guess my face gave him a clear answer: I was not okay. One hour later, I was on my way to the hospital to find out that I had torn my left calf. The diagnose was clear—at least two weeks of rest and crutches. The good news, everything else was okay.
On that night, returning home, I thought about all the complaining I produced non stop in the previous weeks.
Be careful what you wish for. You may get it, but not precisely in the format, you planned for.
The first week of my “forced vacation” has been a mixture of frustration and enlightenment. I did not go to the beach, did not read much, and had no fresh drinks. Instead, I took a lot of anti-inflammatories and stayed the all day with my leg on a resting position. As a result, I had the time to think about what was happening to me.
With the extra time, I end up spending more hours on social media, and maybe that helped me to start making sense of things.
When I scroll down the comments on any platform, either football, politics, or the pandemic, what emerges doesn’t smell right. To put it mildly, we have created a distillery of hate.
As a consequence, we are receiving what we have wished to one another in our own lives, which hasn’t always been good or positive by any means.
How can you change that?
Don’t wait for someone to come and tell you what to do or think! Dare to take the first step, and other actions will follow.
The moment you start moving forward, the fears, the misunderstanding, and the injustices, that have been rolling over our heads, will become more aligned with their real size. Which by the way, are much smaller than what has been promoted.
Life in itself has one sole objective, to be lived! Everything else is a plus or a minus. And you can begin straight away. Don’t wait for Monday. Become a sign of hope today!
Make a little room for peace inside your heart and near the ones around you. Wish good things to yourself and the ones you disagree with and then see the result. If there is a need for good in our History, it is now!
Suppose you lack the right environment around you. Go out into nature because there everything tends to be in balance, and you can get inspired with good and beauty, endlessly.
From my side, I will use the remaining time of forced vacations to wish good things to you and also a good recovery to me. The plan now is to rest with a fresh drink in my hand and be grateful for such a lesson, which might end up in the book I am writing 🙂
PROGRAMS
If you are ready to take the road less traveled, check the upcoming dates (click for + info).
– Gaia (Galicia) – 19-26 Sep (Alumni only) get in contact.
– Destination You (Camino de Santiago) 3-11 Oct (group full)
– Destination You (Costa Vicentina) 17-24 Oct (4 places)
– Slow Down (Alqueva Lake) 29 Oct-01 Nov (4 places)
– Slow Down (Rota Teresiana) 7-14 Nov (1 place)
SHOULD WE WALK TOGETHER?
Walking Mentorship is a passion project. A labor of Love that we hope helps you gain deeper insight and equips you to create a meaningful impact in your life and the ones around you. How can we work together?
At WM, we try to keep things simple by offering Online and Outdoor mentoring programs. If you’re interested, you can look into more detail on our website, or let’s walk and talk to see what is the best fit for you. Start here to schedule a call.
We have created a Patreon page to channel more energy and focus on our content. We publish weekly videos, a Podcast, and share news about the new book we are working on. You can visit the page here and choose one of the possible ways to support our activity.
Until then, keep walking with me,
João Perre Viana
Founder of Walking Mentorship
Ps* If you enjoyed the 0,00KM, please share it with others. If you received the 0,00KM from a friend, just send us your e-mail and we will add you to our mailing list.
