Day 07 – Aosta / Geneva (250 km by Taxi, Walking, Bus and Train)
The “graduate” from Walking Mentorship know that the last day is not an easy day. Never been and never will. The intensity of the week, pushes to the extreme the normal boundaries of time, making it malleable and elastic, a skill we all dominate when we were kids but lost as we grown up.
When we manage to expand time, we also refresh our capacity to trust in other people and the ability to dream, something adults tend to avoid for different reasons. Once a participant (credit to Claudia Pfister) referred to the program as an honeymoon with your soul, I couldn’t say it better.
Our week in the Alps is about to finish, life does not wait, it keeps happening dynamically and whatever we don’t manage to live in a certain day we will never get it back, and today was no exception.
During the route, while stopping at the Grand Saint Bernard, one of the persons responsible for the Auberge gave me a “present” to share with the group. That same evening was very different from what I planned and once again challenges seem to be undercover opportunities, again and again nothing really happens by chance.
Because of a last-minute change in the bus schedule from Aosta we end up going again to the pass and wait for three hours for another Bus to take us down to Martigny and afterwards to Geneva.
Once we arrived, the weather at the Col seemed almost taken out of a movie, the Skies were deep blue with small fluffy clouds to help us build perspective, and above all there was no wind, a rare moment at such altitude. We had time, so I decide to stop under the statue of Saint Bernard de Menthon at Mountjoux. And there I deliver the “present” to the group.
I had seven chocolate bars, one for each. Now Imagine that each person is a chocolate, with a unique flavor, texture and set of ingredients. You can decide to eat the all bar in your hands and most likely be happy in the end but you can also decide to do it differently. If you share what you have, giving away little pieces and in return receive other flavors, you will end up with an endless combination of possibilities.
By giving away what you have you create a totally new chocolate bar, which is unique, diversified, way more interesting than the initial and above all, everyone that shares gets the same augmented experience, everyone gets more by giving.
Today is the end of this journey, but also the beginning of a new one, each of us will return home with a refined action plan and plenty of new things to do, improve and share. It is also clear to me the incredible mixtures of flavors and experiences that each one brought to the group, making the whole greater than the sum of its parts.
Without saying a word, the most powerful “picture” of the week was crafted at the top of the mountains.
I look forward to walk with you again.
www.walkingmentorship.com
