“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”

(Attributed to Goethe but in fact by William Hutchinson Murray from his 1951 book The Scottish Himalayan Expedition)

This quote is important to me because when you take a risk in your life & do something that doesn’t follow the status quo, inevitably the naysayers fling their doubts at you. “You’re crazy” “I’m afraid for you” “You’ve come undone” “You’re risking your life” All these I have heard as I plan my pilgrimage walk. You’d think I was planning to walk across Afghanistan!

I have to filter these comments, and set them against what my experience has been, when I’ve been on the road alone. I compare the two, just to be sure I am not crazy. And then I have to make a concerted effort not to take on their fear. I want to learn to embrace the higher power, I want to leap and trust that the net will appear. It is not easy to hold that energy, that approach to life, to the world. Fear and doubt are powerful. They will take up residence inside of you very quickly if you open your door an inch to them.

I am not religious and I don’t know how to pray. But I am glad I’ll be staying in monasteries. With so much prayer expressed within those walls, for so many centuries, the energy is one of faith and trust in a higher power. Grant me the ability to open my heart to that energy.

I met a man called Jim on the Slow Travel forum. He is an experienced backcountry, long distance hiker. He reassured me by emailing me this note:

“There are some key elements to being a successful solo hiker…..introspection to make all that time on the trail of value to you; resilience in being able to overcome the hardships; and a sense of adventure to make it all worthwhile….in a scan of your blog it certainly appears that you have all three.”

He also sent me a quote by Teddy Roosevelt:

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”

Jim then went on to say:
“I would apply this to the people who have told you this is not doable, too dangerous, etc. You have succeeded just by committing to the trip, regardless of the outcome which, I am fully confident, will be nothing short of a full rejuvenation of body and spirit.”

While many of my friends have been encouraging, it is interesting that some people I know well have said nothing about my trip, have not responded at all. And here is this man I have never met, taking the time to send me so much encouragement and to develop a belief in me, to where I feel held. If he holds, as he says he does, the completely confident thought, that my journey will be “a full rejuvenation of body and spirit” then I feel held. I feel held in the love and light which is at the core of each of us and at the core of the universe.

We don’t have to run around bombing each other, hating each other, creating negativity. We don’t have to do it. We have a choice. And I don’t know why this is so hard for human beings. All we have to do is change our thoughts. All we have to do is invite love in, keep our hearts open, and see the humanity in others, not just in those who are like ourselves, but in those who are different.