I’ve been in Australia for five weeks now, and the time has just flown by. In these weeks I have only managed to tick off two more goals, and am now somewhat behind schedule. Today is the end of week 87, and I have achieved 82 goals so far – five goals adrift! And in the next four weeks I only expect to achieve a further two goals.
I fly tomorrow morning, Easter Monday, to India, then onward on Tuesday to Kathmandu in Nepal. I have a couple of days there, then fly on Thursday to Lukla, and begin a 17-day trek in the Himalayas to see Everest, hoping to visit Everest Base Camp.
Obviously, spending a total of three weeks on one goal is not really going to help me to catch up, but this is something I have really looking forward to doing for a long, long time. I could take the easy, quick option of a scenic flight from Kathmandu around some of the peaks, snap a couple of pictures of Everest, and then charge onwards, the goal of seeing Everest achieved in one day.
But that’s not how I want to do this one, and that would just be ticking a box on a list, not achieving what it is that I really want to achieve. Ultimately, I think, the journey is all about the adventure and experience, not just ticking things off for the sake of it!
This morning I was up early, with a huge list of stuff that I need to do. The first job was to get some laundry out, just as it was getting light, and then prepare the garage for the big sale I had planned. I had an advert in the Sunday paper, and signs made to put out at the junctions close to the house.
Things went well, and although it is hard sometimes to see stuff go at such low prices, I kept reminding myself that this was all stuff I was never going to see again anyway, if it had all sold on eBay as planned originally.
The first couple of hours were pretty busy, and when I got the chance I packed more stuff into the shed. By lunchtime I had sold over $450 worth of stuff. Marvellous!
I spent the rest of the day sorting and packing, and in the evening dropped the remainder of the stuff I didn’t want to keep at the local charity shop. I packed the rucsac again, and was ready for off first thing in the morning. Next stop Nepal.
I have had a wonderful time here with Marty, Carol, Bella and Maxine, and can’t thank them enough for their hospitality and support. It is with a little sadness that I leave Perth again, unsure now when I will be back, and even if I will ever call this place “home” again.
But I am also excited about the possibilities that the future holds for me.
To quote from the final lines of one of my favourite all-action movies: “The unknown future rolls toward us. I face it, for the first time, with a sense of hope.” (Although this isn’t really the first time I have felt a sense of hope!! I just like the quote!)
