Monday Motivation

Hello my lovely readers! 

An extra post this week, partly to make up for missing last Wednesday, but mostly because I have two things to write about - camp and Parallel London - and they both deserve entries of their own.

Given that we are now just six days away from my 100m walk as part of the latter, its post has to come first. I could simply have waited until next Wednesday and written about it afterwards, but you have all been so supportive (in funding my walker as well as the charity donations), and I feel I should give you an update on how things have been going in terms of prep. It's also an extra motivational boost for me, hence the title.

Don't worry, though, camp will still feature slightly in this post. The week allowed me to take stock and realise how far I have progressed in the last several months. Having been ill beforehand, not only was I nervous about going on a general level, but I was wary about taking what I perceived to be yet another week off from training. It turned out I needn't have been concerned, as is so often the case, because somehow feeling slightly below par only increased my determination to throw myself at things and to use them as an alternative form of preparation. That's not to say everything was perfect, of course (my body had some silly moments, as you'll read in more detail on Wednesday), but it was well worth it and I'm so very glad I managed to go.

This shift in perspective came from two sources. Firstly, from Sam, our lovely leader, who convinced me that a couple of nights indoors didn't constitute admitting defeat, but rather that it was just what I needed to be able to get on and do some things I hadn't done for years.

Secondly, from Jamie McDonald, who came to talk to us on Thursday afternoon. Jamie has done all sorts of feats for charity, including a gruelling run across Canada, and it was a privilege to learn about his experiences. In his book, which I've just devoured (and which you should read!), Jamie writes about how there are people who plan and people who are 'naive', in that they just go with the flow and where life takes them. I'm definitely a planner by nature (albeit an idealistic one!), but my body and my Cerebral Palsy often mean that I just have to take each moment as it arrives, and I'm starting to understand that that is not merely acceptable but actually a potential asset - even if it can be mightily terrifying at times.

Yes, my training plan for this event may not have been (in the least bit) conventional, but that's okay. The things I've done over the last few months have taught me how much I have changed and grown, personally as well as in terms of my physicality. So, in the last six days before I walk, now that I've caught up on sleep after camp, I'm embracing my idiosyncrasies and treating every single movement I make as part of my final forays into training. This is a particularly important strategy, as my actual walker won't arrive until tomorrow at the earliest, which means I'm using alternative apparatus like the frame in the photo below for a little bit longer.

The perfectionist planner in me might be panicking, but I'm using the fear as fuel. After all, I said I wanted to do something outside my comfort zone this time, and I'm lucky enough to have all of you to catch me should I need it - either literally or figuratively. Your generosity (and my gratitude!) knows no bounds; having smashed my initial target of £130, we've somehow raised over £700 for Starlight, which means we'll have some very happy wish-kids.

Thank you so much for helping me give back to this wonderful charity - it means more than these rambly words of mine can say. As we are now in the final stretch before my stretch, if you know anyone else who might like to contribute, please click the widget beside this post, or send them the link here.

All my love and thanks as always,

Jx (Parallel Parrott)

Credit (C) Bev Chambers