It’s common to hear people say they were going to do something they really wanted to BUT….
The “but” word has a lot to answer for! It stops people doing what they truly want to do…BUT it doesn’t have to!
On this day last year I awoke to an incredible sunrise overlooking Loch Ness.
What a sight! Opening the tent and thinking wow!
The beginning of the story, however, was filled with lots of “BUT” thoughts.
The forecast for the day was heavy rain every hour all day and night. Looking out the window of the living room confirmed it was a miserable day. I had read it was a muddy path all the way to the summit of Meall Fuar-Mhonaidh and with the heavy rain all day it wasn’t going to make for a pleasant walk in.
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I had never wild camped before.
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I have never been camping alone before.
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I had never camped on a hillside before.
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I had never walked with all my camping gear on my back before.
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I had never done the walk before.
As you can imagine, I had a lot of anxious thoughts dive bombing about in my head – for starters, am I mad?
That day I decided I wasn’t going to say “I really wanted to do my first solo wild camp but…”. Instead I was going to say “I really wanted to do my first solo wild camp so I did”.
And so off I went!
Believe me, it was heavier than it looked!
You can see Meall Fuar-Mhonaidh in the distance… Not looking like the weather was going to be particularly enjoyable.
I can still remember how I felt on the walk in – ecstatic, free, proud and empowered.
It rained the whole walk in. It rained the entire time I put the tent up. It rained all evening. I couldn’t have been happier! I was wild camping! Solo wild camping! I had done it! Words cannot express how happy I felt. Cookie, my dog, stole my camp mat very early on and so I spent the night on the tent floor, with no insulation or protection from the stones and prickly heather. It didn’t matter, not in the slightest. I felt on top of the world.
The next morning, just as the forecast had predicted, it was glorious, clear sky and sunshine.
The final walk to the summit blew my mind. Not in my wildest dreams could I have hoped for a better view.
If I had waited for the perfect weather I would have missed the opportunity. 12 days later, totally out of the blue, my adventure buddy Cookie died. You never know how many opportunities you will have in life. Lots of people look back and think “if only I had just gone for it”. Sadly, we can’t rewind the clock and make “if only’s” a reality. All we can do is seize the moment when we can.
If there is something you want to do, make it happen. Do it. If there are obstacles in your way find solutions or a compromise. Don’t let the word “but” come between you and the things that matter to you.
Written by Julia Donald at Cognitive Vitality Psychotherapy in Inverness.