Into the west and the Unknown
There is an ancient Chinese proverb that says when a man awakens in the morning, he is presented with two daily choices – when looking west, he will experience darkness and gloom and east, sunrise and joy. The choice as to which way you wish to travel is yours.
I have looked at this proverb from many angles, sat late at night toying over the direction that this new journey is going to take and guess what, it is straight West!
I feel that no matter what direction one chooses to travel, if you have the correct reason, mindset and dedication to what you are trying to achieve you will bring sunshine and joy to the journey.
That’s exactly why we are going west. Through Fresenius medical and kidney care we are going to bring joy to the youth suffering from kidney disease. To let them know that there is help out there!!
As we depart into the mountains in last grasp of the cold winter, a few thousand km later we will enter the hot desert, unrelenting sun and wind. Our minds will have the lingering memories of the east, the coastal currents that sweep warm water down the coastline creating pleasurable living conditions, where people are drawn to settle en masse. The lush green landscape creates a striking beauty in contrast to the harsh dry desert that lies ahead. But don’t be fooled as below all this beauty there is also a treacherous side as the coastline is littered with shipwrecks from the powerful currents and the ocean angered by prevailing wind and cyclones.
As we head up into the mountains, they will come to symbolise the unknown and the future. Standing tall as the eternal question of, “What lies ahead?
What is in store for us?” This is what grips me, gives me a zest for life, and inspires me to find out what lies beyond that horizon.
I remember a few nights ago as I lay awake playing the journey over and over in my head. I found it interesting to see how I reacted to the uncertainty of the journey lies ahead. Even though I have some previous knowledge of what lies ahead. It was strange what the nature of these reactions were; nervous, frightened in a way. What was it that I was looking for that would allay these fears?
We always seem have this need to be cautious, seek advice, try and pre-plan everything, in a way try and look into the future, finding comfort in first-hand knowledge to ease the fear of the unknown as we head out.
I have been through this on so many occasions before, but it is never the same, it always seems to be the opposite. Mark my words everything is always going to be different. Bring on the uncertainty, the future is ours to create.
