I’m in the final two weeks of my 49-4-49 project with four activities still to go. I have all the activities in mind and I haven’t been able (or is it willing?) to do them.
As I was travelling to Switzerland for work, I arranged with a friend there to do activity number 46 which would be paragliding at the edge of Lake Geneva. We were booked at least a month in advance ‘to fly’ the Sunday after I arrived.
As I took the train from Geneva airport the day before, my friend and I received a text saying we were still a go. As we were starting to make our pre-flight breakfast, we received a call to say that it was no longer possible to paraglide on Sunday due to bad weather. The winds were too strong for a safe flight and so it was cancelled. We were very disappointed, although not totally surprised, as we had seen large trees at sea level swaying in the wind that morning. The organizer suggested calling back the next day to see if there was a possibility of doing it during the week depending on the weather forecast. This could have worked for me but not for my friend, as she was leaving later that day for a business trip to the UK.
The next evening I phoned the organiser to see if there was an opportunity to fly on Tuesday (the only day I could make due to my meeting commitments). He said it would be possible for Tuesday. I asked if I could phone him back in the morning to confirm which he readily agreed to.
That evening I pondered ‘flying’ the next day alone. I was truly torn – I could easily complete another of my activities, especially as the deadline approached and I didn’t feel good doing it alone. I talked and texted to a couple of friends about my dilemma – I often find it better to verbalize a dilemma to help myself ‘hear and feel’ what seems best for me; doing that seems to help me more than just thinking about it. My friend and I had planned to do it together, we were excited, and she had a couple of friends who were going to go with us and take pictures at take-off and landing. I recalled my trapeze experience (activity number 16). When I completed it I was on a high and I immediately wanted to share it with friends because if was so amazing, yet I had done it alone.
I phoned the organiser the next morning, and he confirmed the weather was still good so it was possible today to fly, but I declined. It didn't feel right to do it just to tick it off the list, rather than re-schedule it for another visit and do it properly with friends and photographers. On my own it would be an accomplishment, but not as fun. So it won't be on my 49-4-49 list. Instead it will be done this summer or autumn as a fun experience with friends. I will do another activity as I keep adding to the list despite the project ending in a couple weeks. The learning is: it's not just about doing something to tick it off a list, it's about choice, possibility, and sharing a connection with others, trusting what feels right, abundance, and fun.
If you would liike like to find out about changing your goals, contact life coach in London, Anne Taylor on 02031516830.
