Climb for Hospice

On January 1st, 2010 I started my journey with this blog entry:

I am going to climb a mountain. Well, I’m going to walk up one, anyway.

I haven’t done anything like this before. In fact, I can probably count the number of times I’ve gone hiking, and I know I haven’t been camping more than half a dozen times. Don’t get me wrong, I know what I’m getting into. I’ve watched videos about climbing this mountain. I’ve submitted questions about the climbing of this mountain to semi-popular websites. I have bought (although not yet read) books about this mountain. I feel about as prepared as someone who listens to a song on the radio and then starts hiring roadies to prepare for a world tour.

In August of 2010, I am going to fly to Tanzania, Africa and climb Mount Kilimanjaro as a way to raise money for the Delta Hospice. The Hospice holds a very special place in my heart, and it is my absolute honour to take on this journey to fund raise on their behalf. But this will be no simple journey. Oh no, this will be a flat-out epic.

Aside from the parent-induced membership in Brownies and Girl Guides, I have managed to avoid the outdoors quite sufficiently for about 30 years. I am the anti-camper. I do not like being cold. The sound of rain drops falling on a tent is nearly trauma-inducing. I would rather be in prison than a sleeping bag. (Some of you more astute readers may be able to pick up the subtle hints I am dropping in regards to my views on outdoor life). To climb Mount Kilimanjaro means that I will need to… oh, man… camp for 10 days.

And so, purely for your entertainment, I am going to allow you into my world as I train for this adventure. For the next seven months, I will allow parts of my life to become an open book, and permit you to laugh, cry and shake your head in total disbelief as I attempt to turn myself from Robyn the Indoor Princess, into Robyn the Sobbing Mess of Outdoorsy Semi-Competence.

And so it begins…

Bring it on, Kilimanjaro!

And today, on August 12th, 2010, I am boarding that flight to Tanzania, Africa knowing that $10,000 $11, 850 has been raised (so far!) for the Delta Hospice Society.

I hiked once, twice, three times and four, five times, six times, and seven

I trained

I attempted to camp

I ate, ate, ate, and ate, and ate, ate, and happily ate, and ate, and ate, shamefully ate, ate, ate and attempted to explain sarcasm, ate, and ate, and ate, and tried to avoid eating, and thought about what to eat, and ate.

I fundraised, and had help with fundraising

I was sponsored and sponsored again

I was humbled

I remembered.

This has been an incredible journey on the way to having an incredible journey. I learned a lot about myself in these past eight months, and I learned a great deal about the power of human nature and the strength of community kindness. This whole experience has left me awed. And I am grateful for it. Thank you for letting me share it all with you. This became such a personal blog, and I’ve met some very wonderful people because of it.

And so today, I leave this blog in the capable hands of Chris, who will update it as often as he hears from me. I’m not sure how or when I’ll be able to make contact, but please know that it’s a priority for me to be able to keep you posted.

I want to thank you all so very, very much for following me and for reading this blog. It means more to me than I could ever express to know that I’m carrying your support and kindness in my heart as I scale that mountain.

And guess what?

I’m crying.

And so it begins…

Bring it on, Kilimanjaro!

xoxo

Ok, ok, ok. I know I’ve said it before, but I’m going to say it again: BETTER STILL DAY SPA KICKS BUTT!!

Yesterday, spa owner/operator Laura Gardiner presented me with a cheque to the Delta Hospice Society for $423.40 – her entire collection of tips for the month of May. Isn’t that just so phenomenally fantastic? I am still humbled by the generosity of this community, and this is yet one more reason why. A home-business making a start, and being thoughtful enough to make a donation like this. You know what? Better Still Day Spa deserves the attention, don’t you think?!

SO… if you’ve got it in your head that you need to treat yourself (or someone else!), than take it from the heart and call Laura at Better Still. You’ll be so happy that you did.

In other news…

I attended a volunteer meeting at the Delta Hospice the other night, and was given a Residence Volunteer Handbook to look through. It outlines what you’d expect: dress, decorum, scheduling, and the like. But something caught my eye and almost made me snort out loud, disrupting the meeting…

The Delta Hospice site is a lovely, well-laid out facility with gorgeous gardens. And, as you may recall, they have bunnies. Lots and lots of bunnies. They didn’t mean to have bunnies, but the bunnies did the ol’ ‘Build it and They Will Come‘ thing, and as soon as all those tasty flowers, plants and grasses went into the ground on the site, the bunnies made the Hospice their Mecca. Hoards of bunnies flowed across the street from the Leisure Centre grounds, and fluffified en masse the Hospice gardens.

Bouncing, happy, fat bunnies flit through the gardens, their bellies laden with expensive greenery planted by soon-to-be frustrated landscapers. However, the general consensus at the Hospice is this: we’d rather have bunnies than flowers. And so, the bunnies get to stay.

And as cute and snuggly as these little soft bags of bunny goo are, they tend to leave a not-s0-fantastic trail of… ummm… well… poop.

SO! In the Residence Volunteer Handbook, one of the doodies duties for volunteers to undertake  is “Bunny Poop Patrol”.  That just made me laugh like a schoolgirl when I read it. Man, I am totally going to get a jacket made for that volunteer. Instead of  saying SWAT TEAM on the back, it’ll say BUNNY POOP PATROL. Maybe I’ll donate a broom, too! One that can fit into a holster of some sort! The volunteer can swagger around like a security guard, deftly sweeping unwelcome poops off the sidewalks, before spinning the broom and putting it back in the broom holster attached to their belt.

Awwwwwwwww, yeahhh…

Wheeeeeee!

As a way to relax after a long week, I booked myself an appointment for a massage with Laura at Better Still Day Spa. Best. Idea. EVER. I am SO relaxed. Laura really is fantastic… I can’t wait to go back. I need a pedicure in the worst way.

Ali and I received confirmation yesterday from our Professional Mountain guide that he’s on board to drag our butts up Kili. Ok, maybe he didn’t say that exactly. However, he *did* tell us to go hike The Chief and The Grouse Grind more often. I think he’s spying on us somehow. Thankfully he didn’t mention anything about our post-hike snacks.

*ahem*

It’s ok Mr. Kili Guide, we’re going to be in GREAT shape when we get there, we promise!!

*coughNOPROMISEScough*

Speaking of being in shape, how about I reveal yet another raffle draw prize that will be available at The Kili Gala on June 5th?

Quick recap for those of you just joining us: Kili Gala on June 5th at the Ladner Community Centre (where the evil wonderful outdoor pool is) – a fundraiser benefiting the Delta Hospice Society and the Heart & Stroke Foundation. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased by contacting me through this site, or you can go to Open Space Yoga or Evolutions Hair Salon and purchase them there (cash or cheque only, please)… DJ, dancing, snacks, drinks, entertainment and a FABTASTICOUS raffle draw!!  100% of net proceeds go to charity, so come on out and have a great time for a great cause!

Ok… here we go…

The Kili Gala raffle draw will have three gift certificates from my FRIKKEN RAD personal trainer Cara Thien!

THREE!

Yah, you heard me… THREE.

Really??

Really.

No, really?

REALLY!

Cara is a dedicated, passionate and skilled trainer who knows exactly how to get you looking your best. She has her own in-home studio in Tsawwassen where she holds group training classes, does one-to-one personal training, and she also creates meal plans, on request, for clients that want to look and feel their best. She’s the greatest. I mean it.

The gift certificates that she’s donating are worth over $300, and even if you DID have to pay that amount, it’s totally worth it. But hey, lucky for you, these prizes can be yours if your $2 raffle ticket gets pulled at the Kili Gala.

You want to get in shape for the summer?  This is your chance. Come to the Kili Gala on June 5th, and throw some raffle tickets into the draw for this really, really, really… ummmm… really, really smashtastic prize.

THANK YOU, CARA!!

(I totally love this photo of Cara, don’t you??)

Last night I went to my first ‘Slow Flow’ yoga class at Open Space. I usually practice the more physically demanding Hatha Yoga, but my hips just can’t take it. Michael suggested Slow Flow instead, and man, was it great.

Speaking of hips, Michael suggesting stuff, and greatness…

I had my first appointment with Physio Flo yesterday morning! Florence MacDonald-Bain of Tsawwassen Sports and Orthopedic Physiotherapy (on 12th Ave) is pretty much the raddest physiotherapist on the entire planet. I think. I mean, I haven’t been to Uruguay, so maybe there’s someone there that’s better, but I doubt it. She has some sort of freaky physiointuition thing going on, and  can somehow figure out exactly where to jab her thumb, or apply pressure. Next time I go there, I’m going to bring her a cape. She totally deserves one – she’s the Super Hero of the Physiotherapy World. I’m seeing her next week, and I’m looking forward to it… that’s weird, isn’t it?

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanyway…

Last night at yoga, a lovely woman came running up to me and said, “I saw your friend today!!”

Now normally I would be confused as to who she was talking about, but given that I have had someone else say THE EXACT SAME THING to me this week, I knew who she was talking about: one of my fabulous sponsors – Laura at Better Still Day Spa.

Turns out that people are flocking to Laura’s Day Spa in Ladner, and are leaving there feeling pretty darn fantastic. I love to hear that! I’m a big proponent of people feeling relaxed and less stressed, and I really do think Laura has the best place going for that. AND in all of Laura’s awesomeness, she has made a commitment to donate all of her tips for the month of May to the Delta Hospice Society! THANK YOU, LAURA!!

This woman who approached me at yoga last night has been going through some stressful times of late, and a lot of that is related to one of her family members being diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. Of course I suggested she go to Hospice, but she was way ahead of me! She was already planning on going there. It’s wonderful to be able to have somewhere to refer people to when they are going through some of the most difficult times in their lives. Hospice just has so much to offer, from counseling to literature, from relaxation groups to a wonderful library… AND they have bunnies!

So, in honour of the lovely woman I met at yoga last night, I will now reveal the next Raffle Prize that will be available to win at the Kili Gala on June 5th – this is going to be a very, VERY cool fundraiser, you know. 100% of net proceeds are going to charity, so feel secure in the knowledge that your money is going to a very good cause. Contact me for tickets!

The next Raffle Prize is yet ANOTHER that I want to win. But since I can’t, I’m leaving it up to you to take this one home: Laura at Better Still Day Spa has donated A YEAR’S WORTH of thirty-minute massages. Oh yes, you read that right. 12 massages are on the table (pun totally intended) at the Kili Gala courtesy of the best massage artist I know. This is a prize worth nearly $500… and Laura DONATED it! Seriously, NOW can you see why I’ve been so touched (pun sort of intended) by the generosity of the people in this community??

So, if YOU want to win a year’s worth of massages, I highly recommend making your way to the Kili Gala on June 5th. Donate to charity, and get massages. Not a bad deal, eh?

xo

I’ve had a rough couple of days where I’ve struggled a bit to find gratitude. Gratitude is something I look for everyday, and usually it’s so easy to find. I mean really, who woudn’t be grateful for The Hockey Song, or aluminum foil, or the fact that you really hate the taste of Twinkies (thank god!).

On July 27th, 1999 I started something that has made a huge impact on my life. Every night before bed I write down three things that I am grateful for, in a spiral-bound journal. For almost eleven years I have spent a few minutes each day focusing on a few of the things that made my day. I’m on my 9th journal now, and I have no plans on stopping anytime soon. I’ve taken journals to Mexico, Greece, Paris, the British Virgin Islands, and beyond. I’ve even had one journal stolen out of my check-in luggage while flying to San Juan (I was so not grateful for that).

Some days it’s harder to find things to be grateful for, yes. But those are the days when I know I really need to find things that I am grateful for (things like not being a tree stump, for example). But for the most part, I have many more than just three things to be grateful for (things like the perfect pen, warm toes, and taking your bra off at the end of the day – sorry guys, you’ll just never know). There is gratitude in all things, and I learned this soon after I started the first journal. I found myself seeking out and identifying things that I am grateful for throught the day.It’s all about perspective.

Now, I’m not talking fluffy-aura-positive-fairy dust stuff here. I’m talking reality. In a hurry?

“Ooooh, green light! Sweet!”

Listening to a great song in the car?

“Ooooh, red light! Sweet!”

But for the past few days I have been fighting to find those things that are right in front of me. I’m getting mad at the journals. “What am I grateful for? NOTHING.”  *humpf* Then I unhappily pout myself to sleep.

But I wanted to share with you three things that I am grateful for today. I don’t normally share these things, but I figured I just told you about taking my bra off, so what have I got to lose? My dignity? Pfffft… riiiiiiiiiiight…

Today I am grateful for:

1. My sponsor Laura at Better Still Day Spa is donating all her tips for the month of May to the Delta Hospice!
2. My friend Uds has graciously offered to DJ at the Kili Gala, and his friend from Mir-Mor Productions has offered to lend him the sound equipment he needs,  FREE OF CHARGE!
3. My beautiful, driven, talented, relentlessly stunning friend Eran has honoured me greatly by making me this month’s “Featured Quester” on her brilliant blog The Quarterlife Quest!

Now, these are HUGE things to be grateful for. I’m used to being grateful for things like having just the right amount of milk left in the jug for my morning mocha, or finding a crumpled $10 bill in a winter coat.

There is gratitude to be found in everything. I have no bathroom ceiling right now, due to water leaks in the pipes being repaired. Could be worse, my toilet could have fallen through the floor or something. I’m struggling financially right now. But the reason for that is because I’m going to Africa to climb a mountain! My thumb nail broke off this morning. But it happened right before I hit my thumb on the cupboard door, which would have surely torn the nail instead. Ah, haaaaa… gratitude in all things.

And what are you grateful for today?

I hereby challenge you to find three things today that you are grateful for. And when you find three, you’ll surely find three more. I promise.

As for me… I am grateful for gratitude.

GREAT NEWS! My fabulous friend Laura of Better Still Day Spa has generously offered to sponsor me for this trip!

Better Still Day Spa is so cool. Really, it is. It’s a home-based business that provides high-end service in a relaxing, serene environment. Tinky-tonky spa music included!

(I am not just saying this, but Laura gives the BEST massages).

Laura and I will be working together to come up with some great promotions and fund-raising ideas in the near future. In the meantime, I will post her link to the right for when you feel you may just need to pamper yourself or someone special. The fireside pedi would be a very, very good choice!

Better Still Day Spa
(604) 946-5500
www.betterstilldayspa.com