Week 26 - Middle of the Year Already?

24 Jun - 30 Jun: Keep on Trekking: the view's worth it.

That's me in the red shirt, strolling through the middle of nowhere with a bunch of people, afew I know well, the majority I don't.  We had a purpose, and we had to tackle this terrain on foot to achieve it.

It's a formidable landscape.  It was hot.  The boab trees, or upside-down trees, aren't much good for shade.  The spiky acacias are worse.

It look us some time to reach the top of the plateau, but the view was worth it. 

We could see the crocodile-infested river weave through the brown land to the south.  It looked as innocent as a stream of chocolate milk pouring from a jug, but it is a tough river with extreme tidal influences.  Okay, so the bit about the crocodiles may sound melodramatic, but it's true.  On a separate occasion I saw a wallaby disappear from the water's edge: it was drinking; there was a splash, and then it was gone.

So now we're half way through 2012, and I am far from that place... physically.  Mentally, my attempts to learn the craft of writing my own way, has been a little like that day in the bush.  I remember 'just writing' and how effortless it was.  That was me walking along in anticipation of the majestic view.  The going was a bit rough, but not too taxing.

But now that I've bombarded myself with rules and reasons, and considered the opinions of so many others that sometimes I have difficulty pinpointing my own, I'm starting to think about that big climb that will give me the view. 

For the next six months, I will continue to read the landscape, and I will continue to listen to others on a similar or connected journey, whether they be friends or strangers.  But most of all, I will test my footing along the way, trip over and stand up again, have a rest when I need it, and I will get to the foot of the hill prepared for the upward trek.  The crocodiles won't go away, but with enough height, I know I can see past them.


Exercise 51.  This week I will revisit the writing goals I set in week 1.  I will give myself a pat on the back, for some... with a cattle-prod, for others.

Exercise 52.  Spend the next hour at least, doing something that targets a writing goal.  Keep trekking, the view's worth it.