constanttrek

NOVA Article

Add comment September 24th, 2007

This article appeared in the September 2007 issue of NOVA Magazine.

Adelaide Matters Article

Add comment September 24th, 2007

This article appeared in the September 2007 edition of Adelaide Matters.

Long time no talk…

2 comments September 3rd, 2007

I am sorry it has been such a long break between posts.  Sometimes it feels like I got off the plane, onto a merry-go-round, and haven't yet found the stop button.  But it is all good stuff, and I guess it is about time I let you know what has been happening.

Firstly, after three years of walking without any media interest whatsoever, I finally got some coverage – some of which you can see on the news section of this site.  This has largely been orchestrated by Birkenstock Australia, who have been absolutely magnificent in their support of me and my walk.  I have been doing presentations in their outlets around Australia – this photograph was taken in the Perth Subiaco B-store, where I was last week.  I was incredibly fortunate to stay with Angela, who works with Mike, the manager, in a consulting capacity – and many fine bottles of wine and a great time was had by all!  The reception at all the B-stores, and in Perth especially, has been just fantastic – they even have my old shoes on display in the window.  Poor, downtrodden things that they look….

I also spoke at a Perth luncheon – the Chick Chat, a meeting a business and entrepeneurial local women.  I found it a truly brilliant event – not only because it is sponsored by Veuve Cliquot! – and met a range of fascinating women.  There is something so warm and inspiring about being in a room of achieving, strong women – it really is a fantastic experience.

I have become more accustomed to presenting, and now I am working through an agency called Saxton's Speakers Bureau, who will handle booking me out.  It has been a huge learning curve for me to get to a point where I am really comfortable standing up in front of an audience and speaking about my walk;  it is also incredibly difficult to distill my years of walking into a forty five minute presentation.  But I find it tremendously rewarding to do, and also, to some degree, therapeutic.  

In addition to all these lovely happenings, my first book has finally been bought by Random House, and is due for release in May next year.  The second is in the birthing process just now.  I have been so close with publishing contracts over the last couple of years – I seemed so many times to get right to the point of signing, only to have it fall down over editorial or other detail.  Finally I have a publisher who is genuinely enthusiastic about my work and is not trying to change its original flavour, which has been enormously satisfying.  I have learned a lot about the way publishers work, and the final outcome has made me incredibly glad that I have stuck to my guns over the way I want the book to be.  I guess that in the end it is my story, and I want it to be told my way, rather than have it moulded and shaped to fit a genre or a particular market.  I wrote it the way I wanted it, and I still feel proud of it; so to know that it will come out as I planned is immensely pleasing.  I can't wait to see it in print next May!

I went to a luncheon with Saxtons last Friday, and the guest speaker there was a man named William Tan.  He is rather incredible; crippled by polio as a child, he has gone on to become a doctor, and, most recently, complete 7 marathons on 7 continents in one three month period – all in a wheelchair.  One of those was in the North Pole.  He has raised some 8 million dollars for charity and is, quite frankly, a total inspiration.  It did me so much good to hear him; I felt very emotional throughout his speech, and being the huge wet sock I am, found myself with tears running down my cheeks a lot. No matter how long I have been doing this for, there are still so many days when I wonder if I will ever get the money together to finish it, or how I will actually manage to put myself back in that environment and walk a further 3,700km.  Hearing William made me realise again that all of these things are just hurdles that I have overcome before, and will again; the hurdles always seem so much more insurmountable than they really are, and all it takes is just DOING it to make it happen.  

I need to remind myself of this often.  After the initial euphoria of being home, there is an inevitable downturn when all the detail of organisation – AGAIN – sinks in, and the list seems ridiculously long, and funds horrifically short.  An uncomfortable fact of this kind of expedition is that while the media may become involved, and sponsors, none of that involvement actually equates to an income for me – which means that I need to be working.  That has been the background to working up presentations with Saxtons, which actually brings in an income; but it also means that when I am putting in time to do those, or the commitments for Birkenstock, I am unable to pitch for more funding for the walk.  Sometimes, and especially as the leaving date comes closer, that can feeling daunting and distressing, and one wonders exactly where it is all going to go.

So listening to Dr Tan and realising that he has gone through that process, over and over, and also had it all happen at the last minute; that he understands how unsettling it can be having a ticket booked, but no guarantee about either the military situation or finances, was tremendously reassuring.  And I look and see exactly how much he has achieved and think – yep, Paula, you CAN do it, just hang in there.

You would have thought I'd have learned that by now; but it seriously never hurts to hear it again.  No matter what has gone before, doubts always seem to lie ahead, and "Real Life" with all its mundane concerns can be just as stressful as dealing with Tuareg chiefs and rotten guides.  More so, I often think.

But beneath all of those concerns has lain the wonderful support and encouragement I have from my Mum, my mates, and people around me.  And the enormous comfort of being in the home environs, of being able to stroll through the hills or put on a pair of skis for the day – this is just so cool and so much FUN, I love it.  I can't wait to get back and finish my walk; but I will be thinking every day of when I can finally come back to Australia, also.  Talk about rediscovering your roots – I just love it back here, not least because of the sheer magnificence of the country itself.  Just so beautiful.

 At this stage I am booked to return on October 20th.  The list is, as ever, longer than my noteboard.  But I know that it will happen; I just have to put my head down….

I really appreciate all of the emails and text messages.  I miss all of my mates in the UK and will definitely be having a beer or two on the way through – take care and I can't wait to see you all.  I will update soon and let you know how things are going, and in the meantime, take care.

 Cheers

Paula