Climbing Kili
Did you know that I've joined 23 women to summit Kilimanjaro in September? I often get asked if this adventure has been on my bucket list, or 'why are you doing this'?
I had to really think about my why. It is kind of a big deal, and I didn't take it lightly. But what made me say yes?
What I've determined is that there is no one reason in particular, it's a thousand reasons that I wanted to share in this post. I know, this isn't financial news, but maybe you'll relate a little bit so some of these 'why's'.
#1: I want to be limitless!
As I get older, I've noticed that my comfort zone is shrinking, and if you know me, you know that I'm usually quite adventurous. But add over 20yrs of life lessons, and I've gotten quite comfortable. Once I became a mom, my tolerance for risk plummeted, I worry about staying safe so that I can be there for my son and I don't want him to grow up without me. The biggest blow to my adventurous streak was my T1D (Type 1 diabetes) diagnosis almost 9yrs ago. I'm pretty sure that I went through all the stages of grieving my previously free spirited self and accepting my new reality of constantly being under scrutiny. Every action I take (or don't take) has an impact on my health. Having to explain myself in certain settings, wether it's my food choices or having to slip out for insulin has also widdled away at my free spirit. So! This challenge is for me to know that I can do hard things, and nothing can stop me. Don't worry, I talked to my doctor and he's thrilled I've accepted this climb!
#2 Get back to me
Similar to the limitless mentioned above, I want to remember what it's like to enjoy my own company. Every day life of being a mom, wife, entrepeneur, puppy lover and owner of all the things, has gotten away from me and I've stopped doing things for myself. I realized a short time ago that I do very little for myself in fact. We will be climbing for several hours each day with varying types of terrain and oxygen. There's likely going to be a lot of time to spend with my own thoughts on the climb, or in my tent. My goal is to do some journaling along the way too, I'm not a huge fan of journaling overall but I think it may be really enlightening. Although, they say when the air gets thin that you get a bit loopy, so maybe that'll be hilarious to read what happens when pen hits paper combined with altitude sickness.
#3 Experience of a Lifetime
This really is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Yes, it's expensive. Yes, I'm super nervous! But, I'm ready for this and hope to come back feeling more empowered than ever.
These are my 'whys' behind this big adventure and I'm hoping to use them to help me on our annual JDRF (Juvenille Diabetes Research Foundation) fundraising initiatve to cure diabetes. The 2023 SunLife Walk to Cure Diabetes is creeping up on me this year! The Wishart Warriors are back and we only have 3 weeks to reach our goal!
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