Moving Mountains: Perspective and Possibility from Brain Injury and Vision Loss to the World’s Highest Peaks
2023
Thankful for the Canadian Concussion Legacy Foundation who asked me to share as part of their Inspiring Stories features.
Ice Fall
Once upon a chilly February morning, two eager friends raced the sun rising in Banff National Park in search of a frozen waterfall to scale.....the plot quickly twist and the happily ever after will take a minute.
Feeling Fractured
Unanswered messages, emails and texts from companies who had been ‘on my team’ as I climbed atop some of the world’s most pristine peaks, having my story withdrawn from a magazine publication and a mention of insignificance, I am human; it hurts yet with that strength, fractured, I climb on.
Acceptance and Alchemy
Letting go of what could have been and finally embracing what is, acceptance, the most direct path to inner peace, challenged me for years following traumatic brain injury which resulted in loss of 70% of my eyesight. Through what felt like endless chapters of uncontrollable events, I struggled to cultivate inner balance through acceptance.
Eye Shoulds
New shoulds, eye glasses, and response.
Craving the serenity, simplicity and solitude of life in the Himalayas, where I am disconnected yet connect deeply: inner peace should not be altered. I have work to do.
The Corona Blues
When Mother Nature sent us to our rooms, the imposition was all too familiar. Thoughts of being alone with only the voices in my head was daunting. I welcomed an unanticipated energy surge, yet nothing lasts forever. The Corona Blues are deep yet a spark flickers.
Hooked: Peace on Ice
Something powerful takes over when hanging by an axe hooked into ice, crampons and a collection of carabiners. Presence is where I find inner peace.
Falling into Place
I once thought that my TBI and vision loss meant my life had fallen apart, yet today I feel it beginning to fall into place.
Letting Go of the Trail Behind
When I create space for new possibilities, I flow with renewed courage, thankful for the strength I have learned from my scars.
Impermanence of Luminance
Heading towards a Swiss peak long before the light of day, a dark trail became a bright, reflective classroom. The teacher, a headlamp.