The year is almost over, so which of your New Year’s resolutions have you achieved? A friend had me in stitches when she recounted how she had almost been airlifted to hospital after attempting (and failing dismally) to hike all seven of the Ngong Hills.
To her credit, being a first-time hiker, she at least made it to hill four, but by then she was as good as dead and had to crawl back to her car. I pointed out that her first rookie mistake was choosing Ngong Hills for her first hike.
If you’re a beginner, I said, it’s better to start with picturesque sites that have some tree cover, a stream or waterfall and, more importantly, manageable trails.
Ngong Hills is normally hot and discouraging, especially in hot weather. If you’re a beginner and you end up hating hiking because of it, it’s not worth it.
As you can imagine, after that bad experience, my friend immediately crossed hiking off her list of good intentions, and no matter how many times I’ve tried to convince her that there are better places she would enjoy, she won’t listen.
She is now learning how to swim, and even though her first lesson involved breathing in pool water that had her nose and eyes burning, she is determined to achieve this one, since she has been unable to find a pool that works without water.
I once used to make resolutions at the beginning of the year, and would craft these long ambitious lists that, if achieved, would have easily made me qualified to be the president of the world, if there was such a title. What this did was place undue pressure on me, and by the time December was rolling in, I would feel like a failure because in having tried to achieve all 99 goals, I had achieved none.
I was like the proverbial greedy hyena that tried to attend two parties at the same time, only to split into two because it was impossible.
After that disastrous year, two years ago, now I simply focus on one goal, two if I have a concrete plan that will lead me there.
This year I was feeling ambitious, so I wrote down three. I’m proud to say that I have set one in motion, and since the investment is significant and the sacrifice taxing, I cannot afford to drop the ball.
As for the second one, I am working hard to achieve before the year comes to an end.
I will tell you about the third. And I am sheepish as I write this. I had all the intentions of taking up hiking once again this year because it is something I immensely enjoyed when I was younger.
Unfortunately, I am yet to embark on a single hike, (thanks to the spirit of laziness) therefore it was deceitful of me to laugh at my friend when she talked about her bad experience. But the year is not over yet, and I keep telling myself that I should take the advice I dished out and start out with a gentle hike.
If you’re planning any hikes that would be easy on my knees and lungs, given that I haven’t hiked in years, please get in touch. This way, I might just achieve all three of my New Year’s resolutions.
On a serious note, what I’ve learned this year is that it only takes one step to set in motion the process of achieving your dreams.
If you don’t take that step, the likelihood of that thing remaining just a dream is high. Put your fears aside and take the plunge. I promise you it’s the best feeling in the world. Incidentally, someone told me the other day that I’m oozing wisdom nowadays.
