Acceptance

I was thinking. Some friends/colleagues are enjoying this enforced time out. Others are not. Whether this helps anyone I don’t know?

Occasionally my expeditions have created considerable anxiety. So what did I do?

Eventually I’d worry myself to a low point and realise the buck stopped with me. Then I’d have two choices, either accept the situation and calm myself - or take action. One night, on the climb out from Hercules Inlet in Antarctica, the katabatic wind speed reached 100mph. Even with the snow-wall my tent was being stretched to its limit. Survival outside was near impossible. I could only accept the situation, so I was determined to calm myself down by putting earplugs in my ears, diminishing the scream of the maelstrom.

Another tight spot saw Mike and I marooned on an ice flow in the Arctic Ocean. Again, building anxiety reminded me; the buck stopped with us. This time the choice was to take action. Using a shovel we severed a chunk of ice from our stranded flow and used it to make a stepping-stone to safer ice. Sometimes our darker moments bring out the best in us. I always say either accept the situation - or take action, because action cures fear.