Know what I love about life?

People. Yep, what I love about life is people. I love the vibrant kaleidoscope and un-scripted higgeldy-piggeldy of the meeting and sometimes clashing of various people's lives; especially when they unexpectedly touch mine.

Tonight, I looked around the room in my gym class and briefly wondered what everyone's story was.
The woman who stands well over 6 foot tall.
The one other male in the class brave enough to face an army of focused oestrogen.
The girl behind me, toughing out two classes in a row, on what I think may have been only her first or second time...
The woman with the stick-like figure tattoo on her forearm, a red heart in a thought bubble, that had me curious in previous classes.....

After the class, the girl with the red heart tattoo came over and said hi. We got to chatting. And wow, talk about giving someone a reality check and a sense of real perspective!

Elle, a young woman with a warm smile, showed me a photo of her 6 month old son. Quite unprompted, she shared with me how just a few years ago, she went through a traumatic time in her life - diagnosed with malignant cancer of the brain.

This touched home for me, having never, ever forgotten my time on the neuro ward at Monash hospital as a trainee medic.

Yet Elle spoke with no self-pity, nor, conversely, any sense of great achievement having beaten the cancer. She told me her story matter of factly, and shared her biggest smile when talking of her loving husband and joyful son, saying they were a true gift of life, being told she'd never have children. And she shared with me how even she sometimes forgot to live each day to the fullest.

She showed me the lump on her head, and with her expansive smile, touched on the various wigs she used and grew to enjoy. Told me of the 50 staples in the scalp she was subjected to. In case you're wondering, I did tell her that I would speak of her on my blog tonight, so I am sharing this with her consent.

She added clarity to what I'm about to do. In the grand scheme of things, what I'm about to do is not much. Let's face it. I'm trying to traverse a 963km hiking trail a bit quicker than the last bloke. Big deal!

This young woman has survived malignant brain cancer. And the thing is, every single person I meet has an interesting story to tell.

Every. Single. One.

So here's the thing. Realise you're the lead actor/actress in your own screen play, no, your own hit movie. Play the part to your utmost! Your life matters. It counts. You never know when your experience is going to positively affect someone else. I often wonder if my life ever really makes a dfference. The vast majority of the time, I reckon it doesn't. Maybe that's what drives me. I'm really not entirely sure. But every once in a blue moon someone tells me something I've done or said positively affected them. To me, that's what matters.

Live each day fully. Love totally, as unconditionally and as untouched by past grievances as you can. Reach out to someone. Anyone. Connect.

In a gym class, where each person has their own space, everyone facing forward, every move scripted to music, a young woman reached out and for whatever reason, connected with me. Something I truly appreciate.

Couldn't have come at a better time. Just found out today that two blokes are setting out the same time I am, planning to do the track in just 10 days.

Disheartening? A little. Challenging? You betcha! But at the end of the day, it doesn't really count for much. The fate of the world doesn't rest in my hands. Perspective. It's a wonderful thing. So I'll simply enjoy the journey.

Live life to the fullest. Many people think I'm nuts doing this, particularly unsupported. But when is it ever truly unsupported? I have a million thoughts, experiences, and connections with people like Elle to draw on, to support me.

My motto in life is:

Don't die wondering.

I continue to make decisions almost daily based on that motto. With less than 5 weeks to go until I set out, I'm definitely wondering if I've got what it takes. But in less than 7 weeks I'm going to know the answer to that question. Come along for the ride, and share the journey with me.