Remember why you started

Keep going

Have you ever set off and then faced challenges and thought your journey would never end? Or even wondered if you’d survive?

In 1992 I joined a team going to Romania equipped to renovate a foster home and provide training in orphanages for children with HIV. We set off in a small convoy traveling through France, Germany, and Hungary. It was a demanding journey. We drove through nights taking turns to sleep on the back seats of a minibus, we ran out of food, we spent over 24 hours in a queue at the Romanian border with attempts made to steal the aid we carried, we picked up a profusely bleeding (and drunk) man and diverted to a hospital to get him care. One night when we did stop at a hotel we were woken at 2 am by the staff as two 5 l tins of gloss paint had fallen in the lorry and were leaking over their car park. On that trip, there were many members of the team in tears and a good few rants and arguments. We did however arrive in Constanta. The journey was awful but as I look back I remember all we achieved and the fun we had. The challenging journey had been worth it. I do wish I could share some photos with you but they are buried in the attic. (I may put some up when we pack to move)

For now, here is a quote you’ve probably heard many times but it is so true:

I began drawing my ‘her little dog’ illustrations in early 2021. At that time my mental health was not good. I was receiving EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing) therapy. The therapy was hard and at times provoked nightmares. It sometimes felt worse before I began.

One day I was out for a walk and the rain had caused a huge muddy puddle leading to the style on the track. I realised to get to my destination I had to put up with the dirt and cold and walk through it. I did, it was almost to my knees! As I reflected I saw it as a metaphor for my therapy. Going through it would lead me somewhere much better.

I captured the moment in my journey. The EMDR did indeed take me to a better place.

I’d love to hear your comments or answer any questions esp about EMDR. You can comment anonymously if you prefer.