Expedition notes 5: Insights while running 400km

Though there is a time lag between taking notes and publishing them, I tried to keep as much as possible of the original spontaneous writing and thought. And in this form, they are still only notes which are waiting to be worked out and potentially be an inspiration for future scribings.

The end of this incredible journey was just as it should be — difficult and challenging. It was raining for three days. And I will be followed by rain in the last stage. But, there wasn’t any other choice but to finish by the schedule since giving up was not an option. My wife accompanied me; we started running this last stage, from Niksic to the Ostrog Monastery. Initially, the road was flat, and the rain was light. When we were on an ascent, we entered the fog, and a thunderstorm started, and rain poured. Not pleasant at all. It could be frightening. However, we continued without hesitation. Sometimes we had to walk, but most of the time, we ran, often through the torrents of water flowing from the mountain. We changed our clothes upon arrival since we were completely wet and wanted to enter the sanctuary. While waiting in line to bow the relics, the sky cleared, and the sun warmed us. And the meeting of the relics of the saint, well, it is rather personal.

Without the intention of finding any mystical meaning to this last stage’s experience, I am glad that all these circumstances supported the leitmotif of this journey — giving up is not an option. Of course, the religious interpretation of these and other omens is possible. Still, I want to believe that it is built into the reliving experiences throughout the journey — an interplay between thinking, feeling, and experiencing.

I planned everything. Well, almost everything. And these missing pieces left to chance are a special kind of thrill. Like I am intentionally putting myself into challenging and uncomfortable situations. Or more like consciously cheating myself so to let the possibility of some moments of uncertainty appear. Too abstract? Actually, it’s not. Though I planned the route, I didn’t really check whether all roads were passable or did they exist at all. So when I got to such roads and encountered a puzzling situation, I enjoyed resolving them. I had to read maps, find alternatives, estimate which option was better, decide, and choose one, albeit not knowing whether it was the best choice. It was a relying on previous experiences and the skill of learning on the way.

So, this one is a big adventure. Planning, training, collecting necessary info, and equipping oneself takes time and effort. But it is usually enough to have from time to time small adventures and challenges. It nudges us out of our comfort zone, but not too much. Just sufficiently to change our everyday routines so we can make a story (or stories) of it. As we live in a collection of stories, we tell each other. I sincerely hope that my adventure will inspire at least one person to pursue any experience. Yet there is also a practical element in having adventures of any kind. It Is nurturing an interplay between thinking, feeling, and experiencing, as well as practicing the skill of learning by doing.