Massy

It's been quite some time since I wrote my first blog post. Some three plus years in fact.

How time and life flies by hey!

I recently read the bog post by "The Donk", what a lovely, captivating read that was. Such a shame I don’t have the ability to comment directly, so I say here, well done sir!!!.

Some people here, only a couple, are aware that I have had my health problems over the last few years, not something I am going to dwell on in this post, as it's private, but it is the reason why I feel like writing :}.

I've always been a very active man, so suddenly being I'll and not being able to do the things I love to do has been very hard on me at times.

As a young man I was a boxer and Martial artist. As a boxer I was unbeaten and offered a pro contract, which I turned down!, silly young man :{.

In martial arts I was one of the very first PKA fighters in the UK back in the 70's and was a member of the English Karate Squad having picked up Silver in the British Championships at Crystal Palace in the late 70's.

Later in life I found a huge amount of comfort in long distance running, mainly because the activity was very thought provoking. I ran the "London marathon", "The Great North Run" and experienced something very special to my heart when I ran in "The Brent 10K" to raise funds to send our athletes to Atlanta way back in the 90's. That day will stay with me forever, the thrill of running towards the twin towers at Wembley Stadium, all alone, no one within 200 yards of me, and hearing the cheers as I entered the stadium to run around the pitch and finish in front of the Royal Box was incredible. I cherish the medals I have and some of the lovely photo's.

The peace I found in running and the love I had always had for the great outdoors took me in a different direction one day.

My dear friend told me about his first rock climb at Ben Nevis, and the peace and solitude he experienced. Before long, I was at it too, and within a month I was totally hooked, going away every 3/4 weeks climbing some new crag in England or doing longer trips to the Welsh valleys or The Highlands of Scotland. How I cherish those moments, and so long for them to return. Sadly, I have had to live up to the fact recently that they never will.

Please don’t get me wrong, This is far from a sympathy post, in fact, the complete opposite, trust me :}

So back to now, rather than my bygone years.

There comes a time when you just learn to deal with it, whatever it is, and you move on. That desire and passion you had for one thing yearns to be let loose on something else, and be let loose it will!.

I'm about to embark on a new chapter in my life, and feel all the enthusiasm I did when I stepped into a ring all those years back, the thrill of lining up with thousands of other runners and the peace and solitude of climbing.

I guess the moral of my post, is that life does not just start when we are born, we can all restart at any time. Do something new at any given time if we so choose., just as I am now in my life.

Go forward my friends, cherish the memories, the photo's, the medal’s and be glad you were able to do those things, many people have never been able too!!!.