The Wanderer by Callie Roos, motivational speaker and author
Part 23 of 73
The others were probably nearly there. As I started walking, I felt strong. I made haste into the dark night. Later on I learned that several of the others packed it in that night. The thorny bush made them give up during that night of the eleventh day. For them it was a thing of the past. The let-down, the disappointment were simply too great. That is probably what the game is all about to be able to continue when all the odds appear to be stacked against you.
Maybe that is what life is all about too. Maybe this is one of the secrets? "I did check in late. The instructor was impatient but not unkindly so. I rather liked him, more than the others. I got the feeling that he knew intuitively that I had to go on, complete the course. Again he made me cross a standing pool of water. Up and down, up and down. He shot off a few rounds into the ground next to me while I was leopard crawling along the sandy path. The gravel sand scattered into my eyes. The pack on my back was wet and heavy, dragging me down. Maybe he just wanted to show who was boss.
It did not bother me. He was doing what he had to do. Underneath it all I was extraordi- narily calm; a calmness I cannot describe. I had discovered my true strength. He packed up his stuff, climbed into the Land Rover and drove away down the gravel road. 'You will have to move your butt,' he shouted. I smiled. Then I spotted it again. I am sure that he also knew I would finish.