Its Tuesday. Yes I know I said I would post on the weekend. I didn't. Sorry. But I'm here now, so every cloud etc etc *smiley face*
As I left you on Friday I was not a happy chappy. I was over the week, the challenge and pretty much everything else in general. I went to bed after writing with the intention of sleeping until midnight and then going out for coffee. I did sleep but it wasnt quality sleep. I kept waking up and every time I checked the clock about two minutes had passed. It was, quite possibly, the longest six hours of my life.
At 11.40pm I got up and headed to a garage I knew would be open which also sold real coffee. I knew it was approximately a 20 minute drive and it was better that I was doing something than just lying there. As I came off the motorway and dropped down the hill the midnight news came on the radio and I knew I'd made it. A minute later I turned into the garage forecourt - just as every police officer in central Auckland decided to go on their break.
There were six police cars in front of me and as I parked another three drove in behind me. I found myself at the back of a queue of 18 people all ordering coffee. I looked across at the barista and realised the poor chap was all on his own, so I wandered off and found a seat in the corner and waited for my coffee to be made whilst trying not to look like a junkie waiting for his fix. At 12.25am on Saturday morning I posted the following pic to FB and took my first sip of coffee since Sunday evening...
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The rest of the weekend was one of recovery. The caffeine played havoc with my body clock so I was up early Saturday but by the time I met a friend for brunch (she too had undertake the BTL challenge) I've done all my laundry, been grocery shopping, wandered around the mall and replied to all mails from the night before. Saturday afternoon I spent shopping with another friend and by the time the evening came around I was shattered.
Sunday I spent with my parents. My parents have been so supportive of the BTL challenge - checking in on my progress every day (they even followed me on here) and just before the end they topped up my donations to allow me to reach my final target of $1000. It was nice to be able to share a quite stunning roast lunch and just spend the day catching up with them.
Come Monday it's back to work and the BTL week begins to fade as the reality of this week hits home. It's one of the most hectic weeks of the year and honestly if the BTL challenge had been this week I doubt I'd have coped. But with my blood:caffeine ratio returning to normal, things are much easier. Its a shame how quickly things do fade, and as I made tea this evening (spaghetti bolognaise) I could help but smile as I used the leftover half tin of tomatoes in the sauce.
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"Would I do it again?" is something I've been asked several times over the last few days. To be honest... no I wouldn't. As I said right from the start, one of the motivators for me was the challenge itself and I've ticked that off the to-do list. I know what I would do differently, how I could make it easier but I dont feel any great drive to repeat the experience. Nor experience the sciatic pain!
However on the other side of the challenge at 1.53pm this afternoon my phone went ding as a gmail arrived. Some kind anonymous soul had donated $100 to me and left a nice supportive message. Now although the anonymous bit drives me a little nutty (quite possibly they knew it would!) , the donation was amazingly generous and I do wish I could thank them personally. If they happen to read this - thank you.
Being able to do something worthwhile for others has been hugely rewarding for me - and I intend to continue to support and participate in other events more frequently in the future. The challenge itself was an eye opener - I don't say it was hard, but it was revealing. In many ways (like a number of other moments in my life) its an experience that I suspect will take a while to process and that I will continue to learn from it. But for now life has returned pretty much to normal as the day-to-day distractions return but its something I am very pleased to have done and I am proud of the outcome of my efforts.
My final thanks goes to everyone who did support me during the challenge. To those that sponsored me so generously, and those that put up with me last week - you are all wonderful people and I couldn't have done it without you. *hugs*
