Unprecedented Times

We know our RAW Travel family is kind and considerate and patient. We’re offering up our spare loo paper with a smile. We’re sharing our garden produce with our neighbours. We’re planting more veggies instead of panicking.

It’s unprecedented times like these where we can feel the benefits of the resilience that we’ve built up. If you’ve climbed a mountain, or trekked for hours in a day for multiple days, like most of us have, you know what resilience is.

You know what it’s like to pull on wet socks, strap on worn boots, and head out the door to climb that mountain or hike those kilometres. You know what it’s like to be as prepared as you can be. You’ve got your map, your compass, your snacks and your emergency rations. And while you may not have a map for the scenario we all find ourselves in now, you know you have the resilience that will help you get through it.

Our RAW Travel family are walkers. You’ve walked despite the blisters, knee pain, wind, rain, snow, sleet and boredom. You’ve walked though whatever mother nature has sent you. You’ve often stopped to take a break, or out of sheer frustration, and wondered if you can really do it. You’ve had everything thrown at you, but you’ve kept going. You’ve climbed the mountain; reached the destination.

SO WHAT DO WE DO NOW?

Be nurtured by nature

Despite the seriousness of the situation, nature is still with us and all around us. Here are some ways to keep in tune:

OUTSIDE

• stroll around your local park/nature reserve and try to identify the trees there – do you know what they all are? Use an app (or go old-school and use a book!) to find out
• head outside before sunrise, and take it all in in the quiet, as dawn breaks
• try ‘grounding’ – this works anywhere, even on the smallest patch of bare ground in your front yard. Simply take off your shoes and socks, stand there, and look up. It’s best at night, looking up at the stars
• consider forest therapy: it’s essentially slowing down your walk to take in the sights, scents, and feel of the forest
• take yourself for a walk on a quiet patch of beach and get your feet wet and sandy

INSIDE

• use your slower pace (and possibly fewer deadlines) to reconnect with the family who are around you
• play board games
• phone someone who you only usually text (if they’re a Millennial they might think it’s an emergency, so be prepared!)
• use a free app to call someone overseas who you’ve been meaning to call for ages. Did you meet someone on one of your overseas hikes? Now’s a great time to get in touch. What’s going on for them?
• if you’re on Facebook, join a Good Karma Network. It’s a free place where your local community members offer help and make requests.

REMEMBER

This is like a hike: focus on each step and the beauty right in the ‘now’.