Day 17: Ferry to Picton and FINALLY Some Rest
It's ferrytime!
Some of us enjoy ocean views and others of us sleep a lot.
After nap time at our hostel in Picton, it's happy ice cream and donut time!
Now I have a brief rant because at our hostel we talked to several other travelers, one of which was a friendly Swedish cyclist with great legs and conversational ability. In contrast, we also were talked at by a condescending American couple from Connecticut (who felt the need to explain that Connecticut is one of the smaller states on the east coast. Um, I'm an American and I went to 5th grade. I know where Connecticut is.)
They were pointing out all of the issues with cycling in NZ--the busy roads, the hills (wow, 1500km and I'm glad you're here to point this out now #lifesaver) They questioned our ability to ride up the mountain passes. "Are you guys fit enough to ride those?" They ask.
"Well, if riding for 8-10 hours a day for 16 days from Cape Reinga doesn't prepare you, I don't know what will," I respond.
"Oh but this island is different than just riding down the coast."
At this point, I just get up and leave to settle down and get some cake the hostel is serving. When I come back, they are being know-it-alls about the sandflies and bugs and how no bug repellent works here. I am so over the conversation.
With people like this, I initially feel myself getting defensive but I am practicing to remind myself that I don't have anything to prove to people. And what does it say about them that they have to take a big crap on other people's plans? Truly. This must be the dialogue they carry in with themselves every day. How self-defeating!
My takeaway, despite still feeling a little 😡, is that there will ALWAYS be naysayers and critics who try and tear down those in the arena. There will always be risks to every dream, difficulty and hardship in every challenge we undertake. So if we wait for those things to be gone before starting on a journey, we will be waiting forever. No one likes to be discounted in their efforts and ability but I don't regret putting myself in the arena. I know I will struggle, ideal conditions or not. That is not news to me and by accepting this reality and embracing it, the struggle no longer deters me from trying my hand at what may at times feel impossible.
I still have mountains to climb, fears to face, and many more kilometers to ride and scoops of ice cream to eat. But at the end of the next few weeks, I'll be somewhere different from where I started and I'll be a better person for it.
If you are listening to the Debbie Downers in your life, stop it. If you have a Debbie Downer inside yourself, practice giving her a hug and distracting her with a donut while you get busy making plans. Life is too short to hold back out of self doubt and fear. Come check out the arena, you'll be in good company and we always have cookies 🍪.