“On a Mish” #354 Depressingly Motivating. Christchurch to Te Anau and Back Again. 25.10.2022. My approach to my injury recovery lately has been very similar to the way I go about my missions. To attempt to look at the entire journey in one go can be very overwhelming just like trying to take in every detail of an adventure in the mountains. Breaking a mission into little goals to achieve makes the outing far more rewarding, and definitely easier for your mind to digest and easier to keep your motivation levels running high. I have had to do the same with my ongoing issues, as with no end in sight I sometimes find the whole thing too much to deal with and your motivation to go on can really suffer, but like being deep in the forest or high up on a mountain ridge, this is a situation I can’t simply bail out of…
A couple of years ago (after a really challenging mortgage mission) I bought my own piece of paradise in Te Anau, and if you have ever been there then you know I made an excellent decision. Before and After buying my house I was living the dream working in paradise out in Patea / Doubtful Sound, and then that dream became more of a nightmare. Standing in a particular spot on a massive boat changed my life and forced me ‘on a mish’ I wasn’t wanting to go on. And now I tackle life like I was mid mission and getting to the next hut / mountain peak is the current goal, and the end is a challenge for another day.
One of my small goals lately has been renting out my house‘s spareroom to help pay the bills. Before my accident I got very used to living by myself but the current climate and my lack of income have put me in a position where I need to have a flatmate. Before getting someone in the room I needed to make sure the house was ready to have someone move in. The problem with that is the fact that I am about 700km away!
The plan was to drive down one day, clean up the house and property on the middle day, then hopefully find a tenant before driving back up to Christchurch. I am super lucky to have very supportive parents who have not only housed me while I sort out my medical issues, but have also helped with transport. Driving such a long distance is hell on my back and hip, so being chauffeured is extremely valuable. So the scene was set for a long drive south, but I was only focusing on getting to the first break spot. Nine hours later we made it to Te Anau and she was looking immaculate on the perfect cloudless day. “Man, I really miss this place” and now that I have arrived I can tick off part one of the four part suburban adventure.
As there wasn’t much of the day left we just focused on a feed then made preparations for our single day assault on the house and garden. Early-ish the next day we were out and about putting in the work due to the forecast of heavy rain setting in around lunchtime. As it turned out luck / the weather gods were on our side that day, and the rain held off as the spring clean went on. Part two done and dusted.
Near the end of the day I had a chat with one of my former workmates out in Patea / Doubtful Sound and BOOM I had found a flatmate, part three sorted and now it was time to head back to Christchurch. The drive back was long and painful, however the soreness was compensated by the fact that I had achieved everything I had set out to do. After getting back to Christchurch I was rather wrecked from the many kilometres travelled, but like when on a mission I was stoked with the goals created then achieved. Getting back down south and seeing how incredible the place is was a little bit depressing, but I am going to use the trip as motivation to (one day) get back down to the place I love and continue working in the environment that I belong in….
