Sometimes, you just can't … It’s Out of Your Control
Walk Day 23
By Nancy
Richards, Founder Woman Zone and The Women's Library and Blocktober walker
No matter
how much you want something, nor how hard you’ve worked for it – sometimes you
just CANT. It’s Out of Your Control.
On Sunday
19th October, 24,000 runners, all set for the Cape Town Marathon
were massively disappointed. The howling midnight winds caused the organisers
to cancel, at the last minute. The wind was Out of Their Control.
Runners
from all over South Africa, Africa and the world were – well, gutted. They’d
been training for months, booked flights, paid for transport, accommodation and
were fully wired for the starters gun. Not to mention all the people who had
sweated blood to put up all the infrastructure, the stall holders and coffee
shops who had stocked up on goods and goodies. But it just wasn’t to be. It was
Out of Their Control. The whole tragic catastrophe was Out of Anyone’s Control.
But what did the runners do? Many of them took to the streets – and ran anyway.
That they Could Control.
On the very
same day, a troop of Blocktober Walkers set off from the Vredehoek slopes of
Table Mountain headed for The Blockhouse, also in the face of a wicked wind.
With back packs firmly in place, clutching water bottles and hanging on to
their hats, the crocodile of intrepid Walkers forged bravely on, fully In
Control. But for some, just a few, the wind was just Too Much. Asthma, which is
impossible to Control, got the better of them. And despite having looked sooo
very much forward to the Blockhouse hike, they just had to turn back. Albeit on
a slightly different scale, it was every bit as disappointing for them as it
was for the 24,000 would be Marathon runners. It was just Out of Their Control.
Nonetheless
– what did the Asthma Sufferers do? First, they made the brave decision to turn
back so as not to spoil the hike for the rest of the Walkers by stopping too
often or collapsing. Second, they appreciated that some things you just Can’t
Do, with no animosity, or blame. On the way home, they shared their personal
stories, no easy task for some. But whilst it sometimes feels unfair and that
some difficulties are way out of A Person’s Control, it is possible to share,
as they did, with good grace and gratitude – and how’s that for being In Control!
Quick links
- Please donate today – to make the target in October, Saartjie (SBC) needs total donations of R11 000 per day! (You can set the tip at R0.)
- More about donations
- Read other Steps for Saartjie (s4s) blogs
- Future walks
- Record your walk, run, cycle or swim in support of Blocktober on Strava
Next walk in Cape Town: Steps for Saartjie (s4s)
- Date: 24 October 6am
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Duration: 2hrs, 7.5km
- Jeep Track Route: From Vredehoek (mountain end of Chelmsford Rd), to Blockhouse and back. Click this PIN for starting point.
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