The sentiments conveyed in this radio 4 programme on Nan Shepherd's essay on the Caingorms resonate deeply with me.
Many years ago when I was still a fit and competitive young thing
obsessed with getting to the summit of the highest hill on every trip, I
remember charging past a SSSI poster and commenting to my brother that
we probably walked straight past wonderful flora and fauna all the time
in complete ignorance. That energy got me to some memorable places, but
I'm so glad that like her I also learnt to walk 'into' the mountain as well as up
and now don't care where the summit is as long as I've experienced the
place; a journey into being. If you miss the radio programme you can still share Nan Shepherd's insights in her collected works that include 'The Living Mountain'.
For the last few months I have been working on Mondays for a company in Sheffield that pays for all its staff to have a 40 minute remedial massage every month in their treatment room; what a shining example of staff care! However on Monday 23rd December I will back at the 919 Clinic, working all day until 5.30pm. This will be your last chance to have a massage treatment at the Clinic until it reopens on the 3rd January 2014.
