Check out where it all begin….
Blog – Gratitude by Nia
I must admit, a good 5 months down the line and I still can’t quite get my head around what we achieved with journey to the core. I’ve been meaning to write something ever since we stepped off the bike in Cardiff Bay. Tina must be quite fed up of me saying that I’m going to write a blog! Writing usually comes quite easy to me, but with journey to the core I have hit a real mental block.
However, today is world gratitude day, and it got me thinking about what I am most grateful. There are so many things I am grateful for, and I am often guilty of forgetting to take a moment to appreciate those things, and definitely guilty for taking them for granted at times. A few weeks ago I attended the soulful sunrise event at big moose café in Cardiff. We were encouraged to write about what made us feel gratitude on a little card. It was great to be encouraged to do so, as it’s so easy to forget that simple gesture of being genuinely thankful, even for the small things in our lives. Writing on that little card, really made a difference to the way I started my day!
In thinking back to journey to the core, it is the feeling of gratitude that I feel most strongly. There are so many things to be grateful for, just the opportunity to be a part of the challenge to begin with, cycling across Wales with one of my closest friends and someone who constantly inspires me and challenges me to be and do better myself. Gratitude for both sets of parents and friends who supported us and constantly believed in us. To those who didn’t think twice singing on the walkie talkie to keep us going or ran up hills alongside us, plus those who were willing to jump on a bike and join us on the road. Both Tina and I (might come as a surprise) are quite stubborn, but I’m not sure how we would of completed the challenge without the incredible support we received during that week.
It’s not just that, the kindness and support which were shown to us along the way was incredible. In a world which seems so divided, with hate and blame almost the norm, the kindness we experienced really reaffirmed my faith in humanity giving me hope that, there is still good out there. And there is, lately we had the opportunity to visit the 3 charities we raised money for during the trip. I was humbled to learn more about these great organisations, and got to experience first hand what difference they make, and I couldn’t of been prouder to be able to raise money for them. In fact, it just made me more determined to get back on the bike and raise more money! There is good around, there’s so many incredible people doing great things in our communities, country and the world, I am so grateful to Journey to the Core for allowing me to take a moment to see that, to experience it and contribute in my own little way.
I don’t think I’ll ever stop feeling gratitude for Journey to the core, not only for the effect it had on my own life and wellbeing, but also in the way I truly got to experience the kindness and support that exists around me. Diolch yn fawr!
This is a bit of a sentimental blog post, sorry for that! I wanted to give a small insight into my feelings post JTTC.
“The spirit of gratitude is very important. When we are grateful, we feel joy. When we are joyful , we also feel courageous. That leads to us wanting to do our utmost to show our appreciation to others. Having met with many people all over the world, I have reached the conclusion that people who can feel gratitude are happy.” – Daisaku Ikeda – Buddhist leader.