Geese responnding to their calling.
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Once again, I am deeply grateful to those of you who have offered financial gifts to support this work. I am so grateful!
This time, following the request is one of several stories I’ve written – or are yet to be written – of my time solo trekking in Nepal with a sherpa guide and two Nepali cook boys.
A Request
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Calling is not only a matter of being and doing what we are
but also of becoming what we are not yet but are called to be.
~ Os Guinness.
Dear Friends
I decided to begin this email project the night Trump was first elected. I imagined it would last four years at the most. Now we’re nearing the completion of eight years into this commitment to counterbalance the dark energy, influence, and power that has surfaced and grown in the world. As always, to me that means quality over quantity and light in the darkness.
Our Impact
With each Wednesday email I send a blessing and an expression of gratitude to each of you. At this time, we may underestimate the subtle power of such a community as ours. Yet every week we connect our conscious vibrations when I write and you read. It truly matters.
My Need
At this stage of my life, I can no longer afford to offer this work on my own. Surprisingly, it costs about $3000 a year to maintain the tools needed to offer this gift to the world. This project is important to me. It brings meaning to my life. I am humbled at needing to ask for your financial support. But that’s what’s so today. If everyone who opens these emails contributed the cost of a Starbuck’s coffee or a bottle of wine or dinner out, the costs would be covered for the next year.
How You Can Help
Payment for the first tools that need to be renewed comes up on December 11. If you feel called to support this project, please consider making a contribution as soon as possible and for sure, by the end of this year. Kaleidoscope Lenses is not a registered non-profit. However, if you send money as a gift, you do not need to pay taxes on that one-time annual contribution. It is a very good way to invest in our evolution. Please send your gift to my paypal account: https://paypal.me/barbarajoshipka
Also, if you have suggestions, requests, or questions, please let me know. I welcome your thoughts.
With love and gratitude,
Barbara
A Story
The trekking path from Lukla heading to Namché Bazaar.
This and the following photo are scans of 35mm slides.
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I’ll Never Skydive Either!
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True success is overcoming the fear of being unsuccessful. ~ Paul Sweeney
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I’m afraid of unprotected heights. I hyperventilate, my heart starts to pound and my knees become too wobbly to help me balance and to hold me up. As a result, I just don’t trust myself in that kind of situation. Knowing this, I did a lot of informal research about trekking in Nepal before going there. Or so I thought.
I had learned that those great huge yaks walk the trekking paths in Nepal. So I thought I’d be fine if I just stayed on the inside, the mountain-side. What I didn’t know was that no matter how huge they are, yaks can navigate a 3-inch wide trail on a sheer cliff.
The first days were fine. We walked through the forest and farmland from Lukla (photo above). Then we hiked the almost vertical climb to Namché Bazaar (phoro below) which is almost 2000 feet higher than Lukla. Then we had a couple of days of welcome rest to acclimate to the altitude.
A couple of days later we headed for Tengboche on the trail toward Everest. That’s when I hit my limit. We reached a point where I had to cross a section of rock cliff holding on to a chain that was bolted into the rock with 3,000 feet between me and the bottom of the valley. I started across. Then, hyperventilating and with my heart pounding and my knees wobbling uncontrollably, I said, “Forget it! Get me out of here! I’m done. No more for me. Of this, I’m sure.”
This occurred in the presence of many other trekkers who were waiting behind me and who clearly could not understand what I was experiencing. In fact, I had to cross over some of them to get back to solid ground. My Sherpa guide was not at all happy with me. He tried to get me to continue. I said no! It was embarrassing and humbling. But required.
We returned to Namché Bazaar. My heart, my knees, my emotions, and my breath eventually settled down. The learning for me was that it was okay to trust myself and limits and, as a result, to create safety for myself no matter what others thought.
Then we headed in another direction. What a reprieve! It was spring. We ended up in an absolutely beautiful rhododendron forest. There still were long drops to the river but this time they were not adjacent to the path. This part of the trek was pleasant, relaxing, and satisfying for a couple of days. But then there was a new and dangerous development. Tune in next week….
Namché Bazaar nestled into a mountain.
Photos by Barbara
At home and in Nepal