I don’t know how I made it through.

Do you have weeks like that? Things are at such a level of overwhelm that the only pace you can take is at break-neck speed?

I know I do it to myself, but last week factors outside of my control helped create the perfect confluence of angst.

To start with, I lost my best friend from high school and college: the lovely Missy (Borino, Benard, Zopp) from cancer.

There are no words to describe what an amazing human being she was. Her celebration of life was last weekend in Milwaukee, and I just had to go and see her family and our other friends.

I was so grateful to spend the weekend around friends and her loved ones, and I just had to trust that the rest of the week would happen smoothly. You see, I had scheduled the launch event for my new Intentional Hiking business for Monday evening, and my flight back from Wisconsin was due to arrive back in Central Oregon a few hours before that event. Any delays or missed connections would be unimaginable, so I just didn’t imagine it.

And I arrived back in time…but technical issues presented a nailbiter of a few hours until go time (warning…this is going to get a bit meta…I know some of you attended the launch, or plan to attend future events, so talking about putting them on might be more of a peak behind the curtain than some of you want…)

I couldn’t get the sound to work, but then I did.

I couldn’t get music to play upon intro, so decided not to worry about it.

I hadn’t had time to practice my transitions and the flow of the event because I was in Wisconsin, so did my best to emanate a sense of confidence and ease.

I had some problems with registrations and some folks that REALLY REALLY wanted to be there didn’t get my invites (so sorry NEMO!!!), but I am reinforcing my systems for next time around and am even looking at changing event platforms.

I had lower attendance than I would have liked (I know, I know, I’m just starting…it will take time to grow my audience), but kept on as if there were 200 people on the Zoom.

I had a coughing fit during the event, (embarrassing…and on video), but I kept going like everything was fine.

And it was fine. It turned out great in fact! The folks that attended were wonderful and engaged, and I came away incredibly excited and even more energized for the next events.

Do you want to watch the launch?

So that was just Monday.

Tuesday my Wilderness First Responder recertification course started. Every two years I need to take a 3-day training on responding to medical issues while in backcountry situations. If you don’t keep your training up to date, the consequence is an 80-hour training course for those who lapse. I had to do that a few years ago, and vowed to not let that happen again. It’s an intense program, with real consequences. In fact, I had to decide to evacuate someone for a medical issue from a trip I led this summer! To work with people in the backcountry is to take on a level of responsibility to care for them when things aren’t going according to plan.

So I had class from 8-5 last week, and I had also managed to schedule my first Blue Mountains Trail presentation for Tuesday night. Had I been able to prepare for the talk? Not as much as I would have liked…again. Did I get there in time to help set up? Yes! Did I have help from my wonderful friend Marina? Yes! Did the event go smoothly? Better than I could have hoped.

It was a packed house with about 120 people present!

I was elated that so many folks wanted to learn more about the Blue Mountains Trail and my hike, but why did I have to schedule it the day after my business launch and the first day of an intensive medical training course? Ask Renee from four months ago…

Somehow it all worked, I attended training the next day and practically danced around the block when another event I had committed to on Wednesday after class was rescheduled.

Note to self: try not to overbook yourself like this again.

So, I’m on the other end of that week, and looking at a mellower week ahead: I only have the Oregon Outdoor Recreation Summit to attend, several meetings to host/facilitate/introduce, and a presentation to give, so it’s much more manageable. 🤨

But in good (or not good news) my cold weather backpacking class with Central Oregon Community College was canceled – not enough registrations – so I have a bit more of leeway in my schedule next week…