When life hands you a lemon…K2

Just before i leave K2 for home i want the last chapter of this incredible expedition to be about humanity and humility…. Without doubt, we all get handed “lemons”sometimes in life. No one is immune from this. Maybe it’s an incurable illness, dealing with depression, maybe it’s a duff education, a dysfunctional upbringing, losing our loved ones ,the car breaking down or in my case today simply turning my back on the summit of K2. Bad things happen … We all know that. But how we respond is where our future lies. Necessity is the mother of invention – for me if I didn’t have the things I needed then simply invent something that will do the job using simply what I have, however log it takes or hard it might be. And nothing out here in the wild teaches you to invent and improvise like adventure, i simply have to use what i have to make what ever i can. Surviving in the wild stretches us – it’s part of the magic. But when you embrace that challenge, then the real journey out there begins for me and you. Likewise, when we take what life has given us, however small a seed,and were determined to make something of it through hard work , self belief ,imagination and resourcefulness, we then turn sour bitter lemons into sweet tasting lemonade. Being in the wild has taught me not to fear the unexpected but to embrace it, in fact those unseen curve balls, like this expedition very often are the making of us. In reflection in order to thrive and survive in the game of life, it’s really important to understand we don’t need to have all the parts of life’s jigsaw – nicely sealed and wrapped up – for it to be a success. Sometimes in my case the opposite. To live a life of adventure we just need to have the will to begin. The power of that first step, the rest will follow “challenging yes ,hard most defiantly” we are limited only by the extent of our courage, self belief and vision. WE CAN push the boundaries ,make a difference, empower encourage making things better in life. To everyone that helped me get to where I am today “you know who you are” from the bottom of my heart I’m forevermore grateful. My life is an expedition and when i asked you to join me i hope it challenged ,we are all learning everyday ,embrace that ,growing pains are just part of it. Finally before i go remember that light can only shine through broken vessels and to be honest were all a little broken. Sometimes it’s the brokenness that gives me the fire to continue… Never say never ….K2 we will dance again soon. My expedition continues ,I hope you’d does too… Family & good friends walks in when the rest of the world walks out. Jason X