Morag Kitson

Starting the journey.

The time was 17:45 and I was nervous but also excited. I was on my way to Tiny Rebel in Cardiff to meet up with the representative of Tŷ Hafan for an information evening about a fundraising trip to Machu Picchu.

It was a week earlier when I had seen the post on Facebook and, as this is somewhere I have always wanted to go, I signed up to go along to the information evening and find out more.

Now you are probably wondering why I was nervous so let me lay this out for you: I am (according to the doctor) five stone overweight, I have had two surgeries to my right knee and both shoulders operated on. In the last five years I have battled depression and suicidal thoughts and been through counselling to come out the other side. I have experienced a relationship breakup that saw me walk out of my job of five years without having another to go to and I have completed my masters degree despite that.

The last five years have been such a rollercoaster of ups and downs that somewhere along the way I lost myself and it has been a hard road back. Every little step, every small achievement, had to start with a decision I found uncomfortable. Walking out of my job knowing I didn’t have another lined up. Signing up for my masters degree and not knowing how I would be able to pay for it. Joining a writing group full of strangers. But every time I made one of those tough decisions I felt something ease in me, I felt a burden sliding off my shoulders, and gradually I began to like who I was again.

Signing that expression of interest form was hard. Getting to Cardiff and to Tiny Rebel felt like climbing a mountain, and I am not afraid to admit it took me a couple of glasses of wine to help get me there, but once I got there it felt right.

I started talking to the organiser, James, about my concerns with my weight and my injuries and if I would even be able to manage this trek and he assured me that they would do everything they could to support me and help get me ready. I listened to other peoples stories about why they wanted to get involved and met a young woman called Latisha (apologies if I haven’t spelt that right) who was full of purpose. I left there full of confidence and enthusiasm, but more than that, I left there with ideas.

Too many people put off things that they want to do ‘until the time is right’ not realising that tomorrow isn’t promised to any of us. This year alone my younger cousin was diagnosed with stage three cancer, a good friend had a stroke, and a member of my writing group had a heart attack and these events made me realise that time is never on our side. So many people say they can’t do something because ‘insert excuse here’ and I want to prove to them that they can. I get it, raising a family and juggling work and home life is hard. Making the decision to change and seeing it through is even harder. Living with the consequences of bad decisions that have left you fat and in pain is also hard, but you know what? It’s not going to get any easier in the future, if anything it is going to get harder.

This blog isn’t just about holding me accountable to my sponsors, or even to myself, but it is about trying to inspire others to follow their dreams. To write that novel, to book that holiday, to take the plunge and do the things that scare you.

I have signed up to hike Machu Picchu knowing I have bad knees, knowing I have a lot of training ahead of me if I want to be able to enjoy the trip rather than suffer through it. I have committed to raising £5500, even if that means I have to put a lot of that money in myself, but you know what? I’ll do it.

I’ll drag myself to the gym when I am tired, and I will walk or run in the rain. I will cut out the junk food and the alcohol, and be that person who shows up at a party with my own food to avoid temptation. Hopefully, along the way I can inspire others to take that step to do something that they have been putting off but if I don’t, I’ll still know I am doing this for a good cause, for the charity and for me.

I’m not a blogger. I’m not an athlete.

But I am inspired, stubborn, creative, passionate, and did I mention stubborn?

Follow me through the highs and lows of the next 18 months. Offer advice and support, provide recommendations or company, share my story or let it inspire you. Join me on this journey. Donate if you can, the link to my just giving page is https://www.justgiving.com/page/morag-kitson-2