Feeling the fear and doing it anyway has become a bit of a mantra. I felt the fear today when I drove Zippy the Chevrolet up a vertical incline on the way up from the coastline. My foot was flat on the gas and Zippy was gurgling. If I take my foot off the gas, Zippy will plummet backwards; that would not be good. Zippy obliged and we made it up a very sharp incline, in one piece.
My map-reading skills were tested to the limit, as I have none. I usually just follow my nose, but if someone is driving, and relying on me reading a map, that's a problem.
Yesterday I went to somewhere called Bath. It was quite dissimilar to the Bath you may be familiar with. There were no large Roman pillars or actual baths. There was a stunning coastline, with waves crashing against it. Bath is on the east coast of this stunning island. I munched my picnic lunch with a picnic bench filled with cute, if feral, kittens.
The next leg of the journey was to Bathsheba. So we did.
Fast-forward to this morning and I had the honour of visiting the Barbados Girl Guide HQ, thanks to Grace, who is the Chair of WAGGGS Western Hemisphere Region. I met Grace in Hong Kong in July 2014, at the WAGGGS World Conference when I was part of the UK delegation, then again in London in Oct 2014 when the WAGGGS World Board were in town. We met again at the baggage carousel at Grantley Airport. Grace picked me up this morning and we drove to Paxhill, which is the HQ, which is used for regular Guiding meetings, as well as trainings and events. Guiding came to Barbados in 1918 and so they are thinking about how to celebrate their Centenary.
I am always inspired to spend time with international Guiding friends and to hear about Guiding elsewhere. The challenges of retaining girls in Guiding are so similar worldwide. I talked about how sad it makes me when a girl leaves Guiding because she is 'doing so many activities'. I can guarantee that none of that plethora of activities will provide the diversity of opportunities which Guiding provides, where every individual girl is valued for who she is, regardless of any other factors. By all means, embrace other things, have other interests, but Guiding can underpin all of those interests. I look at my own Guides - this term we have been on a unit trip to Iceland (after raising £10k); been to the Big Gig; been to the House of Lords for a debate - one Guide made her promise in the House! We have been on a Jack Petchey trip to Thorpe Park; the senior patrol have written and delivered their own 'Go For It' and are now writing the next one - a SnapChat challenge! Another senior Guide is preparing a series of meetings as part of her Baden-Powell challenge. We have also been on national TV dispelling myths around young people's disinterest in politics and campaigning. One of our own Guides spoke at a Region event called 'Explaining Campaigning' about how she, at 14-years-old, launched her own campaign and took on the Home Office.
All this has happened because of Guiding and the way in which it builds the confidence of young people, enabling them to embrace who they are, build on their skills, develop new ones and ultimately, challenge themselves. That is what Guiding is all about.
If you're not already involved, get involved, as it will change your life. Whatever time you have to give; an evening a month to do some admin; a fundraising brain to help run an event; accounting expertise; good with social media; spreadsheet genius; time to shop for a unit; weekly availability to help run a unit? What about volunteering to lead a unit? What an opportunity! We are acutely in need of people who want to run Rainbow units particularly. I know, I know - you work, you have a brood of children, pets, relatives, plus you have a thousand other commitments; but try Guiding. It will enable you to give what you want to give and help you to be who you want to be. Whatever you can give, it will be embraced: www.girlguiding.org.uk/interested - go on, have a look. Be inspired.
I know what you're thinking - what about the grapefruit? Wait and see.
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