A Single Monty

There has recently been a big sense of things finishing . “The Full Monty” which has occupied my life for most of the last 18 months, has now dropped on Disney UK to great success. It’s so good that so many people can now enjoy the story that we could tell.

While Monty opened in Sheffield, I was enjoying a fantastic two-week adventure in Japan, something I’ve been eagerly awaiting since much earlier in the year, as part of my ‘Get out and do it on my own’ programme. Many of you were kind enough to read my Japanese travel blog and shared the journey with me. It was a life-changing experience and gave me a confidence that I thought I had hitherto lost in terms of being a solo traveller.

Last Wednesday, the court declared my divorce final. Just a few things to mop up and that’s it. Twenty five years of my life put into the filing cabinet.

So where next?

And that’s the question. On hearing the news of my divorce, many friends texted me and said, “well done. You’re nearly there.” But I’m not sure where there is.

It’s important in all aspects of our life to have objectives. Things we are aiming for. It’s drilled into us in work with appraisals and KPIs. It’s essential to those of us who work as freelancers, to set ourselves targets for both the long and short-term. Likewise, it’s one reason I enjoy booking a holiday. Soon as I’m back from my travels, I'm on the Internet looking for where to go next. Something to look forward to. An objective.

Yet, funnily enough, I haven’t booked one since coming back from Japan, which was followed by the luxury of a week on the Amalfi Coast. Things are in flux, and I think now I’m learning to let things take their course for a little while and see what happens.

Will there be a season two of “The Full Monty”? We don’t know as yet, although I’m truly grateful to all the people who have cried out for one on social media. I’m certain that Disney are monitoring the response keenly. When can I take another holiday that takes me virtually around the world? I hadn’t realised that we might fly to Tokyo one way, and come back the other, thus circumnavigating the globe. I’m pretty confident that I will do something as soon as I know when I have the spare time to do it. It’s an objective.

Will I find myself as part of a couple again? Certainly, at the moment, I’m pretty convinced that’s not what I want. Settling into my boat, it’s very much a haven for me. The second bedroom has been turned into the luxury of a dressing room, and even overnight guests have a tiny amount of space, just to ensure that they don’t stay too long.

Recently, I lost several people who were very close to me in age. It’s a sharp reminder. No matter how we try, we’re not in control of everything. It’s also an inspiration. A sharp push to get out there and do things.

While in Kyoto in Japan, I went on a pilgrimage to Mountain Inari. 10,000 beautiful red Shinto gates mark the path to the top of the mountain and back down again, and it was something I wanted to see. Fascinated by them, I walked down the glistening corridor. It wasn’t long before I came to a notice that said, “Top of the Mountain-Forty Minutes”. My initial reaction was that the top of the mountain wasn’t for me. Then I took a moment of thought. Would I get this chance again? What was to stop me from using the next forty minutes to climb the mountain? Did I want to spend the rest of my holiday wondering what the top of the mountain was like?

It wasn’t the easiest of climbs, but it was definitely worth it. A Zen -like calm and a beautiful view. Followed, of course, by the sheer joy of walking down the mountain for forty minutes.

So perhaps that’s where I’m heading. Perhaps I’m just looking for the next mountain to conquer.