Lesson in Lisbon on how to live our lives
I spend a lot of my life running, training, racing, writing and speaking – with the purpose of trying to inspire others with the thought: “If Kev can do that at 58 with cancer then what’s stopping me?”
I am however mindful that when I focus so much on my quest, my family can potentially get left behind as doing what I do gives me a sense of purpose and worth.
Last week however, it was time to remind my wife Sarah how important she is to me.
So we took a few days off and managed to organise a last minute escape to Lisbon to spend some time together – and not focus so much on what I do (although I did, of course, manage a small run each day).
We were lucky with the weather with mostly warm days which enabled us to walk around 25,000 steps each day, exploring the city old and new. Although we did some of the tourist things – like visiting the impressive St George’s Castle, the Belem Tower and riding on the Tram 28 – we also spent many hours walking the back streets looking at how people there lived.
What I found to be different to my experience in the UK was a warmth everywhere we went, right across the spectrum.
If we went for a coffee everyone looked up with a smile and an “Ola!” always making us feel welcome. People often had little but always had a sense of pride in how they behaved. I am sure Lisbon has its challenges – and recent corruption within government was discussed by some people we met – but there was an acceptance of where they were in life personally and an understanding that hard work, not luck or bad practice, was the way forward if they wanted to change what they had.
We left the city wanting more but were filled with a sense of contentment in what we had – and a respect for the attitude we experienced there.
There are a few things I want to improve in my life, and my Lisbon experience reminded me it’s my job to make those improvements – but not at the expense or neglect of others. I hope you share my ethos in any changes you want to make too. Until next week, Kev
‘‘ People often had little but always had pride in how they behaved