Journey To Extraordinary ~ Embracing the Uncomfortable Mind

by Ellie Bishop McKenzie

Day 4, September 1st, 2024

Today brought us back to the trail with markedly easier conditions. The cooler air made a welcome difference, with clouds weaving around us –  sometimes below, above, or even engulfing us entirely. This made for lots of stops to adjust clothing. The dusty air also started to take its toll, causing runny, chapped noses and dry skin and yes, we were beginning to smell a bit…ripe. Our bodies were okay, but our minds were starting to get uncomfortable.

Today we weave back and forth between the Heather Mooreland and the Alpine Desert zones. The Heather Mooreland, ranging from 9,200-11,000 feet, is characterized by resilient shrubs, giant heathers and tussock grasses as well as the iconic Lobelia and Senecio trees in the higher areas. These plants have developed the ability to survive intense temperature changes. The Highland Alpine Desert, spanning 13,200-16,500 feet, has even more intense swings with beating sun by day and below-freezing nights. Water is scarce here and only the hardiest of plants survive. The rocky terrain felt reminiscent of northern Arizona or Nevada.

Today’s focus was acclimatization and viewing the lesser-seen backside of Kilimanjaro. It was literally hours of walking. After three days disconnected from the outside world, we began to feel the weight of boredom and of silence making our minds uncomfortable. The initial thrill of the adventure had quelled and was replaced by the constant rhythm of footsteps and separation anxiety from our screens and cell phones.

According to Nielsen data, the average American spends 7 hours and 3 minutes in front of a screen and touches his phone 2,617 times. Here on this mountain there was nothing to entertain us but dust in our nostrils and thoughts in our heads. We were bored. 

Yet boredom has its advantages. Your mind goes to work. I realized I really needed to clean out my guest room in my house and donate all of the excess items that my daughter no longer uses. And honestly, why do I have so much “stuff”? Should get some better plants for my backyard and grow my own food while I’m at it. I wonder if people millions of years ago thought this way? Oh, and I should start a blog. And how does the human body do this so easily while the human brain hates it? Am I really feeling bored on the greatest adventure of my life? And while I’m at it, how can I be a better mother, business partner, and life partner?

As Leo Tolstoy noted in Anna Karenina, boredom is a “desire for desires”. It is a motivational state. It can stir creativity, encourage personal reflection, and inspire new perspectives. 

We are giving away more than 7 hours of our brains to screens every day and we are paying a steep price. Research highlighted in The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter shows “that the onslaught of screen-based media has created Americans who are ‘increasingly picky, impatient, distracted, and demanding’… And overworked, undermaintained minds are linked to depression, life dissatisfaction, the perception that life goes by quicker and increasingly missing the beauty of life that only presents itself when we allow our mind to wander and be aware of something other than a screen.”

During this quiet journey of thought – because I had TIME AND SPACE to think – the only device I wished I had brought with me was a small recording device to capture those thoughts because I had no time to write it all down.

All of that said, we did have a couple of memorable moments today. We walked through a “rock garden” where previous hikers had precariously stacked rocks of all sizes in a maze of cairns, each stone symbolizing a wish. We also encountered a race up Kilimanjaro! Yes, these people were actually running up the mountain to the next camp! The best part was that we were actually mindfully present to enjoy those moments to their fullest. We were learning to embrace our uncomfortable minds.

We reached camp at Moir Hut as the clouds rolled up the mountain into camp, cooling the evening air. And believe it or not, we ended the day with pizza for dinner.

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