Stepping back

It’s such a lovely day out there, so I’ll keep this short…
 
It’s exactly (and rather randomly) 1,600 days since my attempts to raise mental health awareness through a series of challenges officially got underway.
 
In that time, 110 challenges have been completed – an average of one every fortnight (14 days 12 hours to be precise) over four-and-a-half years; countless hours of preparation, e-mails, training, driving … roughly 8,000 miles so far.
 
I’ve done things I never thought I would … or could; met some truly amazing, inspiring people; made some special friends; created memories I’ll always cherish; written a book; and hopefully made a small difference to someone, somewhere.
 
None of it would have been possible without the constant love and support of my wife and family, and all the incredible help from so many people … however many times I say “thank you”, it will never be enough.
 
I have ten challenges left over the next seven months, but when the final task is completed, the curtain must – and will - finally fall.
 
This has been one of the most rewarding periods of my whole life; but also one of the most intense; and over the past few months, I have become increasingly tired and fragile (both of those are understatements) – and keeping the latter hidden is so draining.
 
I will complete the challenges. I will continue to support the work being done by Trigger publishing. But I will also be taking more time to look after myself, to regain my strength, and make sure I am the best husband, father, son, and friend that I can possibly be.