Towards 2020

 New Year - New Opportunities - New Challenges.

And this time, it’s different.

This December, I find myself in a rather different mind-set.

Over the past 5 – 10 years, (and long before that, too,) my attitude has been that any travel project is possible, as long as it can somehow be affordable. This year, however, the financial and the physical have collided. My dreams for revisiting Shiraz and Isfahan in Iran in 2016 might well now fade and disappear in the face of two annoying realities.

The Shah Mosque in Isfahan

The first reality is that reliable good health is an essential component for travelling in comfort, and being able to enjoy the places one visits. Looking back to the ‘60s, I am very glad that I climbed to the top of Cheops pyramid at Giza when I was 20 and full of energy, ( – and before the authorities made such escapades illegal.) It was an unforgettable sunset, – and I have the Kodachrome slides to tell the story. 

Sadly, on this current trip in India, I have something of an energy problem. The CPAP sleep machine that counteracts my obstructive sleep-apnoea on a nightly basis, had an electrical failure on Day Three after my arrival in Kerala, and cannot be repaired. The NHS offered an immediate replacement, but the export/import documentation has defeated attempts by my daughter in England and myself in India to get the machine sent over. My impediment is not as severe as it was 25 years ago, and I am getting a reasonable amount of quality sleep, but my energy is waning, and that is not something I would want to contemplate next autumn, if my plans came to fruition and tI found myself in the mountains and deserts of Persia. There’s no lasting damage caused by the current medical ailment, just a harsh reminder of a slight handicap that can disrupt my plans if I don’t have the technical kit to hand.

Secondly – well that’s predictable: - How long can I continue to sell my training services to top-ranking companies for fees that are mutually beneficial? Fortunately, I have built up a reputation in my expertise, but experience has taught me the harsh lessons of modern-day management.

When six feisty female senior executives sat down for my training course in November, I could read their faces, and had an initial uphill fight to win them over. Ageism and Feminism forge a tough partnership together – though it’s easier now than it was, say, 40 years ago! And it’s easier for both genders.  

By the end of the course, my fiery participants had mellowed and had dismissed any thought of Bob Harvey being a representation of a dominant father in their teenage/student years. They were effusive in their positive comments, and (best of all-) the money hit my bank account within a couple of weeks. That’s the money that pays for expeditions like this one because I can’t trust the lottery, or a forgotten Rembrandt in the attic to come to my rescue.

When I return to UK in the Spring, I shall start approaching some potential new clients, and see what other opportunities I can explore. I know that I deliver some of Britain’s finest training in structuring and delivering effective communications; I just have to find the HR & Training Managers who can be persuaded to trust their talented managers to my tender care. It’s not easy to build a reputation as a “grey guru” when you’re already grey; people are more accepting if they remember you when you were a dynamic whizz-kid.

Only Africa in the ‘60s enchanted and captivated me the way Iran did in 1970. 

Wonderful kebabs served on  mouthwatering rice.

Of course, many things have changed, but I am certain that the gentle warmth and hospitality of ordinary Iranian people and the magical spicing of their traditional cuisine will in no way have diminished over the past 50 years. 

So that’s the next assignment: to book training courses with new clients: and earn the money to afford to travel

But the other assignment is more challenging. Becoming a Benedictine Oblate wasn’t just about joining the club – with a saffron-coloured prayer-shawl instead of the Club tie. It was about aiming to live life to a higher standard, and thinking independently rather than accepting some of the Sunday stuff because it's "religious." At the same time, the Saccidananda community at Shantivanam does not impose religious requirements on its oblates; you don’t have to be a Roman Catholic: in fact, you don't even have to declare yourself to be a Christian. This is, in a way, the point about my book. As my friend Richard King wrote, when he entitled his book: “Too Much Religion is Bad for Your Faith”

It’s not about the whimsical fairy-tale detail; Faith is not about unbelievable sacred mysteries, nor about improbable miracles. It’s about the way you live your life. I think the controversial stuff is largely optional, and I don’t have to worry about what the hierarchy thinks, because I am not considering going into the Church professionally.

Which is why I have enjoyed the unique, multi-faith ashram at Shantivanam. I have found some true soul-mates, and look forward to writing about an alternative way of looking at life at another level, in the 21^st century.