Some say I'm adventuresome. Those who know me have seen me overcome great fears and locked knees. They have also seen me fall to my fears and anxiety. It is a process, overcoming fear. Which may make for a great blog post. I suspect most people never get past their fears and internal voices, while a lot of people push past and follow their desires. Common thread is that everyone has them, some get past them, and those are who inspire the rest of us.
Since I was a little girl, there have been women who have captivated me by their stories. How they bucked society and did what they want or overcame great personal adversity to follow their path. One of the obvious firsts was Amelia Earheart. Via Brain Pickings, Walter Lippmann writes about the importance of people such as Amelia. Moving forward in life, after many inspiring women met and read about, the story of Gertrude Bell, the "Queen of the Desert" grabbed me. Shaper of modern Middle East geography and inspiring subversive of Victorian British society.
Today, we see women working to reach the highest rungs at corporations, break records in athletics, and still take solo rides across deserts on motorbikes because they love it. This isn't a post of sexism, it is a post on inspiration. Inspired is how I feel after reading a recent interview by Lois Pryce of Beard, in the latest Overland Journal, Spring 2017. Elspeth Beard is about as inspiring a woman as they come. The article appears to not be released online, sorry. When the issue is available, it's well worth it. Buy it! In the meantime, this link to an article on Motorcyclist.com gives you the gist on this woman. The writer of the article, Lois Pryce, is also a very inspiring woman of adventure and writing, worth reading about.
30 years ago Elspeth set off on a solo motorcycle trip around the world and became the first British woman to do so. Her rejection in sponsorship by Bike Magazine, at the time, is telling of just the societal hurdles she had:
“Dear Elspeth,
Brecon said he’d write this letter but he can’t ‘cos his tongues jammed his typewriter.
Julian asks if you’ve got a eight feet tall husband who’s also a karate expert?
Mike Clements has already formed the Elspeth Beard Appreciation Society and wants to know where in the world you’re going to be so he can get there first.
Me? I’d like to offer you sponsorship around the world but I think that’d be a waste and a shame for London.
Best wishes,
Dave Calderwood
Editor”
As I read about these stories, I think about the Rebelle Rally coming up in October. Maybe dreams of my rig in far off places isn't so far fetched.