Walking Has Taught Me to Not Be Afraid of Doubt
My 61-year-old body is different from my 35-year-old body. I never used to feel wobbly with heights, but I am now (despite the fact that I am getting my pilot’s license). Has my inner ear changed? My vision? Well, whatever it is, my new reality is such that a narrow path, a steep cliff to one side, and rumbly scree everywhere put doubt right in front of me on this day. Doubt is clever. Doubt can be convincing.
“Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.”
Doubt is the uncertain terrain where questions reside and beliefs are tested. It's a natural part of the human experience, and can serve as a prompt for us to seek understanding and to grow. Embracing doubt with a sense of curiosity and open-mindedness can lead to valuable insights and a deeper connection to our own truths. The way I have come to embrace doubt is to walk. I feel grounded, rooted, and confident when I walk — and as a result, the process of exploration feels safe and my curiosity flourishes.
On a recent trip to Iceland to host the Hornstrandir Film Festival, I had 10 days to explore doubt (also beauty, bravery, trust, and love). Each day, we would walk a lot. We faced unclear trails, variable weather, and a very challenging descent down the face of a fjord. It was this last experience that really introduced me, intimately, to doubt. Could I get down the trail? What if I couldn’t? Then what?
I have found that with a few shifts in my body, my equilibrium has changed. I guess it might be age. My 61-year-old body is different from my 35-year-old body. I never used to feel wobbly with heights, but I am now (despite the fact that I am getting my pilot’s license). Has my inner ear changed? My vision? Well, whatever it is, my new reality is such that a narrow path, a steep cliff to one side, and rumbly scree everywhere put doubt right in front of me on this day. Doubt is clever. Doubt can be convincing.
The name of the game when doubt is whispering in your ear and won’t be quiet is first, acceptance, and then, ask for help. Two things I am not very good at. In this case, I tried to acknowledge that things had shifted, that it was ok, and that it was an opportunity for curiosity and learning. And then I asked for help and support. Thankfully, I was surrounded by people I could trust with helping me down. My dear friend Claire walked in front of me, talking me through each step, and wonderful Bradley was behind, holding onto my backpack. I felt so supported. Doubt diluted. It didn’t disappear, but it certainly wasn’t staring me right in my face any longer. When I got to the bottom of the fjord, I burst into tears. Tears of gratitude, tears of bravery, tears of happiness that it was over, and tears of love for my people.
“Doubt is an uncomfortable condition, but certainty is a ridiculous one.”
I have now shifted how I think about and hold doubt. I now see it as a wonderful tool for expansion and a magical opportunity to extend and learn. Embrace doubt. Look her square in the eye and ask her what she has to teach you. Hold her with tender acceptance and look around you for the helpers.
Libby DeLana is an award-winning executive creative director, designer/art director by trade, who has spent her career in the ad world. Click here to get your copy of Libby’s first published book, Do Walk. You can connect with Libby on Instagram @thismorningwalk and @parkhere.
The Privilege of Going For A Walk
I was born with clubfoot, a condition that causes the foot to be turned inward and twisted. It is a common birth defect, affecting about 1 in 1,000 babies. I learned to walk with two casts on and a bar between the casts. I don’t remember any of it, but somehow, I think this experience may have pointed me towards my love and gratitude for walking.
I was born with clubfoot, a condition that causes the foot to be turned inward and twisted. It is a common birth defect, affecting about 1 in 1,000 babies. Clubfoot is caused by a shortened Achilles tendon and is twice as common in boys. Treatment is necessary to correct clubfoot and is usually done in two phases — casting and bracing. I learned to walk with two casts on and a bar between the casts. I don’t remember any of it, but somehow, I think this experience may have pointed me towards my love and gratitude for walking.
This month I will be walking in Iceland with The Hornstrandir Film Festival. Hailed as the world’s most remote film festival, it will take place in Iceland's northernmost peninsula, called Hornstrandir. One of Europe’s last wildernesses, Hornstrandir is a breathtakingly beautiful, hard-to-reach nature reserve of soaring mountains and precipitous cliffs. A place you can only reach by boat and where there is no mobile or internet connection. It is such a privilege to be asked to join these women on this pilgrimage.
In harmony with Mother Nature a group of walker/wanderers/walkstar/hikers will journey between four locations: Aðalvík, Hesteyri, Hornvík and Hlöðuvík, with a specially designed cinema venue where we will premiere films that touch on nature, environmental, and wildlife topics.
The team behind HFF are passionate ecoactivists that believe Hornstrandir is a great place to capture people's attention with powerful stories that can bring about a positive change in people's environmental mindset. Although the cinema venue is hard to reach and only very few guests can attend, it's not the magnitude of guests we are after, it's about the few that will be there and their commitment to make an eco change in their lives.
If you would like to experience the HFF venue, you can do so in the comfort of your home from September 8-12, 2023. Sign up on the guest list, where all documentaries and short films will be available, plus interviews and images from the festival in Hornstrandir.
The setting of the venue will be simple, in harmony with mother nature and will leave no trace of human presence — only unforgettable memories that will last a lifetime. Each festival location can only take a maximum of 30 guests, and they have to meet the criteria of being experienced hikers and being able to travel on their own terms to the film festival locations.
We are still on the hunt for films with nature, environmental issues, or wildlife themes. We welcome different formats, including short films, documentaries, adventure films, animation, and narrative fiction. The agenda is to celebrate the blue marble we live on and also highlight the challenges we face in maintaining a habitable planet. Kindly note that we only have room for 6 documentaries in full length and 4 shorter format films. Films with a strong environmental or wildlife message are more likely to be accepted.
Walk on. With gratitude for the ability to walk this magnificent spot on the planet.
Libby DeLana is an award-winning executive creative director, designer/art director by trade, who has spent her career in the ad world. Click here to get your copy of Libby’s first published book, Do Walk. You can connect with Libby on Instagram @thismorningwalk and @parkhere.