Soon after breakfast we shattered our target £10,000 ... then the donations just kept on climbing. There's a palpable feeling of people wanting to be a part of what will now certainly be a real change-making gift to the orphanage. All you donors are change-makers ... let's not under-estimate the power of generosity in unity.
The vital thing, though, is for the effort to continue. My 40 days will go on and in my mind the target was always more of a ledge than a plateau ... a place to pause; to look back at the route that took us here; to look out at the view from where we are; to breathe a very contented sigh of gratitude, then reach up for the next hand-hold and continue the climb.
There will be a plateau one day, a place where the climb will end as we stand on the summit of this endeavour, but only after the 40 nights are over ... it's climbing all the way until then.
It's like the buildings at the orphanage I mentioned in 'Straining Iron' on evening 12/40. They, like us, only ever seem to pause for breath before going about climbing higher - each floor more of a ledge than a plateau ...
Every year I go Jayaraj reminds me of the height of last year, before we head for the stairs and keep on climbing. From the top the buildings stretch out like the flight decks of vast carrier convoys deep in a sea of palms ... each deck surely long enough to land on. The teams land happily on them every year and the vast spaces become a regular haunt for the biggest screen showings of natural beauty they've ever seen.
On the way up glassless windows offer flashes of expected and unexpected colours along the way. Greens? Of course, it's India and we're in the country ... but the purple? It's like this nation does with colour like no other nation would dare ... even in its sky ...
And so we pause on our ledge. The achievement we've accomplished so far is quite fantastic. But it is only a ledge. We're not going down, so the only way is up. I'm looking forward to tonight's thoughts as I gaze up with Petzl at net. If that means nothing then scroll down to 'Return of the Petzl ... after 11/40' and have a quick read about the trio that can conquer anything!
Oh ... and I took a bit of time the other night to give you a different take on my view from the tent. This one looks back across the remaining stakes in the ground to the Chaplaincy where the best job in the world has its home. I've boosted the exposure to give you a better view ...
I am so proud to have such a priest in my neighborhood. Adam
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