I used to think every time and place was right for a cheeseboard.
This is somewhat embarrassing to admit, but years ago I got hooked on a reality show.
It wasn’t The Amazing Race, but it was something like it that involved a proper endurance event: running, kayaking down rivers, horseback riding, and a slew of other things over the course of five days.
At one end of the pack were the serious athletes. Lean, grizzled, roughly -3% body fat. Each of them carried a bottle of water and maybe an energy bar. (Or three, if they were feeling reckless.) They travelled light.
And then … there was everybody else. (My people, frankly.)
There was a team from Ireland running their first-ever race, and they had brought a lot of stuff, which included a beautiful cheeseboard.
The plan was that at the end of each day, they’d sit by the campfire, have a few nice cheeses, and relax.
But about an hour into the race, the cheeseboard was gone. So was the rest of that extraneous weight, abandoned by the side of the trail.
And I often think about this when I’m feeling reflective. I look around my life and ask: what am I still carrying? What’s essential for the next leg of the race?
If you were in a hardcore endurance race (and I’m sure there are some days it certainly feels like one), what are the “cheeseboards” you can leave behind?
Maybe it’s reactions and jumping to give advice. Or the self-limiting beliefs you’ve told yourself for years. Or the old constructs and borrowed lessons that now need unlearning.
Putting that stuff down isn’t about becoming someone new. It’s mostly about making room for who you already are, underneath all of it.
And when you think about what you want to gather and carry forward for the rest of your journey on this planet, what does that look like?
For me, it’s the intangibles … relationships and people and connection. And the way I want to show up in the world.
Which, if I’m honest, is most of why The Conspiracy exists. (Doors opened yesterday, by the way.)
It’s the people who have your back and the reassurance of being in it alongside others asking the same questions … that’s the stuff worth carrying with you.
(I’d like to say there are no cheeseboards but we’ve had our fair share when we’ve met up IRL.)
If you already know what you’re carrying: good. Pack it and keep moving.
And if you’re still standing over the pile, not sure what’s a cheeseboard and what’s essential … that’s worth sitting with too.
Whatever it is, you don’t have to carry it all. You just have to know what’s worth the weight.
