Bula matari

The African words "Bula matari" translate to English as; "Breaker of myths or rocks" and comes from the African language Swahili. This is spoken in Eastern Africa in regions or countries such as; Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda etc. Michael from Ghana has used this phrase many times when referring to me. Which of course can only be regarded as a great kindness considering the value he places on the phrase and its use.

"Bula matari" is in fact a Kenya wise saying or phrase. Very wise indeed, especially when accompanied by Ghanaian Michael Appiah's favourite phrase "keep Hope Alive". Well as a "Bula matari", hope must always be kept alive. So it will come as no surprise to note that I managed the 70 lengths that were required on Sunday. In fact I surpassed that figure and managed a total of 72 before I popped out of the pool in order to make contact with a friend that I had heard has had a bad week. Hope and myth breaking must always including caring for others. But I had to complete the target before I could calmly make contact. You too can become a "Bula matari", it just means pushing yourself a bit more, maintaining a sense of purpose and direction and thinking of the bigger picture.

The 70 Minute Mile

I managed to break all boundaries on Saturday and for the first time swam a mile. The pressure was on as I had only managed 46 lengths due to the conference in Lampeter and although 46 is good for a single session, it fell far short of my 200 lengths per week target. When I arrived at the pool on Saturday, I mentioned to the attendant that even if I was to swim 75 lengths that day and again on Sunday; I would still fail to reach my target. A quite daunting prospect and maybe what drove me on to dig even deeper from my personal reserves. Two 75's were not enough and 46 is quite difficult. The most that I have ever swam in a day was 80 lengths. 40 early in the morning and 40 some ten hours later. I didn't have twelve hours this time to complete the lengths and have the breathing space. It was Saturday and the pool opens later and closes earlier. Important decisions that require action also require people. Someone who understands the importance of the situation and is willing to push themselves. I pushed hard, very hard indeed. The first 40 were tough, the 46th was tougher. Then they fell, 50, 60 and on past my single swimming record of 66 lengths in a 25 yard pool. I stopped for the first time at 70 lengths completed, and had a well earned 60 second rest. Then I pushed off again; 75 lengths and then 80 and then a final push to 84 lengths. Very pleasing indeed, and I only needed to swim 70 the next day to meet my 200 lengths weekly target. But lets put that into context. 70 will be my second highest ever number of lengths. I was exhausted from walking some 4.5 hours during the week and swimming 130 lengths. I was tired from the Conference and warn out after the single session that hit 84 lengths. But you can't break myths and stones by sitting quietly to one side can you?

Exercising the mind

I managed 3 hours and 25 minutes walking and 46 lengths of the swimming pool so far this week, but that exercise pales into insignificance compared to the exercising of the mind that I completed at a PSMW conference from Monday to Friday in Lampeter in the County of Ceredigion. For me, the Conference was a stunning success. Not only did it afford me an opportunity to broaden my understanding and horizons, it also lit a burning desire to make a significant difference. The next phase is to determine how, and to see if I can become the 'Breaker of Myths', a term that Michael has assigned to me since 2007 when he told me and has often reiterated that I am destined for great things. That would be nice, as we are all placed on this Earth for a purpose, and I can think of no other wonderful thing than to contribute to the greater good. My passion is improving the wider safety and social agenda. I am not constrained by trying to achieve that in Wales or the UK and would be as happy to invest time and energies wherever change for the better was needed or useful.

During the week I heard many World Class speakers. This conference success is down to the hard work of those that work for Public Sector Management Wales as it is for the speakers themselves. It was lovely to be part of such a stunningly successful week of learning and growth. I engaged with a range of subjects that included; diversity, cultures, communication, economics, solution focus, and so on and so forth. All of the speakers, workshops and special events were delivered within the context of Leadership in Turbulent Times. And delivered with passion. The PSMW Summer School Webpage is worth a visit; http://wales.gov.uk/psmwsubsite/psmw/ss09/?lang=en

The Human Rights speaker from India spoke with Passion, as did others. It was a privilege to be part of the event and to look forward to next year. One speaker in particular hit home for me. Both in terms of the complexity and relevance of the topic and because of the passionate way in which it was delivered. I drew comparisons with Norbert Elias, and for those that have read this Blog, this will not come as a surprise. As a disciple of Elias, I often see links that may not always be there. But this is trivia as what matters is the speaker. Nick spoke passionately at the PSMW Leadership Conference in Lampeter and both enthralled and engaged his audience. I enjoyed a short chat with Nick during the evening about Elias and Insiders. Well that was what I was talking about as I exercised my mind but of course Nick's work is complex and his understanding goes far beyond mine. What struck me the most was the passion and conviction that he brought to the Conference, and how that passion rubbed off on me. In particular I intend to embrace Nick’s proposal that I need more fun.

I also hope to cross paths with Nick in the future as well as looking forward to reading his Blog; http://www.life2point0.com/2005/12/whats_here.html

And of course, writing in this Blog about Nick. Diolch yn fawr iawn Nick a gwela i chi yn fuan dwi’n gobiethio (thank you very much Nick, and I hope to see you again soon), Roger

Links

Well as you can see so far, each Blog entry has to have a link. Today's link is Balls, not any old balls mind you, but meatballs. I'm away in Marlow in Buckinghamshire and just had beef and pork meatballs in a nice Italian Restaurant on the main road. The beer was a bit steep at £5.95 for a bottle, but quite nice thank you very much. This is the place of £1M+ houses. If you have a house worth that much, then you can afford £6 for a beer. A far cry from Africa but very nice nevertheless. The African ball was played with quite a lot at the party yesterday. You know the one, the one that has a mind of its own and doesn't necessarily roll in a straight line. That's nothing to do with whether or not you put spin on the ball. It's an inherent quality from its original slightly ball like shape when I bought it from the street vendor in Haatso. It was never round to start with, although it's great fun to play with as one of the toddlers realised at the party. But link or not, time is moving fast and the Grandson was one year old yesterday. That year has flown by and there has been little time for Blogging. Well it's all relative isn't it? The faster he moves the slower things become for me. The slower movement of others speeds up our own movement or the sense of movement. And I suppose in many ways my renewed interest in physical activity has also sped up time. Over 2,000 lengths in the University Pool have been completed in the last three months. Along with over 30 hours of walking and many good books. Well you have to exercise your mind, don't you?