Today I have the pleasure of sharing a guest post from Terri Witherden. She said “yes” to a little adventure back in June and this has led to a whole summer of “yes”, culminating in being part of the team supporting Dave Cornthwaite in his first-ever Yestival, a weekend of campfires and inspirational speakers. And this is only the beginning…
[Terri:] For three letters, “yes” has a lot of clout.
It can open doors, start new journeys and lead you down paths you could never have planned. It can be frightening, it can be daunting, but it can be the most wonderful world in the world if you let it.
From learning to kayak and paddleboard to a month road tripping in America, “Yes” helped me discover the world and also myself. My summer of adventures culminated in a field in Surrey last week as I witnessed its magic again at Yestival: the Say Yes More Festival.
I was privileged to watch the magic happen from behind the scenes. Each day we rose from our tents to the rallying cry of Project Awesome: a free fitness venture run by Ultimate Hell Week’s Danny Bent together with fellow adventurer Anna McNuff. The morning Yoga class was also full, perfect for those looking for something a little less burpee orientated.
Fuelled by freshly catered food, energised by physical activities and inspired by the great outdoors, the Yestival Day began. Speakers pitched their talk topics to an eager crowd who then scurried to their chosen venue, sunk into soft hay bales and armed themselves with pencils and notepads. From the adventuring elite such as Vince Austin, Sean Conway and Niall McCann, to emerging stars like Ben Arthur, Laura Kennington and The Meek Family, there was an adventure waiting for everyone at Yestival.
We awoke to the first frost of the year on the final morning of the festival. It was as if nature was mirroring the crystal-clear resolutions many of us had formed over the weekend. As the autumn sun rose, we brought the stage outside, bathing in the last warmth of summer and dreaming of the future to come.
And just think, all of this magic, all of this opportunity, all of these new friends, dreams and adventures, all started with one little word. I’ll leave you to figure out what the word was…