In the last thirteen years I have been lucky enough to work with such incredible people – on our ships sailing to the ends of the earth; on the road – sometimes to what felt like nowhere and back again – and in so many of our offices.
I have had the privilege to see the best and worst this planet has to offer and to be able to use my skills to make it just that little bit better, I hope. I have been inspired by so many of you, infuriated by a few; always challenged, supported, entertained, and moved. I have been part of great work and have made great friends.
And I have fallen in love.
So, today I am writing to say thank you to all of you who have given me so much, but my heart and I have a whole new life to live and I’m off!
I leave at the end of June. As for what I am doing next – well there’s a good question. Throwing it all up in the air with joyful, reckless abandonment is the short answer.
Geoff Nimmo and I are going to travel the world for a year or two – maybe more, maybe less; wherever the fancy takes us; for as long or short as we feel. We have a plan, but no itinerary; a purpose, but no fixed intent.
It is going to be glorious, certainly ridiculous, definitely life affirming, absolutely fascinating and utterly irresistible!
Between us we have spent 35 years trying to save this beautiful place – now is our time to enjoy it without also being ankle-deep in toxic shite! Obviously I will attempt to still get Geoff busted on a regular basis, so he can maintain his proud boast of having the longest arrest record in GPAP history.
We will be available for freelance work along the way, so if you need project managers, crisis team managers, a communications strategist, editor, rapid response consultant, meeting facilitator, IT specialist, action coordinator, boat, tank and other big things driver and large dollops of institutional memory then drop us a line – we know lots of stuff and we are fun to have around.
sara.holden@gmail.com & geoff_nimmo@hushmail.com
If you want to follow our adventures, we will have a blog and facebook page and I will let you know the details nearer the time.
I wish you all luck with the on-going reorganisation and no doubt will see at least some of you somewhere down the road.
Rumi, as always, says it better than I ever could: “My head is bursting with the joy of the unknown.” I hope my happiness is infectious – even for just a few minutes of your day. Thanks again for the last thirteen years.
With love and affection.
Sara
‘Awesome!’ as our American friends would say. And even more awesome for fellow Barefooters is that she has kindly agreed to guest blog for this site as she and her boyfriend travel around the globe.
