Ann Bancroft and thoughts about life

Today I had the opportunity to hear arctic explorer Ann Bancroft speak about her adventures.  What a treat!  The setting was the tame and sedate Edina Country Club -- a far cry from the frozen tundra where she earned her claim to fame.

Although her famous trips via dogsled and the one on foot with Liv Arnesen while dragging a 267 pound sled happened several years ago, she is preparing for another trek commencing October 2014.  This one will include six women, one from every continent in the world.  Truly a global, multicultural event!

Many people have read about Ann's adventures, or perhaps heard interviews with her, but sitting eye-to-eye with her at the front table in a room full of 200 people and hearing her recount her stories "live" really let me understand what it was like.

Most fascinating for me was that as she spoke I imagined metaphors for trying to accomplish anything in life.  She talked about how she had to persevere with hours of hard work to reach her daily mileage goal, and that reminded me about persevering and never giving up on my goals.  She talked about her and Liv becoming discouraged midway through the trip, and how they made silly videos to buoy up each other spirits.  I thought about how my family and I joke around, and encouraging others I come in contact with each day, to keep their spirits up so we can get through tough times and achieve our goals.  She spoke of making her treks educational, so that kids around the world could learn from her experiences.  I thought of how important it is to give back to others and think beyond my own selfish needs. I saw pictures of her out in all that nothingness for days on end, and thought about how we can make meaning out of life even when all around us everything looks bleak.

After the meeting I shook Ann's hand and thanked her for her excellent talk, and was impressed with her air of happiness and absolute self reliance.  What a great role model and reminder that anyone -- and especially women and girls -- can accomplish what they set their minds to.

Thank you, Ann, for talking to the Bloomington, Eden Prairie, and other Twin Cities Chamber of Commerce members today!
Read about Ann's upcoming trek and her charitable foundation at http://www.annbancroftfoundation.org