A few words can mean so much
A Korean friend of mine left me a comment on a blog I wrote re mental health. 3 simple words, ‘I love you’. I have been on a buzz ever since I got up this morning and read those 3 words.
Julie and I go back 11 months to when I escorted her and 20 others on a tour through New Zealand. From day one we hit it off. All in innocence and still is. But sometimes on tours I meet special people. Julie is in that category. We have kept in regular contact ever since.
The ‘I love you’ words were Julie expressing her feelings of warmth as I have been mentoring her ever since we met on some personal issues she had and I guess still does. But until she read that blog she was unaware I had suffered chronic bipolar and I guess the penny dropped. It made her realise where some of mentoring was coming from.
I never judge people. We are all different in every which way. I never give recommendations. Only listen to issues and try help people to express them. I know Julie has conquered issues she had and I know those 3 words last night were her acknowledging what we have together.
For me right now, my dilemma is we have not gained the tour enquiries this summer I thought we would given the extensive marketing I did through winter. A new far superior website. A business trip abroad following 3 months of targeting the right people for appointments. But alas, the emails are silent. The phones are silent. On a positive note we have great tour bookings in place November to February but they came through untargeted sources that head hunted us. But very disappointing for me all my work is yet to see rewards.
Xiaoli tells me we only have the odd booking for our beach front accommodation Ninety Mile Beach for the key summer holiday period when we are normally booked out by now. I wonder whether that is to do with the fact New Zealand is in limbo right now since the government elections and no actual party yet able to form a government?
The accommodation doesn’t worry me as the closer it gets to Christmas and traditionally we are turning people away. The bookings will come. Our spring weather yet still has reminders of winter in it so that is another factor that doesn’t help.
I am craving to go fishing. Withdrawal symptoms are really kicking in. Tried to get out on my mates boat 2 days ago. Made it to the fishing spot and I dropped the anchor in 30 metres of water only for him to become really ill. Seasick. And he like me never gets seasick. So no electric anchor winch on his boat so slowly I retrieve the anchor by hand from the 30 metres it sat in. What a long haul that was. Arms still suffering. And no fish as we headed back.
Yesterday I said to the boss (Xiaoli) lets go put the kontiki out. The kontiki for my readers is shaped like a torpedo and tows up to 25 hooks up to 2 kilometers out to sea. Being an Island nation we obviously have a lot of sea and reasonably abundant in fish. But no, the boss did not want to, nor my mate, so still no fishing.
Tomorrow is Friday the 13th so I do not take risks or I would head 50km up the beach to the rocks to fish. Had a bad experience years ago on a Friday that fell on the 13th so now I play it careful.
I guess fishing will wait to maybe Saturday.
Back to some marketing today. Our tour books are relatively full but I want the satisfaction of knowing my own marketing to new avenues has worked so I need keep targeting the people already contacted. If a booking comes I will always find the way to do the tour. Every problem has a solution. You just need find the solution
Peter and Xiaoli Tours 