My 50th year. I think we should all attempt more hard things.

Tomorrow marks my 50th go round the sun. I planned to spend it attempting to summit Mount Taranaki again, this time with my best mates and 16-year-old son Kea.

I plan on writing an article about my time on the mountain last year after redundancy and the joy of seeing my mates reach the summit for the first time.

?Sadly, the weather had other plans. Low visibility, rain, and snow would have prevented us from reaching the top. So we spoke last night and called off our attempt and the trip to Taranaki.

It reminds me that hard things are hard and often don’t come off. In the language of outdoor adventures, we might "attempt" hard things, leaving room for failure that is not absolute and results from a lack of effort.?

?"Attempt" doesn’t require you to succeed in one shot; it leaves room to pick yourself up and try again; it doesn't proportion blame like 'try' does.

?I couldn’t have 'attempted a bit harder' and succeeded.

?I'm improving on Yoda's classic line.

Do or do not attempt; don’t try.

So, my 50th birthday has been postponed until the 26th of April, when we hope for better weather for our next attempt at the summit.

?As a bonus, I will get another month as a 49-year-old.