As readers of this blog know, each year around this time I do an an “audit” of what I achieved this year pegged against what I hoped to achieve this time last year. And I outline what I hope to achieve in the coming year.

This year was all about the movie adaptation of my Camino memoir, The Way, My Way.

After nearly eight years in development, and something like forty drafts of the screenplay, the movie finally got shot.

We shot along the length of the Camino, from St Jean Pied de Port on the French side of the Pyrenees, right the way through to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, in the far western region of Spain.

We shot with a small crew, so as to keep a tiny footprint on the Camino, and of the twenty roles in the movie, only four were played by professional actors – the rest were pilgrims.

I made this decision because I wanted the film to be truly authentic to the spirit of the Camino.

Post production has been lengthy – we’re now at 28 weeks and we’re still not done. But the film now has a distributor, a wonderful distributor – (details to come early next year) – and it looks like a mid-May theatrical release in Australia, later in the year for the rest of the world.

Jennifer and I are very excited that the film has landed in the right hands.

In amongst all this I pre-released a new novel, The Golden Bridge. It’s been picked up by a publisher and will be getting a proper launch next year, then available in bookstores, but right at the moment it’s available on Amazon here:

The Golden Bridge Amazon Australia
The Golden Bridge Amazon US

On a personal note, making the movie took the stuffing out of me this year. And it’s my own stupid fault. I didn’t eat well, (or rather, I ate too well!) I let my exercise slip, I didn’t sleep enough, I really didn’t look after myself as well as I should have.

I prioritised my film over my well-being.

This year I turned 70, and in August I celebrated (if that’s the word) five years since being diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease – although I’d become aware of symptoms some twelve months prior to diagnosis. So I’ve had this incurable degenerative brain disease for more than six years now.

Making a movie on location – as writer, producer and director – is not easy at the best of times, but when you’ve got Parkinson’s disease, let me tell you it was tough.

I tried not to let it show.

So audit time: How did I fare with what I said I’d do this year, compared to what I actually did do? I said that this year I’d:

• Market Facing Fear throughout the US and in other territories.
  Yes, I did it.
• Have a new book, The Judith Sessions, published.
  Didn’t happen – for reasons beyond my control. And it won’t ever happen.
• Have a second new book published, a fictional work called The Golden Bridge.
  Did it.
• Shoot and edit The Way My Way – a feature film based on my memoir of the same title.
  Did it.
• Shoot the third film in my Personal Guidance System series, this film called I Hope.
  Partly done. Shot about 25hrs of material.
• Launch a website aimed at helping people understand and deal with fear.
  Nup. Didn’t get around to it.

So my strike rate wasn’t too bad.

What do I hope to achieve this coming year, in 2024?

• Release The Way, My Way theatrically in Australia and other territories world wide.
• Release Facing Fear online globally.
• Publish a ten year anniversary edition of The Way, My Way.
• Publish a book of my Camino blog posts, called The Way, My Way – posts from a blog that became a book that became a film.
• Complete the filming of Hope – the third in the series which includes PGS Intuition and Facing Fear.
• Further development of my elephant film, tentatively titled Elephant Mountain.
• Write the screenplay to the sequel of The Way, My Way – titled The Way, Their Way.
• Begin writing another novel – a metaphysical thriller.

That’s a lot to chew off, and any one of those goals would be an achievement in itself – but I like to set myself lofty targets.

We’ll see how I go.

Again on a personal note, I’ve started taking back control of my body.

I’ve rejoined my local gym and I’m doing 30-45 mins cardio, 45 mins weights and core-strengthening exercises 4-5 times a week. I’ve also gone back to my Nordic walking, 2-3 times a week.

This last Sunday I walked 8kms at 4.35kms/hr. That for me was a big deal. Through most of this year I was incapable of walking more than 2km at a stretch without getting knocked up.

One of the biggest downsides for me with Parkinson’s is that it severely impacts your ability to walk. I’m fighting this, and I’m finding that Nordic walking is helping greatly.

I’m intermittent fasting as a matter of course – not eating before 1pm – 2pm. And I’ve taken red meat, alcohol, dairy and processed carbs out of my diet. I’m working on sugar and salt, but I’m not there yet.

Already I’m starting to feel the benefits of this return to a routine of exercise and mindful eating. With less travel anticipated this year, I should be able to bring my physical wellness back into line.

I have no plans to retire.

I have too much to do.

I’m not letting this condition I have stop me, much less slow me down. I feel that finally I have some semblance of command of my craft, and I have things I want to say.

This past ten years of my life, post Camino, has been a huge learning period for me – the Parkinson’s being a key part of that learning – and now I feel I need to put what whispers of wisdom I might have accumulated into service.

That’s the key word for me now moving forward:

Service.