Living in the UK, you
have more opportunity
than probably 95% of
the rest of the world
34 • happiful.com • August 2019
“Looking back, mindfulness is
something I’ve practised for a
long time. When I was still young
and in the Marines, I used to
lead expeditions and take groups
of students across the world. I
remember sitting on top of a
waterfall in Guyana with about 15
kids who just weren’t interested in
being there.
“I asked them to sit with their
legs dangling over the edge of the
waterfall, close their eyes and
imagine they were back at school,
worrying about exams. Then, that
they hadn’t received the grades
they wanted, or were finding it
hard to get work. I asked their
future selves to think back to this
beautiful, wonderful moment and
wish they were here again. Then
I told them to open their eyes,
look out and really appreciate the
experience.
“That to me is mindfulness.
Being in the moment, soaking it
up and learning from it.”
Cherishing the moment is
equally important when it comesto his romantic relationship. “I
appreciate my fiancée Anna,” he
smiles. “We spend a lot of time
apart. She’s a producer, and we’ve
had times where I’ve been away
for months and have two days at
home, and then she’ll be away for
three weeks, but those two days we
have together are so special, and
so full of everything you would
want to have.”
The pair won’t have long to
wait until another very special
day, with their wedding planned
for September this year. Yet
while they’re in the middle
of organising their nuptials,
they still have no less than five
working trips between them in
the months before their wedding.
Aldo doesn’t seem at all fazed by
this, but then wedding planning
must be an enjoyable exercise
for someone who has been
used to negotiating the extreme
challenges he has.
When it comes to these
challenges, Aldo is aware of the
importance of monitoring his own
mental health and resilience. After
leaving the Marines, he proactively
sought counselling to ensure that
his experiences in the Services
didn’t come back to impact him
negatively later on in life.
And now? “I make sure I
exercise, I keep my brain busy, Italk to people who understand
my situation.”
Aldo is consistently quick to
point out the positives in his life,
after speaking about some of the
more testing times he’s endured,
including his time in West Africa
in the middle of the Ebola crisis.
“With the travelling I do, I come
back and it can be wonderful to
just see green grass, or walk into
a shop and just be able to buy
something...
“My perspective is that,
generally, living in the UK,
and in particular London, you
have more opportunity than
probably 95% of the rest of the
world. Anna and I are good
at not complaining, because
we’ve seen those other life
experiences.”
As our conversation ends, I am
left with the sense that Aldo is
someone who has seen the very
worst that human and mother
nature can offer, but he’s also a
person who remains dedicated
to seeing the beauty in life,
who embraces movement and
strength, and celebrates his
connection to other people.
Aldo truly knows what it means
to appreciate each moment,
and live for the here and now –
something we can all do, in our
own way, every day.