Hooked On A Feeling

Which of these paths will you choose?

A new day begins. A new sun rises. The air is fresh and I am ready to breathe it in! I feel like a fighter loose and anxious, confident and ready for the bell; trembling! I understand that not everyone knows what I’m talking about. For me it’s that feeling I have at the trail head. I’ve stepped away from the road. The air feels sharp and invades every pore of my skin; the air feels clean. The acrid smell of the morning sun warming the pine needles flares my nostrils. I fill my lungs. My mind races through what’s ahead of me. I pour through how I’ve prepared. I become aware of myself inside. I feel like I’m standing at the gate that separates me from everything else. Then it fades away as the sheer power of the world presses on all my senses. The flood gates open drowning me in real ‘here and now’ life. A voice that is all too familiar but at the same time all too foreign comes boiling the surface and in a calm and clear voice says, “Alright — let’s go.”

And then we go.

I’ve spent the last two months preparing for this month. The mission has been set. Home base has been built. Now it is time to venture out in to the real ‘here and now’ world and raise some money. I am a goal orientated person and as such my goal for this month of November is to have $1000 raised for Action Against Hunger/ Action Contre la Faim (ACF). So now I need to tell my family, and my friends, and ask them to tell their family and their friends. I need to blow the dust off some old friendships and ask for help. I need to go knocking on the doors of neighbors and businesses alike and spread the word.

All too often I think people (myself included) focus their energy on how difficult it will be to complete this task or that. The truth of the matter though is that it is impossible not to complete if we give it everything we’ve got. I’m reminded of backpacking again. About how that voice inside of me can be so convincing when it tells me of the easy way out. About how I don’t need to go any farther and I can stop right here on the trail, about how I can turn back, about how I can’t do it anymore. That voice got to me in Patagonia. It’s got to me at times before then. And I’ve certainly heard its voice since then. But now there is a new voice, a calm and clear voice, that speaks with power and encouragement, which tells me I cannot fail so long as I keep going. Otro paso más.

The right path!

So now Walking Hungry begins to raise money: $1000 in November. Step by step, and dollar by dollar. I know that anyone and everyone who reads this can help. I can’t say for certain that you will help. But keep this in mind before you dismiss the idea to donate. Have you ever been hungry before? Maybe very hungry to the point where you felt weak? Maybe you’ve just been a little hungry, enough to loose your train of thought? I personally cannot even imagine living a life time in that condition and still keeping a smile on my face. So hypothetically, if you were given the opportunity to give away $1 with the knowledge that it would end that hunger that you have felt, and that others live with; would you? That $1 isn’t even a glass a beer or a glass of wine…you can spare one beer from now until forever can’t you?

I ask for a $1 for a simple reason. We’ve all been hungry at some point in time. We’ve all had a $1 to spare, or have $1 we’ve wasted at some point and time, maybe more! If we all give that small amount, that $1, then we can all build the steps, bit by bit, to end global hunger. That’s global hunger! Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America (and Antarctica I suppose too).

So here are your options:

Click here to go to Walking Hungry. You can read about my campaign to raise money for Action Against Hunger/ Action Contre la Faim (ACF). Then follow the link on the left hand side to donate to ACF via Walking Hungry.

Or

Click here to skip my site and go straight to the donation page of Action Against Hunger/ Action Contre la Faim (ACF).

Either way though, as we struggle through tough economic times and make small sacrifices. Think about what you still have: a place to sleep, a computer to play with, cable maybe? Know that these tough times are hurting others more than they are hurting us. Donate a $20, donate $5, donate at least $1 right now. Your donation will build on top of others and that will make the difference.

All right — let’s go.

…Another Step More

I’m back after a bit of a hiatus. Rent was due so I had to pull in some extra shifts…you all understand I’m sure. But here I am again and back with new vigor. You see since I began constructing this walk for Action Against Hunger at the beginning of September, I’ve had so many ideas and possibilities come my way. I’ve rearranged my entire life schedule to prepare and plan for this walk. I mean lets face it…1500 miles is a heck of along way to walk, and 4 months living out of pocket with out a job is a long time to spend. I know what needs to be done, I know how to prepare and furthermore I genuinely want to dedicate my time accordingly; but all too often another day passes and I haven’t accomplished my goals. So my next step forward is critical. I need discipline.

“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.” (Jim Rohn) I’ve made that little quote into my desktop background in an effort to get my self off the computer, off the couch, and to start working.

So what do I need to do to prepare for this trip? What is it that takes such discipline?

I need to be prepared physically. 1500 miles across flat lands, rolling hills, snow covered mountains, rocky paths, steps up, steps down, stumbles and tumbles, blisters and sore backs, getting lost, doubling back, and all that falls in between is very taxing on your muscles, bones, and joints. It takes energy to move your body, calories from food. That is food that we won’t always have! That is food that a lot of people don’t have. But that is why we’re all here isn’t it!? For now though, I do have that food. In fact I have a pretty nice selection of food. I have the energy it takes to prepare my muscles and bones. I have the time to train as I work mostly nights, and I have the knowledge and the means to train and eat properly with a background in exercise physiology. But I’m lacking something.

I need to be prepared mentally. Luck as I am to be fluent in the most prevalent international language: English. I can’t always assume that every one I speak with will have equal fluency. So I need to learn Italian, French, and Spanish. That means lessons and lessons take time and dedication. Language however will not be my biggest mental challenge. I need to have an idea of where our route will take us, how far we can move in a day, and what to expect culturally to get along. This journey is going to leave a lot to spontaneity and I understand that. In fact I think the easiest way to ruin this whole course (and I mean from now until the finish line) is to plan too much. I need to be like pieces of a puzzle; open as a single piece to all the possibilities of the picture, but fitted together formed into a beautiful scene. And that takes something.

I need to be prepared emotionally. Here I feel is the toughest part. With all the unknown that lays ahead it is difficult and at times seems impossible to keep your self together, but it is necessary. On the days when it’s raining, on the nights when it’s cold, during the days when it’s hot, when I miss a good meal, when I want a soft bed, when I feel like I can’t take another step, or; when I have a good meal, and a nice place to sleep, and I don’t want to leave, when I just feel like giving up and coming home, when that voice in my head tells me I’ve done enough already, when it tells me I’m the one who matters most, when I tell myself I can’t do it, that I don’t want to do it, when I’m scared that I’ll fail, when I think it’s easier to quit; that is when I need something.

DISCIPLINE

A wonder of life, another step more. A photo of El Camino de Santiago.

When I left my mates in Chile I wasn’t prepared in any way. And I lacked that discipline I needed. But after I left the trail I stayed at the NOLS campo for almost 2 weeks and got to work with a peaceful man who was preparing the next class. He was a spiritual guy, a Rasta native to that land who as a youth had himself participated in a NOLS Patagonia course. He taught me two very important lessons. First that every moment is a wonder: in that it is a mystery and a beautiful thing. Second, and in response to that mysterious beauty, we must always take “otro paso más”…another step more.