After reaching Elon University earlier in the day, Tony, Megan & daughter Claire are hosting me. Tony & Megan teach Astronomy and Computer Science, respectively, at Elon University. They treated me to one of the most deliciously healthy dinners at the local co-op grocery store, as we listed to live music!!
Great people!!!
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Gibsonville
Today’s soggy miles bring me to Gibsonville, NC
The “Hood”
“You know you’re in the hood, right?” the twentysomething lady behind these gentlemen cautioned me, shortly after my pic was snapped here with Jimmie Jam & Hoop.
I acknowledged her with a shoulder shrug and tilt of my head, raising my eyebrows with a “what-other-option-is-there?” look on my face. With many out-of-business retail buildings, convenience stores with armored gates, and a neighborhood whose nicest homes may barely swim near the bottom of middle class rankings, it was obvious that Greensboro’s northeastern corner wasn’t the Beverly Hills of the metropolitan area.
After being cautioned by the well-meaning lady, some butterflies did begin buzzing within my belly, but I didn’t allow that to slow me down. At the same time, I didn’t want to appear to be nervously rushing through the area. A few blocks further, I stopped in front of a roadside church, meditated till I reached a strongly optimistic state of mind, and then returned to the road with a much happier and assured mentality and gait. Within the following five minutes, many curious passersby stopped to kindly inquire about the walk– some even insisting that I accept some cash to help me with food down the road. I was given fresh bottles of water a mile or two later.
Physical scars which I find most scary within any “hood” are: a high amount of empty, decaying homes; residential doors and windows with iron security bars; and a large amount of broken or boarded up windows. Aside from a cluster of vacant shops on my way into the neighborhood, I saw very little of the above.
While it’s true that as I was leaving the neighborhood, I walked a block from many parked police cruisers and TV news trucks covering today’s headline story in the Triad– a home where two dead bodies had been found earlier in the day– ironically, it’s also true that random people within northeast Greensboro were collectively friendlier than in any other Triad neighborhood I’ve walked.
The though belly butterflies may buzz again in a similar scenario, I feel a yearning to spend more time getting to know and appreciate residents of some of America’s “hoods.” The people living within these impoverished areas are no less human than the rest of us– yet sadly, they’re all too often despised, ignored and forgotten.
Hmmm…
The Arrival
THIS is what walking across America is like.
I’ve stayed with hundreds of hosts across thousands of miles of walking across America. Documented here with a tiny, cart-mounted camera is my arrival to fantastic hosts Matt & Julieta in Reidville, South Carolina, after walking over 20 km one brisk autumn day. The Hellers are great– I ended up spending several days with them– including Thanksgiving!!
(2min 27sec)
Rosa Parks’ 100th Birthday
“Mother of the Civil Rights Movement,” Rosa Parks’ was born 100 years ago today.
A few months ago, I allowed intuition to guide me as I walked the streets on my way through downtown Montgomery, Alabama. I stopped to sit on the nearby bench before reading the sign. What a jaw-dropping moment of fascination when I actually turned to read it, as the stories I’d learned as a child came to life before my very eyes…
THE SIGN READS:
At the stop on this Montgomery, Alabama site on December 1, 1955, Mrs. Rosa Parks boarded the bus which would transport her name into history. Returning home after a long day working as a seamstress for Montgomery Fair department store,
she refused the bus driver’s orders to give up her seat to boarding whites. Her arrest, conviction, and fine launched the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The Boycott began on December 5, the day of Parks’ trial, as a protest by African-Americans for unequal treatment they received on the bus line.
Refusing to ride the buses, they maintained the Boycott until the U.S. Supreme Court ordered integration of public transportation one year later. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led the Boycott, the beginning of the modern Civil Rights Movement.
Meeting Garth Poorman!
I met Garth Poorman today!
Garth began his walk from upstate New York to New Orleans about a month before I began my walk, in September of 2009.
Doing some research before hitting the road in 2009, I’d spent an hour on the phone with three different men who’d recently finished walking across America, and one of them referred me to Garth– who’d barely begun. I spent an hour on the phone with Garth as well, who answered my litany of questions with the perspective of a man currently on the trail and already having covered hundreds of miles. As was the case with all others, his advice was invaluable.
Garth and I loosely stayed in touch across the miles, and in Alabama this past summer, I was hosted by kind souls who hosted Garth in 2009.
What a fantastic experience to finally meet Garth in person today, share a meal, and spend hours swapping stories of all experiences under the sun (and moon), walking and talking!
FOLLOW UP:
Garth returned to his previous job after his walk, and after working a couple more years, saving more $, he’s free again– this time to visit family, friends, and embark on a project to spend a month in five different cities: San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Detroit and Toronto. He’s planning to spend 4-5 nights with hosts in various parts of each of these cities, and take long, daily walks to explore each of the cities while there. Garth is a very talented writer, and I can’t wait to read anything he wishes to share with the Universe via his blog: www.poormanwalking.com
Kayla Hoomes’ Letter
KAYLA HOOMES’ LETTER
As I was preparing for bed just after midnight on Thursday, I felt it swooping in on me like a freak Texas thunderstorm: the strongest case of the flu in years, since leaving the Pacific, was selecting me as its next “ground zero.”
Having dealt with some similarly formidable opponents throughout life’s 37 years, I knew I needed to summon my “A” game at light speed–to keep from being sucked into the abyss.
Step 1: A strong mind. Just as I tell people that the Walk is 99% mental, my greatest asset in the face of illness is a strong, focused, determined mind. Sadly, I’m convinced that the only reason I was succumbing to this mega-flu in the first place was due to the fact that I’d allowed myself to be derailed into an unfriendly, negative track of thoughts in previous days– an inimical psychological construct which left me wide open to being tackled by this flu. Over the years, I’ve found that when I maintain the stronger mindset, I feel colds and flues coming on and they don’t stand a chance– a light brush of symptoms over no more than a couple of days and they’re gone.
This time around, this mega-flu was thundering down fast and with full force, and understanding that swift, immediate intervention would by far be the best road to the softest impact and the quickest removal of malady, I didn’t hesitate to use 100% of the tools on me.
To further fortify the strong state of mind, I grabbed Kayla’s letter and opened it. Kayla Hoomes is a high school student from Brewton, Alabama– a student whom I’ve never actually met, but who heard of the Walk through friends, and has been one of the greatest, light-filled supporters to me across the miles. Many times Kayla has offered to send a care package, but aside from “good vibes,” I’ve haven’t thought of anything else she could send. I’ve promised to include Kayla on my postcard list, yet the sad fact that I’ve only seen racks of $1 postcards since Brewton quickly threw a monkey wrench into my nascent state-by-state habit of sending postcards to whomever requested one (a list well over 100 strong– I’d love to add your name, if you’d like to ultimately receive a postcard from me as well– next time they’re affordable to me). Still, none of this stopped Kayla’s bright soul from sending me a letter first. Kayla received an up-the-road South Carolina address, and her light-filled letter awaited my arrival in Powdersville, SC. I could tell her letter was special, so I decided to save it for a rainy day– if one ever should come. I carried Kayla’s letter in my front pocket for hundreds of miles– not knowing if I’d ever feel the dark hour to open and read it or not. The dark hour had arrived though, so I opened up Kayla’s letter and read it. Over three printed pages, Kayla wrote of the challenges and joys of her life. She wrote of inspiration, and she closed with some strong, inspirational and empowering words to me. Kayla’s fraternal, universal love flowed strongly, and helped guide my soul to it’s best possible position before I lay down for that night’s rest.
The following morning, I wasn’t surprised to find that this was the type of flu virus where you wake up and ache all over, inside and out– so much so that you simply want to go back to sleep as soon as possible, because being awake means being in constant pain. A dozen years ago, influenza viruses of this magnitude could knock me out for a week. That was then, and this is now. I did awaken in pain, but I also knew that it could have been much worse had I not gone to bed with a strong mind, love from friends (Kayla et al), and more. I also believe oh-so strongly in the intricate mind-body connection. If people can learn to undergo surgery awake and without anaesthetic, sleep outside on the coldest Himalayan night of the year with no more than a thin sheet to cover their bodies, and perform a host of other miracles via the power of their minds, I can learn to overcome a painful flu with the power of my mind.
After sitting and meditating for hours, I felt a great rebound of love and strength in my heart, which now towered over the pain I’d felt upon awakening. And I’ve only grown stronger since. I’d still only consider myself “99%” of the way through, yet aside from allowing myself additional sleep time, I’ve otherwise continued “life as normal.”
Thank You, Kayla, for your recent, powerful letter. Thank You Steffany B, Alison D, Elena E and Ronna for wonderful and powerful letters you’ve sent me across the miles (Oh, I so love receiving letters!!).
Many THANKS to all of you– for your endless, fantastic support across life’s miles!!!
EnjoyTheWalk YouTube Test
Test
test
As our paths cross again
This afternoon I was gifted with the opportunity to spend a couple of hours catching up with Jesse & Mark, who hosted me in Athens, GA. These guys are awesome– and are only getting better with time. Mark hosted me at his place for multiple nights– and is a super nice guy. Jesse’s understanding of societal workings and issues is uncanny. He can very adeptly describe where humanity is at, as well as the direction in which it needs to move. So, our discussion evolved into: “How do we get it there?”
They’ve recently left their jobs and at least for now, have relegated themselves to a life on the road– a life which they won’t be selling away anytime soon. Their souls are brightening, and I’m so glad we all crossed paths again. We aren’t sure when our paths will cross next, but I’m pretty confident we’ll be staying in touch 
Go See Dr. Peters!
“Go see Dr. Peters,” Dr. Paras Mehta told me, over a week ago. Paras and Shivani Mehta were my first hosts in Charlotte. They both finished medical school several years ago. Shivani already finished her residency and is currently practicing. Paras, however, has extended his residency to assist in building an acupuncture program he’s helping to implement at Charlotte’s Carolinas Medical Center. Obviously on the path of a very holistic, integrative physician, I asked Paras if he knew of any chiropractor in Charlotte he may wish to recommend to me. “Go see Dr. Peters,” Paras told me, without hesitation, “that’s actually the name of his website too.”
Dr. Tony Peters practices both chiropractic and acupuncture. Easy to find in the digital world, Peters received my e-mail and invited me in for complimentary treatment. I showed up a half hour early Wednesday afternoon for my appointment, and was greeted by his very friendly staff. “Just call me Tony,” Dr. Peters requests. I spent two hours in Tony’s office, during the first of which he not only adjusted my neck and back, he also did some very painful, very helpful soft tissue work. (I had to clutch the bars of the adjustment table amid the pain.) Next, it was on to the acupuncture room, where I spent the next hour face down, with 19 needles planted into me from head to toe.
I emerged very “charged” from one of my best-ever healing sessions. Tony introduced me to his wife and kids, and then returned me to my miles-away hosts Mike & Mary. We all ended up sharing dinner together, and yesterday Tony called me out for an off-the-route paddle-boarding lesson. I ended up accepting an invitation to spend the night on their sofa. Joined by Saki, their cuddly little doggy.
He charged me up with a few more adjustments in his office this morning, before I returned to Mike & Mary’s.
Funny thing, though it was Dr. Paras Mehta who recommended that I “go see Dr. Peters,” Dr. Tony Peters doesn’t even remember Paras Mehta. I don’t even know if Paras Mehta ever met Tony– maybe he’s just heard of him?? Either way, that didn’t stop Tony Peters from opening his doors to someone new, offering his finest hospitality
Thank You, Dr. Peters!
Chinese dinner tonight with Tony Peters, Mike, Mary, David & Jeff. David is a good friend from Portland; I lent him & Sarah, his wife, my car when I left the Pacific Northwest. I hadn’t met Jeff, but he’s part of the “in” network of Austin, TX– Jeff now lives on the same property with Jenna Jasso, who accompanied me for two days of walking out of Austin. 
Jeff, Mike, Mary, George, David
Men in Hoods