Reality for Myself, Family, and Friends

It has been snowing lately in Georgia

Although it has been quite cold in northern Minnesota the last few weeks, I have tried to continue walking at least every other day.  We also have many good cross-country ski trails for me to train on as well.

Day-by-Day

I am more eager to begin my trek as each day goes by.  It will be good for me to concentrate on the day-by-day concerns of the trail, get out of my head, and live one day at a time.  My family and friends are also coming to grips realizing that I will be gone from home for half a year.

For myself, the realization is knowing that I will be missing my grandkid’s sports and school events.  I will not be tapping maple trees this spring and boiling maple syrup.  I will miss spring fishing, messing with my bees, mowing the lawn, harvesting wild asparagus, turkey hunting, and getting to go blueberry picking with my friends.

I like to think that for my friends and family, the realization is that they will miss me.  I know I will miss coffee mornings with my friends, Sunday morning Church services, and even working for my daughter on her house.  I think about my parents emigrating to America, knowing they might never again see their family and friends they were leaving in Denmark . Six months doesn’t seem so long when thinking about their life.

There are almost always two sides to everything we do.  Although there is a downside to a trip like this, I also believe the positives outweigh them.   I will make new friends, see new things, and my life will change.  

When Lewis and Clark came home from their epic trek, they found it difficult to adjust to their previous life.  Neal Armstrong experienced the same after setting foot on the moon.  While my trek does not compare to theirs, I wonder if I may feel this as well.   

Hoping to meet many new friends on the Trail,

Egon