Another Christmas...

This in many ways was the best I remember of all the Christmas days.No expectations,obligatory visits to the inlaws,or overeating at too many tables. A quiet morning in my home followed by a pleasent walk around the park with the world and Nice the dog in tow.Cheerful people, good conversation, and well wishing smiles.
Then the gifts. I did receive were far beyond any thing I could have imagined.A sleeping-bag for the walk in spring.A call from both my Sisters, and clothes. A giftcard from a friend. Beautiful weather and no stress. The best Christmas.

Still on track for leaving mid-spring. Any help is appreciated call 502- 408 -5772

waiting through the seasons

Today the rains of Fall rinse the last leaves from the trees. Outside the window a branch dropped in the yard. Like a squirrel I broke it up a stowed it on the wood pile.Winter is just days away and the deep freezes will set in. My son and I will wait out the seasons cold till spring sprouts and our dreams sprout anew.

Thanksgiving

Today I am posting my first time from my phone.Figuting how to use this on the next walk is another item on the list. WhooHoo!

AHHH

Done with the clearing, the sorting, the throwing out.
I can walk the World again...

cleaning house

I have been cleaning out the old (burnt) house and think it is still good in a way because I will have that chapter of my life cleaned up before the next walk. Baby steps ...

Life is on fire!

Don't think we have been neglecting to check in
which you could say as I begin.
I have lost my home access to a working computer
aged and slow has now become null and void
From the library I am writing this... flow of thought.

I have been enjoying good reading, friendly company, satisfying work and life as we know it.
I'm working still on my goal to leave in mid-spring. Getting my house in order.
Fixing holes and roofs and keeping the yard tidy.
The God I love has given me as much as I can handle and I enjoy all the turns and twists. Recently I divorced from my marriage of many years and had left oh so many things at the old house. My Ex-wife and I have been talking of clearing the house of all the clutter from our long time of collecting, now that my new place is becoming more clear to accept the load.
Tools and memories from a life of ferreting.
The other night I get a frantic call from my ex-(Queen) who let me know firstly she was not joking and secondly SHE CAUGHT THE HOUSE ON FIRE!
Thank you for the opportunity and gift of making sure I burn , mend , and clean up my bridges before my next journey! Now I get to clear out the house and garage (what is left) and in many ways I think it will be better this way. To be forced to face the mess I left behind without any further lingering..
Have a fabulous time! I'm off to and up to the task!

Last weekends walk for Peace

The hr808 movement to form the U.S. Dept. of Peace had a pot luck on Sunday. We attended and after we walked to city hall as a group. A monk from Tibet and a princess from Africa as well as many other nationalities. Fun was had by all. I support the idea and Nice enjoyed the water too!

Pictures that are not lost

Picture courtesy Mr. Nathan Mann

I/we had a wonderful weekend where we walked and frolicked as well as glued the fabric of the world back together. We walked along Bardstown Road and through the park. As soon as i get some bills paid I need to get a new pair of Vasque shoes I'm sure I have walked seven hundred miles in these and my feet ache as they are badly worn. So send some cheese for my wine. (joke) 1616 Rosewood Ave Lou. KY 40204 or just text me a contact number for a corporate sponsor . LOL ( 502 )408- 5772 See you on the road. Setting a date for the Monday after Derby barring any holdups.All the best, Wg aka Erik

Even butterflies need a hand sometimes

Full moon for worldguy

I know I said I intended to blog daily and life has gotten in the way. I have been working on my house,at my job and walking quite a bit too. Tonight the moon is full and Nice was bouncy . We walked for a few hours. Tomorrow we will be working at home and helping a friend in need. I have been making progress in prepping for the walk and met a woman who's husband will plot my walk through Southern Indiana. Every little bit counts. Not much else to sat today so have a happy full moon. Ta TA For Now, Erik

Update

Ok, for any one who does not know my plan is to launch another walk next spring westward through St.Louis and Kansas City. Then I'm thinking then I will go North a bit. I am Still planning and getting support. Ideas are welcome for I am learning about this fund raising and sponsorship networking as I go. The best things have come while i walk with my world and Nice the dog around town. All I know to do is keep talking and sharing my cause as I go. It has worked so far and I need help. So , again, any suggestions are welcome . Please E ,mail me
erikbendl@gmail.com
or better yet call worldguy at (502) 408 5772

Today as I was walking I met a man who owns an awning company and he said he would love to make a new canvas skin for my aged world. (it is over thirty years old by my est. ) He said he has a roll of the same material and as long as he can inlay his company name in the canvas he will do it. Like I said the best things so far have been from getting out and walking the world. A rolling metaphor.

People we meet

Last night Nice and I went walking. As I was getting ready to leave he was vocalizing the importance that we MUST go NOW! He doesn't talk much at home. Usually Nice stops to get loving from women at the roadside tables set outside the bars and restaurants we pass. Nice seemed on a mission, he pushed forward disregarding the outstretched hands and the "awe, pretty dog" comments that usually draw him in.Then he walked right up to a man and woman sitting at an eatery we had stopped at before. We struck up a conversation and when they found put Nice was the dog who walked to pennsylvania last year they invited me to sit and eat with them.it turned out the man was with the U.S.Dept.of Peace and after some open Q.&A. he invited me to a Peace function later in the year to help in my networking process. Gotta' love the good sense of a Nice dog.

more things

I have been thinking, and mulling, and thinking.
I really don't like taking things too serious.
It may cause me to loose my hair.
There are things that are important to me,
like family, friends and pets.
Being true to myself, truthful to others.
When I write like this, in this short line form.
I am rambling. Sort of free flow thought.
If anyone who may read this thinks me odd.
I am in good company.
My parents were unique, both in their own way.
Neither were happy unless they could be themselves.
None of us are.
I am hoping i am at the halfway point in life.
That would put me at 92 when I pass on.
I have Aunts that lasted that long.
And this Adventure I am about to take on
is both fun and thought provoking.
When I walked last summer
the greatest gift was when someone would come to me
and tell me they were going to get a health checkup.
Not for them but for their family.
To be healthy for their kin.
More than once someone would point to the backseat
where their children were, or their grandchildren.
That made every step worth it
Any sacrifice no sacrifice at all.

Ten years ago I walked to Lexington Kentucky and back
From Louisville Kentucky .
The next year I was to go to Cincinnati
That fell through, and my life was empty in a way because I had said I would do this thing
that I knew was good. And let it go.
Last year I went through Cincinnati on my way to Pennsylvania
and now I see it filled that empty space.
Honored my word to myself.

Next year i am headed West,
to honor my word to myself again.
To honor my mothers memory,
Your mothers memory, or another loved one.
And if Someone comes to me and commits to make a change
so they can be alive in their families world,
There can be no greater gift.

I got on here to blog today
to make a list of things I need on the next walk.
This rambling free flow is what I got.
I guess that is what I needed to list.

Some suggestions on a route to St. Louis would be good too.

Making a list of supplies

First things first, I need a back pack. The one I used on my walk last summer held up pretty well but it has a couple tears and after six weeks of taking it on and off I don't think it will hold up for another trip. This past weekend I went to a weekend long Concert and environmental festival at our riverfront where I met a man from JanSport who said he would send me one when my plans got underway. Thank you in advance Jason and JanSport.
I have a good rain jacket my boss gave me. He has been researching raincoats for years he says and this one has met his criteria for breath-ability and comfort and from my experience last summer a good rain jacket makes the difference between pleasant rain walking and sweaty misery.
Shoes are essential also and the Vasque shoes i wore last year are fabulous. I have walked at least 600 miles on this pair and just bought an intermediate pair of another brand that are no comparison. My feet are hurting and have blisters from just about twenty miles of walking. I will get Vasque certainly. All my walking and they never caused a blister, have great support and comfort.
I will add to this list as I go on with my planning. I wanted to begin somewhere and intend to write something every day. Remember I am learning as I go so suggestions and help are welcome. At this point I am talking to myself.... Still learning.

Now that it has been almost a year since I completed my little adventure to Pittsburg , it's time to start preparations for our next trek. In 2009 I intend to walk Westward to St. Louis and beyond.

You may wonder what took me so long to update. Let's just say I needed to learn to type. What was done was by the help of friends and I was unable till now to do anything like update or blog. This is all a learning process . I can build a house from the ground up, pour and finish concrete,paint walls beautifully,and coordinate construction projects. It is time to teach myself computer skills and learn to coordinate a successful charitable event . With help and advice from friends and family the next walk will be great.

Keep in mind as you check on Worldguy that I am learning as I go.

Diabetes has reached epidemic status in our nation and I am dedicated to walk and help bring awareness in my own small way. With help I can make a difference.

If you see a big guy with a big dog pushing a 6 foot globe around your town you’ve just encountered “World Guy”! No, it wasn’t a figment of your imagination, so feel free to turn around and say hi!

Hi, my name is Erik Bendl, otherwise known as World Guy. The globe is a rubber ball covered in canvas and hand-painted with green continents and blue oceans — it’s about six feet tall, checks in at about 60 pounds and is a well-worn 30-years-old. I used it at a camp I used to volunteer at, when the woman who had it had no use for it anymore she called an gave it to me. When my son Ethan turned Seven I pumped it up for his Birthday party. It was too big for the backyard so he and I took it for a walk. It was so much fun we began to walk it all the time.

Since then, my globe and I have often been seen around Louisville’s Highlands. For years its residents would see the ball rolling down the sidewalk toward them and hope that someone was behind it and in control! People kept asking me why I was walking around with a big ball and “just for fun” didn’t seem to satisfy them. So, I decided I better come up with a better reason. Since I am a product of Dick and Gerta Bendl, the latter a Ky. state representative who died of complications of diabetes, and both of whom had been know to dance to a different drummer, taking the show on the road for Diabetes seemed like a good idea. My 80 year old Uncle, my Mom’s brother, also has diabetes but has been successfully managing it. He lives in Pittsburgh, where my Mom was also from.

And that brings us to why I walked from Louisville, Ky. to Pittsburgh, Pa. with my dog Nice and the aforementioned ball.

Unofficially, I walk as a third party event (I'm an Event!!) for the American Diabetes Association. And, although they are grateful for my efforts, Nice and I are not getting any financial support from them. I'm relying on the big hearts of normal people, most of whom either have diabetes themselves or have family or friends who do.

And the rest of the story?

Stay tuned……………….