Monday, June 14, 2010

A Good Day For Walking

Sunday we started a bit late because of the mist but once we were underway the overcast sky made for a easy walk without the sun forcing us into the shade throughout the day. We rolled just under ten miles up hills and around bends in the road with some guard rails on both sides but the travelers on the road were for the most part willing to share the road.Once when we were standing well off the road a car load of old women honked in protest like the chipmunks in New York that had issue when we crossed there territory. Only a few drivers stopped in the roadway when they could have pulled to the side, these people I get nervous about but the best thing is to answer their queries as fast as I can and hope they don't get rear ended and end our walk. Generally the people of Connecticut are better than most states about road safety for which I am glad. We had a good day of conversations and I was surprised we walked the distance we did with all the stops we made during the day. I we walk only a mile and talk all day to promote diabetes we are doing our job.
I didn't take time to applaud the man I met on Saturday who walked across the road with his wife to talk to us, he had lost over fifty pounds in the past several months after being told he was on the verge of becoming diabetic and said he was still loosing weight. Sir, you deserve a star for your lunch box!
I Also failed to mention meeting the grandson of the founder of The Joslin Diabetes Center. We talked about the oncoming pandemic of diabetes. He is working in research and his family is very involved with the cause. It was an honor to meet him. I hope I can do a small service for diabetes awareness, the Joslins' can help find cures. Again, an honor.

Now I will thank the people who helped us this weekend with snacks and advice about how we might find our way to step a foot in Rhode Island.. Especially the family who took us in for dinner and a shower Sunday. They have let us stay in the van in their driveway. With their help we are clean and well rested. Clean is good when you talk to so many people during the day.

Now to prepare for the day of smiles and traffic dodging with my son and Nice (the dog).

8 comments:

kaytmay said...

Hey now,
You say that you like conversation so stop and say hi, but then my sister saw you in CT and I told her to say hello, she said you brushed her off... wth?

Anonymous said...

Hey there! Saw you walking down Route 6 in Columbia, CT today and came home to search for you online.

Anonymous said...

Hi Erik!

What a treat to see you TWICE today! Hope you enjoyed yoor breakfast! (I know Nice did LOL) and then I was lucky enough to come across you again this afternoon just past walmart! btw I was happy to help inflate the Earth :-)

Just read your blog from this morning and had to tell you...I too was obese and well on my way to being full blown diabetic! On my 50th bday I was a whopping 270 pounds with a fasting blood sugar of 175 and an insulin resistence of 4.9!

I credit my Dr with his weight loss program (NON surgical btw) with helping to get me back on track.

My 53rd bday is this friday and I now weigh 165. Interestingly enough, my mode of exercise is walking! I usually try t do 2-3 miles a day (nowhere NEAR what you accomplish) but it has been working well for me!

I will be listening in on sat at 11:30 to the Mary Jones Show live radio interview.

GOD Speed my newfound friend and I look forward to following your progress and helping to spread the word of your mission!

Lisa Park said...

Wow! Inspiring! Bill Nye the Science Guy just did a video with VSP vision care explaining how signs of diabetes can be detected by an eye exam. Kind of fun :) http://bit.ly/9HJ5Fn

Laurie said...

I just want to say it was a pleasure to meet you this afternoon Erik. One of the girls I work with said she saw the globe "roll" by work this afternoon. She told me maybe I would see you on the way home and sure enough I did! Thank you for taking the time to let me snap a picture of you and my daughter. My father battled diabetes all his life and passed away a couple years ago this October. That picture meant the world to my daughter. I posted it on my Facebook page and it has drawn a lot of attention to your cause. Keep up the great work!!

World Guy said...

Sorry if I blew off your sister dude,I can't defend what I don't recall I could have been all to blame,
so tell her I am sorry.

mark and karen Tomaso said...

It has been a quick 24 hours since you were a guest in our home. What a pleasure it was to listen to your stoty and your cause. I wish we could have done more for you and your son. You both were gentlemen and you tought me many lessons in a very short time. One thing I must ask though is, The first kernel knows how the second one feels...How does the last Kernel popped feel? and what about the few that dont pop? Hope to meet again. Mark and Karen,Columbia CT.

Anonymous said...

Hello again,
It was our pleasure to "cross the road" to meet you guys on RT 66 in East Hampton,CT.(6/14/10) What you are doing is truly inspiring. We're still talking about it.
With all that you've seen and done in your travels, it was pretty cool to see that we were mentioned in your story. Thanks!
We hope that the rest of your journey brings you good weather and kind hearted people to help you along your way.
Bill & Bonnie Weir