Friday, February 18, 2011

Watching the sun rise or watching paint dry.

At the end of the day last evening I applied just a little more paint to the worn spots on the world. The paint acts as a tread to keep the fabric from grinding away on the roadway. Overnight the dew covered the top surface of the world and reactivated that last round of paint so this morning my job is watching the paint dry and waiting for the sun to rise over the Georgia pines.
My goal for this journey was to walk from Fort Lauderdale where I began on January 10th and walk north until spring. A few days earlier this week when the world had a thin coat of frost I thought I had walked too fast but this morning I am swatting the occasional mosquito and gnat-fly (little blood suckers!). In the Northern states they are called black flies, in the mid-west they name them buffalo gnats (they actually have a hump on their backs that resemble the buffalo). In Maryland horse country they name them simply gnats. Everyone of them are an irritant. Indiana natives gave me vanilla extract which works for awhile, up north some use vodka, I never wiped alcohol on myself. I found Vermont's Original Bag Balm applied around the brim lin of my hat drowns the little 'buggers. I'd rather wipe a tiny black spot off from my cheek than scratch an itchy bite.
The sun is up and now a light fog is beginning to roll in. Patience, it seems, is the theme of the day. When the wind blows against the world your pushing through the steady and slow tack against the wind gets farther than stubbornly forcing against nature. Nice (the dog) doesn't seem to mind the wait.

Since I'm sitting here I will mention something I have noticed in my travels about this disease diabetes. In my opinion it is epidemic. One out of each thousand people who I speak to tell me they have no history of diabetes in their family. More often than not someone in the car has diabetes or has been told they are "borderline" and should make changes in their lifestyle. More physical activity, better eating habits, even proper sleep and lower stress in your life can help. Being positive, in my opinion helps. Some trials in life are a test of patience, like wacthing paint dry or waiting for the sun to evaporate the morning dew. Some things you just have to let happen and calmly wait through the process.
This will be a good day, if you have patience. Enjoy yourself.

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