Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Sunshine and warmth

There I was in Bowling Green with dark clouds and cold wind with sprinkles of rain. Snow was possible later in the day. The world was covered with frost and I came to the decision to go south past the salt covered roads and the biting cold. The salt and wet had already started separating the patches and thick layers of paint after two days of abuse so I let the air out of the ball, loaded it again into the van, drove to the Tennessee border and stopped. It wasn't any better there. Driving down to Nashville it was still cold enough to make Nice (the dog) shiver. His cold weather sweater was still frozen from the previous morning. I had talked to members of the board and a few close friends and all agreed there was no shame in getting to better climates so I continued south getting off the county roads to the expressway. Tennessee is the only state in the south, other than Arizona, where I have not stepped in with the world. This year I have driven through six times and twice stayed in Tennessee concerning my son ( sad story). I wanted to get that accomplished, put that state out of my mind. When I had made it near the southern border of Tennessee I stopped at a parking area to let the dog walk around. There I decided to get the world out, inflate it roll it a few feet , deflate it and have it, Tennessee, behind me. That done. I felt a weight off my shoulders. I have walked to Kansas twice. There also I spent weeks sitting outside a hospital , again concerning my son, but had only walked in it a few steps. My goal to walk to Tennessee was met with bitter cold, rain, ice and hardship. These walks don't have to be like that. I loaded the world, falling apart and flaking, back in the van and headed to Pensacola. I have walked along the east coast of Florida but not the Gulf coast of Florida. I know I may seem like a wimp for not spending the winter trudging through cold but I am trading salty roads for salt air. Snow for gulf breezes and southern rains. For the sake of the dog and my own laziness we will be walking in Florida again until the season permits me to get back to walking in the few states where we have not been. Everyone asks for a goal...my goal is to walk as many days as I can spreading a message to prevent or control diabetes with exercise , healthy living and if you are dependent on medication with diabetes, control. Does it really matter where that is? Like the "snow birds" I choose to do so in sunshine and warmth.


4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I saw you in Pace Florida today keep up the good work.

Anonymous said...

My daughters and I caught a glimpse of you walking through Milton, FL today. Wonderful.cause and a wonderful conversation starter. Hope the gulf coast is good to you, as it always is to us!

christy said...

my boys and i just seen u in milton=) jordan snapped a couple pics and immediately wanted to google worldguy.org ...we think its awesome.i lost my grandpa to diabetis.sending prayers

Marci said...

Hello! We just had a nice conversation about your cause and my lack of cell phone skills to take a picture of you with my daughter's phone. Luckily, I did get 1 pic worth sharing with the world. I am posting your information on my facebook page and sharing it with my Blue Sky Journeys family as well. As I said, we are located all over the US and most would be happy to assist you with your end of day transportation. Thank you so much for inspiring so many. Oh and welcome to FL; we are happy to have you here. Don't blame you at all for getting out of the snow ;)