It is a sign of my developed intelligence that today, when I wanted to return some books to the library, instead of getting a ride in, walking 20 minutes to St. Clements, or even waiting until tomorrow when I would have been in town, I instead walked for about 2 hours into Elmira.
Why? Good question. Partly, I wanted exercise. With the Robin in the Hood Medieval Festival coming up, I want to be in shape for my fight part. Most people go to the gym, by a treadmill, or work in a job where they put their body through hard work. Construction is a good example of this. Me, I walk for 2 hours into town, knock on a friend's door to wish him happy birthday, discover he's not home, develop blisters on my heels and learn I have a very sore hip, then walk towards home for an hour or so before being offered a lift.
The best part is, I enjoyed every minute of it. Walking on the side of the road, I would move as much as I could to allow people to pass me safely. I'd nod, wave and smile at them, and I got a variety of reactions for it. Waves were returned, as were nods. One young girl gave me a huge smile that just made my day. People were very patient with me, and tried to pass me without endagering myself, themselves or other drivers.
Don't get me wrong, I am very thankful to be home. I can live with blisters and I'll get over the sore hip with a good night's rest, but I enjoy doing this. Walking clears my mind and helps me feel better. Even if the weather is crummy, I get some kind of boost from walking the world. Walking helps me remind myself that I am moving forward in life, and people's reactions tell me that I am respected and valued, which does wonders for my self-esteem. And as strange as this may seem, I like hearing others worrying about me. I'll tell friends I walked so far, because I know many of them will rant about how dangerous it is and how they want to help me in the future, should I ever dare to consider something so foolish again.
My thanks to those of you who passed me on the road today, and tried your best to make things easy for me. My thanks especially to Gabriel, for giving me a lift home at the end of the day. God bless you all in everything you do.
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