Almost Time

Less than 24 hours to go !! yesterday I spent most of the day taking stuff to goodwill to get rid of. It's amazing how many things a person can accumulate. I've discovered, if you don't have things to put things in, you don't accumulate as much. Strange how and entire business of "organization" has developed to help people keep so many things tucked away out of sight, and .... out of use.

Anyways, repacked the wagon and backpack today. Once again things get lighter. This is a very good thing !!A few odds and ends to finish up today and I'll be all set to leave. I'm so excited and so nervous at the same time. Everyday is going to be a WHAT IF ? My biggest fear is my wagon will crap out on me before I even get relatively close to where I need to be.

I have been receiving quite a few emails thanks to everyone wishing me a safe journey. Your prayers and thoughts are much appreciated and do a lot for my motivation.

My first couple of days walking will be relatively short. 12 miles a day as I am stopping off at friends on my way out of Ohio.This will give me a chance to figure a few things out, wieght distribution and such. Plus, I am in no big hurry to get anywhere in particular, just in a hurry to get started !!

The weather looks to be fairly decent for the first week as well. A slight chance of rain here and there but all I can do is get used to it.

I'll try to have some pictures and such of my first day walking up on Saturday. The good thing about staying at friends the first couple of days is I will have internet access. After that, it may be awhile before I post any updates.

Please keep in touch !

Peace
be safe
-Jeff

please email me

Hope ...

Something phenomenal happened to me Sunday evening. An event that does indeed inspire me to keep me going and to reinforce to me that the ideas of HOPE, sincerity, and honesty still exists in todays world. No surprise that it came from a darling child. It is amazing how the innocence of youth, of being a child, the sincerity of it all is Essence of Life. A total representation of the goodness that every person has, that they are, that they were. I ask myself why or how is that lost as we grow up, as we mature into adults?

The story is.
I arrived at my friends house (Dave and Sara)to hang out and have a good time, it was game night for us. I arrive with my friend Beau and as I am walking up to the house, The darlingest little girl comes skipping up to me and says "Jeff, I want you to have this.." she hands me a dollar coin I say "Aww thank you, but you should keep your dollar sweety." she says, "No, I want you to have it because you don't have a home or any family." Well, a little later I find out that at church that day, each child was given a dollar coin to give to someone that they felt needed it. She had chosen me and I felt so honored, again blessed by the simplest, honest gesture of kindness. Being me, I start to get that choked up, going to cry start feeling. Sometimes I feel so sensitive, raw and open This is not a bad thing I suppose.

Anyways, this simple gesture totally touched me I will keep this coin as a reminder that there is still hope in the world. I will keep it until I happen upon someone on my journey that needs a little HOPE in there life, and I will pass it on. Thinking about this last night and today reminded me of a book I read a couple years ago that I still have called "Hope For The Flowers" by Trina Paulus. I still have this book and I am going to read it again before I leave. I will also pass this book on before I leave. It is an inspirational Book that everyone should read. Go buy a copy of it, read it, and pass it on to a friend or someone you know.

That is really all I have to say for now.

There is Hope for Tomorrow!

Peace
Be Safe
-Jeff

Prayer

I have had this for awhile but forget where I found it. I didn't write it. It's one of my favorites and at this particular point in time it felt exactly right. So I am sharing. I hope it brings someone as much comfort as it does me.


Prayer to the Four Directions


Great Spirit of Light,
come to me out of the East (red)
...with the power of the rising sun.
Let there be light in my words,
let there be light on my path that I walk.
Let me remember always
that you give the gift of a new day.
And never let me be burdened with sorrow
by not starting over again.


Great Spirit of Love,
come to me with the power of the North (white).
Make me courageous when the cold wind falls upon me.
Give me strength and endurance
for everything that is harsh,
everything that hurts,
everything that makes me squint.
Let me move through life
ready to take what comes from the north.


Great Life-Giving Spirit,
I face the West (black),
the direction of sundown.
Let me remember everyday that the moment will come
when my sun will go down.
Never let me forget that I must fade into you.
Give me a beautiful color,
give me a great sky for setting,
so that when it is my time to meet you,
I can come with glory.


Great Spirit of Creation,
send me the warm and soothing winds from the South (yellow).
Comfort me and caress me when I am tired and cold.
Unfold me like the gentle breezes
that unfold the leaves on the trees.
As you give to all the earth your warm, moving wind,
give to me,
so that I may grow close to you in warmth.




peace
be safe
-Jeff

Where's it all end ?

The One major thing about me and walking across the country is that I do not know where it'll end. Once I hit the road, there is no turning back because I have nowhere to return to. There is no turning around and going home because home does not exist for me. It hasn't for a long time now. Yes, I have had a place to live and I am very grateful for my friend to let me stay here because without that I would have been out on the road last fall. Actually tho, that might not have been such a bad thing because it's entirely possible I would be where I need to be and may have found what it is I do need to find. I don't exactly know what I am looking for, because it is a multitude of things that seem to be lacking in my life at the moment.

I feel truly blessed to have such supporting friends.
The thing is, I suck at good byes. I'll cry. I know I will. I get that lump in my throat really sad feeling just thinking about saying goodbye to my friends. They are all I have. I feel blessed because of them. There is no turning back now. No possible way that I cannot do this. I have no choice.

I walk the path the universe lays before me.

So where does it all end ? I wish I knew, I really do. All I can say is it will end when it ends. The only other alternative is I die out on the road somewhere, and if so, then that is what is meant to be and it will be over.

I walk the path the universe lays before me.

Once again, I will dance reverently with feed to the ground to the heartbeat of Mother Earth.

I walk the path the universe lays before me.


Peace
Be Safe
-Jeff

Unknowing, Unlearning and Gear

Oi Oi Oi

I feel like "I'm gonna need a bigger boat" !

Double checking my gear and supplies. It's a slippery slope. With limited funds and all the more I take with me the less I'll have to acquire later. But, at the same time, my little chuck wagon is only so big and the less I have to take the better.

I break it down into 3 categories the Need List, the Might Need List and the nice to have but not really necessary list.

It frustrates me.
Letting Go is Hard.
Having to stay here is would be even harder.

I find it amusing at some things I read about people walking across the country.

I just don't know about most things. Lately I have been thinking how nice it would be to UNLEARN things, to unknow people, Micro laser technology sure would be nice to be able to get into that brain case and cauterize away some things. Ignorance is bliss ?


The empty soul consumes itself. I call it cannibalism.

peace
be safe
-Jeff

Wanderer -

Consideration and Stuff

I'm not a very articulate writer. I tend to use short statements that may or may not ramble on in a run on sentence.
Now that's cleared up...

I've been busy mapping my route, again, still and over again. My original estimate of 45 days to travel from Eastern Ohio to Devils Tower, Wyoming was pretty..ummmmm ambitious perhaps. Double checking and I'm guessing closer to 60 days, maybe as many as 75.  I've been using google maps, I have been estimation a low of 20 miles per day traveling. Depending on weather, getting tired and breaks, I imagined it to start with a lower more practical number. This way, when I actually manage 25 to 30 miles a day I'll be impressed.  Not really impressed but that kind of feel good about yourself feeling.

So the mapping has gone really well until I hit western South Dakota near The Badlands National Park, The Black Hills, etc. There's just no easy way around it, or I should say through it. At least not by walking. Seems as if a road wanders around hither and thither then suddenly ends. Given the sparseness of people and all the stuff people feel the need to have around them and harshness of the terrain, it is going to be pretty daunting. My biggest concern is water. and bigfoot, well not really bigfoot, you know. too funny.

So yea, I believe that'll be one of the greater challenges, the South Dakota part.

It'd be nice to have another person or two come along with me. As much as I'd like to see it happen, I am pretty sure it will not happen. Quite a few friends and people say they wish they could do this. Walk across America. I tell them... "You can do it, you choose not to." We all have a certain amount of choice in our lives and we choose what we choose based on priorities. The truth of the matter is in my opinion is that people are shackled down by all there stuff. It reminds me of the "Junk Lady" in the movie Labyrinth starring David Bowie. Treasures and so so much important stuff. It is all weight we carry, not only physically but spiritually. It seems as if sometimes people make up for that emptiness, lack of spirituality by owning stuff. the physical.

OK enough rambling.

summing it all up...
mapping is going good overall.

Want traveling companions.  oh well . . .

In a perfect world I'd live in a small cabin surrounded by nature, trees, hills and such . . .



Peace
be safe
-Skooky