As I was taking my afternoon walk I decided that I would walk until the sidewalk ended at the edge of town. Once I got there I decided to keep going to find a place to turn around so I wouldn't have to walk the same way back. I approached some railroad tracks that I knew led back into town but I looked down the road and thought, "I have never been down this road. Do I want to be the kind of guy that turns back and goes home because he is hot and a little tired and because it is safe, or do I want to be the guy that just keeps on walking to see what kind of new experiences he can find?" So I kept on walking.
I walked for another two hours on an aching knee and tired as hell legs. Then I realised that the trail I thought I would come upon was not there. And as the sun started to set I turned around. My legs ached, it was 7:30, and my phone was essentially dead from talking to a friend earlier in the walk. As I was walking home I could not help but laugh at myself for wanting to be "that guy." The one that goes on adventures. The one that gets into trouble but has the strength to get himself out of it.
It soon became completely dark and no one even bothered to slow down to ask if I wanted help. When I hit town I was in so much pain that I finally broke down and stuck my thumb out. No one stopped. People even drove over the median (even though I was on the sidewalk) specifically because I had my thumb out asking for a ride for the last mile into town. My feet were numb and knees were on fire. I had to stop every 200 feet just to get the blood back into my exhausted, blistered, and over-stretched legs. I began to shake from the cold, and then stopped shaking and started overheating and dry-heaving from dehydration and exhaustion.
I got to within a half-mile of my house and asked a pizza delivery guy stopped at a stop sign to drive me to within three blocks of my house just so I wouldn't have to walk it. He (a very nice guy named Andrew) obliged and drove me to the Taj. I limped the last three blocks home in amazing anticipation for what I was going to do.
As soon as I got home, at 11:30 PM, I went to the bathroom and it felt wonderful. I went upstairs (which was excruciating) and made myself a protein shake and got a banana. I came back downstairs and just had to check how far I had walked and for how long. I had just walked 20 miles despite getting a ride and it took me nine hours to do it (the longest I have ever walked in my life). I downed some ibuprophen and just crawled into bed (shaking horribly) with absolute satisfaction and pleasure like you wouldn't believe.
That night was one of the better nights of my whole life. A night to remember who I am, what my limitations are, how strong I am, how amazingly good I have it, and how wonderful the little things in life are. I am a truly blessed man.
I walked for another two hours on an aching knee and tired as hell legs. Then I realised that the trail I thought I would come upon was not there. And as the sun started to set I turned around. My legs ached, it was 7:30, and my phone was essentially dead from talking to a friend earlier in the walk. As I was walking home I could not help but laugh at myself for wanting to be "that guy." The one that goes on adventures. The one that gets into trouble but has the strength to get himself out of it.
It soon became completely dark and no one even bothered to slow down to ask if I wanted help. When I hit town I was in so much pain that I finally broke down and stuck my thumb out. No one stopped. People even drove over the median (even though I was on the sidewalk) specifically because I had my thumb out asking for a ride for the last mile into town. My feet were numb and knees were on fire. I had to stop every 200 feet just to get the blood back into my exhausted, blistered, and over-stretched legs. I began to shake from the cold, and then stopped shaking and started overheating and dry-heaving from dehydration and exhaustion.
I got to within a half-mile of my house and asked a pizza delivery guy stopped at a stop sign to drive me to within three blocks of my house just so I wouldn't have to walk it. He (a very nice guy named Andrew) obliged and drove me to the Taj. I limped the last three blocks home in amazing anticipation for what I was going to do.
As soon as I got home, at 11:30 PM, I went to the bathroom and it felt wonderful. I went upstairs (which was excruciating) and made myself a protein shake and got a banana. I came back downstairs and just had to check how far I had walked and for how long. I had just walked 20 miles despite getting a ride and it took me nine hours to do it (the longest I have ever walked in my life). I downed some ibuprophen and just crawled into bed (shaking horribly) with absolute satisfaction and pleasure like you wouldn't believe.
That night was one of the better nights of my whole life. A night to remember who I am, what my limitations are, how strong I am, how amazingly good I have it, and how wonderful the little things in life are. I am a truly blessed man.