I cannot walk across the country

Friends and family, I cannot walk across the country.  There are too many complications involved and too many unanswered questions.

I am not able to make an operational itinerary because it is impossible to know how quickly we will move due to unpredictability of weather and conditions.  This also makes it next to impossible to schedule therapy visits, presentations, and other engagements along the way.  And, without a support vehicle, we don’t have a way to get to said engagements unless it is directly on our route.

We cannot afford it.  The trip itself is too expensive, not to mention that neither of us will have any income for at least ten months.  Considering the national economic situation, it seems irresponsible to forfeit nearly a year of wages.  The recession also makes it that much harder to find financial support for a volunteer project.  We should be building our careers, our home, and our savings account.

It is too dangerous.  Traffic, weather, wild animals, crazy people, etc. etc.

The pain and physical exertion aren’t worth it.  Walking over 3,000 miles is difficult.  I am not sure if I am capable of walking 20 miles a day 5 or 6 days a week, over and over and over again for nine months.  My back, feet, and knees will never be the same.  Maybe a marathon runner, an experienced hiker, or some other breed of serious athlete could do it, but I am none of those things.  I’ve never camped for more than a few days at a time and I can barely run three miles.

And where are we going to sleep?  Just step off the side of the road into the grass and set up camp?  Yeah, right.

What would I do after the walk?  How does this set me up for my future?  That’s a real resume builder there; “walked across the continental United States, March – October, 2012”.  At least my job interviews will be interesting

For anything that you want in life, there are obstacles and uncertainties in the way.  There will always be reasons not to do something if you look for them.  On the other side, there are solutions to the problems and answers to the questions if you look for those too.  Life is like the internet – you can find anything you are looking for.  You  shape your own reality.

I am still walking across America, but I assure you, I am not crazy, reckless, stupid, or even particularly impulsive.  I have the same fears and concerns as you or anyone else.  They just bother me less.

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