Blog #595: Sneaky Awesome

It’s started.
The tension is inching in.

I start walking across Scotland in 27 days.

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This will be the 9th country I’ve crossed by foot.

Since starting this country-crossing-by-foot thing in 2014, I’ve kept walking across a different country each year…and the countries just kept adding up.

One might think that by now, this is easy for me.

It’s sooo not.

Again…

My gut is starting to flutter with a massive pre-walk butterfly attack.

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What’s walking across a country like?

Let me try to paint a picture.

Think about being dropped off in a strange place in the world that you don’t know…and have never been. Usually…a different language is spoken.

Navigating routes and directions when communication is an issue is a big challenge. For Scotland? It won’t be…TOO overwhelming. Scotland, however, is the only English-speaking country in the world I’ve been to where I can often understand only half the words of someone’s sentence.

Let’s talk…route.

Hopefully, we’re following a trail well marked and easy to identify without having to ask too many times for directions. It’s challenging to remember all the strange road names at which left and right turns need to be made.

Don’t get lost.

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Now…let’s walk.

Fifteen miles is the goal today.

That’s the distance to our night’s bed. Let’s hope we can easily find the place where the bed is…and that it’s not too far off the walking route. The extra distance off the route just adds extra miles to the day…and more pain to the feet. When I do these walks, I go Old School all the way. Paper maps only; no navigational devices.

It adds to the challenge.

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After our full day of walking…

When we arrive at our bed, we hope the Wi-Fi works to make sure our bed for tomorrow is confirmed…and that bugs aren’t running across floors. If the shower water smells funny…wash fast. If the water is a color you don’t recognize…go to bed sweaty and dirty.

Oh…and whatever you’re wearing tomorrow…probably sleep in it. It makes getting up and leaving when the sun rises fast and easy. It gives you no time to whine. (Make sure you’ve packed two sets of clothes because sink laundry is inevitable, and walking in wet clothes is a downer.)

But wait…

I’m jumping ahead to finding the night’s bed way too soon.

Food.

We need to make sure to find places to eat or markets at which to shop as we walk…and for vegetarians…that’s not easy. Ohhh…and there’s no guarantee we can find drinking water on the route when we need it. We need to carry it, also.

Lots of it.

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Since we’re talking about carrying stuff…

Let’s talk…backpack.

Our whole world is in our pack, but it better not be too heavy because what’s packed needs to be carried. I stick to no more than 25 pounds on my back…but that doesn’t count a day’s food and water.

When you walk solo, your pack becomes a “friend.” It’s just you and “him”…and those two dirty sneakers on your feet. (Wearing sneakers makes our feet lighter so we don’t trip when our legs get tired late in the day.)

Ohhh yeah…feet.

Even Godless people start believing when they find themselves praying, “Please make that little blister stop growing!” After a few long days on the trail going up and down mountains, hills and rocky paths…lost toenails, knee pains, back aches, and shoulders that scream are all felt.

It’s part of the official “Walk Across a Country” agreement.

A little pain rains every day.

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Ohhh…let’s talk rain.

And the weather.

Whatever attitude the weather chooses to take that day, pray you’re equipped and have whatever you need with you. Poncho…rain gear…thermals… sunscreen…bug spray…allergy medicine…check, check…CHECK.

All of it has the potential to happen…and if it does, our packs had better carry what is needed to get through whatever bad mood Mother Nature is in.

Phew!

Got all that?

Now…

Let’s do “Repeat.”

For eleven days.

That’s THIS Scotland walk.

This one is a baby-distance of a walk (135 miles) compared to the 48 days it took me to walk across Japan’s Shikoku Island…and its 750 miles.

But still…

I’m feelin’ the nervous energy.

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“So why, Shawn…WHY?”

“Why do you do these kinda’ things?”

I’ve been asked the question over 100 times.

My answer?

“To Sharpen My Ax.”

Life has this nasty, unrelenting urge to beat the living daylights out of our passion and purpose. The little traumas and dramas we continually fight with in everyday living can eventually wear us down.

We turn into survivors.

Barely.

But…

I’ve found that pushing myself like this each year re-sharpens me.

I grow in confidence.

I dust off my dullness.

I wake up sleepy goals.

I come back from every adventure leaner and stronger…

in body, heart, mind and spirit.

What’s there not to love about that?

I look forward to “meeting” ME when I return.

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So on August 2…

It’s go time.

One more time.

I fly across the Atlantic.

I’ve had “walk across Scotland” on my mind for a long time…and soon it will be time to go meet it up close and see what unknown adventures it hides.

Life.

It gets sneaky awesome when we give it a chance to be sneaky awesome.

I’m gonna’ give it that chance.

Again.

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How about you?

Now please know…

I’m not encouraging you to do something as dramatic as walking across a country; we are each unique in purpose.

BUT…

There probably IS something extra “WOW!” out there that speaks to your passions and ability…and will re-sharpen YOU.

Do some brainstorming.

Plan something ax-sharpening.

Check out some available calendar dates.

Then…

No excuses.

Go live it.

When we do…

Lots of “positive” momentum starts to flow through our veins and brains.

And THAT makes life really, really sneaky awesome.

S.