May the Road Rise Up To Meet You

Well, here we are. 12 hours from now, Lord willing, I'll be sitting at the airport, waiting to get on the plane for the first leg of my journey. I'm happy to report that I made it through the Board meetings unscathed, the tax returns are mailed and filed, and my desk is clear at work.

On the way home, I got a haircut, the car is washed, I've re-packed my bag to make sure I have everything, and all that's left is change the sheets on the bed in the morning for the friend that's going to stay in the house some while I'm gone, pack the last of the toiletries and see to the cats.

The bag weighs in at 22lbs. This is perhaps a little heavier than I would really like, but it does include my hiking boots, which will come out once I'm actually en camino. On the other hand I do have a very small backpack for the plane, which will get folded into my pack once I arrive, so 22lb. may be a good figure. I am probably overpacked (I've read that most people are) but it is a surprisingly daunting task to try and fit everything you think you will need for the next thirty-five days into something you're going to need to carry for 500 miles on foot.

This is probably yet another metaphor for how cluttered we've allowed our lives to become. What do I really need for this trip? A passport, a boarding pass, some cash, and probably one change of clothes...and deoderant. What do I have? Four credit cards, some electronics, three changes of clothes, plus a swimsuit for the community showers (yes, I'm modest), shorts to sleep in, a camp pillow, etc, etc. Not to mention assorted toiletries.

And most importantly, two pounds of Gummi Bears. Temptation, thy name is Costco.

Not only is this probably a commentary on our unnecessarily cluttered lives, I wonder if it is a commentary on my need to be self-sufficient rather than to rely on God to provide what I need? Or I could be over-analyzing. Well, I do have 500 miles to think it over after all.

One of my Buyers at Pepperdine, Don Schalla, put me on to a GPS app, and I really liked it, so I invested the $2.99 and am now downloading detailed maps of the route. This will hopefully help me keep from incurring an ungodly amount of international data charges. We'll see how it goes.

My good friend Warner is picking me up in the morning to take me to the airport. It will be nice to have someone to see me off. I am a bit anxious about leaving for so long, a bit more anxious about connections, and a bit anxious about having to catch a French train. If I get that far without too many hiccups, then I'll probably be anxious about having to walk 500 miles.

As someone important at some other time and some other place probably wrote, thought, or said, "The journey of 1000 miles begins with one step". Let the adventure begin!