All in One Basket

Texas – Oklahoma – Kansas – Missouri – Iowa – Illinois – Indiana – Ohio – Kentucky – West Virginia – Virginia

Those are the states I was traveling in during a four-day period. That’s over 20% of the states in the union (or — more if you go by some of the stories we heard in Virginia — some still yearn for closure (on both sides)). It’s been a long two weeks — and it’s going to be an even longer summer.

This past week I hiked with four friends on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia in a 33-mile section around Roanoke. This is my fourth time doing a four-day section during May. Normally I love the trail. This year, however, my schedule was so out-of-whack that I didn’t train nearly as much as I should have. Last spring, while living in Ft. Worth, I trained at least three (and usually four) days a week on the stairmasters at the TCU Rec. Center for at least an hour (usually over 150 flights of stairs). For the past year, ever since I left TCU for the trail last year, I’ve yet to live in the same place for three weeks straight without at least a two-day period of living elsewhere.

That schedule has taken many forms. Last summer I was working in Keokuk but doing camps, mission trips, and moving around periodically to different congregation members gracious enough to host me. Then came Europe. I was all over the place. Then came winter break with my graduation trip to Ft. Worth and then my crazy schedule this spring, with the peak movement during my seminary visits when I woke up in seven beds in a ten day span; and it was never with a girl! (That note was for those friends laughing and thinking they know me better).

So I didn’t train as well for the trail as I should have. Even still, I definitely enjoyed it – as the pictures will show once I get them onto my computer.

Looking back at the events right before the trail, I’ve finally hit an unexpected transition point in my life. Before, for the past year, I’ve always had stuff in multiple places. This spring I had stuff in four places at times – in my office at TCU, in Daryl Schmidt’s and Judy Dodd’s house from when I was housesitting, in David Gunn’s condo for when he let me stay while Daryl was sick, and at my home in Iowa. Two weeks ago, right before the trail, I made my last trip of the semester back down to Ft. Worth. I picked up the rest of my stuff, worked on a bunch of transition issues, saw friends for the last time in a while, and completed a phase in my life.

My motto before the trip: I’m leaving TCU.
My motto after the trip: I’m getting ready for Chicago.

I shouldn’t be able to mark this transition this clearly. There’s one thing that’s adding the clarity: everything is in one place. Having all of my stuff at home hasn’t happened in a LONG time. Having everything that professors, friends, family and others have invested in me coming all together and resting on each next step I make is humbling. Having a 30 lb. backpack resting on my waist and shoulders for each step up and down a mountain when I hadn’t prepared well enough was also humbling.

Each step I now take is training. I’m not sure for what it’s training me. It’s like walking on the Trail without the map – the trails have ups, downs, level areas, and nice views; but, in the end, you only know you’ve reached the end when you stop. You don’t need a map and you don’t need detailed instructions … you just need the training.