Change

Change is a word we are hearing a lot lately. It is posted all over because of the election.  You may already have in your head who you are voting for on Tuesday, and that is great. I, on the other hand, am still indecisive.  I am not a political person at all.  I am also smart enough to not buy into the promises of candidates to make me want to vote for them because I know that when your congress and House of Representatives is divided, change is hard to come by.  It has gotten ugly with all of the attack ads and last minute attempts to get a vote.  Someone will win, but at what costs? What good is it to gain the whole world, but lose your soul?

I have experienced a lot of personal change over the last year.  I stepped out of my comfort zone and onto the Appalachian Trail.  2184 miles later, my attitude, my confidence, my worldview, even my body, has changed.  Coming back into civilization was another hard change. Getting back into the habit of changing my underwear every day was also a change (and difficult too when they didn't fit anymore). My job has even changed...kinda. I went from a corporate coffee house setting to an independent coffee house.  Outside of myself, change is happening all over.  Our iPhones are getting longer while the ipad is getting smaller.  Change happens. It's a fact of life; sometimes bad, sometimes good. Change for the sake of change is a silly thing, but change with purpose behind it can change the world.

When I set out to hike the AT, I wanted to change the world, at least a small part of it.  I wanted to see people have a new lot on life.  I wanted to see children have hope to grow up.  I wanted to see moms be able to start a trade instead of spending all of their time walking to get dirty water. I wanted to see God do something incredible through me and sure enough, He did...and He still is.  When you get to the root of it all, the change is LOVE. I want to love the way that I have been loved. It's easy to say that we love, but it takes work to show love.  I can tell my wife I love her, but it speaks louder when I pitch in around the house, not because she nags me about it, but because I take initiative.

Love changes everything.  Love built 2 wells in Zambia thanks to us.  Love is going to impact the lives of hundreds of people because of this last year.  I have said many times that though my hike is over, my journey is not.  Now I seek to continue on bringing dignity, respect, and basic needs to others.  My friend Linsey has a heart for people who are caught up in slavery.  27 million people are caught up in the slave trade right now.  Women and girls are used sexually several times a day and thrown away.  Young children are forced into factories, possibly making some of the items we take advantage of every day. She recently had a chance to spend a week in Cambodia and see first hand the need for change in the lives of many.  She saw poverty in a way she had never imagined.  She saw local governments not doing anything about the problem because it would mean they wouldn't be able to earn a paycheck.  Change is needed.  Love is needed. I don't believe it is coincidence that the organization Active Water is also investing in communities in Cambodia, helping provide clean water and sanitation education where it's needed.  Love has a way of breaking through, and we allow it, it can move us to be agents of change.  Love people the way we want to be loved- thats an idea that could change the world.

Even though another long distance hike is out of the question right now, I am looking for a way to raise the funds to provide a well in Cambodia.  Change is possible.  In a dirty political season, love can win.  Be the change you want to see in the world.

Bazinga!

A problem a lot of hikers have after the trail is suffering through post trail depression. It's a funk that is easy to find yourself in because life has drastically changed. I look at it like Newton's Third Law in physics. It states "for every action, there is an equal or opposite reaction." For me, I got to experience a new location, new scenery, and new adventures and opportunities every day for the last almost 6 months. When I came home, everything was just as it was when I left. It's like a speeding car running straight into a brick wall. The psychological impact of that is what causes hiker funk.

Luckily, my wife and the people in my life who love me have made it easier for me to not sink so far down in the funk. I have only found myself a few times wishing I was back on the trail rather than being at home. And in those times, I was overwhelmed by crowds of people given into the hustle and bustle of life. Luckily, those times have been few and far between. When I do start feeling weird or awkward about being back, I have to remember that I can choose to still practice the parts of the trail lifestyle that I loved and keep that joy alive (I just have to make sure no one is around when I pee outside).

It has been nice to have some time to readjust as well as catch up with people. It is a weird thought to know I start working again tomorrow. I have to make sure that in everything I do, I hold on to the trail. Many times in life we fall into the traps and ruts that are hard to get out of. I was in a few of those and I had to find the courage to change that. But if I can take what I have learned about life and myself and most importantly, God, then whatever I do, I can find joy and peace. I am a different man coming off the trail, a man in motion and I am approaching a brick wall. Maybe, just maybe, I can crash through the wall unscathed.