When Your Crediability Is All You Have - Achieving the IMpossible

2000 - 2020 Over nearly 20 years I had almost lost everything - my financial security, my career, so many freinds and family, in truth all I had left when I started the Warrior Momz Walk, was my "crediability" - some may say that's not important, but to me it was everything - I truly wanted to create much needed change and to commence that process, I needed to finish what was really an impossible journey... Only Kelly McCall saw my struggle, my frustration, my disappointments, my worst moments, my joy, my happiness, my inspiration from meeting families across our journey,but against all odds we both finished that marathon journey. This is an extract from my book #7millionsteps - this book will probably never be published as I have a friend combining my first book Warrior Mom with #7millionsteps to bring into one book a 20 year journey, I recently added another chapter which briefly details the first months of the effects of Covid19 on me personally and of our precious community...

Chapter 1 Skills and Needs My Check list – Could I Really Do This?

I was commanded by the Universe to walk across America, naturally I thought I would be protected and it would be a given I would successfully finish in Washington DC as planned and I would arrive on the scheduled date. I am a city girl, and although I have travelled extensively alone throughout the USA, Europe and parts of Asia I have mostly been in cities or in a car driving between them.

Being the eldest of 4 children and being single most of my life I am very good at looking after myself, but nothing in my life could have prepared me for the Warrior Momz Walk. Early after committing to the WMW I put together a check list of basic requirements/ skills I would need!

#1 Experienced in walking long distances in varied terrain - Although I had never hiked in my life, I had walked cities in many parts of the World without getting lost, although I always relied on landmarks! Well I did get lost in Prague cos I didn’t realise there were identical towers in the city – but I was ok, I remembered the name of my hotel and got directions back!

I’ve walked a lot beaches in my day and when I am in Bali have been known to walk up to 12 miles a day. I walked and walked around the streets of some of China’s largest cities, so yes I felt I could walk the needed 22 miles a day, 6 days a week.

#2 Understanding Maps and Directions - This could potentially be a problem, as coming from the southern hemisphere it is a bit of a challenge! I knew the sun rose in the east and set in the west. My friend Bill Harmon was getting “Trip Tics” from AAA that would intimately track the route of the Warrior Momz Walk, so I thought I would be ok! I do read maps upside down that’s normal isn’t it? But since the advent of GPS, I have driven in places I wouldn’t have thought possible, often admiring the faith I have in the voice coming of my cars dashboard, to deliver me safely to wherever I wanted to travel too! So I was “sorta kinda” confident!

After a very frustrating day walking in Alabama, Kelly and I got into an animated discussion at days end, I had been l confused by directions several times through the day, it ended by Kelly saying in disbelief of my pathetic day! “You don’t have the directional skills of a 4th grader”, initially taken aback I thought about it and agreed with her!

So I guess that’s a NO I don’t!

#3 A Love of Remote areas – dealing with Isolation - Well upfront I’m a city girl, love anywhere where there is civilization! To be honest I never thought about potentially walking a day and seeing no more than 10 cars, or as many people! To be honest I have lived in the USA, isn’t there always a Gas Station or a Fast Food chain, on every road, so I never ever thought about Isolation / the remoteness. How wrong was I to be!

Another fail!

#4 Superior level of fitness - Well at the time of commencing the WMW I was 67 years, over weight, suffering from high blood pressure, enjoyed drinking wine nightly, yes I had done some training but mainly walking the streets of my city and twice a week I did a beach step walk. For 5 months prior to the start of the WMW, I was working with my personal trainer, Cindy, 2/3 times a week and seeing Simon, 2 times a week. The most I had walked in a week was about 44 miles, yes, I should be good to walk 132 miles a week, once I started, as I wasn’t working, all I had to do was walk! I was totally na?ve!

#5 Ability to protect myself - Well this one was a bit of an unknown, as never in my life had I needed to protect myself, but you know, the Universe had told me to walk across America, I reasoned with myself, I’ll be Ok! I was totally na?ve!

#6 Support team - At that early stage I thought we would have no problem in bringing together an “on the road” support team! I truly thought volunteers would line up to walk with me every day, I had total confidence! I was totally na?ve!

#7 Confident in finishing - I was confident the Universe would ensure I would arrive in Washington DC safely and on time. Yet again I was totally na?ve!

#8 Determination & Resilience - By nature I am a very determined and resilient person, I had every confidence once I started the WMW I would finish it. I made a commitment to the Warrior Momz and the organising team to walk 3085 miles in 172 days and I would do this even if it killed me! I had a time restriction of a 6 month Visa, so no matter what, I had to walk 22 miles a day, 6 days a week, or, if I walked every day I had to walk a minimum of 18 miles a day…

After losing my career and financial security, all I had left was my credibility and no matter what I would not lose that! I was totally na?ve!

My Pre Walk Research

I had researched the route once we finalised it. I knew the distances between each City, and from doing historical weather research I sort of knew what the weather would be like in each region I walked. How did I work out my daily miles? That was easy – I knew the distance was 3085 miles, I knew I had to finish it in 172 days!

Did I research terrain, restroom stops, the remote roads I would end up walking on – umm No! I was totally na?ve!

Did I have faith in the Universe to keep my legs walking no matter what, absolutely!

Did I see myself finishing absolutely!

I also knew in my darkest days, I had an amazing mentor, my son Josh, who was my inspiration for IMpossible in SCI recovery.

My message was about recovery being possible, could 1 person on what would be mostly a solo walk create any change? My one other inspiration “Tank Man” the unknown protestor! Tank Man (also known as the Unknown Protester or Unknown Rebel) is the nickname of an unidentified Chinese man who stood in front of a column of tanks leaving Tiananmen Square on June 5, 1989, the morning after the Chinese military had suppressed the Tiananmen Square protests by force.

Source https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tank_Man

Yes, I may have been totally na?ve, but I had faith if every day I kept taking one step at a time, I would finish!