Cecilia had in me in tears twice on her massage table. The first time was because my calves were so tight when she was working out the kinks. I was squirming and almost whimpering at one point. It makes sense that my ankles have been hurting with such ridiculously tight calves. The second thing that made me cry was hearing about the magic that happened when she adopted her two children. She shared such a beautiful story with me. She also shared that it was her birthday about 2/3 into the massage. I was so honored that she took my appointment on her birthday and gave me such a terrific massage. I felt so grateful to have gotten to meet her.

When we got off the bus the driver said "Thanks very much, I admire what you're doing!" I paused and said "Thank you, I admire what you're doing." I've often thought that bus drivers are the unsung heroes of communities. They're saying hello and interacting with all walks of life and helping folks get where they need to be. I could tell this driver really loved what he did and saw his riders as his neighbors and friends.

I tried a new mantra today as I walked since my ankles felt so good. When I stepped down I would say "thank you" in my head. The beat of my stepping aligned with the two words perfectly. I called them my "thank you steps." Sometimes the thanks was for my legs or Will, the beautiful scenery, or the bright colorful flowers. It became my walking meditation and helped quite a bit!

We saw three other couples on the break. One was definitely having a tense moment. Hiking with your partner can be hard at times. Being alone with someone else for 24 hours a day is not something most people are used to. I've been surprised by how often we hike together and don't talk at all. That's actually more common than having a conversation while walking.

We found a great campsite by a little creek for the night. We were talking about trail names and Snowshoe said I should be something fun like "Sunshine" or "BeBop." He suggested Sunshine because He said I "brighten everything up." I told him that I really do go by "Stacy Raye of Sunshine" in real life. He was amazed at the coincidence , it was very nice.

“I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to die. The truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren't even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they're doing it.”

- Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird