Facing Adversity on the Way to the Sea

Daily miles: 30.05 | Total miles: 11,842.72

Cold coffee, warm clothes, headlamp on — and I was out walking, heading downhill through the hills of Greece. The sky was grey, the air cold, but the views were still beautiful in that quiet, muted morning way.

My sister already showed up at mile 7. It was really cold, so I put on a sweater, and we crossed paths again later on. Knowing she was around brought comfort, even on a day that would turn out to be a bit more demanding than expected.

Today, I saw an unbelievable number of orange trees. Thousands of them. In the afternoon, I pulled one straight off a tree. Yes, I did — and it tasted amazing. I saw a few people picking oranges, but compared to how many trees there were, it felt like only a handful. There is such abundance here.

During the day, I encountered several barking dogs, some of them coming quite close. Then, at one house, a dog suddenly started barking very loudly and ran toward me. It actually wasn’t as close as some others had been before, but I turned my back to make sure it wouldn’t follow me — and in that moment, I tripped and fell.

Well.

That’s not a great feeling, especially when you’re already walking instead of running.

My sister was about two miles away, sitting in a café and recharging devices. I limped there. I think the shock was worse than anything else. It’s incredible how one small moment can throw you off so much. Still, I felt that I coped with it quite gently, and that felt reassuring.

At the café, my sister was sitting outside, and a small cat came straight over to cuddle with me. I really liked that moment — the love and attention, right when I needed it.

Then I walked on for another 11 miles along the coastline. The views were unbelievably beautiful. They took my breath away. They made me cry. They stirred so many emotions. I imagined what it might look like if I could see through the water — all the living creatures below, all that hidden life. I thought about how all the tears I’ve cried throughout my life are nothing compared to the vastness of the ocean. I felt the interconnectedness of everything.

I thought about having a dream — dreaming big — and how I made it to the Peloponnese and get to witness this beauty with my own eyes. This journey is so often wonderfully overwhelming.

When I finally arrived at the van, it was dark again. My sister had a hot tea ready for me. I tried to save my Garmin activity so the map would show on my website — and the saving failed. Invalid activity. Corrupted file.

I sat down in pain and said out loud, “Really? Does this need to happen today as well?”

I googled what could be done and gathered all my energy to follow the instructions as best as I could. I am absolutely not a computer specialist. And yet, after about an hour, I fixed it. I saved it. It worked.

I honestly don’t even know why I started, because I was convinced I wouldn’t be able to fix it. But here we are.

Stay calm. Try your best. See what’s possible.

That’s how I’ll continue — adjusting to what the situation requires.

Thanks for checking in. Be well, Andrea