252,330 Steps
252, 330!
As of ten minutes ago, this is my total step count for the Step Into Their Shoes Campaign. This has been a long month of walking and realizations. Here's a break down of my experience of the charity walk week to week.
Week 1
Yippee! Rise and shine and walk! Seriously, this is how I felt every day of that first week when I woke up early to get a long walk in before breakfast. When I came home from work in the evening, I finished up however many steps I had left with a long walk around my neighborhood.
Here's the thing: I took all of my walks alone. ALONE. Come to think of it, I've made a habit of walking alone since childhood. We weren't supposed to go out in the jungle by ourselves, but I did all the time...with my dog and my machete. (Quite the lethal trio) Most of the time, though, I've been alone on my walks since. After college, I used to walk around my university town alone late at night, and I did the same thing when I lived in Seoul. In many parts of the world, though, this is very dangerous for women.
Week 2
Yay! More exploring and dance parties! After walking miles and miles around my neighborhood, I began driving a bit further away to Lapham Peak or Minooka Park. To get steps, I would sometimes also have dance parties in the basement...while my roommates were gone.
I woke up every day in complete control of what I was going to do. I decided when I was going to walk, what I would eat, where I would go. All of these decisions, seemingly so small, are a gift. Many women are enslaved to people who do not care about their needs, only about the profit the girls will make them. Women the world over do not get to choose and this is wrong.
Week 3
By far, one of the harder weeks. I worked more hours, and it was harder to consistently finish my steps before noon. I was also tired because I still have Lyme, and a lot of physical activity will wear me out quickly.
In all the exhaustion, I kept realizing again and again that being alone was not a scary thing for me. In fact, I rarely feel any real sense of fear, of being hurt by someone else. My life is very comfortable, with few material concerns or worries. The women who shared their stories about coming out of sex trafficking all talked about feeling hopeless and helpless. When I was physically tired and walking one more loop around Minooka Park, I thought about that, and how that needs to change, one woman at a time.
Week 4
The end is in sight! Oh, but it's cold. The temperatures dropped this week, meaning that it was 30 or lower in the mornings. Not exactly my favorite walking weather. Finishing my steps was hard on a couple of nights because of work, so I had some long dance parties in my basement. One night I was actually up until after 11, pacing back and forth, back and forth to get the rest of my steps.
The idea of being unaware, or blind, to someone else's need came to me while I was out on a cold walk. I thought about all the times when I could have given, and the time I have left, and I told myself, "Do not stay blind. Do not stay still." I think this is what Jesus was getting at when he said, "Love your neighbor as yourself."
Week 5
People donated! Woo! By far, one of the greatest gifts of this journey has been the women who have come alongside me and donated to the cause. I am so thankful for all of you. Thank you for helping me with this.
I went out to Lapham Peak today and climbed the tower. It's all covered with words that, for the most part, are unkind, placed there by angry, unkind people who are hurting. I'm hurting, too. We all are, for one reason or another. But I looked out and down from the tower at all the leaves falling, and I thought, "There's still hope. Things can still change." And that's what this walk was about: pursuing hope on someone else's behalf.
I'd do it all again.
As of ten minutes ago, this is my total step count for the Step Into Their Shoes Campaign. This has been a long month of walking and realizations. Here's a break down of my experience of the charity walk week to week.
Week 1
Yippee! Rise and shine and walk! Seriously, this is how I felt every day of that first week when I woke up early to get a long walk in before breakfast. When I came home from work in the evening, I finished up however many steps I had left with a long walk around my neighborhood.
Here's the thing: I took all of my walks alone. ALONE. Come to think of it, I've made a habit of walking alone since childhood. We weren't supposed to go out in the jungle by ourselves, but I did all the time...with my dog and my machete. (Quite the lethal trio) Most of the time, though, I've been alone on my walks since. After college, I used to walk around my university town alone late at night, and I did the same thing when I lived in Seoul. In many parts of the world, though, this is very dangerous for women.
Week 2
Yay! More exploring and dance parties! After walking miles and miles around my neighborhood, I began driving a bit further away to Lapham Peak or Minooka Park. To get steps, I would sometimes also have dance parties in the basement...while my roommates were gone.
I woke up every day in complete control of what I was going to do. I decided when I was going to walk, what I would eat, where I would go. All of these decisions, seemingly so small, are a gift. Many women are enslaved to people who do not care about their needs, only about the profit the girls will make them. Women the world over do not get to choose and this is wrong.
Week 3
By far, one of the harder weeks. I worked more hours, and it was harder to consistently finish my steps before noon. I was also tired because I still have Lyme, and a lot of physical activity will wear me out quickly.
In all the exhaustion, I kept realizing again and again that being alone was not a scary thing for me. In fact, I rarely feel any real sense of fear, of being hurt by someone else. My life is very comfortable, with few material concerns or worries. The women who shared their stories about coming out of sex trafficking all talked about feeling hopeless and helpless. When I was physically tired and walking one more loop around Minooka Park, I thought about that, and how that needs to change, one woman at a time.
Week 4
The end is in sight! Oh, but it's cold. The temperatures dropped this week, meaning that it was 30 or lower in the mornings. Not exactly my favorite walking weather. Finishing my steps was hard on a couple of nights because of work, so I had some long dance parties in my basement. One night I was actually up until after 11, pacing back and forth, back and forth to get the rest of my steps.
The idea of being unaware, or blind, to someone else's need came to me while I was out on a cold walk. I thought about all the times when I could have given, and the time I have left, and I told myself, "Do not stay blind. Do not stay still." I think this is what Jesus was getting at when he said, "Love your neighbor as yourself."
Week 5
People donated! Woo! By far, one of the greatest gifts of this journey has been the women who have come alongside me and donated to the cause. I am so thankful for all of you. Thank you for helping me with this.
I went out to Lapham Peak today and climbed the tower. It's all covered with words that, for the most part, are unkind, placed there by angry, unkind people who are hurting. I'm hurting, too. We all are, for one reason or another. But I looked out and down from the tower at all the leaves falling, and I thought, "There's still hope. Things can still change." And that's what this walk was about: pursuing hope on someone else's behalf.
I'd do it all again.
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