Date: 2015-09-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

I used to spend nearly all day moving, but lately, my sluglike pace has consumed ALL of my motions, not just the uphill ones.It's as though all motivation has drained from my system. The goal has been reached. The journey completed. There's no more need for motion.Of course, THIS ISN'T TRUE. There are so many things to do!Yesterday morning, I got ambitious and tried to go for a run. I only got to the end of the driveway before I had to turn around, tears streaming down my face, because my feet hurt so much. Apparently I can hike up a mountain but can't run a quarter mile across a flat surface. I did some other exercises instead. I wish Goshen wasn't so hilly, so I could bike. It's just so hot out.I AM SO LAZY. SO WONDERFULLY LAZY. I sleep 11 hours a night. I sit around all day. It's weird to sit so much. I don't like it. At the same time, my body is stiff and protests movement. Lots of chores have been accomplished (I got a haircut, and cleaned, and organized, and unpacked and packed... it never ends!) but it feels weird to not be walking all day. My body is very confused.I thought that readjusting to real life would be horrible. It's not that bad, and not that hard. I think I am a bit more socially awkward than ever before, though.The hardest parts have definitely been teaching my body to release that horrible urge to eat everything within reach (I'm slowly improving), and the fact that I can't find a good way to release my anxious energy. Mostly this is just me being lazy. Next week I will attempt to step back into my old exercise routine. Minus the running.Also, I hate all of these TV screens and computer screens. They hurt my poor sad eyes. But I can't help but watch an hour or two of mindless television a day, or play a game with Candace. Hello again, technology. I did not miss you, though I missed the convenience you provide.I miss sleeping outside. I miss being outside. I do love my nice comfortable bed, though. I hate the stale, still air. I hate the strange silence and electric hum of the house. The light is also still strange. My room is too dark with the lights off, and the artificial light seems creepy. At night, even with the lights on, I get tired when dusk approaches. Tonight, I will pick up Muddy Duckling and Firebear, who will hang around for a couple of days (to enjoy pizza and possibly the fair) before heading into New York to be tourists. Coco and Magnus (who were supposed to summit Katahdin today - I am awaiting word and pictures) are also planning to stop in NYC on their way home, so there may be a hiker reunion to look forward to. Hooray!I am thankful for friends. I look forward to their stories and enthusiasm. I am thankful for my family. I am thankful for everyone I've seen in the last few days that's given me a hug and a hearty "Congratulations!". I am so thankful for people who use those magic words, "I'm proud of you!". Because even though it may seem like it later, right now it still seems like... nothing. It seems like it never happened. It seems like it was just a small thing, walking that trail. I guess that time will give me perspective, and eventually, when I am able to keep myself awake, the reality will again hit. The reality that I walked 2,189.2 miles. Over mountains. And through mud. And in the rain. I am thankful for the journey I have been able to complete. I AM THANKFUL FOR ADVENTURE. BRING ON THE NEXT ONE, PLEASE.