Yesterday was the most challenging day I’ve had in a while…actually ever. No, not just a hard Tuesday in the office but I walked 11 miles with 45 pounds of wood on my back to support the Paradigm Project. A couple power aids and energy drinks and I should be fine, right? WRONG.
We all met in Pacific Beach at 5 am. Fox 5 news was there along with 6 woodwalkers, 6 HUGE bundles of wood and Greg’s family who would be driving the support van. I knew a few of the people pretty well so I felt comfortable…until that pile of wood was put on my back.
By mile 2 out of 11, at 6 a.m, the wood was already killing and I was questioning how I’d make it. The wood was 4 feet long and more like thick sticks than wood, so it easily got off-balanced and kept sticking into my back. I could give a re-cap mile by mile but they were all the same…BRUTAL. The rope that wrapped the wood around my back hurt so bad it was making my shoulders black and blue. The wood resting on my lower back forced me to be hunched over the whole time. The added weight on my legs and feet made them ache until I could barely feel them. Steep hills made everything hurt a million times more. The last 3 miles I was convinced I had to quit, the pain was unbearable. Every inch of my body felt more pain than I’ve ever experienced. The one and only thing that got me through it was knowing hundreds of million women have to do it every day.
Despite the pain, it was one of the best days I’ve had in a while. The energy and passion of the group was truly inspiring. Even though everyone felt the extreme pain, I can truthfully say I didn’t hear or say one complaint all day. Experiencing the physical pain of what these amazing women face every day made me understand the issue on a whole new level. I praise them for finding the strength each day to do what I could barely face for one day.
Greg and his father are walking for 11 consecutive days and 136 miles. As I sit at my desk this morning, barely able to move an inch of my body, I can’t comprehend how they’ll make it. If 1 day was nearly impossible, how is 11 days possible? How do millions of women do that every day of their life?
These pictures are from my phone, so they’re a little blurry:
You can easily help improve these women’s lives by visiting The Paradigm Project’s website.



















