People vs Sheep

I think one of the ways that I am staying incredibly content on this journey that has been challenging is to really just focus on the moment, wherever I am, no matter the weather, and no matter the difficulty level of the terrain. If even the moment is too big, I just focus on my breath and take one step at a time. The only time I really allow myself to think beyond the moment is at night or in the morning when I am trying to get all I need for the day stored away in my backpack. Tomorrow, I will be hiking to Richmond which is a large town… I have had to do a little more breathing. You see, I have really loved the near solitude. Today I am in a large village of about 600 people. Last night’s village was about 100 people. I typically see 10-15 people while walking an 8 hour day. Encounters are brief moments of shared love for the beautiful country in which we are walking. Well, Richmond has 8000 people and tomorrow’s walk is the trip’s shortest walking day (about 5 hours.) I initially thought I could imagine that all the people were sheep and that would make me feel more at home. Many hikers will add a rest day in Richmond to rejuvenate. I am thankful that the sheep have been rejuvenating me and that I knew when I planned this trip that staying there was not something I would want or need. So, I am going to be thankful that there is a city on this hike for the die-hard tent hikers who need a place to restock and for the more extroverted folks on this journey who need to recharge before the last 1/3 of the trail. And, I will visit the castle for which “my” state’s capital was named and I will allow myself to think ahead to sheep, if breathing is not sufficient 🐑