Time to get out of the armchair!

I’ve always been a bookworm.

When I was in third grade, my teacher, Mrs. Sleeper, told me, in that exasperated tone of voice that only teachers-on-the-edge know how to muster, that if I was ever in California during an earthquake, I’d probably read right through it.

(Which was actually pretty prescient of her, when you realize that we were in Kansas City, Missouri, at the time, and I wouldn’t migrate to California for another 20 years. And that when I experienced my first-ever California earthquake, my first thought, as I sat, trembling, in my car, was, “Um, Mrs. Sleeper? Wrong!!”)

But I digress…

My point is, I am, and always have been, and probably always will be, a couch potato.

And for the past several months, during our long, hard (well, unusually rainy) Southern California winter, my Kindle Unlimited library has been, slowly but surely, filling up to the brim with first-person travel adventures. Specifically, books by people who have walked long distances – like, oh, I dunno, THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL.

And sure, most people have read, or at least seen the movie version of, Bill Bryson’s “A Walk in the Woods.”

However, my first exposure to this genre of travel writing was “The Barefoot Sisters: Southbound” by Lucy and Susan Letcher.

The charming memories of two young women who decided to hike the Trail BAREFOOT (most of the way) inspired me to get into the whole “barefoot” fad.

(We Baby Boomers tend to jump on a lot of bandwagons, don’t we? I started knitting a few years ago for the same reason. BB’s tend to fetishize everything, which is why you’ll find thousands of websites dedicated to otherwise mundane activities such as letting your hair go grey.)

Anyway, long story short, barefoot walking/running/hiking is fine for some people, and I still have some “barefoot shoes” (basically pumped-up socks with treads) that I enjoy wearing around the house and back yard. But after a few months, I sheepishly gave in to my aching bunions, and bought some shoes that were a little more supportive (and didn’t pick up every #$*& sticker or burr I walked over).

So – back to “foot prisons” for me!

But I digress…

My point, and I do have one (thanks, Ellen!) is that I love to READ about other people’s adventures. Currently, I have at least 8 books in my Kindle Unlimited Library about hiking the AT, the Pacific Crest Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail.

And I’ve watched “A Walk in the Woods” TWICE on Amazon Prime (my favorite character, both in the book and the movie, being the insufferable Mary Ellen, played with disturbing accuracy by Kristen Schaal).

But now, I’m actually reached the point where I’m tired of reading about, or watching, other people’s adventures.

I’m ready to get up out of the armchair, turn off the Kindle, go outside and (dare I say it?) actually start putting one of my OWN feet in front of one of my OTHER feet! (Okay, I only have two, but you know what I mean!)

And I’m pleased to report that I’ve already started doing this, albeit via small, tentative fits and starts. Next time, I’ll tell you about some of my initial efforts.

(And feel free to share some of YOUR efforts, hopes, fits and starts, etc. in the comments! Don’t be afraid to let your dreams go willy-nilly!)

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