I would like to quickly acknowledge the work and influence of people who have helped me prepare for this adventure. I’m not sure if I’ll complete the whole trail, but thanks to the following people, my chances are better than ever.
To the wonderful staff at South Shore Sports Therapy in Weymouth, thank you so much for helping me regain strength and balance. I was super unsure about whether or not my old-lady knees would be able to handle an undertaking like this, but through working with you all, I feel much better. In fact, I don’t remember a time before starting PT where I my knees ever felt this good, so thank you! To anyone who reads this & needs a PT place to go to, check these guys out, you won’t regret it! Click Here!
To the brilliant Orthopedic Doctor, Kylee Eagles (who I recommend to everyone), thank you for being a warm and welcoming professional. As someone who tends to avoid doctors, it means the world to me that I know the opinions and advice given to me during our appointments are coming from a place of genuine compassion and also no b.s. For real, go here for medical stuff!
To the middle & high school teachers, counselors, and college professors who helped guide me along the road to where I am now, while questioning my dysfunctional beliefs in the most supportive and kind way (while also telling me what I needed to hear, not what I thought I would want to hear), thank you for seeing in me the things that I could not yet see or comprehend. I now know how to manage the gray areas that used to devastate me and can navigate through the peaks and valleys, while recognizing that both sides have their beauty and benefits. Even though I am not the best with keeping in touch, please know that you all are still a presence that travels with me in my daily life.
To the students & staff members at the Duxbury Student Union, thank you for providing me with the opportunity to test out all sorts of new games and activities, and for challenging me to think on my feet and embrace the chaos of serving food to a line of hungry kids! I am so proud of all of the students who I have seen conquer a tough assignment or team challenge, and you all have helped me view problem solving in a new way. Thank you for allowing me to be part of your process, and for embracing a non-Duxbury native into your culture and lives. I have gained new perspectives through working with such a passionate staff, and new understandings of what it means to really be present and hear the needs of a variety of learning types and students. Thank you for your generosity and for supporting my decision to leave the DSU to undertake this expedition! I look forward to sharing my stories with all of you when I return, and wish you all the best with the rest of the school year! Set goals for yourselves, challenge the limits of your comfort zone, and take it day by day, you’ve got this! Let’s go Dragons!
To all of my Crossroads campers & the co-workers who have become my strange and crazy second family, thank you all for inspiring me to actually go on this adventure. I’ve grown tremendously as an individual from working with such an amazing staff and camper/teen population. Thank you to those who challenge me to challenge myself and to those who have supported me as I learned to overcome my fear of heights (or fear of falling) and learn to use that uncertainty as an opportunity for personal growth. I honestly do not know where my life would be right now if I hadn’t discovered Camp Wing and Crossroads 5 years ago, and hadn’t learned to enjoy the process through the work that I’ve been a part of there. I had never worked with such a superstar cast of staff members until I came to be a part of Crossroads, and while it will be tough for me to not be there for Connects and for the start of the summer, know that in my heart, and in spirit, I will be there encouraging you all to be your best selves, work hard, and push yourselves to new heights and levels of excellence (both staff and campers). Eat a few s’mores for me, enjoy the camp food, and know that each day is what you make it. Thank you for helping me realize my full potential. (p.s. if I got a box of pizza quesadillas in the mail I wouldn’t mind…)
To my Family (both biological and chosen), thank you for being a part of this journey of mine. From the early stages of “oh yeah, I’m doing this!” to the moments of doubt and stress tears combined with “what the hell am I doing?” and every moment in between. I cannot truly express how thankful I am that you’ve been supportive of my crazy ideas and non-linear life so far. If it weren’t for the support of my family (especially my parents) I would still be stuck at the wrong college, studying the wrong major, and getting up to no good. I’d like to think that things have changed for the better as a result of the support of my family, and that now I’m getting up to the right things, and challenging myself in ways that are conducive to a happy life. While I’m not sure what the trail will have in store for me, I know that with your support and love that I can take on anything. I love you all soooooo much, and hope to have you alongside me on the trail at some point! 🙂
To my Corgi, thank you for going on practice hikes with me, even though you’re built like a footstool. And for updating this website for me while I’m out on the trail. I knew those doggy computer classes would pay off! 😉
Heading North 