I will try to keep the negative parts of this post short. 3 months ago I was a happy and positive person. Since then, my ex left me and is taking the 3 boys, I lost an excellent job as a Healthcare Analyst, burned through all of my savings, and am about to find myself homeless. I have applied to dozens of jobs, but have been turned down for reasons ranging from having no college education to having made too much money at my lost job. I have sold or am in the process of selling everything I own (even my coffee maker.. that was a tough one).
Over the years I have lost touch with the things that brought me joy. I allowed work to consume me, to the detriment of my health and family. I let distractions take over as things started to fall apart, and sat back as my physical and mental health deteriorated. These things were my fault – I made the choices that led to this position.
I am not looking for pity – like many others, I did this to myself. What I am looking for is a helping hand to lift myself back up. I am determined to turn this trial into something that will have a positive impact on my life.
I have made a choice to begin walking the Appalachian Trail instead of living in my car or in a shelter. I want to let go of the distractions, and to use the time on the trail to figure out what kind of person I want to be. I would like to begin writing again, reconnect with God, and maybe by the end have a better understanding of my place in life.
I am here because I am still in need of supplies for my journey, and will run out of money long before the trail is over. If I need to leave the trail and go to a shelter, I will. I am not going to risk my life more than any other person on the trail, but I have an opportunity to try to do something that so few people have a chance to do – and that in and of itself is a blessing.
Thank you all for reading, and God bless. If you would like to help, my PayPal is paypal.me/fatmanwalking