Many years ago I had an employee at one of my frame shops, a kid in his early twenties and still a student.  I was probably in my early forties so the kid and I had some things in common but not a whole lot.  I liked this guy; smart, ambitious, could carry on a conversation in an adult manner….must of come from a good home.  I mention this kid (I call him ‘kid’ because for the life of me I can’t remember his name) because he said something all those years ago that I’ve never forgotten.  Wasn’t sage advice from someone twenty years younger, just an observation that I carry to this day.

The kid and I were having a conversation about his future desires, and number one on his list was to through-hike the Appalachian Trail solo.  I’d heard of the AT but knew little about it.  He filled me in on the distance, time it would/should take to hike, what month to start the hike and what direction to travel.  I probably didn’t know that the trail started in Georgia, just a short hike from the top of Amicalola Falls, an hour and a half from where we stood talking. After this conversation I asked why he wanted to do it…..what was the motivation.  His answer was what has stayed with me all these years.  He said he wanted to do it because it scared him to do it, that anything life changing had to be scary otherwise it wouldn’t be life changing.  Pretty smart for a twenty-something. Read more