a little tired

Richfield, OH

The first day walking (in over two years) was not too bad, but last night was a little rough. It rained. And while I managed to stay dry, it will take a while to get used to sleeping outside in public places again.

Walking as the sun rose was beautiful, though. Sunbeams broken through the trees and morning mist. I rinsed my shirt (and myself) in a small, still pond, hidden from the highway and ringed with yellow and white wildflowers, where fish jumped and a flock of geese eyed me warily. It felt good.

And it's good to be out of "limbo." This appeared last fall in a Pittsburgh Valley News Dispatch article about Pilgrim George Walter (who I met two years ago):

Paul Rohde, originally from Florida and now living in Evanston, Ill., became a lifetime pilgrim about five years ago. He usually charts his path by churches at which he can rest along the way. But the 34-year-old's status is in limbo. Rohde, who lives at the Mennonite-based Reba Place Fellowship, opted not to take a pilgrimage this summer, George says, because he recently began a relationship and did not want to leave his girlfriend.

And Heather was not a bit mortified when I read that to her!