A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. ~ Laozi
In this blog I have talked about many facets of happiness. Whether those are making sure that you are physically fit and well, or that you are finding time for self-care. I’ve also talked about how important your mental health is to your happiness and doing whatever it takes to make sure that your mental health is intact. At almost any given time we all are working on some facet of our happiness. As I’ve discussed recently my happiness is dependent right now on handling the transition to the next chapter of my life. Of course, while also maintaining happiness in the moment. As the Taoist say, live like you’ll die tomorrow and learn like you’ll live a thousand years.
I don’t think I’m too awful unique in that I procrastinate, especially when something big is coming. People procrastinate in different ways. Some start things and then put off completing them, but I’m of a different type, my procrastination comes at the beginning of things. Once I take the first step I’m great, but it’s taking that first step where I seem to have the most hesitancy. Every time I think about taking the first step, my mind goes back to my first day on the Appalachian Trail. Of course by time I’d made it to the trail head in Georgia I had already taken many steps. Prepping for a 2000 mile, six month hike takes a lot of planning, months of planning in fact. By the time you set foot on the trail, you’ve had to make sure you’ve taken care of six months of bills, that you have all of your gear and maps. You’ve already set up your transportation to the trail and most people set up a number of mail drops that will be sent to various parts of the trail across multiple states. There are so many details that you’ve already dealt with that the first step on the trail is almost anticlimactic. But the reality of things is that it’s not anticlimactic at all.
My first steps on the Appalachian Trail were far from anticlimactic, they are seared into my head, as clear a memory as I possess. What wasn’t lost on me that day, and I want to talk about tonight is the implications of that first step. On the trail that day, I was caught up in the fact that I had never done a multi-day hike in my entire life and I was starting maybe the longest, hardest hike on Earth. It wasn’t lost on me that I was alone, at that moment I didn’t know a single soul on the trail. I was nervous about my skill level, the weight on my back and even where I would sleep that first night. It was nerve-wracking and thrilling and it led to one of the best experiences of my life.
And that’s what often follows times of high anxiety before starting something or making a transition in life. This anxiety puts me in neutral, it makes me procrastinate and keeps me from taking that first step. Happily for me, I’ve been in this position many times and I know that once I take that step, once I get things rolling, that momentum will carry me forward and almost always, good things are on the horizon. It is that confidence that allows me to move forward, but if it’s your first time, it’s belief or faith in something that you have to have to make that first step. So before you make that next big move, identify what you believe in. What I hope you have faith in the most is yourself, if you believe in yourself then you can know that taking the first step will lead to better things and happier days.
It feels like in the last week I really took that first step on my next transition. In the last week I’ve made a lot of plans, I’ve started several needed projects and have scheduled others. It feels good and has greatly improved my mood, nothing better for me than having plans in motion, progressing on the path to becoming a nomad again. As I may have mentioned here before, in March/April of 2025, shortly after my retirement, I’ll be heading back to the Appalachian Trail, I’ve got some unfinished business with the trail. And honestly, need the time and the miles to walk off the last five years of an unfortunate job. So here’s to taking the first step towards happier days. ~ Rev Kane