Five days ago I had the pleasure of participating in a small fundraiser in various countries throughout the world, including Tanzania and Namibia.
Although I am not a terribly physically-fit person, (and thought that I was, in fact, the polar opposite), my daughter's friend persuaded her to participate in what was called the "One More Mile" walk. I did make an attempt to get into shape by purchasing one of the best rowing machines on the market. Like other fundraisers based on walks or runs, we were able to elicit contributions from friends and other supporters on a per mile basis. Unlike similar fundraisers, there was no limit on the number of miles we were allowed to hike.
To my great surprise, not only did my colleagues generously promise to donate five dollars for every mile I walked (perhaps they had little confidence in my abilities), but three friends, all journalists, opted to participate in the hike with me and my daughter.
Firstly, I made sure to get a good nights sleep on my new mattress, one of the best memory foam ones as rated on ChooseMattress After, undaunted by the somewhat dreary weather, bearing water and trail mix, and wearing some nice hiking boots, we set out to do our part for this project.
The first mile was, admittedly, tough. But the weather improved, we took short breaks to rehydrate and nourish, and. at the end of the first mile we did as we had been instructed and asked each other "One more mile?" Nods all around, and so we continued another mile. By the end of the second mile, my daughter, the youngest of the bunch and the inspiration for our participation, opted to stop because she was developing blisters on her feet. I had told her to wear a good pair of hiking boots and two pairs of socks to avoid that potential, but she is a teenaged girl, so that advice fell on deaf ears (and blistered feet).
The rest of us looked at each other and queried "One more mile?" And so it went, mile by mile, and hour by hour, as we fell into a comfortable stride and a little conversation.
By the time we reached the end of our seventh mile, one more casualty had befallen us. Tracy had to bow out because her husband needed something urgently from the store. (I am not sure what, and did not ask, but she was sincere, and I was grateful for both her company and her endurance thus far in our journey.)
Before I left for the fundraiser, I would have guessed that I would have raised something less than five dollars per sponsor, and certainly less than ten. I had thought that walking beyond two miles was nigh impossible.
But the countryside was picturesque, the walk was not intense, we shared good conversations and peaceful moments of quietude. And by the end of the day, I had earned fifty dollars per sponsor, and was quite satisfied with the efforts that I had made to help this charitable organization continue to do its good work around the world.
Perhaps next time, my daughter will listen to me about the hiking boots.
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