Mile 0

She woke up before the alarm sounded. Yesterday was her last day of work. Today was a blank slate without purpose. Today was the beginning of her final preparations for the Appalachian Trail. She sat, sipping her tea on the comfy sofa in the dim morning light; the hum of the cars passing by outside lulled her into a trance. To an outsider, she appeared calm, collected, and in control. But, inside, her mind was racing. “…In some capacity, I have had a job since I was 16. Yet, I simply walked away from my lucrative and stable employment yesterday. The career I have dedicated the last ten years of my life to… poof! This goes against everything I have been taught, lived, and experienced in my entire life. Yet here I am, Jobless, by design, for the first time in 25 years – what the hell am I doing!?…” Her mind spiraled in on itself with more fears and doubts. In three weeks, she would head to Amicalola Lodge in Georgia to start hiking the 2,200 miles of the AT. She’d carry all her positions. She’d be on her own likely for the first time in as long as she had been working. The anticipation was overwhelming her thoughts when suddenly a car outside screeched to a stop causing another to honk its horn. The needle skipped on the spinning record of her thoughts. She blinked once, twice, and then again. She took comfort in the last sip of her warm beverage and looked around at the brand-new day. Her determination slightly subdued her fear. Perhaps more to herself than anyone, she muttered, “This is it. No turning back now.” May the final preparations commence.