I came across this quote this weekend and have managed to apply it to several situations in just the past few days.

Or, as Kenny Rogers said, "You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em."

It's kind of a creepy little video.  You all should watch it.

Don't even lie, you know you're singing it in your head RIGHT NOW.

And now that I've completely creeped myself out with a picture of Barney on my blog, I'm going to go ahead and commence with Body Love Monday.  Yaaaaaaaaaay!

It's a big day for puppet references here at the JE Project, apparently.

Okay people.  Let's do this.

1. I have nimble, ukulele-strumming fingers (which were put to great use today).
2. I have long, lovely eyelashes (with pretty purple--yes, purple--mascara on them).
3. I have a cute, freckled nose (currently adorned with a new star nose stud).
4. I have raucous, indelicate laugh (one might even call it a guffaw).
5. I have strong, powerful legs (good for frog-jumping and duck-walking).
6. I have mighty, record-breaking arms (which accomplished the most push-ups they've ever done a few days ago).
7. I have hale, healthy lungs (which have been breathing medication-free for over a week now).
8. I have a big, bright smile (just like my sister--I think it's what makes us look like sisters).
9. I have curvy, luscious hips (and I love to shake 'em).
10. I have a strong, resilient heart (both in the physical/medical sense and in the metaphorical sense--both of which are important).

Don't forget to take some time today to appreciate YOU.  Because YOU are an awesome person!

...and I would walk 20 more...

I'll give you a moment to finish that out in your head.

Did you get to the da-da-la-das yet?  Okay then.  Moving on.

So.  Why walk 20 miles?  A child asked me that very question, which forced me to articulate the reason why in such a way that a young person would understand it.  This is what I said (as best I can remember):

I am fortunate enough to be able to buy myself nutritious food that would give my body the fuel it needs to do something like walk 20 miles, but there are people out there who are not so lucky.  I walk to raise money--thanks to family and friends who sponsor me--for those people so that they can have access to nutritious food, too.

I have been blessed in my life to never have gone hungry, but I know what it looks like and I want to do my part to help stop it.  If part of that is taking most of a day to do nothing but walk, I'm all for it.

The walk itself took me almost exactly 7 hours from start to finish, which included a lunch break and a couple stops to change socks and/or put on bandaids.  There were many ups and downs along the way.  The first 5 miles were a piece of cake.  I'd even go so far as to include the next 2.5 miles in the cake category, though I did get my first blister between 5 and 7.5.  Mile 7.5 was the first bandaid stop and I caught the blister pretty early, so it was all good.

The next 3 miles went by pretty uneventfully...though that might have been when I had to pull out my iPod because a rather obnoxious (albeit enthusiastic) group of teens started singing "99 bottles of milk on the wall."  Don't get my wrong, I think it's fantastic for kids to get involved in community service...but that doesn't mean that they don't still lack a general awareness of the people in their immediate vicinity.

The first sign for the snack stop appeared around 10.5 miles.  Said snack stop was at mile 12.  Oh the irony of teasing people who are walking to help feed those in need with 1.5 miles of signs about food.  The nice thing about the snack stop being at mile 12 (rather than mile 10, which is where it was the first time I did this walk) is that there are only 8 miles left to go after lunch.  (A thought that then makes one wonder about the context in which walking 8 miles is preceded with the word "only.")

I kind of zoned out for the next several miles, listening to Eddie Izzard's "Glorious" on my iPod and no doubt looking like a grinning idiot as I did so.  (Evil ducks.  It's a funny concept.)

The last 2 miles were a total slog.  There was no sudden burst of energy at the thought of nearing the finish line.  The closest I came was Tiny Tim singing "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" in my head while I walked through the Public Garden.  But I trudged on and crossed the finish line, where my mom met me with a hug.

My fundraising goal for this walk was to be a "Heart & Sole" walker--to raise $500.  I raised that and more.  In fact, when you add it all up, I raised nearly $100 for hunger programs for every hour that I walked.  Next year I might just even set my sights a little higher.