A Walk in My Neighbor's Shoes

I’ve heard it said that if you work with your hands, you should rest with your mind and if you work with your mind, you should rest with your hands. I’ve worked a handful of random jobs in my life, but it wasn’t until I became the Executive Director of The LOT Project that I really started working primarily with my mind. As an aside, anyone who knows me well will have an appropriate sense of fear at the thought of me working primarily with my mind. 

Beginning last july, I started running as a means to lose some weight and practice ‘resting with my body’. I created running plans with AI, talked with friends about running, and have kept up the hobby to this day. 

My birthday is in mid July and this past year it fell on a wednesday. I decided that since most of my friends and family would be working during the day, I would take the day off work and see if I could run 27 miles, one for each of my 27 years. 

The most I had run at that point was 13 miles, but I figured that if I was willing to go slow enough (and didn’t manage to get run over) that I would eventually finish 27 miles. 

I got started around 8:00AM and wouldn’t finish moving until just before 4:00PM that day. I began running a few miles with my wife Karli, then going solo when she needed to go to work, throughout the day I had some friends call me, text me, and check on me, several folks from Church or the Community would honk or holler at me as they saw me going by. 

Going into this I thought that it would be difficult but that I would be entertained and encounter some silly things throughout the day. I was wrong! 

It was difficult, but also really boring, and really hot, and it required more energy than I thought it would to not get run over throughout the day. There were several spaces where I needed to run in the median, step into the road, or jump over debris on the sidewalks in order to keep moving forward. I took notice of the bus stops up and down Clemson Boulevard, specifically how many of them are not much more than a sign on a few square feet of unshaded concrete, less than 5 feet from busy traffic. I took notice of all the litter on and around our streets. Four times that day I stopped at various gas stations, restaurants, and coffee shops to refill my water, use the bathroom, and rest for a moment. 

After I finished my first 13 miles I stopped at the house, changed my clothes, and then got back to running. It continued to be hot, boring, and difficult. At one point I had been going for about 16 miles and got really dizzy and weak. I had to stop to eat a granola bar and drink some gatorade before I finally felt better after about 15 minutes. 13.1 more miles, a few Egg Rolls from QT later, and a whole lot of questioning why I thought this was a good idea later, I was finished. I got home, crashed, and rested for the rest of the night. 

Later that week myself and some friends who work with The LOT Project were eating lunch together. Someone mentioned me running 27 miles and one of our friends at lunch asked me about it.

This friend at lunch listened and chuckled as I talked about running all over town, almost getting run over, and eating a bunch of junk food for 8 hours straight in the July sun. And then they said something that really took me for a surprise, they mentioned that when they were homeless that sounded like a pretty standard day. 

I asked her what she meant, and she elaborated. She talked about how when she was homeless she would have appointments, errands, or responsibilities to attend to and the only way she could get where she was going was by bus when she could afford it, but very often she went by foot. She didn’t go into specifics about how far she would often walk, but she mentioned that several of my routes throughout the day were ones she walked; not because she wanted to for a challenge, but because she had no choice. 

After this conversation, my perspective on the whole thing changed. I spent the whole day running and walking all around town because I wanted to, I had money to spend at the gas station when I got hungry or thirsty, I was clearly dressed like a runner and so I didn’t get many strange looks when I entered stores, I had a fully charged iPhone with unlimited music, videos, or podcasts to entertain me, I had a house to stop at halfway through and change into clean clothes, I had a dozen people I could call if I decided to throw in the towel and get a ride home. Simply put, the day kicked my butt and I had so many resources to make it more bearable. What would the day have been like without those resources? 

What would my life be like if the only means I had to get around and take care of my affairs was via foot? The spring and fall may be pleasant, but the July heat and the Winter cold would definitely not be enjoyable. I thought hard about what life would be like if I didn’t have a community of friends who would take care of me if I needed help, if I didn’t have a vehicle to get around town, if I didn’t have a job that would allow me to take sick days if needed, if I didn’t have the means to keep food, water, and electricity at my house. 

I can’t imagine what so many of our guests at The LOT Project do regularly, often with less resources and heavier backpacks. I’m extremely humbled to consider how challenging my day walking around was as a relatively healthy young man; what would life be like if I were in a wheelchair and no transpotation? The day gave me a new perspective on the people we serve and on what so many of our neighbors go through. I am counting my blessings now and also much more sympathetic towards my neighbors that walk everywhere they go. 

I might run 28 miles next July, and if I do, I’ll be reminded along the way of all my friends and neighbors who do hard things every day, whether they have the choice or not.