March 31, 1997 (Day 12 – mile 128.7 – Wesser Bald)

Snow on the ground this morning and holy cold! Walked eighteen miles today and feeling every bit of it.

Good group of folks today: Bones (from PA), Silver Tongue and Gold Finger. Silver Tongue and Gold Finger are brothers from Maine, late 50’s, both in excellent shape. Clever trail names, too. Silver Tongue is a lawyer and Gold Finger is a gynecologist.

Also walked a bit with two obnoxious, 19 year old Canadian girls who I will actually try to avoid after today.

Still a bit cold but the air is clear. Hale-Bopp comet brilliant in the night sky.

Aquaholic

March 31, 2009

Hey Aquaholic,

One thing that will not change over the next twelve years is that your relationships with others is among the richest and very most important aspects of your life. Second only to your relationship with your self.

Something that I have been learning to accept is that we do not have the time or the energy to connect deeply with everyone we meet, and although it is difficult to have to be selective, it is essential to be so.

The more we complicate our life, the fewer people with whom we will be able to make a meaningful connection, and the few connections we do make will remain shallow. The real headbanger is that this is especially true of your relationship with your self. But if you work to keep the karmic weight to a minimum, you will find more space to connect more deeply and more often.

O’