Necessary, Possible and Impossible

"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." - St. Francis of Assisi

A friend of mine recently posted this quote in a note he wrote on Facebook.  It struck me as perfect for the 3-day walkers and so I feel compelled to write a bit about it. Many people have indicated to me that walking 60 miles in 3 days would be impossible for them.  They cannot picture themselves doing it.  

What's necessary: To start, I had to take that leap of faith that the fundraising and the walking was possible for me.  I had to sign up.  I had to find good shoes (do NOT skimp on your shoes or socks.  They make it possible to do these long distance walks.)  I had to figure out a schedule to train.  I had to figure out what to do with my kids while training.  I had to get my husband to buy into this as he would be taking on a lot as my training gets more intense, not to mention he had to agree to the costs we would be taking on associated with the gear I need, fundraising, etc.

What's possible: I started this journey doing 2-3 mile walks.  When I started my training, that distance felt like the upper limit of what was possible for me.  I had moments of doubt and wondered what I'd gotten myself into.  The more I walk, the longer that distance has become.   Today, I walked my longest walk ever.  8.7 miles.  I also crossed the 200 mile mark in my overall mileage for my training.  I am now POSITIVE that 10 miles is totally possible for me, right now.  By November, my training needs to have taken me to where I not only can do 20 miles, but do it three days in a row.  I know that's possible.  I've got lots of time, lots of determination and so many people supporting me and cheering me on it makes me weep with joy at times.  You guys have no idea how much those tiny comments you make on Facebook and twitter and in person mean to me and how much they keep me going.

The next thing you know, it'll be November and I will be doing what some folks view as impossible.  So St Francis really had it right.  When you do what is possible, and stretch yourself more and more, you can eventually reach what may have initially seemed impossible.

That's how I see finding a cure as well.  The money raised helps to fund what is necessary and what is possible, and the longer we fund it, the more folks work on the problem, the more they stretch our knowledge and the more they stretch what we've tried, the closer they will get to what some see as impossible.  Before we know it, we'll be living in a world without breast cancer and then hopefully a world without ANY cancer. 

So keep doing what's necessary.  Keep doing what's possible.  The impossible will follow.

(04/25/10)
Fundraising: Total: $2,970.00
Training: 8.7 miles 3 hour 21 minutes
Total miles to date: 205.9

(04/24/10)
Fundraising: $100 Total: $2,970.00
Training: 5.3 miles 1 hour 55 minutes
Total miles to date: 197.2

(04/22/10)
Fundraising: Total: $2,870.00
Training: 4.8 miles 1 hour 36 minutes
Total miles to date: 191.9

(04/20/10)
Fundraising: Total: $2,870.00
Training: 1 hour tap class
Total miles to date: 187.1