Why am I so excited about Necco wafers?

Hiking the Appalachian Trail is an adventure. That’s for sure.

Every adventure involves uncertainty. Risk. Fear. Happiness. Chance. Prize. Doubt. Reflection. And any other emotion you can imagine.

With so many emotions swirling around, your mind does you the favor of keeping them close to the surface. To remember it easily. For a powerful memory. Lihat juga wsx2. Whenever. Often without warning.

As I walked these last 3 weeks, I was surprised by how emotional I am. Of course, the trail provides plenty of time and opportunities for reflection and introspection. And these awaken emotions.

my reaction

What I didn’t expect was how he would react. How strong my emotional reaction would be. Normal emotions are magnified. Along the way, simple thoughts of happiness turn into exuberant joy. Moments of uncertainty turn into irrational fear. Memories become a longing to connect with the past. A moment of thinking about family turns into deep sadness when missing them.

My wife slipped a note into my electronics bag before I left. Other similar notes, like Valentine’s Day cards and birthday cards, are sweet moments I share with my wife. This note has become an emotional impulse that I reread very frequently (almost every night on the road) and each time I find new messages of love woven into the words.

An old friend from high school texted me: «Way to go, Manzo, we’ve got your back!» And my next hour was spent lost in memories of my high school days.

My son texts me about a great moment in the Vanderbilt dugout, and the next hour is spent lost in visions of my son’s baseball career and pride in his accomplishments.

One day on the road was the tenth anniversary of my dad’s passing. The nine previous anniversaries were moments of endearing reflection. This day was a long afternoon of deep sadness missing him.

At a trail store I find Necco wafers. (My family knows about my childhood connection to Necco Wafers and my obsession with them as a road trip snack.) Now, I’m lost for an hour, enjoying each sweet wafer, while thinking wistfully about my childhood and countless road trips with my family.

A moment of insight at midday, in the face of a big climb, or at sunset would typically elicit a “pull yourself together and do this” response. Along the way, fear and doubt appeared, and even a certain irrational panic.

My daughter’s 27th birthday was during my walk. There have been 26 others. Every day of happy celebration. Not this one. On the 27th I was excited, my baby, my little baby, now big! (Geez, man. Calm down!!)

Emotions are magnified.

The emotions run deep.

The emotions are there beneath the surface.

Before I began my hike on the Appalachian Trail, I wrote a blog about the rollercoaster of emotions during the preparation. If that was a roller coaster, this must be the Kingda Ka!

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