7,000 steps in the right direction

Leo and I, along with Harley, drove down to Fort Worth and participated in the 19th annual Tarrant County AIDS walk today.  It couldn't have been a more perfect day, 85 degrees, sunny and a STRONG breeze.  OK, maybe the breeze was a little too strong.  When we got out of the car we were whipped with sand and leaves from the barren dirt parking lot.  Once we crossed the street into Trinity Park, however, it was easy to forget that I had dirt in my eyes and ears.

The park was filled with people; young, old, some with kids, some with dogs, some in wheel chairs or with walkers, from all backgrounds. You could tell the teams by their matching shirts some with their business or church name across the front and others with a smiling photo of a loved one surrounded by words of hope and remembrance.  We walked over to the registration table and selected a t-shirt size.  The t-shirt, a plain white Hanes, had "AIDS WALK" in brightly colored block letters across the front and a long list of sponsors on the back.  We found a shady spot away from the crowds, poured Harley some water, and changed into our t-shirts.

The emcee walked around and talked with people about why they were there.  Doing AIDS walks are always uplifting but when people tell their stories it puts it all in perspective for me.  All of the stories remind me that no one is immune to HIV and AIDS.  It also reminds me that these walks are so important to fund the treatment of the people who's stories are told.  Today there was the man who was walking alone on behalf of his brother who died almost 20 years ago, there was the young woman who was walking for her uncle who died 4 months ago, there was the adult women and her family walking on behalf of her mother who was still fighting the disease, then there was me walking on behalf of Leo and all of the other people I've met with HIV.

It was time to start the walk, the emcee asked us all to gather by the starting line.  We got in line by a couple with a small Shih Tzu and a giant Great Dane.  Harley was so excited, she tried to jump and play with the Shih Tzu, but she wasn't sure what to think about the Great Dane who resembled a small cow.  The countdown began quietly with a few people at the front of the group...5...4...the crowd caught on and joined in...3...the anticipation started to build...2...1...we were off, on a leisure walk.

A few people took off running, but the majority of the crowd started slowly trying to allow the group to disperse a little and find their own pace.  Harley was being difficult, walking in front of people, so we decided to walk in the grass.  The park was full of trees and had a small river running through it.  Even in the middle of a walking mob it was very peaceful.  Almost a mile into the walk we noticed that the park had a small train running through it to a playground.  I would have loved this place as a kid.  Eventually it was time to turn around and walk back to the starting point.

About a half mile away from the end Harley started to walk a little slower and pant a little harder, she was ready to give up.  Even though it was only three miles, I could feel the exhaustion setting in as well.  My shins were starting to ache and I was sweating through the back of my shirt under the overstuffed backpack I was carrying.  We walked up over the last hill, which seemed like more of a mountain and found ourselves back in the park surrounded by our fellow walkers.  I felt a moment of exhilaration and accomplishment as well as an overwhelming feeling to take a nap.

After the walk they had a a raffle drawing and a Michael Jackson impersonator.  Everyone started to slowly trickle out of the park, it was time to leave.  We got Harley into the back seat where she promptly plopped down and fell asleep.  We drove home with the windows down and music playing.  The perfect way to end a perfect day.