The Compassionate Journey Continues
As I look back over the past year, as it pertains to Eden Village, I can’t help but look back to 16 years ago as I was writing my book about thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail. In A Compassionate Journey, I wrote in the final chapter about the five big things I learned from my challenging thru-hike in 2010. As I re-read this chapter, I could not help but see how God was laying the groundwork then for what I’ve been focused on for the past several years in developing Eden Village.
So, here’s most of what I wrote 16 years ago, as the #1 lesson learned from the trail. It’s a short read that validates that things we experience and learn from in the past can be used for good today in ways that could not have been imagined, in this case, 16 years ago.
- Most of us Have So Much to be Thankful For.
The AT boils life down to its’ basic necessities. It’s a matter of food, water, shelter, health, and clothing. It’s life as it was for most people in our country just a few generations ago. It’s also life as it is for many people even now—in our world, our country, and even in the very cities and communities where most of us live now. Now, I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth or anything, growing up in a small home with a single-car garage, with both parents working hard in blue-collar jobs in raising their four kids in a small 3-bedroom home. But we never lacked for food, clothing, shelter, clean water, and had plenty of “stuff” for us at the time.
Now, just one generation later, it’s amazing how much we think we really need to be content in life. Life is really so easy for many of us, at least in regards to the basic necessities in life. Most people today never have to worry about food, water, clothing, and shelter. It’s more a matter of worrying about the amount and type of food, the style of clothes, and the size of our home. Now there’s nothing wrong in and of itself in having a lot of “stuff”, as it can really be a blessing. I’m glad that when I come home from work I don’t have to go down to the creek to get clean water, boil it before drinking, and sleep in a cold shelter each night! But many people do—and they are not backpackers. There are people in our world, and in our communities, who, for whatever reason just do not have all the basic necessities, let alone all the “stuff” that most of us in Americas have.
I am even more grateful and thankful for all that I have—and not just the material things. I’m more thankful for the relationships with my family, friends, co-workers, and others in my world. But in regards to the necessities and the material things in life, we have so much to be thankful for. Many of us have more than we need. I lived for almost five months on the trail, with all that I needed on my back, and I did just fine. I was happy, healthy, and I survived just fine. I came off the trail not only more grateful for all that I have, but with a better understanding of what we really need, and what is excess.
I’ve also determined to be even more generous and giving of what we have. I want to be more compassionate to those who need compassion, and to those who don’t have the resources and things that we have. I feel that my wife and I have been faithful in giving our time, money, and resources to people and organizations we are involved in. It really is more fun to give than to receive. I want to do even more—both personally, and through my business.
If you’d like to read the whole book and see how this journey really set the stage for starting Eden Village, A Compassionate Journey can be found on Amazon still, even though my publisher ended up in jail! Here’s the link: https://www.amazon.com/Compassionate-Journey-Brad-Johnson/dp/1618629107