This set me thinking and while on the road today I did some mental arithmetic. I worked out that I could match each year of my life to a portion of my Walk Home. If I lived to the age of, say 75, one year would equate to seven miles (one seventy-fifth of the 525 mike walk).
So my first year of life would be represented by the walk from Notre Dame Cathedral to Nanterre, just outside Paris.
At the age of 21 I'd have shuffled along the timeline to 147 miles, which is where I approached the bridge at Tancarville, France.
So which milestone would equate with my 46th birthday? Well, I've already walked past it a long time ago, at south Bristol.
Today my walking total reached 430 miles, which would correspond to 61 years of a 75 year lifespan. I could get a bus pass.
These calculations haven't sent me into a crisis in realisation of my mortality but it's good to think about making the most of it all. And while I'm hoping for a bit more than 75 years, I suppose one of these passing trucks could throw out all my sums at any moment!
Well Happy Birthday Simon! We are still following your blog with great interest. Laughed out loud at the story of the field of bulls! That's precisely why G is afraid of country walks.
ReplyDeleteBlessings on the way.
Helen and Graham
Hi Simon.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday! One you will always remember I'm sure. We were lamentably late in discovering this blog, but have been following you with fascination for past few days (from the comfort of home) and wish you well for the final part of your journey. Best wishes from Michael, Clare and young Dominic.