Tag: Walk With Mark

A Walk Across Iowa on the Old Lincoln Highway: Day #7

by Mark Minear 

Greetings! Here’s the good news… I didn’t have to use any sunblock today… I stayed warm with my son’s poncho… the traffic was light… and the wind—amazing as it is—was at my back all day long! (I still think that it is very unusual for the wind to come from the east instead of the west during the summer!)

This morning I departed from home; and, even though my wife and I often speak of the following quotation by Bilbo (J.R.R. Tolkien’s courageous hobbit in The Lord of the Rings), on this day it had extra meaning: “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.” With the rain and wind today, I certainly could have been swept off; but I was fortunate to find my way to Nevada. But, if you think about it, every day is really an uncertain day… we really don’t know what is down the road, around the corner, or headed our way. Yet, we live one moment at a time. On the other hand, instead of scheming about the future, we could be spending lots of time reviewing the past. Robert Hastings wrote a little book with watercolor pictures by Marilyn Brown called The Station: A Reminder to Cherish the Journey: “It isn’t the burdens of today that drive us mad. It is the regrets of yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today.”

But one of my favorite mindfulness quotations is found in Pascal Pensees. Blaise Pascal was born in France in 1623 and he died in 1662 after a lengthy illness. But someone collected his “notes” and published them after his death… thoughts on mathematics, physics, literature, philosophy, and religion; and I will share this with you for your further reflection:

“We never keep to the present. We recall the past; we anticipate the future as if we found it too slow in coming and were trying to hurry it up, or we recall the past as if to stay its too rapid flight. We are so unwise that we wander about in times that do not belong to us, and do not think of the only one that does; so vain that we dream of times that are not and blindly flee the only one that is… Let each of us examine our thoughts; we will find them wholly concerned with the past or the future. We almost never think of the present, and if we do think of it, it is only to see what light it throws on our plans for the future. The present is never our end. The past and the present are our means, the future alone our end. Thus we never actually live, but hope to live, and since we are always planning how to be happy, it is inevitable that we should never be so.”

Did you know that the Nevada’s Lincoln Highway Days is the longest running annual celebration of the cross country road, established in 1983?

Today I met John, who came running out of his garage in State Center when I was walking by, and said: “You must be Mark!” He had seen my picture in the morning Marshalltown Times-Republican and wanted to come out and wish me well on my “hike” – a fitting word for a Boy Scout leader (who is anticipating camping this weekend with his Scouts even with possible cool and rainy weather) and a guy that seems to be a natural encourager! (By the way, remember the LH markers placed by the Boy Scouts in 1928… I found another one at the Niland Café!)

Today I learned that the Niland Café & Colo Motel is at the very “presidential” intersection of the Lincoln and Jefferson Highways, the “Crossroads” of U.S. 30 and U.S. 65 (from New Orleans through Minnesota and named after the president who presided over the Louisiana Purchase). Sandy Huemann-Kelly, who manages the site for the city of Colo, served us hot chocolate and pie along with some great information and stories of this unique place in American history! (The Niland Café is the location of one of my significant memories as a boy: it is the only time that I have a memory of my father treating me at a restaurant—I had a cherry malt at the café sometime in the early 60’s!)

Today I am grateful for the many people who have been following me as I make this journey… through Facebook, the Center’s website, my blog, texts, emails, phone calls… and from people from all over… Indiana, Minnesota, in a boat on the Intercoastal Waterway, etc. Thanks everyone for all of the support! If I don’t get back with you on the journey, I hope to catch up with you afterwards while my feet are still resting!

Peace, Mark

P.S. My gratitude marble for the day was left at the Jefferson Highway marker!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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For more information and more posts, please see Mark’s homepage: dmpcc.org/WalkwithMark

Everyone is invited to “Walk with Mark” by helping him reach his goal to support quality mental health services for boys and men. Supporting his 331-mile trek is easy as 1-2-3:

1. Walk with Mark via his blog on the Center’s website or Facebook page.
2. Walk with Mark by joining him for part of his itinerary.
3. Walk with Mark with a donation to the Center for the counseling assistance fund.

A Walk Across Iowa on the Old Lincoln Highway: Day #6

by Mark Minear 

Greetings! Today I was blest with another person who wanted to join me along the journey for a while. I think that five different people have now walked with me for a total of 45-50 miles or so. We certainly come into the world with a need for other people to share life’s journey with us. For whatever reason(s), this need for connection does not appear to develop into the same level of strength or intensity for everyone (i.e., extraversion vs. introversion, togetherness vs. solitude, etc.); but what has captured my attention in the reflection of sharing the journey with others is that, generally speaking, no one person makes the entire journey with us—from start in finish in life. (I so understand that there are exceptions to my impression as when one faces the death of a child.)

And the nature of our relationships with people change on the journey as well… such as leaving a home of parents and siblings and extended family, developing friendships (sometimes of people who come and go in our lives), meeting a spouse, changing coworkers, moving into different neighborhoods, etc. Some we make choices about and some were given to us as gifts and, perhaps, some just seem to show up. Just think of the people who entered (for whatever reason) and departed (for whatever reason) your story over the years. The thoughts and emotions of memories keep some of them with us in various ways… but they don’t make the entire physical journey with us.

Sometimes we feel close to some but they live miles away. Perhaps what I am wrestling with is that there is a quality to our lives of being alone at times on the journey—something that we cannot escape. I think that it was Anne Morrow Lindbergh who wrote something along the lines of “In the final analysis, we are all ultimately alone.” (Perhaps it is in knowing that we will all someday let go of this earthy life that highlights her words for me.) Wow… what an existential thought that is. Perhaps this is why the spiritual connection with the Holy One and with people in our lives is so very, very important. Not sure where I am going with all of this… these reflections are a work in progress. But I feel a sense of gratitude for those who have made, are making, and will make life’s journey with me. No one person has been there every step of the way on the journey… and physical distance and ultimately death do not have to change what is in our hearts. Perhaps gratitude for those who have shared my journey is the best place to leave this today.

Did you know that Henry C. Osterman was the field secretary of the Lincoln Highway Association in 1920 when he was killed instantly in an automobile accident on the LH just east of Montour, a place I walked by today? On his way to a meeting in Marshalltown, he was driving a 1918 Packard making his 11^th round trip over the highway when, around 4 am on June 8^th, he miscalculated passing a slower moving Model T and slipped on the wet grass overturning his car. He had worked with the Association for several years to make the transcontinental highway a success… and, perhaps what catches my attention about this story, is that he gave his life for something that he had given his life to.

Today I met a lot of geese as I walked through some wetlands east of Tama in the Iowa River lowlands. They were very noisy with their comings and goings… and I was moved to smile at how they have such a wonderful, protected home. I contemplated how we might be able to get all of those geese in the ponds of insurance companies out west of Des Moines to come here amidst the plenty and the beauty—definitely a great place for geese to raise a family… the wetlands, I mean, and not WDM.

Today I learned that ankles are amazing! Actually, I have been more aware and more impressed just how well my ankles have served me. By the time this pilgrimage is over, I will have taken well over one half million steps… and I am guessing that over half of those steps were on uneven ground. The walking stick helps a little to keep pressure off the ankles, but they have been adjusting very well to the uncertainties of where my feet step each time.

Today I am grateful for my friend, Arlen Daleske, who walked a total of 20 miles with me from east of Tama to my home in Marshalltown. We were childhood friends, played high school sports together, went to college together, and even today still try to play golf once a week… always walking on the course, of course. We had opportunity to chat about so many aspects of our lives… it was great! He simply wanted to be of support and encouragement on my journey across the state… and, indeed, he was! He’s one that has made quite a bit of my journey with me. Thank you, Arlen!

Peace, Mark

P.S. My gratitude marble landed in Linn Creek today as I was walking across the 3^rd Avenue bridge in Marshalltown. I was grateful to be back home for the night!

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For more information and more posts, please see Mark’s homepage: dmpcc.org/WalkwithMark

Everyone is invited to “Walk with Mark” by helping him reach his goal to support quality mental health services for boys and men. Supporting his 331-mile trek is easy as 1-2-3:

1. Walk with Mark via his blog on the Center’s website or Facebook page.
2. Walk with Mark by joining him for part of his itinerary.
3. Walk with Mark with a donation to the Center for the counseling assistance fund.

A Walk Across Iowa on the Old Lincoln Highway: Day #5

by Mark Minear 

Greetings! Today was an exciting and meaningful day! I began to “notice” again. (Note: I always think that my clients are beginning to make progress when they begin to “notice” things within them or around them—they are becoming more aware… they are beginning to become an observer of their experience.) When we are mindfully paying attention (on purpose, in the present moment, and without judgment)—observing our thoughts, emotions, and physiological sensations (one’s internal world) as well as the environment around us (our external world), then we are likely to be more liberated to make choices moment-by-moment for our lives.

I had some awareness over the first few days of this Walk (but probably not completely) that I had some anxiety about safety; I was hypervigilant and organized around safety… for myself, for drivers on the road, for others who came to walk with me, etc. My brain was working very hard to keep me safe… you know, that’s what brains do. In fact, I think that mine was working overtime in regard to safeness. It was difficult to try to step back and observe that anxiety; but, today, I seemed to turn a corner to be able to “notice” myself reflecting on other matters of importance in my life as well. Themes of hope, gratitude, personal transformation, generosity, and making choices much more readily became the foci of my thoughts and feelings; and, of course, I was still noticing the various and many messages that my body wanted me to consider. This inner experience opens the way for the spiritual dimension to transform our lives… for I believe that this is where we meet God… WITHIN!

Of course we can celebrate the creation around us through the five senses… but appreciating that beauty, that “WOWness”, that sense of gratitude happens WITHIN! Perhaps today I was also hitting this fifth day with a greater belief that I maybe I really can do this entire trek afterall. I have come 134.9 miles thus far (and my latest math would suggest an overall of 342 miles from river to river); and I was reflecting upon the importance of hope in my own life, as well as in the human experience. I don’t mean having a naïve or Pollyannaish outlook upon our lives, our futures, and our world… a hope that is built upon a level of avoidance or denial. But I long for a genuine optimism that is grounded in the realness of life. I think that having authentic hope keeps me going in this career to which I have given my life. That even in the darkness… just a little crack in a door or a small candle can break in and provide significant light. Then who knows what will happen when we respond to the Light… and begin to live up to the measure of Light that we have been given! We are likely to be given more Light!

Did you know that the most famous bridge on the entire transcontinental LH is found in Iowa? It’s located at the east end of Tama (see photo below), just after passing King Tower Restaurant (another historical spot on the LH, see photo below), and it was built in 1915. What is amazing about this bridge is that it spells out LINCOLN HIGHWAY in the cement sides! I left today’s gratitude marble in the little creek underneath this one-of-a-kind bridge.

Today I met Kim, a waitress at King Tower Restaurant; it opened in 1937 and is also at the east end of Tama. When she knew of my interest in the Old Lincoln Highway, she had a number of fun stories to share about the owners of King Tower across the years.

Today I learned that there is something worse that walking uphill against the wind with the sun in one’s eyes… and that would be walking uphill against the wind with the sun in one’s eyes AND needing to pee rather badly! (Which, by the way, is a trick along a journey like this!)

Today I am grateful for Anita Smith. Anita and her husband Jim were college friends with Karla and me—back in the 1970s at William Penn College. Anyway… Anita volunteered to let me use her daypack combination camelback. So I have a place to carry the things that I need for one day AND sufficient water with a straw that comes around allowing me to walk and drink at the same time. (I know that some of you are surprised that I can do that!) What makes Anita special is that, even when she has concerns of her own, she remains attentive, thoughtful, and kindhearted to the needs of others. As a psychologist, I would suggest that she has incredible “executive functioning”; as a friend, I would honor her compassion and generosity; and, in light of her faith, I would affirm that she is indeed a “doer of the word!” Thank you, Anita!

Peace, Mark

P.S. Tomorrow’s segment will be from Tama to Marshalltown… perhaps about 23 miles (it was 26 miles today). I will have a long-term friend from childhood, Arlen Daleske, join me for a good portion of Day 6. There’s nothing quite like a friend who knows something about the where and when that your story began!

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For more information and more posts, please see Mark’s homepage: dmpcc.org/WalkwithMark

Everyone is invited to “Walk with Mark” by helping him reach his goal to support quality mental health services for boys and men. Supporting his 331-mile trek is easy as 1-2-3:

1. Walk with Mark via his blog on the Center’s website or Facebook page.
2. Walk with Mark by joining him for part of his itinerary.
3. Walk with Mark with a donation to the Center for the counseling assistance fund.

A Walk Across Iowa on the Old Lincoln Highway: Day #4

by Mark Minear

Greetings! For the second day in a row, I had a person come from a distance just to walk with me on the LH.  A friend and former colleague of 14 years, Dr. Doug Steenblock is a psychiatrist and the director of mental health at the Iowa Veterans Home (IVH). He joined me along a 12-mile portion of the original Lincoln Way that is now U.S. 30, a four-lane divided highway with the vehicles going by around 65 mph.  It was a little noisy, but we were able to catch up with each other’s lives, families, work… life!

And we also had the opportunity to talk about men and mental health!  Women are much more likely than men to seek mental health counseling treatment—including at our Center (60% female; 40% male); however, males are much more likely to commit suicide (four times more likely to complete a suicide than females even though females make more attempts).  Doug now primarily works with male veterans, though there are a few female veterans and spouses of male veterans at IVH.

Though we want to be careful to not stereotype all men, it does seem safe to say that men appear to be socialized in ways that has them less likely to reach out for help when they are in emotional distress—perhaps they believe it is a sign of weakness (among many other possible reasons).  Unfortunately, they try to cope with their emotional pain in ways that many times complicate their problems—disrupting their relationships, substance abuse and addition, etc.  Over six million men in the U.S. suffer from depression with, perhaps, half of these going undiagnosed. It is difficult to imagine that women face and experience more emotional angst in life—men are just equally involved with the human condition that results in the broad range of loss, grief, sadness, fear, emotional pain, etc.

As part of this Walk, I want to raise awareness that men need mental health treatment and counseling support in equal measure with women; and raising donations for our Counseling Assistance Fund for men and boys is one way to back up that awareness. Thank you for any such support you can give!

Did you know that Rev. Frank Brainard of Salt Lake City, preached the following from his pulpit on Sunday, October 19: “It is a name to conjure with.  It calls to the heroic.  It enrolls a mighty panorama of fields and woodlands: of humble cabins and triumphant farm homes and cattle on a thousand hills: burrowing mines and smoking factories: winding brooks, commerce-laden rivers and horizon-lost oceans.  And because it binds together all these wonders and sweeps forward till it touches the end of the earth and the beginning of the sea, it is to be named The Lincoln Highway!”

Today I met an officer of the Iowa Highway Patrol—he stopped, as Karla was sending me westward, to check on our stopped car by the side of the road.  I simply said that I was walking across the state on the Old Lincoln Highway; and he responded, “Oh, you’re that guy!”  (I wish that I had asked for his name.)  I was just leaving Cedar Rapids and getting ready to go through that huge interchange where Old Lincoln Way (16^th Avenue S.W.) meets U.S. 30 and U.S. 218 on the west side of the city. In fact, I walked against the exiting approaching traffic for about one mile… but had the opportunity to ask the officer if that would be the right way to do it… and he assured me it was.  I assured him that I was trying to be safe for drivers as well as myself.  He was so gracious and helpful… seemed to get a kick out of my journey.  He told me I was doing great!  What an enjoyable moment!

Today I learned something about the value of compression socks.  (Thanks Andrew!)

Today I am grateful for the many people in my life who love me!  What an awesome privilege it is to be loved by others! Taking this walk—across 349 miles of the state—reminds me how small I am amidst a large world.  And, just think, our state is part of this great nation and our earth is such a little part of this solar system, our Milky Way Galaxy (the next closest star is Proxima Centauri about 4.22 light years away), and the entire universe (the next closest galaxy is Andromeda about 2.5 million light years away with 300 billion galaxies in the observable universe).  So… I leave you this from Carl Sagan: “For small creatures such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love.”

Peace, Mark

P.S.  Today’s marble was tossed into a ditch upon arrival in Benton County…  I was so grateful that I had entered my fourth Iowa county.  I will be in Tama County by tomorrow evening!  Today the wind was fairly strong—mainly from the south, southeast… but I need to express gratitude that, for the first four days of this journey, the wind was almost always at my back—directly from the east (quite unusual when the prevailing winds are generally from the west or NW or SW).

 

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For more information and more posts, please see Mark’s homepage: dmpcc.org/WalkwithMark

Everyone is invited to “Walk with Mark” by helping him reach his goal to support quality mental health services for boys and men. Supporting his 331-mile trek is easy as 1-2-3:

1. Walk with Mark via his blog on the Center’s website or Facebook page.
2. Walk with Mark by joining him for part of his itinerary.
3. Walk with Mark with a donation to the Center for the counseling assistance fund.

A Walk Across Iowa on the Old Lincoln Highway: Day #3

by Mark Minear

Greetings! Today in Cedar County, just east of Mechanicsville, I came upon an intersection (see picture below) of Old Lincoln Highway and Franklin Avenue… wow! My mother’s maiden name was Franklin, daughter of Ralph and Nellie. Born in 1921, she grew up all of her early years until graduation from high school in 1939 and she lived about a block from the original LH going through Marshalltown. It was the era of the Great Depression (I remind my children that they are children of children of the Great Depression… that the frugalness comes from somewhere!); and I reviewed some of Mom’s stories about those memorable years in her life.

A quick side note here: the LH and the Chicago and North Western (now the Union Pacific) railroad line almost parallel each other. In fact, several times a day I am aware of the sounds of a train, perhaps always within a half mile or closer. I often walk back and forth over the tracks. (See picture below.) My grandparents lived just north of the train tracks; and, somehow, their home was known as a place that always had a sandwich for a “hobo” who would come to their backdoor. In fact, many of my mother’s stories were about Grandpa Ralph growing a big garden with food to share with others during some hard years.

Mom learned generosity from a deep spiritual place… that it was God’s intention to share, even when you weren’t always certain of what next week might bring. Mom’s stories left a huge impression upon me.   I learned something, likely reinforced by the Quaker meeting in my hometown of New Providence, that we are not owners—we are to be faithful stewards of whatever may be considered “possessions” in this earthly journey. Compassion, generosity, sacrifice… deep values that I am still learning to integrate into my daily life from the legacy of my mother’s family. Hmmm…? Where Franklin Avenue and the Old Lincoln Highway intersect set off for me a life review of some of the most important lessons and values I have been given!

Remembering my loving mother with gratitude: Elsie Hall Franklin Minear (February 24, 1921—April 12, 2013)

Did you know that I am discovering (so far) that there are a total of eight original LH markers that were placed by the Boy Scouts in 1928 (maybe about four in their original place): three in Linn County (according to Joe at the Mt. Vernon Visitor Center), one in Lowden, one in Clarence, and three at the LH Welcome Center between Logan and Missouri Valley in western Iowa? But this is still a work in progress that appears to have captured my attention!

Today I met Raymond… and we had a nice chat! His home is on the LH (built in 1926), and he also goes to a church that is on the LH (about four miles apart). And he had a couple of good stories about the history of the LH. But Raymond is also important to me for another reason. Another quick side note: I have contemplated writing a blog entry on the atrocious amount of trash in the ditches along the highway. You have seen it here and there… but when you walk along the highway, it is close up and you see so much more. It is amazing both in terms of the amount as well as the variety of stuff that clutters the beauty of the countryside. I have decided to not write anymore than what I have already mentioned (and don’t think I will be writing a blog entry about it)—but where Raymond is important is that his church cleans up about a three-mile section of the road—and it shows! What a nice boost to my theology of hope—something that I am likely to write about more in the days to come when I reflect upon my therapeutic work! Hope: there are a few folks out there trying to bring some beauty out of the muck! And it did my heart good!

Today I learned that I find myself concerned about the safety of others as well as myself. I want to be careful to not do something that would jeopardize someone else’s welfare. I still feel that I am acclimating to the various types of roads and how to be safe in the various situations and environments. I am still working toward paying attention to safety while, at the same time, have the opportunity to be mindful of the external environment and my own internal experience. Isn’t it amazing that, at any one given moment, we can choose to pay attention to so many different options in and around our lives? The general consensus regarding mindfulness is that it is about awareness—paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and without judgment. More about this will be coming… I am certain.

Today I am grateful for my wife and my sister-in-law Beckie who came into Cedar Rapids and my brother Hal brought them out east of town so that they could each walk some miles with me today into downtown CR… it is certainly an emotional boost to walk and talk with someone along the way!

Peace, Mark

P.S. Today’s marble was left near the Abbe Creek School in Linn County. Now a museum, it was established in 1844 and named after William Abbe, a “true pioneer”, a “worthy citizen”, and the “first white settler” in Linn County (1837). I thought of many of the teachers in my life… and expressed some gratitude for the importance of education—learning and growing—in all of our lives! (By the way, there is an original Lincoln Highway marker in its original placement—remember by the Boy Scouts in 1928—just a few feet from the school building. How cool is that!)

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For more information and more posts, please see Mark’s homepage: dmpcc.org/WalkwithMark

Everyone is invited to “Walk with Mark” by helping him reach his goal to support quality mental health services for boys and men. Supporting his 331-mile trek is easy as 1-2-3:

1. Walk with Mark via his blog on the Center’s website or Facebook page.
2. Walk with Mark by joining him for part of his itinerary.
3. Walk with Mark with a donation to the Center for the counseling assistance fund.

A Walk Across Iowa on the Old Lincoln Highway: Day #1

by Mark Minear 

Greetings! I know that yesterday I wrote something about discussing my walking stick; however, I have another reflection to share with you this evening. (Besides, that so-called inanimate object and I had some words today!)

I walked along the four-lane divided highway east of DeWitt today. It was safe with a wide shoulder (although, on one occasion, the wind from one semi blew the cap right off of my head); but I was thinking about what it means when we wave to each other. I can tell you that, when I initiated a wave to a driver, everyone almost always responded in kind (well, there was one truck driver who lifted only one finger and, because I couldn’t tell which finger it was, I will consider that one a “maybe”!) – anyway, I tried to be very intentional with my waves (you remember the quotation – “walking cheerfully over the earth”). I know that waving is a midwestern thing to do… but I was wondering whether it is simply an automatic reaction (sort of like lifting your foot off of the accelerator when you see a state trooper even if you are not speeding) or whether it is a thoughtful and friendly gesture of goodwill.

Perhaps it depends upon the person and the situation… but it causes me to think about my own automatic pilot. Mindfulness is about making choices moment by moment—and not simply living as if we are on an automatic set of reactions. Is it possible that even our smallest of interactions with others could be laced with a genuine intention of kindness? When we greet someone in the store – someone we don’t even know, is it possible that this is an opportunity to speak to that of God in another? If we hold the door to allow someone else walk through first, might this be a moment of honoring that of God in someone we don’t even know? Could a wave to a stranger—knowing it is very likely that we will never meet them again, be a tiny spiritual moment of great affirmation, respect, friendliness, good cheer?

One of my favorites by Stephen Grellet: “I expect to pass this way in life but once. Therefore, if there be any of God’s kindness I can show, any of God’s goodness I can do, let me not withhold or defer it; let me do it now, for I shall not pass this way again.” This is quite the quotation to consider as one walks across the state of Iowa on the Old Lincoln Highway!

Did you know that the Lincoln Hotel in Lowden (where I walk through tomorrow) was built in 1915 with various innkeepers until 1980, was vacate for about a decade, purchased for preservation in 1991, renovated in 1995, and since 2001 now functions like a B&B with five spacious suites?

Today I met Laura in DeWitt; in fact, I had a wonderfully delicious dill cucumber beef sandwich at her Garden Café, one of her two restaurants (the other being the Whisk Away Café & Bakery). It was a great hour of replenishment—rest for the feet and legs, nutrition for energy, and an emotional boost in the opportunity of meeting people!

Today I learned that I am gradually moving into the experience of the mindfulness of paying attention to my safety while, at the same time, can also experience the awareness of other matters to which I can pay attention… both externally in the creation through the five senses as well as internally with thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations (my body has some important things to tell me).

Today I am grateful for the privilege of talking about men and mental health; and I am grateful for the Center, which makes it possible to work with those who would be unable to receive counseling services otherwise!

Peace, Mark

P.S. I have saved up 14 of my “gratitude marbles” – this is another story that some of you may know (but one marble a week over the past 14 weeks)… and I am leaving one behind each day. The first evening it was in a ditch just east of Elvira… you know, Iowa ditches are very common so it seemed appropriate. And today was in a creek just east of DeWitt. My weekly marble is a small reminder I carry in my pocket about being thankful; nurturing gratitude is transformational in my life!

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For more information and more posts, please see Mark’s homepage: dmpcc.org/WalkwithMark

Everyone is invited to “Walk with Mark” by helping him reach his goal to support quality mental health services for boys and men. Supporting his 331-mile trek is easy as 1-2-3:

1. Walk with Mark via his blog on the Center’s website or Facebook page.
2. Walk with Mark by joining him for part of his itinerary.
3. Walk with Mark with a donation to the Center for the counseling assistance fund.

A Walk Across Iowa on the Old Lincoln Highway: An Evening Start

by Mark Minear 

Greetings from Eastern Iowa!  We arrived in Calamus this afternoon…  and I was able to walk a few miles late this afternoon and early evening.  This will allow me to ease into the next couple of days.  Thursday and Friday will now be more 23 miles instead of 28 and 29 miles.  Tomorrow the plan is to walk through DeWitt and Grand Mound and arrive back here at the RV Park in Calamus.  (I initially estimated the total miles across Iowa as 331; but when my brother Hal and I drove it a couple of weeks ago, it will be closer to 349 miles as the Old Lincoln Highway.  The shortest path is now U.S. 30.)  In fact, over the next two weeks I will be walking on everything from a four-lane divided highway where vehicles are going by at 65 mph to gravel roads where I will be close to farmers and their planting season to everything in between… such are the various remnants of the original LH.

If you are interested, you can Google the Lincoln Highway Association Official Map that shows you the entire coast-to-coast highway but allows you to zoom in on anywhere for a close-up.  You will notice the various “generations” (typically four) of the highway…  my goals is to try to walk on the original road as much as possible.

Did you know that the Lincoln Highway originally ran for 3,389 miles from New York’s Times Square to San Francisco’s Lincoln Park—through a total of 13 states and, in Iowa, through a total of 13 counties?  Iowa’s route is about one-tenth of the total distance of the highway.

Today I met many folks driving their cars and trucks toward me on the road from Clinton to Elvira… and the majority of them waved at me – many before I even waved at them!  Just good old Iowa friendliness!

Today I learned that the town of Lyons, where the LH initially came into Iowa from Illinois over the Mississippi River, was eventually consumed by the city of Clinton; and the original Fulton to Lyons Bridge was built in 1891 for horse traffic but became a concern when automobiles started to utilize it (it was demolished in 1974).  So the original LH in Iowa now simply starts on Main Avenue, which forms a T intersection against the Mighty River!

Today I am grateful for the family, friends, and colleagues who reached out to me to encourage me at the start of my journey.

Tomorrow night I will feature my walking stick.  There are a few things to say about it.  For instance, how many times a day would it be acceptable to trip over your own walking stick?

Peace, Mark

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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For more information and more posts, please see Mark’s homepage: dmpcc.org/WalkwithMark

Everyone is invited to “Walk with Mark” by helping him reach his goal to support quality mental health services for boys and men. Supporting his 331-mile trek is easy as 1-2-3:

1. Walk with Mark via his blog on the Center’s website or Facebook page.
2. Walk with Mark by joining him for part of his itinerary.
3. Walk with Mark with a donation to the Center for the counseling assistance fund.

 

 

A Walk Across Iowa on the Old Lincoln Highway: Pre-Walk Reflections

by Mark Minear 

This is my first experience with writing a blog… so here are a few reflections about my upcoming Walk as well as some of my thoughts about sharing more publicly. My first consideration about a blog was related to my initial desire to make this Walk in the first place. My reasons initially included the following:

(1) I simply thought that it would be a worthy goal to stay in good physical shape to do something like this at the age of 62 (and I am grateful for good health that is just sufficient enough for me to be deluded into thinking that I can do this!);

(2) I have great respect for our admired president in whose memory the LH was named;

(3) I am intrigued by the history of the first transcontinental highway, particularly the history in Iowa over the past 100 years; and

(4) It is a celebration of life… an experience of learning to appreciate each precious and present moment – one moment, one step at a time. (Actually, I got the idea from a Marshall County guy, Steve Muntz, who walked across Iowa on US Hwy 20 perhaps a decade ago.)

In other words, I was just going to have this quiet experience for my own personal reasons, but then along came our Center’s director, Ellery Duke, who rode his bicycle across the entire U.S.—over 3,000 miles in about one month and raised over $30,000 for our counseling assistance fund. And, just thinking out loud with others at the Center, I indicated that I had a bucket list wish to walk across Iowa… so my Walk became an opportunity for another effort to raise some funds to assist those who are uninsured or underinsured. I am especially focused on the needs of boys and men as the Center has had a strong history of Women Helping Women to support girls and women who need counseling services.

So… I will approach writing this blog like I approached my Walk – that I will write it primarily for the recollection of my own memories… for my own review in the days, months, and years to come. But I do hope that you will find it interesting, enjoyable, and meaningful along the way!

In the recent weeks as I prepared for this Walk, I began to realize that—above everything else—this would become, first and foremost, a spiritual retreat for me. An opportunity to live mindfully in the moment, experience the Presence of the Holy, enjoy the beauty and awesomeness of the creation, and learn something about myself and this world of which I am a part. In the words of George Fox—I hope “to walk cheerfully over the earth—answering that of God in everyone!” Among other aspects of spiritual growth, I am hoping that my transformation from the Walk will include becoming more grateful and more generous!

Before I start, I need to acknowledge that I cannot seek to accomplish this goal without the support of so many people in my life—folks that I will write about along the way. But to begin, let me mention a couple: my wife Karla has been so very supportive to help me get organized around this Walk—it has been somewhat of an obsession and she has been genuinely patient and loving; and my brother Hal will be driving his RV across the state to provide me with a warm, dry, and safe place to sleep each night… what can I say, but he is giving two weeks of his own life to help his brother realize this dream!

I will try to write this blog at the end of each day with a similar structure… and perhaps with a picture or two each day. I will review a highlight of the day’s experience… and then add some daily features: Did you know… (a fun fact about the LH)? Today, I met ____________? Today, I learned __________? Today, I am grateful for __________?

I so appreciate your interest in my pilgrimage. It is a wonderful gift to know that there are folks who have me in their hearts as I am on this journey. And, as I think of this as a spiritual retreat—and not simply a “stay-in-good-physical-shape” trek, then I do feel that I can humbly ask you to remember me in your prayers. Thank you!

Peace, Mark

Walk with Mark homepage: dmpcc.org/WalkwithMark

Mark Minear, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist at the Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center, walked across Iowa Hwy 30, from river to river, in April and May 2016 to raise awareness and funds for mental health counseling assistance for men and boys. Why? Because men and boys are less likely to seek counseling, and more likely to complete suicide. Mark wants to change that. Read his incredible blog; see index below.

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Media Kit

Media release, itinerary, bio, photos and more information here

Photo Gallery

See the photos and join the community conversation on our Facebook page.

Mark in the news (TV, radio, print)

WHO13 TV, April 20, 2016

Iowa Public Radio, April 27, 2016 (fast forward to minute 31:30)

How to donate

Give online or contact Terri Speirs, Interim Director of Development, tspeirs@mindspiritcenter.org, 515-251-6644

 

Read Mark’s daily blog posts

• Epilogue – May 16, 2016
• Day 14 – May 4, 2016
• Day 13 – May 3, 2016
• Day 12 – May 2, 2016
• Day 11 – May 1, 2016
• Day 10 – April 30, 2016
• Day 9 – April 29, 2016
• Day 8 – April 28, 2016
• Day 7 – April 27, 2016
• Day 6 – April 26, 2016
• Day 5 – April 25, 2016
• Day 4 – April 24, 2016
• Day 3 – April 23, 2016
• Day 2 – April 22, 2016
• Day 1 – April 21, 2016
• The Night Before – April 20, 2016
• Pre-trip Reflections – April 19, 2016

(Check back regularly for more of Mark’s daily blog posts)

Envisioning this Journey: A Walk on the Lincoln Highway

by Mark Minear

As part of my interest and curiosity in history, I have carried a bucket list item over recent years: to walk across Iowa on the Lincoln Highway.  Living for the past decade in a town along the original path of that first transcontinental highway, I have felt the tug of history.

The Lincoln Highway (U.S. 30) was built in the early 1900s to honor perhaps our most beloved president (mine anyway!).  The road was initially proposed in 1912 and pretty much completed coast to coast by 1916 – 100 years ago and one year before my father was born!  Of course it has evolved over the years. Even across the state of Iowa from the Mississippi River at Clinton to the Missouri River just east of Blair, NE, the Lincoln Highway has undergone at least four major developments over this past century.  I am hoping to walk the original path as much as possible, even with some of it still as gravel.

Originally I was simply going to accomplish this task sort of like the chicken crossing the road –
to get to the other side.  But then Ellery Duke, our fearless leader here at Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center, pedaled his bicycle across the United States (a distance close to the entire length of U.S. 30) and he opened up his journey to be a fundraiser for the Center. When over $30,000 poured in to help our Center’s counseling assistance fund, I began to consider my bucket list item as an opportunity to also highlight the needs of those clients who require financial support to have access to emotional support and mental health care.

I have a goal to raise $10,000 for the Center in our efforts to provide services for the underserved.  It is a part of our overall mission that has always excited me about the Center – one of the reasons that I wanted to be part of the meaningful work here!

On Thursday, April 21, 2016, I will embark on my 325-mile trek at the Mississippi River.  I anticipate covering about 25 miles per day for 13 days.  (I will be doing a daily marathon, which I intend to walk, not run.)  In the spirit of the Center’s Women Helping Women initiative, please join me in my efforts to help men and boys as well by contributing to the Center’s counseling assistance fund as I walk the original historical route of the Lincoln Highway across the state of Iowa… right past my own home!

And the end of our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
–T.S. Eliot

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