For the record, I hate talented people. Especially the people that you don’t think are talented, but really are. Those people are the worst.
I’m not talking about the “I can juggle” type talented people. I’m talking about the “You did what? How in the **** did you do that” type of talented people.
Whenever I find out that someone is more talented & crazy than me, my reaction is to tell them “I hate you”. In my opinion, these are the types of people that really enjoy their lives. It’s my natural reaction to hate them when in reality, all I am is jealous.
Let me introduce you to Todd Jones (aka Tall Todd).
He’s really tall and wears suspenders wherever he goes. He also runs a company called Every Last Morsel [twitter]. Every Morsel Allows you to buy groceries from your neighbors backyard.
I like him. He’s a nice guy who happens to be into farming & gardening. A few days ago we bumped into each other and started talking. I then find out he runs 1/2 a mile in under 2 mins and runs a mile under 5 mins. OK, cool. You’re tall & track and field guy. Then he told me that he biked across the US. Alone. Which also included hitch hiking in the winter.
Below is an embedded map of his journey.
View Across America in a larger mapI reached out todd again and he sent me an excerpt of a letter he sent to a couple he met on the road.
The last and first time we met you were living a farm house with your husband and the both of you were experimenting with a new lifestyle; as was I. I had only been on the road for two days when you were kind enough to invite me into your home, and my nomadic existence would continue for nearly five months thereafter as I rode my bicycle across the country.
The events that transpired during that period of time were much different than the expectations I held in Ohio. There were unforeseen hardships and mishaps, pains of body and mind I had not previously known — I often questioned my purpose and motivation for enduring such travails.
However, there were also moments of inexplicable delight and satisfaction, wonderment and awe. Though I had no constant companions throughout my journey I certainly did not accomplish my achievements alone. The many kind people I met along the way provided me with a sustenance of spirit that inspired me to persevere, and the humble generosity of so many would-be strangers inspired my faith in humanity.
From Chicago I traveled East to Boston, South through New York to Washington D.C., Southwest through Appalachia into Tennessee, then West to Los Angeles. I crashed my bicycle in Virginia, ran out of money in Arkansas, and had to hitch-hike through most of the Southwest. I finally completed my adventure in December.
I remained in Los Angeles for six months, accepted an opportunity to lead students on a backpacking trip through the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming, which is where I spent most of the previous summer. Afterward I took a short tour of the states by plane, train, and automobile and finally returned to Chicago. I have decided to remain here for a time, the friends and family I left behind are happy to have me home, and I am happy to be home with a better understanding of what that word means to me. I hope this letter finds you in good health and high spirits.
How awesome is that!? Check out more galleries of the farm & the road on his facebook:
farm: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.780960980865.2418319.9400464&type=3&l=e58a93162d
road: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.613106782025.2269611.9400464&type=3&l=33b94b3615
I still do not back down from my original statement of me hating him. That goes for everyone else who is taller, more talented, and crazier than me.
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