May 24, 2012 Day 31 — Charlestown to Narragansett, RI (18.4 miles)

Sharing

This morning I piece together breakfast by stopping at three different places during the first mile. Is this meal adequate for today’s walk to Narragansett? Charlestown is not known for its abundance of restaurants and cafes. As I continue my walk, in what promises to be a beautiful spring day in May, I’m preoccupied with a line from the film, The Devil Wears Prada, in which Meryl Streep says to her office assistant, “What do you want my twins to do with one copy of Harry Potter, share?” Streep delivers the line with a high level of disgust in her voice letting us know that the answer is definitely no. The topic preoccupies me as I walk along busy Route 1 North. Clearly the rushing cars do not want to share the road with me. I’m the intruder and I have no rights, although a big yellow  road sign suggests otherwise.

Why are we so averse to sharing? Does it make us feel too needy and vulnerable? Here I am making a pilgrimage from Cheyney to Boston, and my primary objective is to share Nathaniel’s story, in the hopes that my listeners will in turn share their stories with me. Is such behavior in the 21^st century considered outdated?

Abandoning Route 1 in pedestrian disgust, I try Route 1A. Wow, that’s much better, although the level of sharing here might escape the untrained eye. I go several hundred feet when the GPS suggests that I turn onto a dirt road. Why not? Desperate for small and quiet, I comply. Quickly the dirt road turns into a narrow forest path—beautiful and peaceful with no cars in sight. I spontaneously decide to walk in the middle of the road, with the basic understanding that if a car comes around the corner, I promise to share the road. None come my way. A collection of no trespassing signs suddenly appear reminding me that I’m on a private road and that I should make a u-turn and leave right now. In other words, “Scram, Asselin!” In my book, that’s not sharing. Nevertheless, I keep walking on. According to Google Map and my GPS, I have the right to walk here. Will that stand up in trespassing court? Staying firm in my resolve, I enjoy two miles in a wooded and peaceful setting without sharing one bit of it.  I’m in Camino heaven.

With only the things I carry in my backpack, I totally depend on host families to share their homes with me as I pass through. It’s those opportunities that have made my travels so worthwhile. When we sit down at the table and share a meal, I have an opportunity to share the story of Nathaniel’s life and illness. In turn, host families share their stories too. I like to think that this special arrangement benefits both guest and host. Expensive hotels with all their endless amenities are poor in comparison to what my host families share with me. I depend on the kindness of others to survive.

By late afternoon, I’m still walking, this time in a more northerly direction. For the most part, I am finished walking any further east. The ocean breeze is blowing cool air over land providing me with welcome relief. Is that Mother Nature sharing her resources again? What am I doing to pay her back for her generosity of spirit? I finally enter the town of Narragansett, happy to live in this world with the basic understanding that if I am to be here, I need to both give and receive. That’s what sharing is about. My host family, Sue Hoaglund (former Shipley colleague and friend), her husband Dennis, and two kids, Julia and Anne Meiliu, welcome me in, sharing their home and their lives tonight and tomorrow. What abundance there is in sharing.