11/18/2014
I’ve grown attached to every just about every city we have passed through. In the smaller ones, I fell in love with the people, the sense of community, and the kindness. In the larger cities I enjoyed the pace, the diversity, and the variety of activities on offer. Our mini holiday in San Antonio allowed me to take a breather and take in the sights.
On the first night of our break we enjoyed the hospitality of the DoubleTree by downtown San Antonio. We had a great view of the city and of course we devoured the wonderful cookies they offer to guests at every DoubleTree. These cookies are made in partnership with The Christie Cookie Company and the recipe is a well kept secret. There are ample bittersweet chocolate chips in the chewy morsel but it is their mix of cinnamon, ground oats, and vanilla that work together to create a treat that makes you feel right at home. Their junior king suite induced a sleep that rivaled the slumber of sleeping beauty. I knew we were going to work with the Shekina Walzem Elementary School the next day so I wanted to be very well rested. Also, the fatigue of being on the road for seventy some days was beginning to take its toll.
When I woke the next morning, my body refused to move and my eyes felt as if they had been welded shut. It took a very hot soak and a large buffet breakfast to set my body in motion. I returned to the buffet table several times. The eggs and beans I ate provided enough protein for an elephant. After saying good bye to the scent of the wonderful cookies, we held an event for the first through fifth graders at the Walzem Campus. I’ll admit I found the event challenging. Finding the right chords to strike with the different age groups had never been an issue before but, for the first time since we began doing this, I felt like I failed. I learned a good amount from this particular outing. Perhaps I learned more this time than any of the hundreds of other times I had done this. After every event we have done, I evaluated what we did right and what we did wrong (Note to self: skip the running portion of the event if the school doesn’t have a field). It has helped us improve every step of the way. So, I should remember that we may stumble but that doesn’t mean we’ve lost the race.
After the event we took care of all the mundane things that have piled up. We dined and walked around a shopping center while we had the support vehicle serviced and Crystal bought a new cell phone to help her better organize our itinerary. We were glad to finish everything right around sundown. We missed our sunset, which we’ve become accustomed to watching together. The only thing that made up for the day was our amazing room at El Tropicano Hotel at the beginning of the riverwalk. The inside had a funky retro feel. Behind the front desk, their wall was embellished with all sorts of wooden animal face masks. The lounge around the pool was adorned with bamboo poles and tiki styling. The furnishings of our room and the full sized windows gave off a groovy vibe. The best part of all was the huge bed. Despite the ample amount of sleep of the previous night, I wanted more.
On the final day of our San Antonio experience, we finally walked along the riverwalk during the day. Anthony Valdez from El Tropicano gave us some good tips on what to see and do. I couldn’t believe it when we stepped outside but, the sun had returned. Crystal and I put in a few miles walking and taking photos along the city’s attraction. I resisted the urge to hit the road early because the experience of each place is an essential part of this entire journey. It is the things we take in that make the hardship worthwhile. With that said, there were hardships that occurred when we did hit the road. I lost my paper directions, google maps was on strike, and Crystal and I travelled on two different roads that didn’t connect. As I shivered waiting for her to find me, doubt swirled in my head. I questioned the importance of what I was doing. But I came to my senses. I had to keep my mind positive and focused. The rest of the day’s run became smoother after that. Even when my sidewalk disappeared, as I raced the sun, I shielded my mind from outside distractions. Even the scent of rotting materials from a landfill failed to affect me. I was back in the moment. 
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