Arriving at Robin Hoods Bay!!

Throwing our rocks from the Irish Sea into the North Sea! We carried them in our bags the whole way!

We made it!!

You can see the North Sea way in the distance...

Today is our last coast to coast day!

We had a long journey from Richmond to Ingleby Cross. It was relatively flat but we needed to cross a motorway (highway), which was a bit scary. Also, we decided we liked walking with the sheep and not the cows because the smell was more pleasant. We walked for miles with our hands over our noses and mouths. :)  Yesterday, we walked another 12 miles up and down moors ( small mountains with specific characteristics). The walk was breath taking! We entered our last national park called  Scarth Wood Moor and stopped in Great Broughton for the night. Today, we leave for another long day, 20 miles, and will end up in Egton Bridge tonight. 

I am happy to report that I am feeling great! By the end of the long days my feet ache a bit but for the most part they are feeling fine. The weather has been pretty nice with rain showers of and on daily. I have been wearing four layers and that seems to be perfect. 

The last few days as I have walked, I have thought about the gratitude I have for my healthy body, the beautiful world we live in and for all the people in my life. This walk is teaching me to take the time and just say a quiet thank you for all the wonderful things in my life. I think it is important for everyone to do that on a daily basis.

Wealth Work: How is your journal coming? Have you discovered any spending patterns? The next two jars/jobs your money has are savings and play. The savings jar is the jar that a potion of your money you receive goes in for saving for something you really want. For example, a computer or even a car. You should put 10% of what you receive in this jar. The next jar is your play jar. This jar is for anything you want to do or buy in your daily life. For example, going to the movies, buying gum at the store, going out to eat etc. The fun thing about this jar is that it should all be spent at the end of every month. This jar also gets 10% of the money you receive. Your task is to talk with an adult about these two jars and to also think about what you may want to save for.

What a beautiful site!!

I loved this picture! It is so true.

Darting across train tracks!

I'm heading to Robin Hoods Bay! 50 miles to go....

Rape flower fields.

Today was what we considered a rest day for us. We left Reeth in the morning and arrived in Richmond in the afternoon after only walking 10 miles. It was pretty flat and easy today; however, we did come across a swarm of bees. We stopped and waited to see if they would move on but they didn't. We were clever though and climbed a fence and went WAY around the little buggers. After that little drama, we slowly walked down a hill and arrived in Richmond to find many stores and restaurants. It has been a welcome sight because we have not seen many people during our walks. As I look ahead at our guide, I am thinking I really need to rest tonight. Tomorrow we will walk 24 miles, Thursday 21, Friday 20 and we finish on Saturday with 16 miles.  ONE STEP AT A TIME! Yikes!

While walking today, I thought of a few things. The first was how I would occupy my brain for such long walks in the coming days. I concluded that I would download an audio book so I can listen to something for a bit. I will let you know how it goes. The other thing was the fact that we hit an obstacle in our walk by encountering bees; however, we thought about it and navigated around them. Isn't this what happens when we are working towards any goal? We set out with an end in mind and even a plan on how to get there. I think we neglect to recognize and appreciate the wonderful obstacles we will encounter along our journey. I do believe that it is important to embrace obstacles and be flexible to stop, reevaluate and perhaps change course. There are many paths that lead to the end result.

Wealth Work: You should still be keeping your spending journal. Are you ready for the next lesson and task? I knew you would say YES!! I spoke earlier about the financial freedom jar. Now, I would like to move on to the next job/jar your money has and that is the living expense jar, which is 55% of the money you receive. This is the jar that all of your needs come out of. For example, your electric bill, mortgage payment, etc. Please take your list of needs that you generated a few days ago and figure out how much each item may cost. Talk with an adult at school and/or with your family about some of the items in their living expense jar.

We have now arrived in Reeth, which is another beautiful little village with stone houses. Last night we went to dinner and as we walked out we noticed people with many telescopes getting ready to look at something wonderful in the sky. Although our walk was along a river and primarily flat and easy, we found that we were just too tired to wait and see what they were set up to look at.

Yesterday's walk was a welcome reprieve from the other days. I was thinking that in life when things get really difficult, we tend to want to give up or perhaps talk ourselves out of continuing. I think if we persevere through tough days, we do find that easier times come. I am finding this to be true with our walk. Just when I thought I couldn't take another long and arduous day, we had this lovely reprieve. Don't give up when things get challenging because you will find that the challenge eases and you feel so good when you accomplish your goal. A growth mindset of enjoying and honoring the process helps anyone reach their goals.

Wealth Work: So, did you like the story of the goose who laid golden eggs? I asked you to read this story because it relates to the first part of our formula. Think of the formula as 6 jars. When you receive money as a gift or in the form of wages, your money has 6 jobs. The first jar/job is your financial freedom jar. This jar should be 10% of your money you received. For example, if you received $100 you would put 10 dollars into this jar. This jar is like the golden goose. You never want to kill your goose. In other words, never take money out of this jar (account). This money is saving for retirement. Many employers will take this out of your pay before you even receive it. Over time, this account will grow and provide you money when you are no longer working (retired). Your assignment today is to talk in school or with an adult at home about accounts adults have to help them prepare for retirement. You can give them the advice to never kill their goose. :)

Wealth Work: All of you should continue your journal. Last time we talked about our needs. Now I want you to make a list of your wants. For example, you may need jeans but you may want designer jeans. There is no judgement here. Please really think about what you want and write it down. In the coming days, we will refer to these lists as I teach you a proven formula that over time builds financial freedom. In order to prepare for this, please also google the story of the goose that lays golden eggs. I will use this story to illustrate and help you understand part of the formula.

We have had some pretty strenuous days. Two days ago we walked for 23 miles and arrived at our bed and breakfast at 8 pm. I have really been taking it one step at a time. I find when I let my mind think too far into the day or trip, I get discouraged but if I stay present and concentrate on each step I find that I can work through the pain. Yesterday was very interesting because we met this incredible shepardess who made is tea and scones. She had 7 3/4 kids and is a first generation farmer. I can't wait to get back and share her story with everyone. I will say that her love of life and dedication to her kids and her farm was amazing. She said she sees the world by meeting and talking to all the visitors from around the world who are on the Coast to Coast. Today we have only 10 miles!

We met a great dog today!

Today I am leaving the Lake District but not without the biggest and hardest challenge of the trek so far. The mountains you have been seeing were formed when glaciers moved through the area so long ago. They look like big mounds but are nowhere near as large as the White Mountains. They are actually called Fells. The coolest thing of the day was when we actually saw a Shepard tending his sheep. He kind of scared us because he had blood all over him and really didn't speak to us. Yesterday's walk was my most challenging thus far. I had a lot of knee pain and my muscles are very tired. I have done my best to take care of them since I have been resting and they feel better today.

As I was walking yesterday, I was thinking about two things. The first was the power of being in the moment and present with my thoughts and the environment. Each painful step I took added up to finishing the journey for the day. My mind kept wanting to think about the days to come and how I would ever finish this journey but the powerful sense of enjoying the physical environment and focus on the present actually allowed me to truly enjoy my journey. The other thing that I thought about was my mindset. I approached the day with a growth mindset and honoring the process of the journey for the day. I do believe if I had a fixed mindset and truly believed I couldn't do it, I would not have done it.

Wealth Work: I want you to keep writing in your journal but I have another task as well. Today I would also like you to really think about your needs and write them down. What I mean by this is what do you need to live. For example, mortgage payment (shelter), computer etc.  The kids can have a discussion with their parents or an adult about what is needed to live every month. We will add to this tomorrow with our Wealth Work.....

As I walked yesterday, I thought about getting lost the day before when the cow chased me. When we were navigating out of a valley and preparing to climb a fell (mountain), we looked up and there was a clear path carved out as a trail that went up and over. We became so fixed on going in that direction that we did not look at our map or compass. However, to our surprise, out of nowhere two people appeared and told us we were heading in the wrong direction for the C2C walk. We were shocked to find out that we were totally going in the wrong direction. As I reflected on this, I realized the parallel to life. Sometimes we think we know what our defined path is and neglect to ask for help, guidance or see things differently than the obvious path. Perhaps the most fulfilling path is not so clear and keeping an open mind to options will help us see a better way. I think we should prepare for our journey by realizing that we have many choices so choose wisely with an open mind.

As for the trek on Wednesday, it was a bit of a relief that it was a nine mile day but we were faced with immediately climbing up hill for three hours to reach the top with winds that were incredible!! We looked back before descending down the other side to see a valley formed by a moving glacier so long ago. It was truly an AMAZING site! The bonus was that we arrived in Grasmere, which is an adorable little village. We were welcomed by the owners of Raise View House and had a lovely stay.

Wealth Work: Now that we have done some reflecting on where our beliefs about money originated, we will start our work towards building a savings and spending plan. Start today writing every single thing you spend in a journal. Do not judge any purchase. I just want you to track your normal and daily spending. Do this for the remainder of our journey together. 

Have you ever been chased by a cow on a mountain? Well, after walking 10 miles and getting a bit lost, I came over a knoll and there was a big, black cow looking at me. I started to panic and ran in the other direction. I actually think I scared the cow and it started trotting towards me. I discovered that although my legs were exhausted, I could still run!

My journey today took me through part of the Lake District in England. We walked around beautiful lakes and climbed a mountain that was spectacular! From the top I could see Scotland and the Irish Sea. I literally saw hundreds of sheep and baby lambs running around all day today.

As I walked, I thought of my favorite saying, "The way you do anything is the way you do everything." This is so true. The way you do one little thing is the way you do bigger things. I am on one of the most strenuous journeys of my life and have had many pains but I have stayed positive every step of the way. A practice of positive thinking and a positive attitude gets you through the smallest of events, as well as the big events in your life.

Yesterday, I asked you all to think about your earliest memory of money. Think about where people develop their belief systems and learn about money. We learn from our parents, grandparents etc. Given that 3 out of 4 Americans live paycheck to paycheck, it is important to learn how to save and spend money. Today, think about who taught you to save and spend money. Who was it? What did you learn?

Your wealth work today is to think about the first time you received money. Was it for a birthday? How did you feel? What did you do with it?

I walked from Saint Bees to Ennerdale today. When I started out it was raining and extremely windy and cold. The walk took me along the Irish Sea, through farm land and up and down mountains. The picture shown was a spectacular site. The trees and ground were covered with moss as the light glistened through the trees. I wondered how many fairies must live in this paradise.

As my journey begins so does yours. Although I may be literally putting one step in front of the other to reach my goal, I challenge you to figuratively do so as well. Think today about just one goal you would like to accomplish along with me in the next 13 days. Know that it will take courage and perseverance daily to walk step by step with me but you can do it!

I am on my way!