Sparks

Sometimes a simple spark can ignite a huge fire.  That is what happened last night. With one question, "Hey mom. What cha readin'?" my son sparked a blaze.

He came into my room and asked what I was reading. I told him the title and he asked what it was about. I am reading Becoming Odssya. It is the story of a young woman's quest to hike the entire Appalachian Trail alone...or pretty much alone.

So with that one question, my son and I dove into the the black hole that is the internet and looked for information on the Trail. We learned the entire distance, the states it crosses, the time it takes hikers to complete the distance, etc. We watched videos of hikers and the trail as well. We learned about lean-tos, tents and hazards of the trail.

My son knows his cousins are avid hikers, climbers and one even writes for an outdoor publication. But it just seemed to all click last night in his 9 year old brain. I saw the light in his eyes as each question and subsequent answer lead to more questions and additional answers. We talked about what we would do and how we would attack the trail, what we would take for food, and all kinds of other details.

He made me promise that one day he and I could at least hike part of the trail. I may never be a thru-hiker but I will hike part of the trail with him. I know that one day before I leave this planet, I will keep that promise to my son.  I can see it in his eyes....it is not something he will let me forget. Sometimes a simple question is the spark that ignites a blaze.  Peace.

To learn more about the author of the book:
Her blog on Tumblr
Her company

To read an excerpt or purchase the book