Matt Green and the Simple Pleasure of Walking

The other night I was talking to my wife about how I wondered if I was truly living my life instead of simply floating through it. It's something that's been on my mind a lot lately. Whether it's me searching for deeper meaning or just feeling a bit of uncertainty about my current existence is hard to say. Perhaps it's a bit of both. Or maybe it's just that I'm approaching 40. Whatever the case may be, I'm not sure what the answer to my question is, but one thing I am sure of is that I'm pretty darn jealous of Matt Green's recent decision.

Per the Associated Press (via Yahoo), Green is a 30-year-old native of Virginia who, up until recently, was a civil engineer in New York City. In late March, Green left his job as, ironically enough, a roadway designer, to take to the road — by feet. He'd been planning a cross-country trip for more than a year, saving money and crafting a cart that he could roll, one that would store his tent, sleeping bag and other necessary supplies. He started his walk at Rockaway Beach in New York and plans to end his journey at, yes, Rockaway Beach, but this one's in Oregon, a little more than 3,000 miles west.

And why is Green taking this lengthy trek? As the article notes, it's not because he wants to break any sort of record or to bring attention to a worthwhile cause. Instead, walking simply makes him happy. He knows where he's heading, sure, but he has no idea who he's going to meet or what he's going to see. And that's the beauty of it. As Green is quoted: "Playing it safe isn't really that safe. If you do that, you miss out on a lot of the great things life has to offer."

He might just be on to something. To learn more about Green and his journey, check out his website, aptly named I'm Just Walkin'.

Photo by a2td via stock.xchng.