Small Town Steps

Mile Marker 7610:

"Do you want some candy?"

Um, no? 

Never take candy from strangers.  Even in a small town.  But this stranger is an angel-faced teenager in a tank top, gym shorts, and flip-flips.  Her hair is pulled into a ponytail, held back by a cheap pair of sunglasses.  We're standing on the tree-lined sidewalk of Stroudsburg, PA.  And if that weren't enough, her mom's there too.

"Here, have some," she says.  "Really, I bought way too much!"

She holds out a white cardboard box.  Inside is a kaleidoscope of gummies:  fish, butterflies, ice cream cones, sharks, fruit slices and more.

She picks up a gummy fried egg.  "Try one of these.  They're really good!"

Um, still no thanks. 

But I appreciate the offer.

Gummy or not, it's hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk.  I've just parked my car in the shadiest spot on Main Street.  And bonus -- in Stroudsburg, it costs only two quarters for a whole hour of parking time!

I'd been planning to go into the bookstore a few doors down, but this girl is determined to change my mind.  "You should go in there," she says, pointing toward the candy shop.  "It's sooo good!"

Twist my arm...

I open the blue painted door to a cold blast of air-conditioning and sugar.

The folks at the counter inside are as friendly as the girl outside.  They describe with pride how their shop is different from others.

"A box is $5.25.  Fill it with as much candy as you can fit.  Anything goes, as long as you can get the lid closed!"

I can see how that girl fell prey.  Buying too much is practically mandatory!

Rubber chickens not included :)

I pay with cash.  (With parking so cheap, I've got plenty of quarters left!)

I tell them Stroudsburg has the best parking deal I've seen in a long time.  They ask where I'm from.

"We were just in Philly last weekend!" they say.  They went to a museum and a restaurant, but parking was by far the most expensive part of the trip.

"Next time, we're parking in a fountain," the man jokes.  "I didn't see any no parking signs there!"

He's right.

Gotta love a town where they tell it like it is.

Mile Marker 7611:  

So what brings me to this mountain town, 100 miles north of Philly?  (I mean, besides meeting the locals...)

I'm here to help with the AlliedOP Pocono Amputee Support Group.

This is Kathy - who organizes the group!

All the group members arrive on foot - carbon fiber or otherwise.  Some use crutches.  Some use walkers.  Some stroll hands-free.

If you hang with amputees long enough, you'll realize everyone has a story.  Those stories aren't mine to share here, but they run deep and linger even after the group wraps up for the night.  In a span of 2 hours, the connections made can last a lifetime.

Mile Marker 7612:

The next morning, the air is fresh.  The streets are empty.  Birds chirp.  There are few cars and even fewer people.

In a breeze, I cover 1.3 miles!

I take my time, ducking into hideaways off Main Street.

Discover a bicycle garden in an overgrown churchyard...

A patchwork mural - painted by the local businesses...

...and an off-beat cafe that's not yet open.
(I like this town.  I'm actually EARLY here!)

As I make my way back to the car, I come upon an intersection where a silver SUV sits at a stop sign.  I'm not the fastest walker, so I wave him on.

But no -- he stays right where he is and motions for me to cross first.  Then he rolls down his window.

"Excuse me," he says.  "I don't want to bother you, but can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."  (I can kind of guess where this is going...)

"What kind of leg is that?" he says.  "My brother has a prosthetic leg.  He was hit by a drunk driver back in the 80's..."

I tell him about my leg and how it works.  We talk about the difference between an above-knee amputee (me) and a below-knee amputee (his brother).

Car still idling, he describes that brother, and then another brother, and still a third brother.  His tale is tragic, but there's something encouraging about the way he hands it over so genuinely to a complete stranger.

That stranger is me.

And I have to admit, I feel lucky to receive it.


Mile Marker 7613:

The 2+ hour ride back to Philly gives me a chance to think.

Along the way, I get lost in a Dirtbag Diaries podcast that echoes the last few miles.

Check it out here.

It's about Jonathon Stalls who, after growing up in the car-driven suburbs, decides to combat isolation by WALKING across the U.S., powered only by his own two feet and the stories of pedestrians around him.  He talks about the connections that are often broken in our high-speed world but can be rebuilt by slowing down, and walking.

He's created a movement called Walk2Connect.

For me, walking depends on pain, distance, weather, and a thousand other factors I never considered before I became an amputee.  Day to day, I depend on my car much more than I like.

Still, there's something about getting out there -- especially on a prosthetic leg -- that encourages conversation and builds connection.  When I visit a place, I want to be PART of it.  Walking helps me do that.

Strangers don't have to be strangers.  With a few miles on foot, I got taste of this town (not to mention its candy).

Walk on, Stroudsburg.

One step at a time, we'll find common ground.