I stared at the fridge magnet that said, A year of Resurrected Dreams. It was Jan 2015. I was 61 and a manager in a software company. I racked my brains, “what are my forgotten dreams to resurrect?” but couldn’t think of any.

A few weeks later, my 16-year-old niece, dropped in, “Aunty I want to try out my new rollerblades on your first-floor hall”. Watching her, I instantly knew this was something I longed for, the ability to skate!

Soon, I visited the Decathlon store. When I tried on the rollerblades, I wobbled and quickly sat down! Nevertheless, I purchased the rollerblades and the protective gear. Once home, I boldly tried it but fell with a thud. The old house reverberated. My children ran upstairs, “Ma you’re ok”? I sheepishly said, “no broken bones”. I fell a few more times and my daughter, Sabita said, “why don’t you first sign up for coaching classes”?

As I recuperated, I imagined how ridiculous it would be to suffer a fracture and its repercussions. I instantly reviled that image and whispered a prayer, “Lord help me”! Shortly thereafter, a thought materialized to see some skating videos, and coincidentally, the first lesson that came up was, “Right way to fall on skates!” The instructions said to find a grassy spot to exercise. I tried it on a carpet instead and followed the instructions—”first bend your knees, next fall on your knee pads, then stretch out your hands and touch the ground”. After mastering the fall, I could stand balanced, then go short distances, and eventually, I skated a full circle.

Later, that same year, I read about the Grande Randonnée (GR) routes in my French textbook. The GR routes are a network of walking trails across Europe, with France having the most established ones. The trails have red and white markings on trees, signposts, boulders, or at road junctions. The more I dwelt on the GR hikes, I knew it would have to be a backpack one. I was awed at the thought. I had never gone backpacking and that too solo? How could I walk with a five-kilo backpack the whole day and for five days, when I found it cumbersome to carry my three-kilo laptop bag for ten minutes?

My daughter, an excellent travel planner, selected sections of GR-11 and GR-1 routes that ran through the forests around Paris. In the evenings, I could rest at B&B places in nearby villages and continue the trek from there the next morning. I liked this plan!

Two weeks before my trip I purchased a backpack. I placed my laptop and added books to it till it weighed 5 kilos. Sabita remarked, “taking this to the office”? “Yes, and commuting by bus too”, I grinned. Well, the commute with a backpack was fantastic. The padded, weight-bearing hip-belt of the backpack made all the difference and I found I could walk comfortably with this weight! Next, I installed a GPS tracker app on my phone and stored each day’s route.

On June 16, I flew to Paris and took a train to Fontainebleau—my starting point. The 6-day trek had overnight stays at Arbonne la Foret, Boutigny-sur-Essone, and Lardy with a two-day break at Dourdan. The final stop was Rambouillet. The daily trek distances ranged from 15 km to 32 km. In my hotel room, I was nervous and contemplated the fine line between being brave and foolhardy. Instantly, I discarded all negative thoughts and focused on the trek. I ventured into the city and spent the afternoon exploring the Castle and picked up a baguette. Later I was glad I did that because this sustained me in the forest!

Early, the next morning, when I entered the forest the canopy of green was mesmerizing. I took deep breaths of the crisp chill air and walked leisurely keeping an eye for the red and white signs.

In the initial days, I was so enthralled by the forest that I would forget to look out for the trail markings, and the GPS app would show that I had strayed far from my path! Prudently I retraced my steps till I found the trail markings!

There were hardly any passersby, maybe just one or two in the whole day. I was happy and listened to my daily Bible podcasts regularly in the mornings. On one occasion I was startled to hear bees buzzing and hovering around me. I  was terrified and remembered the article on how to avoid bee attacks, “don’t make jerky movements, don’t swat at them, and walk away very fast”. I stuffed the jam sandwich I was munching into my pocket and practically ran from there. Finally, I was far away from the bees. I sipped some water and finished my crumbled sandwich.

Another time, I was enjoying my walk, when sudden darkness enveloped the forest. A strong wind swayed the trees and rustled the leaves. Dead leaves wafted in the air. I could hear distant thunder and it started drizzling. I wrapped my raincoat around me and prayed as I ran, “Lord give me the speed Elijah had when he ran from the thundershower”. I didn’t envisage wading through streams and knew how dangerous it was to stand under a tree when lightning struck. I was breathless and slowed to a brisk pace. Then in the distance, I saw houses. Immediately my fears abated. While leaving the forest I felt victorious—I had escaped the thundershower, just like Elijah!

There were hills too. From the top of a particularly large hill, as I gazed at the vast expanse below, I was overwhelmed and said to myself, “I’ve realized another wish”!

Dreams are indeed resurrected if you’re willing to challenge yourself and conquer your fears!

It was the 6^th day and I was nearing Rambouillet, my final stop. With gratitude, I whispered, “thank you, Lord! I have no injuries—not even a scratch, or a bee-sting. I know You walked with me”!

As I headed to my hotel at then end of the road it was drizzling, but this time I walked slowly savoring every bit of my 120 km walk!

Jean Rao