This journey is your own and I have discovered that in my own journey the level of support I have rises with my level of commitment to it. In the beginning, outside of a select few, I felt very little real support. Part of this was due to me keeping quiet and part of it was the fact that people had watched my wishy-washiness of the past and were waiting to see if this would be a repeat of my previous failed commitments.
So this time, as I realized the level of commitment that Leif was asking for when I signed up with him, combined with my determination that I would give him everything he asked for (so I could walk away knowing I had done everything i could), I dove in 100%.
What does this mean?
Well, for this post it meant that When invited out to dinner, I was willing to say no and possibly offend the person extending the invitation. It also meant, if i was invited over for dinner, I learned to be comfortable with asking what was for dinner and letting them know about my journey and how they could support me. If they were unwilling (rarely the case) I simply brought my own food.
35 weeks later, when i travel to West Michigan for a 2 day weekend, I have my suitcase and I have my cooler full of food. At mealtimes, I simply bust out my travel containers.
At first, I think people were a little put out, but they began to realize I was serious as a heart attack about this journey. Now though, people ask me when my free meal is so we can go out to eat. Or when they invite me for dinner, they ask what my plan is that week. They realized pretty quickly that my journey had nothing to do with them and I WANTED to spend time with them, but I had to also take care of me too.
I have not had anyone remain offended once they realized this truth. I have not lost any friends because of my journey. If anything, I have gained so many more and my support system of people has grown exponentially as I have remained steadfast, no. matter. what.
The Road to Beautiful 