You Only Die Once, But You Live Every Day

Somewhere along the long, dusty road, as Gertrude and I pushed forward under the vast Arizona sky, I found myself caught in one of those big, heavy thoughts. The kind that sneaks up on you when the road stretches out too far and the silence gets too deep.

I was thinking about life and death.

It hit me—you only die once. That part? Not optional. But living? That’s something you get to do every single day. And the biggest question—the one that keeps ringing in my head—is: How do you use that day? Because every morning, the sun comes up, and you have a choice. You can exist, or you can truly live. And that’s why I’m out here.

Why I Walk

I think about it all the time—why I started this journey. This isn’t just some adventure for the sake of adventure. I didn’t wake up one day and think, You know what sounds fun? Dragging a jogging stroller named Gertrude across America for months on end!

No. This walk is about mental fitness. It’s about suicide awareness. It’s about life. It’s about proving—to myself, to others—that no matter how heavy the weight of the world feels, you can keep moving forward.

Because I know what it’s like to feel stuck. To feel like the road ahead is too hard, too long, too impossible. And I also know what it’s like to take one step. And then another. And then realize you’re still here.

That’s what this journey is. One step at a time. Some days it feels easy. Some days it feels impossible. Some days the road feels too empty, too lonely. And some days, I meet someone—a stranger who shares their story, a friend who cheers me on—and I’m reminded that this journey is bigger than me.

The Weight We Carry

Gertrude carries all my belongings, but she’s also carrying something less visible. She carries the stories people have told me—the ones about struggle, survival, loss, and hope.

When people hear what I’m doing, they tell me about the people they’ve lost, about their own battles, about the moments they thought they wouldn’t make it—but did. And every time I hear one of those stories, I feel it settle into Gertrude’s frame, into the wheels that keep rolling forward

This journey isn’t just about me. It’s about every person who has felt alone in their struggle. It’s about every conversation we should be having but don’t. It’s about reminding people that they are here, right now, and that matters. Because life isn’t about waiting for some grand, perfect moment. It’s about choosing to live today.

Keep Moving Forward

I don’t have all the answers. I don’t know what’s waiting for me on the road ahead. But I do know this—I woke up today, and I kept walking.
And if you’re reading this, you woke up today, too. That means today is yours. What will you do with it?