This is difficult for me to share — which is exactly why I believe I should share it.

I just completed spending seven months (30,000 miles) demonstrating my love for service to others by living out of my Suburban along the Appalachian Trail. I followed this year’s class of thru-hikers from Georgia to Maine, using my own resources to shuttle hikers for free, offering trail magic, and giving away my own personal gear to those in need.

Upon returning home, still living out of my Suburban, a series of problems began to pile up. Problems that I am currently not in a position to rectify.

My dog, St. Cloud, requires surgery on both of his eyes for a condition known as Entropion, which limits his vision and causes a recurring infection in his eyes. The cost of the surgery is $2500.

Then, after driving from Florida to Abingdon, Virginia, to attend the Appalachian Long Distance Hiker Association (ALDHA) Gathering, the transmission in my Suburban went out. The garage indicated it requires a new transmission, and the cost of a new transmission is between $7-8k.

I don’t know what comes next. I currently don’t have the resources to address my dog or my vehicle. Maybe I leave my truck here until I can afford to get it repaired, or maybe I risk driving it back to Florida in its current condition and risk getting stranded along the way. I honestly don’t know.

My instinct is to stay silent. To handle it alone. To not burden others. But is my silence just pride, and is that pride really just fear? Fear of being seen, of asking for help, of being judged?

So, I open myself now — not expecting anything in return — but to face what I fear most: judgment from others. If I truly believe in collective achievement, then I have to live it — at the very least, not just as someone who gives to the collective, but as someone who can also receive. Spiritual growth demands the death of ego. And the price of spiritual growth is always the same — humility.

So this is my act of humility.

If you are in a position to assist me at this time, I will accept it. If what comes to me is more than I need, those of you who know me also know that it will be passed on to those in greater need than I.

Howard Rizio

Wingit