A friend of ours tells the story of her Dad buying 2 tickets to a concert for her favorite band in another city just so that he could drive them both there and broach “The Talk” with her without the discomfort of eye contact. It is perennial advice that if you want to have a good talk with someone you should invite that person on a drive—or a walk. There is something non-threatening about two people staring straight ahead and letting the conversation follow the road. The lulls aren’t so heavy and the flow is just easier. And, sometimes you end up passing your intended destination just to keep the conversation going.
Basically, this sort of conversation is the birthplace of our Bellator Society. Early morning walks for miles before the sunrise gave way to the dawning of the sort of friendship made as comrades-in-arms, looking toward the horizon, and letting the conversations carry us onward. We sacrificed sleep, endured inclement weather, and nursed sore muscles and the occasional blister as we became co-warriors, Bellators, solving the world’s problems with one foot in front of the other. We talked about everything. We prayed countless rosaries. We cried and laughed and somedays didn’t want to stop walking.
Thanks initially to a vain commitment to toned legs and burned calories, we have logged many miles and as many precious conversations to bring us to this endeavor.
We first met in the vestibule of church after Mass one day–which is always a good start for anything. That meeting led to learning we were nearby neighbors and both in need of a walking buddy. At first, we’d walk a couple of miles whenever we both had free time, but soon we became absolute zealots. Our strides matched and our conversation was inexhaustible. For that time in our lives, it was therapy for our bodies, minds, and souls. After years of devotion, our living quarters changed and a thousand miles between our front doors made morning walks less convenient, but our world-changing dreams still stretched out before us as hopeful as a sunrise on an early morning walk. So, here we are. Co-warriors. Bellators. We hope that you will join us each day as you venture out on the internet—we’ve got a lot to talk about.
