day 10: hooray for public libraries!

it's almost like an alternate life when i'd planned to finish this trek on day 10. i am only grateful and delighted about my decision to extend my trek a day. it means that i've gotten to slow down and look around on my walk today, which has been nice. waking up to the news of the overturn of roe v. wade was so sickening, it was almost a relief to get out on the road and spend some energy pounding the pavement. here are some thoughts (from the middle!) of day 10:

• shoutout to an IG buddy who let me know that my past three blogs haven't published properly! here i was thinking it was only last night only to find that the issues went back to day 6! it seems like the problem was....get this...i was forgetting to press publish. NICE! the issue should be fixed now!
• day 10 was difficult to get started. of course, reading about roe v. wade was super demoralizing and i spent a bit of time sitting on my bed feeling like i didn't want to get started. i think that's relatively common for me with penultimate things though...i'm hoping i'll be able to start tomorrow with the sense of the finish line coming closer! just don't talk to me about those last few miles haha!
• once i got started, i really feel like i found a good rhythm! taking the day on the bike seems to have REALLY helped with my ankle/knee situation, and i actually enjoyed some of the long stretches of walking. it certainly doesn't hurt that the further east i go, the more and more peaceful the scenery becomes! water, vineyards, farm stands....it's really a completely different geography from what i saw on april 24th in brooklyn!
• the big drama of this trip seems to be my cell phone charger brick. i left ANOTHER one plugged into the wall of a hotel and am now on charger brick number THREE. you think i'd be like "fool me once..." but no, it turns out i never learn. luckily i walked past a CVS (hello, old friend) and stopped in for a brick and a gatorade.
• for the first time???? i think??? i'm actually writing this blog a little bit BEFORE the end of my walking day! i still have about two miles to go before i get to my hotel, but check-in isn't until 3 PM and i randomly happened across a public library! i figured now was a great time to deal with my blog snafu AND make use of some free wifi, bathrooms, and chairs....so here i am! 
• RANDOMLY!!!! i also just ran into one of the cast members from my most recent show! shoutout to gabe!!! he asked me what i was doing out here and when i said, "i'm walking from brooklyn to montauk" he only looked SLIGHTLY skeptical. maybe it's my ginormous hiking backpack and irreversibly wind-swept hair that convinced him.
• once again my plan for tonight is to rest, go to bed early, and wake up ready to walk. there's definitely a bittersweet feeling that has been creeping into my heart as i get closer and closer to montauk...i'm sure i'll have a clearer idea of what it actually is tomorrow and it'll be interesting to reflect on the whole journey as an entity. honestly, i've been here for every step, every mile, every ankle twinge and random ache....and sometimes it still doesn't feel like i've really done it. standing on the pier in brooklyn feels like some dream that i had years ago.
• enough of this nostalgic nonsense! i'm going to make use of the sweet free wifi to make my social media post for the day and watch some youtube videos and then i'll get right back to it!

for you: we will keep fighting, we will keep organizing, we will keep pushing back against the facistic mechanisms of oppressive systems until we achieve liberation, equity, happiness. i know we will! i love you! and i'll see you tomorrow!