by Bud Courtney

odd sight to see us exiting the Temple this morning in the dark in jump suits. visions of leaving base camp when i used to climb Mount Everest back in my younger days (read : another lifetime!). equally odd to see the buses filling up so quickly as well. there is an energy in this city. i feel a part of it. i feel we are instilling some of it.

breaking of the fast was sad. but the focus now is poignant. alive. no more counting days or calories. we continue forward with the task at hand.

we walked seemingly miles this morning processing in suits and hoods, signs and placards. thousands of l00 Days Campaign leaflets had to have been handed out gently and kindly. Matt Vogel's "have a nice day" reverberated over and over as my awe for the core group down here who have given up their new york lives and much more for this campaign simply grows in leaps and bounds and my heart screams aloud in gratitude for their graceful presence.

i know my life has changed by this experiment. it began with me questioning my fears when they went on to Cuba and i hid safely in new york. but their witness, constant and eversteady, has forced me to push myself beyond some of my fears. to stand up and move forward. and i have never regretted a single step in this joyous process.

still, i know the men in Guantanamo are prevented from any single step they wish to take. and walking for them certainly helps my soul...but i shall continue to walk. until the day these men might be free to walk with us. until then, i welcome any others to join me in these steps.