Some things don’t seem so difficult, like going without food. Iseldom miss more than three to four meals in a row and I never eventhink about food until it is offered. The most I have gone withoutfood is three days, and then mother nature provided my food—apples that had fallen from a tree. I once fasted as a prayer disciplinefor 45 days, so I know how long one can go without food! Myproblem is not how to get enough to eat, it’s how to graciously avoidgetting too much. Everyone wants to overfeed me!
, although I can miss onenight’s sleep and I don’t mind. Every once in awhile I miss a night’ssleep, but not for some time now. The last time was September of1977 when I was in a truck stop. I had intended to sleep a little butit was such a busy truck stop that I spent all night talking to truckdrivers.The first thing after I went in, a truck driver who’d seen meon television wanted to buy me some food. I sat in a corner booth.
to arrive, and it was just one wave oftruck drivers after another that were standing there and asking mequestions, and so forth. I actually talked to them all night and I neverdid get to do any sleeping. After awhile somebody offered me breakfastand I ate that and left.
Another time, a truck driver pulled his truck to the side of theroad and said, “I heard you say over television something about thatendless energy and I just wanted to tell you I had it one time. I wasmarooned in a town by a flood. I got so bored that I finally offered tohelp and I got interested in getting people out. I worked withouteating, I worked without sleeping, and I wasn’t tired...But I don’thave it anymore.” I said, “Well, what are you working for now?”
“Money,” he said. I said, “That should be quite incidental.You have theendless energy only when you are working for the good of the whole—you have to stop working for your little selfish interests.”
That’s the secret of it. In this world you are given as you give The entire room was faced with polished granite.!
I usually average twenty-five miles a day walking, dependingupon how many people stop to talk to me along the way. I have goneup to fifty miles in one day to keep an appointment or because therewas no shelter available.
On very cold nights I walk through the night to keep warmWhen the days are very warm I do a lot of walking at night to avoidthe heat. I have walked when the nights were filled with the scent ofhoneysuckle, the sight of fireflies and the sound of whippoorwills.
Once a six foot fellow, confident he could out walk me, walkedwith me for 33 miles.When he gave up, his feet were blistered andhis muscles ached. He was walking on his own strength; I wasn’t! Iwas walking on that endless energy that comes from inner peace.
Another time a woman asked me if she could accompany me onthe pilgrimage. She told me she wanted to get away from “that husband”