Today, we found ourselves entering Ohio and I must say; I miss the Appalachians. As we move from state to state, however, one thing has stayed constant; people have not ceased to amaze me, mostly in the positive and minutely in the negative sense. I wish more people had the opportunities I have been blessed with in meeting people both during the ride and more specifically while conducting Portraits. An inspiring woman I talked with yesterday while conducting one such Portrait was no acceptation. Ruthie was a breast cancer survivor and even beyond that, a truly insightful and positive person. I think we all might do well to follow her advice; go into fighting, whatever it may be because as soon as we defeat ourselves, we’ve already almost lost. So, as we continue rolling, day by day, and even beyond this summer and to everyone else, keep that in mind and in the spirit of Ruthie’s warmth, give someone a hug; something I don’t usually advocate, but tonight, I am.