This day had some typical and some very atypical features and ultimately heralded a pivotal turn in our journey. We awakened to the usual 5 AM alarm in our warm motel room at the Green Carpet Inn in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. I completed my foot care and morning routine. Mom finished her routine then gathered things to prepare for the day. There were some packages to mail for upcoming birthdays and a few other errands to do. We shuttled things to the car and made a plan. It was not quite raining, but threatening rain with a drizzle and dense, dark cloud cover. We drove to a coffee shop for a morning cup of hearty coffee. Sipping on a great cup of coffee offered a reminder of a warm, familiar tradition that brightened the feel of the day. The rain seemed much less dreary when viewed over the steam of a dark roast. I thought about residency years when the long, monotonous days of early mornings and late nights began with residents gathering for rounds. The tradition of drinking a cup of coffee at the start of a densely productive day added an element of warmth to each day’s routine.

Mom drove me to the starting place on Old Route 66. Gary had elected to start walking a bit later in the morning. We had discussed it the night before and planned accordingly. Mom and I talked on the way about Gary’s journey and our role in facilitating his best success. We considered that it may be the time when Gary would best thrive with a return to “one man’s journey” relying exclusively on his personal initiative and well-established practice of the Fast-5 lifestyle to continue his weight loss. Gary and Mom and I had considered the possibility 6 weeks and 4 weeks ago, but we concluded that the time was not right. Mom and I arrived at the starting place. I stood beside the car with the drizzling, misty precipitation landing lightly on my coat as we discussed the future and considered that maybe now it was time to divide and conquer and pursue the mission’s agendas independently. We considered that it may be the time for Gary to continue his journey independently while he loses weight and continues to teach about the Fast-5 lifestyle. It was looking like it may be the time for us to carry the message onto ST Louis and wait for Gary or to head home and work from home to spread the word in our local areas and nationally from the home office. We discussed the factors of real importance. We were certain that Gary was a very skilled, fully adapted “Fast-5er.” We have seen Gary teach the Fast-5 lifestyle to others with complete accuracy and confidence time and time again. Gary knows the Fast-5 lifestyle and the adaptation to it from the perspective of a former obese man, better than anyone. We decided that I would call Bert and share our thoughts and to call Cheryl to explore the details of her thoughts and her impressions of Gary’s feelings about the best way to optimize his journey.

I started walking. The traffic was heavy marking the Monday drill as commuters returned to work. I considered the unusual nature of my work these days and reviewed the yield. I called Bert and we spoke briefly. The traffic noise compromised the flow of the conversation so I agreed to call him when I was inside a building. I walked on. It was not raining, but the ground was wet. There was no sidewalk and I ran out of storefront parking lots. I walked in the grass. The grass was wet and soon my feet were soaked. I made my way to a shopping center with a 24-hour grocery store. I went into the first door where the shopping carts are lined up for storage. It was warm and it was quiet. It was early, so few people were walking into the store. I called Bert. We covered the topics of importance then developed a consensus regarding our next steps in the journey and the Fast-5 project. I called Mom to coordinate the plans for the remainder of the day. I called Cheryl and discussed with her the best approach to the next phase of Gary’s journey.

I continued walking. I talked with Mom a number of times as she drove to pick me up. We stopped by a coffee shop for a pause. We summarized our thoughts regarding the best approach to the next phase of the Fast-5 project, how to best carry our important message forward and how to continue to facilitate Gary’s success with his journey. We drove to Gary’s motel for a brief meeting. We met Gary in the lobby. We talked about our collaboration and the progress over the past 3 months. We talked about Gary’s mission and about how proud Mom and I are of his strength and his growing confidence. We talked about the high probability that this was the right time to “divide and conquer” with Gary continuing to teach the Fast-5 lifestyle as he lives the lifestyle and continues his walk to St. Louis and with Mom and I returning home to start a new phase of our teaching of the lifestyle. We talked about Gary’s success and his sincere desire to focus as much on the spiritual aspect of his journey as his weight loss. Gary expressed his need to pace his travels to allow more time to teach the Fast-5 lifestyle to those who are waiting to hear it and to recapture his independent initiative. We developed our consensus plan.

We hugged and shared affirmations that our combined journey to date had been very successful. Gary walked Mom and I to our car then paused. We slapped our hands together in the air with our traditional “high five, Fast-5” declaration that good things were happening. The high-spirited exchange took a more somber turn as Mom held her cupped hands out in front of her as if she were holding a ball. She said, “Gary, remember, you still are carrying the ball.” Gary and I made a similar gesture then one of us said, “We are all going to keep carrying the ball until everyone has heard about the Fast-5 lifestyle. We all still have an important job to do. We are just going to do it in different locations now.” We talked some more about how our relationships have grown over the past three months and how much we feel like family now. We said our good-byes and talked about the probability that we could meet Gary in St. Louis when he reaches his personal weight loss goal. Gary said, “You have to be there.” We all agreed that if we could make it happen, we would.

Mom and I got in the car then drove away. I called Bert to ask him to look at driving times and to help decide which route would be best. Mom and I drove and talked. That’s something of an understatement – we drove 20 hours together with a 1 ½ hour break to sleep in a gas station parking lot. We made many stops to empty one tank, fill another and to get coffee or sodas. We walked around a bit each time to ensure we stayed alert. The time together was great as we dissected the Fast-5 project over and over in our standard fashion. We talked about the next phase for Gary and the next phase for us. We talked about our hopes for the future health of our nation and we talked about our personal plans at home.

An event around 3 AM at a truck stop brought us back to the Los Angeles to Oklahoma City leg of our journey for a moment. I was paying for coffee at the check out counter. I said rather naturally, “I’d like to give you my card. I am on my way to Florida from Oklahoma City. I walked from Los Angeles, California to Oklahoma City with a formerly obese man named Gary Long. He is still walking to lose weight and I walked with him to teach him and the nation about a short term, fasting lifestyle called Fast-5…” It went on from there. I had to smile. Before I spent time with Gary, I couldn’t imagine that conversation happening. One of the many things that I learned from Gary was that opportunity knocks everywhere and the person with whom I am speaking at any minute may have just that one chance to learn about a lifestyle that could change their life forever. Gary projected a sense of urgency when he saw someone who was suffering with overweight or obesity. He spoke with strangers routinely and shared the information of the Fast-5 lifestyle. While we were with Gary, everyone with whom he spoke seemed to welcome the discussion and seemed grateful to hear of a solution they had been seeking for so long. We finished at the truck stop then Mom and I climbed back into the car. We talked about the future when we would continue to take opportunities to talk with those who are waiting for a real weight loss solution.

We arrived at my Mom’s place around 9AM. It was a great reunion with my Dad. Dad and I visited while Mom slipped out and set up the camper. I joked that she just couldn’t help herself — she had put the camper up independently so many times before, she had to do it one last time. She redistributed things to the car so I could take them home. I did a little survey of belongings then added a few things I might need before my next visit to Mom and Dad’s place. Mom and Dad and I visited for a while longer then I headed out for Jacksonville.

The drive to Jacksonville was uneventful. I talked with a number of folks to help me stay awake. As I approached the city limit one of the kids called to get an ETA. I gave an estimate then pulled into the driveway a little ahead of schedule. The reunion was amazing. Events since that time have clearly demonstrated that the timing was right for me to continue the journey from the home front. It allowed for an essential balance of priorities.

Gary and Cheryl and I have spoken on the phone every couple of days. We continue to collaborate as we pursue opportunities to teach the nation about the Fast-5 lifestyle in our own arenas. My job now is to develop the next phase of the journey and to work diligently to carry our important message forward. Now that Bert and I are working in the same location again, we may post updates on our efforts. I’ll be offering lectures to continue teaching the Fast-5 lifestyle to groups and corporations. Thanks to all of you who have followed this phase of our Fast-5 project. We welcome your email and phone calls for questions or feedback. My email address here is jherring @ fast-5.com (no spaces). You can keep up with Gary at his site, www.afatmansjourney.com

Fast-5 LLC 904-685-5117 888-352-8439 P.O. Box 5671, Jacksonville FL 32216 info@fast-5.com