Walk 2023: Day Three
Day three of my annual walk across Connecticut is in the books. 9 hours, 18 miles, Berlin to North Haven.
Here’s how it went:
Day 3 of my annual Walk Across Connecticut started in Berlin before the sun rose at 6:30 a.m.
This week has been busy not only because of the walk but also because, as Chairman of the subcommittee that oversees our foreign relations in the Middle East, I’ve been working closely with my colleagues back in Washington to build support for Israel. The downside to that is that I walk a little slower while I’m on the phone, but I knew I could make up the miles if I woke up bright and early.
It was a quiet stretch before the sun rose. But once it did, I ran into a number of people who were also getting an early start. I met Wendy, a gas station clerk in Berlin. Her Social Security isn’t enough for her to live on so she’s still working and as a diabetic, Medicare is her saving grace. She’s someone to remember when some in Congress propose cuts to Social Security and Medicare.
At that same gas station in Berlin, I got to chatting with Matt. He was impressed that I walk across the state every year, but he wasn’t THAT impressed. Matt told me that a few years ago he biked all the way from Oregon to Connecticut– I guess that’s a little longer than the 70 or so miles I’ll be walking this time.
Down the road, I stopped in to meet the wonderful family that runs Mana Bakery in Meriden and I came away with some delicious breakfast pound cake.
I asked myself: is pound cake breakfast food? Probably not, but you only live once!
While walking in Meriden, I decided to veer off my walk route for about an hour to join healthcare leaders in the city at Rushford Treatment Center to announce a $2 million federal grant to help people who have overdosed get on a path to recovery. While I normally stick to my planned route during these walks across the state, this felt like a perfect match to the week.
The reason I do this walk is to hear from people who don’t pay attention to politics on a daily basis. They don’t call my office or attend town halls, but they have a lot of important things to say and I represent them too. Some of those are people who are struggling with addiction, or fighting through recovery. I ran into the mother of one of those people just yesterday. She was going out to get her mail when I happened to walk by her house. She told me about her son who was living at home and struggling with addiction, and she didn’t know how to help. She didn’t know how to connect him with the resources that make a difference. It was that happenstance connection that will hopefully make a difference, but that’s why federal funding for recovery programs is so important: so that when people seek the help they need, it’s there.
Later, I was walking with one of the candidates running for mayor of Wallingford, Riley O’Connell, and he told me about the recently mothballed community pool. I’m a big believer that government at its best creates public spaces where people can meet, and public pools have historically been a place where we can build community.
Now more than ever, we need public spaces where people can have fun and find connection, so I hope that Wallingford can figure out a plan to get the pool open and operating again, and I’ll be looking into how the federal government can help.
As I made my way downtown, a few more local leaders met up with me: Kristi Doerr who’s running for town council, and Ben Hyland who’s running for a seat on the Board of Education. Together, we made our way into a few of the businesses on Wallingford’s lovely Main Street. It was great to say hi to patrons and connect directly with business owners about what I can do to help their businesses thrive.
At Design House Interiors, I heard from the owners about the struggles they face as one of the few local furniture sellers here in central Connecticut. They told me how shipping costs were hurting their business and making it harder to compete with the big box stores that can afford to weather rising costs. Protecting our state’s small businesses is a huge priority for me, and I was glad to hear from these folks whose stories I wouldn’t have heard if I wasn’t walking through their community today.
From Main Street, I continued on for a few miles before calling it an early day (I still did 17 miles!) so I could make it to a conversation I hosted with Jewish community leaders in our state to check in during this time and express my support for future legislative solutions.
This is my favorite week of the year, no question, and I’m so grateful to be able to keep doing it year after year. It’s hard to believe tomorrow will be the final day of my SEVENTH Walk Across Connecticut, heading from North Haven to down by the shore in East Haven.
At the end of the road, I’ll be hosting a little end-of-walk celebration at the Shore Line Trolley Museum in East Haven. The festivities will start around 11 (or whenever I cross the finish line), if you’re in the area, I’d love to see you there!
CHRIS…PLEASE READ. We need a show like the old meet the press, in the 1990s. 1- republican, 1- democrat, sitting side by side.. being asked questions..that way, they can be debate, and correct each other, live on air, no bullshit..THE PEOPLE WILL SEE THE TRUTH THEN..
Your thoughts., thank you Gary