Mr. Wilson Goes For a Walk
A story in five paragraphs, stolen from the today’s headlines…
Mr. Wilson reached the rank of Warrant Officer Class One in the British Army Paratroopers. He served with distinction and was highly decorated. Being a Paratrooper was his life. He served for 20 years and never experienced a moment of boredom.
When he turned 38 years old, he was forced to retire. He hadn’t prepared for this eventuality and wasn’t sure what he was going to do with himself. Jumping out of airplanes was in his blood. He knew that living a life without excitement was the last thing he wanted to do.
After returning home he looked for work to fill his days. Nothing seemed to fit him. He found a job as a sales associate in a sporting goods store. He was good with people, they loved listening to his stories, but every day after work he returned home and found himself feeling unfulfilled.
He quit his job and every day for the next month he spent his waking hours walking around town. He found himself tracing the same route around town over and over again. He knew his life lacked the adventure he desperately craved.
After a month of walking around town, he realized he was going nowhere… literally. That’s when he decided he would take up walking with a purpose. He would leave his hometown and not return until he had walked around the world.