Walking into Brownwood Monday with just a running stroller of bare necessities, George Throop has come through the area as a stop on his trip across the U.S. to promote making healthy choices to lower the risk of diseases such as cancer.
“I wanted to inspire people to change their health habits and lifestyles for themselves and those around them,” said Throop. “If they could take simple steps such as just taking a little walk, 20 minutes that might expand into 30 or 40 minutes down the road, one less Coke a day or more prepared meals.”
While on his journey, Throop tries to speak at schools when possible to spread the word about the difference a healthy lifestyle can make. Whether through diet or exercise, Throop gives his message in what he calls “baby steps”. He says, just like his walk across the U.S., people have to start with small steps to accomplish any goal.
“Change is not the easiest thing in the world…especially when we might not have the desire to make such changes,” said Throop. “Small steps can bring us to the larger goal and that goes for anything in life. In my case– walking across America, using small steps to take me across the country.”
Throop began his journey in Vancouver, Washington a year and a half ago and arrived in the Brownwood area over the weekend after stopping in Abilene to visit a cousin. A resident of Abilene that he met grew up in Early and told him he just had to stop by the Brownwood area and see a slice of the Hill Country. Several people had told him to alter his original plan to walk through the Dallas area in order to see the beauty of the Hill Country and really experience Texas.
While walking from Abilene to Brownwood, Throop was able to experience the beauty of a Texas thunderstorm forming in the distance. While getting a closer look at some longhorns for the first time as he was walking along the highway, he saw a pickup turn around. In the vehicle were landscapers Tony and Beth who referred him to Roy Silva for a place to stay for the night. Silva met him at the convenience store on Hwy 279 near the lake bridge and offered him a room for the night. On Sunday night while staying at the Ponderosa Lodge at Lake Brownwood, he heard of the major storm which contained a possible tornado and large hail heading straight in his direction. Thankful that he was not walking in the weather, he did begin to plan where he would find protection because of the tornado warning that was issued that night.
“I’ve been in a thunderstorm before, but never bigger than marble sized hail,” said Throop. “The radio station wasn’t even playing music, they were just reporting on the storm.”
Throop stated “I’ve seen laser light shows as a kid, but that’s like cheap playground equipment compared to Disney World when you see a thunderstorm.”
Once in the city of Brownwood on Monday, Throop came across Debbie and Don Morelock, owners of Star of Texas Bed & Breakfast, who have been very accommodating, allowing Throop to stay in their bungalow just off of Carnegie.
The welcoming friendship Throop has encountered in Brownwood has been wonderful he said. Not only unique Texas accommodations, but Throop also received a dinner invitation from local Veterinarian Gayland Gowdy who he met at the post office. Gowdy knew of Throop, having read an article about his walk in the Abilene Reporter News. Throop stated that he spent a nice evening having dinner and visiting with the Gowdy family in Early.
“I spent all of yesterday (Tuesday) evening with the Gowdy’s. They are such sweet people. I would like to catch up with them again, that was just another excellent sample of Brownwood,” Throop said.
Before starting the journey, he had been the security manager of SafeCo Plaza in Seattle, Washington. Although it was a good job, and probably one of the best jobs he had ever held, he wanted to find more in life.
“I liked the job; however, it in the long run wasn’t fulfilling. It was something that was, I guess, the best job I ever had with advancement; I was well treated; I felt like I had a chance to make a positive influence on subordinates, but with that being said at the end of the day, what was I contributing on a daily basis?” stated Throop. “I felt I had the potential to contribute more to society in some way.”
“I quit my money and did some traveling,” stated Throop. “This plan came to me and thank goodness there has been no shadow of a doubt or regret.”
According to Throop’s website and blog, www.enjoythewalk.org, after his mother’s death from cancer in 1985, years later (September of 2009) it came to Throop to take a long “Walk of Inspiration” traveling thousands of miles over the course of several months, across the entire United States to “inspire his fellow beloved Americans to take steps of positive change in their lives”.
“Since at least 1 in 3 cancer deaths are preventable, this means that millions of Americans have died of cancer unnecessarily in recent years. Several million have died unnecessarily since my mother’s 1985 death from cancer,” he wrote on his website.
Throop encourages everyone who is able to go walk 20 minutes per day.
Pictured above is Throop with his hosts Don and Debbie Morelock.
