Imagine trudging through snowstorms or hail, or pushing through heavy sheets of rain as the constant spattering on your face makes continuing on almost unbearable. Imagine the relentless pain of blisters, sore ankles or exhaustion.
Now imagine having to keep going until you reach the other edge of the country.
The revolutionary Terry Fox was the first to do it. His determination and strength led him to embark on a 143-day journey across Canada.
Fox's world-changing run to find a cure for cancer in 1980 changed the way strong-willed activists fight for change — one man, one dream and a lot of heart is all it takes to make a difference.
Errol Povah, a 57-year-old anti-smoking activist, embarked on his own four-month trek from British Columbia to Quebec May 31.
I had the opportunity to interview Povah — an absolute revolutionary in his own right — as he passed through Swift Current last week.
He didn't have a sob story nor was he looking for sympathy or heaps of publicity. He didn't have an entourage and no TV cameras were fighting to get a shot of him.
Povah was just walking down the highway, giving a subtle wave to the traffic as it sped by him.
His T-shirt was fittingly adorned with the blood-red words "Tobacco Kills" spread across his chest, and a small Canadian flag was fashioned to the back.
I realized as I walked next to him eastbound down the shoulder of the busy Trans-Canada Highway just how much strength, determination and selflessness it must take to walk across an entire country — and for no self-promotion, personal gain or acclaim.
I, like many others I'm sure, donate to a charity or two each month and volunteer at the local SPCA from time-to-time. I've even participated in the organized cure-for-cancer fundraisers. By no means do I consider myself a revolutionary or hold myself above Povah, Fox and all the others who have dedicated their time, bodies and soul to their causes.
Oprah Winfrey, Angelina Jolie and other Hollywood celebrities are endlessly praised for their periodic trips to developing nations across the world, and charitable big-businesses make it well-known of their contributions.
It doesn't take high-profile celebrity status or millions of dollars to make even the slightest of differences in this world. Terry Fox, and his revolutionary Marathon of Hope, was the first to prove it.
It doesn't take much to write a monthly cheque, drop a couple pennies in the charity jar at the grocery store or volunteer your time to help out.
As the runners, walkers, rollerbladers or cyclists pass by you during their journeys to make a difference, wave, and relish in the satisfaction of knowing there are people out there willing to risk it all to save the world.
