Stepping Back Into The Future

Plenne L. Wingo

Have you heard of Plenne L. Wingo? He was an American man who walked backwards from Santa Monica, California, to Istanbul, Turkey, about 8,000 miles (13,000 km), from April 15, 1931, to October 24, 1932, at the age of 36. He remains the Guinness World Record holder for "greatest extent of reverse pedestrianism".  (Click here to read further about Plenne Wingo).

We just finished the first month of 2026.  We often wonder what a new year has in store for us.  Seeing ahead may not be as important as looking behind.  

At most graduations, a speaker will say something like, “And as we face the future ahead of us…” What would you say if I told you we step backwards into the future!  

I heard a preacher named Dennis Kinlaw share an illustration that should help.  He said that to ancient Hebrews, a man faces east.  That represents the past.  North is left, South is right.  West is back or behind. A person faces his past and steps back into his future. This messes up all the graduation speeches you might have heard.  We see our past as we gingerly step back into our future.  Does that sound scary?  It would if we didn’t trust our journey to God, who sees the future.

Here are some things to consider:

Look at the past:

The past can be painful.  If you live long enough, life will provide the pain.  I was once asked to do a critical incident stress debriefing for some missionaries in Malawi. A Critical Incident Stress Debriefing is a process whereby all of those involved share what they experienced, their thoughts, and feelings around the incident. This helps them step back into the situation and reframe it so they can begin to grow out of the experience. One of those missionaries was killed when his car swerved off the road.  His wife, kids, and fellow workers were traumatized.

Many of us would like to change the story of our past.  We somehow believe we would have been better off not having to experience the pain.  In reality, those incidents prepare us for the future and can enrich our lives.

My grandkids help me to step backwards. Sometimes when my grandkids hug me, they turn backwards.  So after we hug, they say, “Grandpa, you have to walk backwards now!”

Anticipating the future:

If little is known of the future behind us, we might do well to step backward and hope for the best with God’s help.  

There is a Wii game where the character is traveling in the dark and can only see a couple of feet ahead to stay on the path. Sometimes God gives us just enough light to see one step behind us into the future. 

That reminds me of the movie, WHAT ABOUT BOB, starring Richard Dryfus.  Bob is told by his shrink to take baby steps to overcome the fear of moving.  We must trust Him to be there for the next baby step.

Think about the life stories of those who intersected with yours in 2025.  What have you learned from those encounters?

Christmas Past

I have been writing this blog for several years now.  Some have read all or most of my Christmas posts.  For others, this may be the first.  I invite you to place "Christmas" in the search bar on the right column of this webpage.  You will then see a list of articles to choose from.  

I wish you all a MERRY CHRISTMAS! 

Ignorant Misunderstandings

www.flickr.com/

Ignorance is a misunderstood word.  One might be called ignorant, but we somehow hear “stupid.” They are not identical twins or even distant cousins.  Ignorance does not mean a lack of intelligence, but of knowledge.  For example, what is hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia?  You don’t know?  You are not stupid, but ignorant.  You don’t have the information.

I have to remind myself that there are people around me that act unkindly or out of sorts.  My reaction might be, “What a selfish individual.”  How much do I know what that person is facing.  Perhaps they are ill, recently had some bad news, are hungry, or ate something that makes them nauseous. 

I have hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (known as HHT).  It is a genetic bleeding disorder. Over 95% of us have frequent severe nosebleeds. You would look at me and probably say, “I don’t see anything wrong.”  First of all, thank you for saying that.  There are plenty of disorders that people can see.  They get the attention.  That’s not to take away from the other ailments, it’s just a fact.  If I ask for a seat on a busy transit train, people might say, “What’s his problem?” If I were on crutches, they would understand. 

We never know what others are facing, so it’s important not to jump to judgement.  This is especially handy in traffic.  Avoiding road rage is a good thing.

Jesus was going through a tough Friday. The calendar calls it “Good Friday,” not because it was good for Jesus but because it was good for us. He took our burdens, mistakes, disorders, and imperfections on himself so we would not have to carry them around the rest of our lives. 

This was brilliantly portrayed in the movie, “Mission,” starring Robert De Niro as a priest who formerly enslaved the natives of Paraguay, but also killed his brother in a duel over a woman. I invite you to see the clip below. He carried a heavy weight in a net, up a mountain as penance.  It reminds me of what Jesus did for me while carrying his cross.  Because he took my load, I didn’t have that burden. Later, true forgiveness came amidst the wave of emotions and relief. (especially look at timestamps 146-259).

Suffering is difficult, but it can become our mentor regarding life, character, and relationship with others.

(c) Wally Johnston 2025

Dysfunctional and Blessed Thanksgiving

 

Thanksgiving is a time for families.  That can be good or difficult, depending on the situation.  When I was working as a law enforcement chaplain, I often saw families at their worst, especially during the holidays.  The Norman Rockwell painting of the family gathered around the Thanksgiving table doesn’t fit for all Americans.  We want to think it applies.  

I have been watching a series called, “The Secret History of Family,” produced by the BBC.  The episodes are based on three young women sisters who grew up in East London in the 1800’s.  It is not a nice place.  You wouldn’t want to rent a B&B there.  They live in poverty and all end up spending time in prison for their imaginative ways of making money that happen to be illegal.  

The story is a look back from the perspective of their decedents.  Some ended up well-to-do and others much dysfunction and estrangement.  It is a journey into story as one views each episode and realizes how knowing one’s story can bring understanding and healing.

My family has a long and short story in America.  My grandfather on my mother’s side, came to the U.S. in the late 1800’s.  My mother’s other side were Pilgrims who came on the Mayflower in 1620.  My father’s family came from before the American Revolution.  At least one was a Patriot who fought in the Revolution and his son in the War of 1812.  So I guess you could say they had plenty of  time to mess up!

What is your story as you gather around the table this Thanksgiving?  Mine includes estrangement, addiction, betrayal, chronic illness, along with other challenges.  It is also mixed with love, blessings, and hope.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  No gifts or expectation of gifts are needed.  It is simply time for families to gather and be thankful.  If it becomes a gripe session or political wrestling match, that isn’t being thankful.  Let’s put all of that aside and breathe a sigh of thanksgiving.

______________________________________________________

What are you thankful for and why?  Please share with us all by clicking on the pencil icon below to reply.  We look forward to hearing what you have to say.

Points Of Commonality

 In new social environments, we tend to start conversations with something we have in common:  weather.  Eventually, we talk our way through sports, the economy, etc.  If we are smart, we won’t talk politics (did you know politics comes from two words: “poly”, meaning “many,” and “ticks” are blood-sucking creatures!).

Covid is another such topic of commonality.  Everyone has been impacted by the pandemic, either physically, financially, or around school and job changes. School kids many years from now will talk about their shared experience of Zoom education and disruption of person-to-person relationships.  I think my grandkids will remain close later on because they were each other's only playmates during the pandemic.

 You have probably heard of six degrees of separation.  (See below.)

The idea is to choose anyone to find a connection to others.  How about Abraham Lincoln? Let’s say you and I have just met and have shaken hands.  The story goes that my great-grandfather shook hands with Mr. Lincoln.  If I start with you (#1), you shake my hand (#2).  I shook my dad’s hand (#3), who in turn shook his father’s hand (#4).  My great-grandfather (#5) met Lincoln (#6) when he was reviewing the troops at Harrison’s Landing, Virginia.  So, I shook the hand that shook, that shook the hand of President Lincoln. Six degrees of separation.

As President Lincoln was reviewing the troops at the Berkley Plantation, Harrison's Landing, VA, in 1862, a history of my great-grandfather's regiment states:

    

"As President Lincoln passed along the front of the lines he was preceded by Gen. McClellan.  He was dressed in the costume familiar to the people by his portraits and his angular, attenuated figure seemed intensified by the high stovepipe hat he wore.  The men had but a glimpse of his features as his horse was moving at a brisk trot, but the glimpse was sufficient to make a lasting impression..."

Based on this statement, it is doubtful that my great-grandfather shook his hand, but the tradition of the handshake continues down the generations.  Maybe he had a chance later?

Below is a copy of a painting that covered the event.

Sometimes our stories launch a similar thought or experience that we have in common with others.  As a student, I represented my college.  I traveled to various locations in my role.  In one place I stayed, I told a joke to a high school student.  He in turn remembered a joke that related to mine, and the cycle began.  We spent numerous hours trying to be funny. Joking was our point of commonality.

We live in a time that separates people, especially politically.  Rather than focus on what we don't agree on, we should look for what we have in common. We may have more in common than we think.  Make it a point to find that commonality in others and discover connection. You may find some interesting people in your “six degrees of separation,” or is it “six degrees of connection?”

He Lifted Me Up

 

Tonight, I saw a stage production about Jesus.  They showed Peter walking on water toward Jesus.  His mistake was taking his eyes off Jesus and focusing on the waves.  He started sinking. His mistake was taking his eyes off Jesus and focusing on the waves.  He started sinking.

I know that sinking feeling. One day Jesus called me out of my old life.  I felt like I was walking on water, and other times I let the waves of doubt, old addictions, and sin get my eyes off of Him.  Each time He lifted me up and pulled me out to a place of safety.  I couldn’t do it without Him.  Believe me, I tried a few times and it just doesn’t work.

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday.  By Jesus overcoming death and the grave, he paid the price for us to escape whatever keeps us down.  

If you don’t know Jesus Christ personally, listen to His voice to call you out of the boat of your present circumstances.  If you are willing, He will pull you out as well. If you do know Him, keep holding on!

HAPPY EASTER...HE HAS RISEN!

Cough Drop Encouragement

Sometimes we miss the little things around us because they are always around. It’s like hiding in plain sight. Once, I was looking for my eyeglasses. I was looking everywhere except the one obvious place. Yep, I was wearing them!

Here is an example. Nearly everyday I have at least one Hall's cough drop. I popped one in my mouth and, being a little bored, I started reading the cough drop wrapper. Of all the years I’ve used Halls honey-lemon cough drops, I had no idea they had little phrases of encouragement! Seriously. I had a little difficulty reading the small print. I would need a seeing eye dog to tell me what it said. (Okay, I just used a magnifying glass). Here are some examples:

“Take ‘Can do” into ‘Can did.’” “You’ve survived tougher.” “Nothing you can’t handle.” “Tough is you middle name.” Here’s one for shoplifters- “Its’s yours for the taking.” “You can do it, and you know it.” “Power through” “You’ve survived tougher.” “March forward.” “Get back in there Champ.” “Flex your Can Do muscle.” “Buckle down and push forward.” “Elicit a few ‘Wows’ today.” “Be resilient.” “A pep talk in every drop.” “Hi five yourself.”

One of my favorite programs on CBS News is “Steve Hartman--On the Road.” He finds stories of encouragement and community spirit. On one of his recent shows, he featured elementary school children who offer an encouragement hotline. The students offer one line advice. Check it out below:

The question is: Where do you find your encouragement? If you are lacking in that department, try encouraging others. Before long, you find your attitude lifting and will make some new friends along the way.

(c) Wally Johnston 2023

Jumping On A Manhole Cover

 This guy was walking down the sidewalk and heard someone counting.  He looked out in the street and this man was jumping up and down on a manhole cover. "319, 319," he said. 

"What are you doing?" he asked the man on the street.  

He replied, "Come here and take a look." He opened the cover and when the guy looked in, the other kicked him into the hole!  He then put the lid on and proceeded with his counting, "320, 320."

The post that got the most views on this blog received 319 views.  These views came from around the world, but mostly in the United States.  Would you please help me beat that record?  Here are a couple of things you can do:

• Share this blog with others.  Share this link with all of your friends on social media: www.journeyintostory.com or simply hit the social media button at the end of each post.
• Sign up to receive updates on the latest posts.  Use the contact form on the upper right of this blog.
• Please "reply" and share your thoughts with others.

My hope was to have a weekly post, but I have had some physical challenges.  Your involvement with this blog will encourage me to push forward.

Thank you all, and I look forward to hearing from you!

THE FEAR AND JOY OF HIGH SCHOOL REUNIONS

I’ve never been to a high school reunion. Life got too busy and I usually lived far away from my Indiana hometown. I have plans to attend this summer. I won’t tell you how many years have passed but here is a hint...it has been half a century!

I went to the attic to find my class yearbook. It was buried so far back that I had to stop at a rest area on my search. I’m not sure why I need it. I remember my classmates when they were in their teens, and their class photos reflect that. NEWS FLASH!!! They don’t look like that anymore, and neither do I. It will be like joining with a group of strangers, who can’t recognize each other, yet have stories about you. It may seem like a Twilight Zone episode.

I had very few friends at school. My social circle was the youth group at church. They will always seem like family to me. Thanks to social media we can stay in touch but I noticed that none of us have felt brave enough to hit the video camera so we can see each other. Perhaps it will remind us of how “seasoned” we are. I was at a party once where you received a small piece of paper. We were asked to “Write down something about yourself that no one here would know about.” The papers were thrown into a container and each one chose someone else’s paper. We then had to figure out who the author of the answer was. The slip I got said, “I was once under 30.”

I have a question for you...Where has all the time gone? When I was young it seemed like life would never end and yet I find myself in the winter years of life. I’ve had so much water go over the dam that it dried up!

When I was young, I didn’t believe older adults who would say, “I wouldn’t trade being a young man for anything.” Are you kidding? I would have said, “It would be nice to be in my 20s and 30s again.” Let’s think about that. A youthful body would be a good thing, but without the life experience and knowledge I have now, I would probably get into real trouble! The last I looked, the only way to get life experience is to experience it. And if we are worth our salt, wisdom would be added to that life experience and knowledge. So now that we have talked this through, would I still want to be young again...here’s the answer...drum roll, please…Nope!

Maybe going to my high school reunion will be fun, as long as we all don’t expect youthful faces and figures (BTW...my six-pack is now a keg!).

The Weeklong Haircut

When I was a youngster, during the Jurassic period, my Dad took my brother and me to a specific barber. He only charged something like $1.50 for a haircut. Dad always looked for a deal. On another occasion, we arrived to find the barbershop burned down! It was a non-union shop and could charge less. In the end, that apparently made some union people upset. Now his shop was gone.

What was my dad going to do now? He decided HE was going to give us haircuts! He set us down and set out to create a masterpiece. He never won awards for his hair carvings. We hated it.

For the next week or so he would find feathered out hairs on our heads that needed trimming. Out came the comb and scissors. I tried to move in with the neighbors to get away but it was no use. I was stuck with week-long haircuts.

After my freshman year at college, I met a girl (later to be my wife), who then took on the challenge of cutting my hair. She said she would only do it if I wore an Afro (okay, it was the '70s). She actually did a good job by using a ruler to section off my hair. It was a thing of beauty. I gave up the Afro sometime in the ’80s.

From then on it was off to the barber I went...until COVID. Now I do YouTube haircuts. Anything is possible with YouTube...except a good self-haircut. I just about gave up. I was thinking my barbering days are over and would have to go to a real barber, but the other day my wife was looking at me and said, “You did a good job on the back of your head.” It was a moment of inspiration. I finally found how to do a decent job. I guess I won’t be hanging up my clippers any day soon.
Wally Johnston© 2022
*******************************************************
What are you doing about haircuts? What else have you done to adjust to life with COVID? Perhaps you might like to share it with the other readers. Please send your story to me at journeyintostory@gmail.com. If it is an original story, I’ll be sure to credit the copyright to you.  

THE EASY GIVE

 

In the hunt for things to do during this plague, people have come up with some creative ideas, including game nights, crafts, dance, vacation board (cut out articles and photos to make a collage of your dream vacation, and even a squirrel restaurant. That last one is where you make a little dining area with furniture for your yard squirrels. I’m just going to say it, that sounds squirrely but is probably fun.

Here is a great resource of ideas on USA Today for other ideas:

https://cutt.ly/akySBb3

If you are brave enough, you can take on all the stuff you’ve accumulated over the years and toss or give it away.

If you have lived as long as I have, there is a tendency to collect things over the years. I was at a meeting in a circle during polyester days. I looked down and saw a bunch of stuff stuck to my pants via static electricity. I announced to the group, “If you have lost anything, come see me, it’s probably stuck to my pants!”

With time on our hands, this might be the opportunity to clear out that accumulated stuff and pass it along to our favorite charity. There is a potential problem if you are married. We find it easier to toss out things that belong to the other person. My friend, Donna, is a widow. One day she was cleaning out a room and came across a stack of papers clipped together. The note said, “This is stuff Donna threw out.” It was a note from her late husband.

Some of the things we hold onto seem silly; that rock you’ve been hauling with each move that Dad once threw at a tree and broke his car window instead (admit it, that brings a smile to your face). My wife has many units of those little plastic parts trays full of color swaths she used to help customers find the clothes that best enhanced their eye colors. She then made a color pallet of swathes for each client. The last time she used them was, oh, let’s see, 40 years ago! Now when someone comes into my garage and sees the number of parts drawers, they are impressed, until I show them the contents. How embarrassing.

My wife is always more than ready to toss my stuff. Of course, I can always justify all of my sacred belongings. And when that rare occasion comes that I can fix something for her because of one of those possessions, I usually say, “See, I was able to make or fix this because of that thing you wanted me to throw away.” It doesn’t bring a smile to her face so I shouldn’t suggest it, but I just have to. I think we are going to need a mediator to come in and start tossing things for us. That sounds too painful, so I guess we’ll leave all this stuff for the kids to deal with when we kick the bucket! To summarize, it’s always easier to give someone else's stuff away than your own. Remember, “You can’t take it with you.” I told that to my neighbor and he said, “Then I’m not going.” He gone now, and so should be a lot of our junk!

Let's hear from you. What are you doing to keep yourself occupied?

(c) Wally Johnston 2021

FIX YOU

      

It’s Christmas Eve. This year it is a very different Christmas. I’ve been around a long time (don’t ask, trust me), and I’ve never experienced a pandemic Christmas. I don’t recommend it to anyone.

Around here, I’m known as Mr. Slow Wrench (to be more accurate, Mr. Good and Slow). I’m good at fixing things and I get a lot of projects because the people I work for, my wife, granddaughter, etc., don’t pay me. Maybe I should be called Mr. Poor Wrench. It’s true, I can fix many things. By the time you get it back you will have grown older, sometimes much older, but eventually you get it back fixed. You may not recognize it, but it will work, probably. One of my favorite TV characters is Canadian Red Green, who fixes everything with duct tape. Sometimes he comes up with some pretty good inventions that probably can’t be mass produced.

I HAVE SOME BREAKING NEWS, there are some things in life that cannot be fixed because we live in a broken world. Relationships break, things break, people get sick, and some die. Nations go to war, parents battle each other, abuse and family estrangement happens. If you want to see other examples, turn on the news.

I don’t know what you have faced during 2020, but we all have two common experiences, the pandemic, and we are broken.

The Bible is referred to as the Good News—the Gospel. Because we have too many things we can’t fix, God came down as a human baby, born in Bethlehem. It was as if God were saying, “I’ve got this covered,” and in fact Jesus does have it covered. He has covered our brokenness, and if we let Him, he will fix us.

(c) Wally Johnston 2020

The following are the lyrics to a song. The author says, “I’ll try to fix you.” Jesus says, “I’ll fix you.”

Click here to listen to the song on YouTube.

FIX YOU.

When you try your best, but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something, you can't replace
When you love someone, but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

And high up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try, you'll never know
Just what you're worth

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

Tears stream down your face
When you lose something, you cannot replace
Tears stream down your face and I
Tears stream down your face
I promise you, I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down your face and I

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

Songwriters: Christopher Anthony John Martin / Guy Rupert Berryman / William Champion / Jonathan Mark Buckland

Fix You lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Mgb Ltd.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

COMFORT FOOD

 

Okay, let’s be honest. We all have those special snack foods we’ve been eating during these times. In my house I am known by many things, Snack Master is one of them. To add some balance here, I have a small appetite and my meal portions are small (except for pizza). Truth be told, that leaves room for snacks later. You just can’t watch a movie without a snack! I used to snack on my fingernails but they are gone now.

My great-grandfather used to carry a snack in his backpack. It was called “hardtack."

I would call it “survival food.” He was in the American Civil War. Sometimes the supply lines would be interrupted so they had to live off of hardtack. It was made of baked flour and salt. It was too had to bite, so they would often dunk it into coffee to soften it up and sometimes let the weevils out so they could be scraped out of the coffee. I suppose if you did drink a weevil it would add protein.

I have some of this hardtack at home but I don’t touch it. Instead, I go for cookies, ice cream, cheese crackers, Dr. Pepper, and other fine examples of healthy food.

So, what is your comfort food? Send it in a reply and we’ll come up with a list of “Comfort Survival Snacks.” Bon appetite.

"There are two kinds of people in this world, those who like Dr. Pepper and those who don't"

(c) 2020 Wally Johnston