Started the last day of my Walk Across Connecticut in the rain in Ledyard and ended with our traditional end-of-walk celebration at the Mystic Seaport Museum with a beautiful sunny afternoon. This is my favorite week of the year because I get to talk to hundreds of people about what matters in their life.

Here’s a rundown of my fourth and final day on my eighth Walk Across Connecticut:

Stopped in to say hi to the team at the Ledyard Board of Education. One of the biggest topics that people raise with me on my Walk Across Connecticut is making sure our schools have the resources they need.

Later on, I talked to Pete. We spent a while in his front yard talking about the value of compromise and understanding. He’s worried that people don’t believe in the good — only the perfect. As someone who spends a lot of time trying to drive compromise in Washington and believes in making progress, it was a pretty amazing conversation.

“I tell my grandkids,” he said, “find a way to get along with people. Don’t write them off because they’re different from you.”

I was shadowing Chris’s UPS truck on my walk for about a mile and I finally caught up with him to say hello. He loves working for UPS, in large part because the workers have a union. Good pay, benefits. Even the part time workers - like his son - get health care.

During my walk through Mystic, I learned that two local chefs are finalists for the prestigious James Beard award, celebrating the best chefs in America. I met with Reneé Touponce of The Port of Call. Also nominated is David Standridge of The Shipwright's Daughter.

There are so many great small businesses in downtown Mystic. I stopped into a few of them — Lighthouse Bakery, Bank Square Books, and Engine Room.

After four days of walking, I finally reached the shoreline at the Mystic Seaport Museum. It’s always great to see so many friends at our end-of-walk celebration. Thanks to everyone who came out!

That’s a wrap on this year’s Walk Across Connecticut! It was an amazing four days walking from Suffield down to the shoreline, and I’m so grateful to everyone who took time out of their day to share their story with me. Until next year!

Every best wish,

Chris Murphy

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