A Perfectly Imperfect Union: Reflecting on America 250 with Larry Walsh

<p> Hey there, it's Michael. Welcome to Whole Again, the show that's here in support of you creating a meaningful life and the person you're becoming. And I'm excited to share a new series with you that will air this summer as America turns 250 years old, which is still pretty young relative to many other countries across this big blue marble that we all share.</p>
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<p>The series is called A Perfectly Imperfect Union. In 2022, I rode my bike across America from Astoria, Oregon to the Lincoln Memorial. My wife drove our RV and she had two co-pilots, Jester and Hope, two springer spaniels And when we did it, America was coming out of the pandemic and we were hurting.</p>
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<p>Hurting from things that had happened prior to the pandemic, of course, going through what we all went through. And at that time, and this is something I still believe today, is that we were entering an inflection point. An inflection point for us to hopefully pause, breathe, and reflect on who we wish to become as individuals, as communities, and as a country.</p>
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<p>As I pedaled across America, I wanted to share America's beauty with others, her natural beauty and the beauty of her people. And I also wanted to share where we were hurting As America turns 250, I believe Kintsugi, which is something we use as a metaphor here at Whole Again, is a perfect metaphor for where we are as a country.</p>
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<p>There's so much beauty to celebrate, and we can also acknowledge that parts of us feel broken or are broken. But we can find a way to come back together, just like Kintsugi teaches us. And when we do, we don't try to erase or cover up where we have scars or blemishes. We highlight them in gold, and we celebrate them as symbols of our strength and resilience.</p>
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<p>Kintsugi is called the golden repair, and in essence, we can see beauty in something that's perfectly imperfect. During this series, I plan to speak to at least two people in each state and the District of Columbia, so 102 conversations with real folk, as I like to say. We're gonna let the celebrities and the big influencers have their day somewhere else, but here I wanna reach out and talk to real people and listen to their reflections as they think about America turning 250 years old.</p>
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<p>And my hope is, is that you'll tune in to at least one, if not all 102, 'cause my theory going into this is that you'll hear different perspectives. Some may be aligned with yours, others may not. But my hope is that you hear the goodness in your fellow citizens and realize, as Maya Angelou shared with us, "We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike."</p>
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<p>We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike. I've had the privilege of traveling all over the world and all over this country, and this belief is something that I hold deep inside of me. So yes, I do believe that we are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike. So if you're ready to get to know one of your perfectly imperfect neighbors, just like all of us, take a healthy breath in and a slow releasing breath out and get to know Larry Walsh.</p>
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<p>Larry, my friend, so good to see you. Thanks for doing this with me. Welcome to A Perfectly Imperfect Union. How the heck are you today? </p>
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<p>Well, thanks for the invite. Doing great. Um, I'm hanging in Northern Michigan right now. Uh, I split time between here and, uh, Virginia, so I just happened to be up here in Northern Michigan.</p>
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<p>So we're meeting the... We're beating the, uh, 115-degree weather that you guys got last week. Not quite there yet, so, but all good. Yeah, </p>
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<p>it's been- </p>
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<p>All good. Yeah ... </p>
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<p>it's been a, it's been a little, little warm. So, uh, I know you, um, but, uh, many people might not who are listening in. So can you take a moment to introduce yourself?</p>
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<p>And you've alluded to, like, Northern Michigan and also Virginia, so, um, tell us a little bit about something that's cool about each one of those states. </p>
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<p>Yeah, so, uh, I mean, just a very, very, very high level, uh, married 34 years, three kids, awesome kids. Our youngest is a, uh, a senior in, uh, William &amp; Mary in Virginia, which is the reason why we moved down.</p>
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<p>He's a track guy, so we actually go to all of his track meets. And, uh, a, um, you know, I'm a kind of a many year Army guy, uh, multiple year pharmaceutical guy, and then the last seven years I've just been, uh, doing different things and exploring and sort of, if you wanna use that word, quote, "reinvent," uh, although I think it's, it's, uh, it, it, it kind of makes the point of what I've been doing for the last several years.</p>
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<p>Uh, some by choice, some not by choice, but it's been a great, uh, experience. So my wife is from Michigan, and, uh, she spent a lot of time up here in Northern Michigan. It's about four hours north of Detroit, just south of Mackinac Island, one of the lakes. So we have a cabin up here. So we do the summer up here, and the 50% of the time we're down in Williamsburg, Virginia, and, uh, enjoying history and watching our kids and just having a good time.</p>
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<p>Very cool. Uh, that's awesome. So we share something in common. We share a couple different things in common. One is we both have ridden our bikes across the country. So when you, when you reflect on that trip What, what comes to mind as, as things that you discovered about America that you may not have, like, realized before the trip?</p>
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<p>Well, I mean, I think I'll, I'll, uh, I guess I'll answer it a little bit... Well, I'll answer the question, but also a little bit different. I, I kinda went on the, the cycling in 2018. I did this, uh, the southern tier of, uh, San Diego to Florida partly because I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do. I had just gotten laid off from a company and, you know, 30-some years of...</p>
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<p>And I just didn't wanna go back to that same work, and so I was trying to figure things out, and one way to do that is just see America, right? So that was really- Sure ... in, in a nutshell. Um, but you know, I, I could talk with anyone, and I just had the experience of a lifetime, as you know. Just, you, you know, every dest- every little town is a destination.</p>
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<p>In a car, you, you're driving 300 miles, maybe stopping for gas or whatnot, but, uh, on a bike, man, every, every little town is a place to stop and, and greet and chat. And you know, folks are obviously, they see you, you know, saddled up, you know, all grungy and panniers all over the place and, you know, it's like, "Hey, what's going on?"</p>
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<p>And it's a five, 10-minute conversation, and it's just so wonderful. So I, I look at that as sort of a, um, a great experience. Um, I always wanted to do it. I just sort of think about my rides back in, from California to New York when I was working. I'd look out the window and just marvel at the, the landscape below and just wonder how cool that would be to do something like that, and I had the opportunity, and so I took it.</p>
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<p>Uh, and then I did it the next year too, Michael. I don't know, I... So I... That was a tour. Then I actually, I went into a race the following year, um, and I- </p>
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<p>Yeah, the, the, the ride across America. Yeah. Yeah, the race across America, </p>
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<p>right? You know, I, I kind of wanted to push, just, just to s- uh, test myself physically and mentally and, you know, try and...</p>
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<p>And that's sort of part of the, what I try to do even today, is just get out there and get out of my comfort zone and, you know, see people by doing that and just see America. And um, I mean, that second ride, which is the Trans America Trail, goes from Astoria, Oregon to Yorktown of all places. You know, it's, you know, you're going through where Lewis and Clark went, all the Native American history.</p>
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<p>I mean, stories galore, wonderful experience. And um, you know, I kinda j- I'll just sort of, kinda close this part of, with a, a, a story. When I was in, um- Virgi-, uh, Virginia City, Montana, you might remember it. And- </p>
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<p>Yes. Yeah ... </p>
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<p>just one of the s- like the coolest places in the world, and it just kinda hit me as like, "Why in the world w- do kids wanna go see...</p>
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<p>spend some time in Europe?" Nothing wrong with that, by the way, but we have so much here in the United States. Why not sorta spend, uh, three weeks in Virginia City or wherever else in, you know, uh, in Wyoming and so forth? Just so much to see. So to- America to me is that, is that place where I just kinda... You know, I get little goosebumps thinking about the rides across the country and just the people and having the opportunity to have been able to sort of take that experience and having the support of my family, and, uh, it was just a great experience.</p>
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<p>And as, and you can sort of relate, of course, and you know, you know, you know, you know the drill, so it's a great thing and I try to encourage people to do that. The hardest part's the time. Who has the time, you know? </p>
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<p>Yeah. You gotta make the time for s- some of these special experiences. You know, it's... We, we, we have it, uh, and granted, like riding across the country is a good chunk of time, but what you mentioned earlier is that this is a, a big, big country, uh, breathtaking, awe-inspiring beauty Worth traveling through, worth visiting all the different states.</p>
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<p>And there is something about riding across America on your bike. It's, it's the pace that you, you pedal at. You stop in these towns that when you fly over them, you're like, "This is in, in the middle of nowhere," but it's somewhere to all the people who live there. </p>
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<p>Mm-hmm. </p>
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<p>It's what, it's where they call home.</p>
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<p>And you, uh, walk into a cafe or you walk into a convenience store and you strike up a conversation and you start to get to know people and they get to know you. And, um, when I was, when I was doing it, everyone would ask me like, "Where are you going to?" Yeah. "</p>
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<p>Where are you </p>
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<p>heading to?" </p>
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<p>Right, right. </p>
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<p>And, and so I did the Trans America Trail, uh, up to the plain of Kansas, and then we, we made a little bit of a switcheroo, and when I would tell people like, "Well, we're heading to DC," and they're like, "Wow, why would you do that?</p>
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<p>It's perfectly fine here." Right, right, right. And like, it's just, it's like, you know, it's, you know, it's, it's, it's that's what makes the country so interesting is that everyone has a, a different perspective and a different lived experience and a, a different place that they call home. Uh, sometimes it's their whole lives.</p>
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<p>Sometimes it's at different stages or seasons in one's life. So, uh, yeah, so I, I love the fact that we have that shared experience, um, at different times on different trips, but seeing the country that way is a really beautiful way to see the country. </p>
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<p>Yeah, and I, I just... If, if I could just add on, I think, um, y- you know, the, seeing the country like that, you kinda...</p>
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<p>I mean, I can't remember what I did yesterday, but I can remember exact interactions I had with folks on the intersection of a, of a, of a town in, in Kent, Texas, or Hunt, Texas or something like that, because it's just so embedded in your mind, right? And you know as I- Oh, totally. </p>
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<p>Yeah ... </p>
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<p>and you hear about stories, you know, in the news now, and you, you kinda hear these different towns talked about and so forth, and there's a pretty good chance that you and I at one point probably rode through one of those, right?</p>
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<p>So you have this, this real ex- and it-- then the, the, the sort of the visual comes back and you have a five-minute sort of reflection and so forth. And to me that, you know, I didn't think about that when I was riding the bike, but that is actually what happens now, and it's a lot of fun to sort of be able to sort of bring that connection back to, you know, at some point it's like, "Wow, I was there on a bike," and that was kinda cool, you know?</p>
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<p>Yeah. No, I love it. I love it. I, I share, I share that feeling or that vibe as well with you, Larry. So when we think about where we are as a country, obviously there's a lot of news about how divided we are or how disconnected we are. Are there experiences where you feel connected though to your, your fellow neighbor or your, you know, uh, from a, a meta perspective, your neighbor, um, uh, uh, metaphorically speaking, you know, the, your fellow citizens, where you feel connected with them, even, even if you happen to have a different perspective on whatever topic may be out there?</p>
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<p>Yeah. So I, I probably, uh, I look at this th- th- through a completely different lens. I'm not a, I'm not a- Sure ... sort of immune to all the news stories and so forth, but that to me is not America. I, I really, I look at my own experience in the service, you know, I, I mean, we could have a conversation about what that looks like as a 22-year-old new second lieutenant That is in charge of quote-unquote 39 individuals in a platoon that come from all walks of life and, you know, you just, it's like y- y- you find your common mission, you find your common goals, and I just happened to be an athlete, so I was able to sort of connect with them well and, you know, and, and, and, you know, y- it's, it's, uh, it's amazing how people are, are not what is, uh...</p>
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<p>You saw that on the, on your bike. People are just really good people. Sure. My experience- Good </p>
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<p>people ... </p>
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<p>my experience is not that this country is so divided like we see in, you know, in the news. And it's a snapshot of course, and those are stories that are real and all of that, but it's a microcosm. And I, you know, I tell my kids, I, you know, I say, "Listen," 'cause good or bad or indifferent, my kids have moved with my wife and I, moving back and forth for all the different jobs.</p>
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<p>We lived in 14 different states and the kids didn't live in that many different states- Oh, wow ... but many. Sure. So I always ask them, "What is your experience? Is your experience, your life experience the same or different than what you read about or you hear about?" Your life experience is the truth. The other is not.</p>
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<p>So that's the way I look at it, Michael. I don't-- I mean, obviously there's issues and so forth, but, um, we are a, uh, we are a co- it's an amazing country for all the reasons we've discussed, and people are genuinely nice, as you know, kinda going across the country. And so I, I don't, you know, I don't get involved in a lot of the, you know, all the stuff that's on the news and whatnot.</p>
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<p>I know it's out there, but, uh, uh, that doesn't change. So when I saw that question, I'm like, we're not the, we're not... We're divided if you wanna be divided. We're not really divided. We are a strong country with wonderful people. The people are great. On the edges, for sure. On the edges, I'm not saying there's not, but 99.9% are just great that have differences of opinions, big deal.</p>
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<p>Like, you know, whatever. But that's it. That's the way I look at it. </p>
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<p>I, I appreciate that answer. I also, yeah, going back to our trips, found that to be the case. I often say that like 97% of the people are good. It's like the 1.5 on the edges of both edges that make up the balance. The 3% balancer can be a little, uh, extreme.</p>
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<p>But from, for the most part, people are good. They want a good life. They, they wanna raise a good family, um, make it better for their kids. And, um, we'll, we'll come together, especially when there's a crisis, to help their fellow neighbor out. Um, so, and, you know, I, yeah, again, I saw that during, during my trip.</p>
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<p>So you've had like different leadership positions throughout your career and, you know, going back to your military days. We, as leaders, we, we love to think about like how do we help whatever group that we're leading. Uh, it can be a community, it could be a society, it could be the country, uh, uh, in addition to a, a company or a corporate team.</p>
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<p>And we want, you know, the country to get a little bit better tomorrow than it is today. Is there one thing in particular that you would like to focus in on if you could help take that first step towards that? Uh, maybe not in a perfect way, but like in a meaningful way to, just to help us become a little bit more connected or, uh, stronger or live into our potential, however you wanna think about the question </p>
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<p>Yeah.</p>
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<p>So you and I are roughly the same age, uh, maybe a couple years here and there. Yep. So the, the older we get, you know, that thing they call y- you get wiser, and that's for someone else to decide. I'm not saying that. Yes. To use that, that cliche. But the older I get, the more I realize that, uh, I don't know all the answers.</p>
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<p>And, uh, because I don't, and I'm okay saying that. And this is where-- I mean, I really do think if I had a chance to sort of think about, you know, maybe, you know, what, what is, what is a, a, a thought that you could share? I... Humility and curiosity are two things that, uh, clearly when, and I don't focus on that, that's the quote news part of it, they...</p>
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<p>people don't get-- they don't understand what those two words are. There is an element of curiosity which gets you to sort of think back and sort of start asking questions and try to understand more. Uh, and the less you know, the more comfortable you are in your skin, in my view, the more I'm curious, and I love asking questions, right?</p>
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<p>I think the second part is the humility piece of it. It's like, I mean, what's the answer to this question? I don't know. And you know, it's like- Yeah. ... it's like, let's come from that angle. I have an idea, maybe a try, let's do this. But I don't know the answer to... And so that is what I would wish. And I guess, you know, if, if you have a, a, a podcast and you're, you're...</p>
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<p>don't know answers and you're v- curious and always asking questions and not giving opinions, I mean, you know, I'm saying, you know, I probably wouldn't be very successful, right? 'Cause you're supposed to have an opinion. You're supposed to know everything, right? </p>
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<p>Yeah, no, I, um, I, I, I appreciate where you're coming from.</p>
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<p>I think in, in this, in my bigger podcast, Whole Again, this is just a series within Whole Again, I try to serve up the things I serve up with this attitude of like, this particular thing helped me. I'm not sure if it's gonna help you. </p>
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<p>Right. </p>
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<p>We all have our own recipe. I, I call it your, our own Toll House cookie recipe.</p>
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<p>You know, there's some basic ingredients that we need to make good cookies, but with each recipe on the back of the bag, we might change it here or there to suit our tastes and our needs. And I think life is that way, and I think in today's culture we've gotten the humility piece has, uh, atrophied, where people feel like they have to have like, "This is what you need.</p>
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<p>It's gonna work for everyone," right? And you, you can look at videos on YouTube that are titled in a certain way or posts on social media, and they're posted or they're labeled in such an emphatic, absolute, this is the right answer way. And, uh, a little humility, like, "You know what? I don't know, and I'm okay with not knowing."</p>
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<p>It's actually refreshing and my secret hope is that we can get to that place as we go forward with like, like, "You know, I don't know, but you know what? I'm gonna take some action that's gonna be kind and compassionate. I'm gonna lead with my heart," and, uh, I think that might be a good step forward. So yeah, I appreciate what you're sharing on that.</p>
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<p>Yeah, and I actually think that's a... You know, I, I can't change what I did yesterday from my sp- but I can- </p>
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<p>Nope ... </p>
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<p>I can focus on what I do today and tomorrow and the next day and just try to be a good- Absolutely ... try to be a good person. Just, you know, try, try, w- and- </p>
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<p>Try to be a good person. Yeah ... </p>
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<p>and if you make a mistake, move on.</p>
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<p>Yeah. I think the other, if I would just... The reason why it's, I don't n- have the answer is, is we've had so many experiences through this thing called life and, you know, many years of, decades of going out and seeing things that, you know, there are contra- contradictory examples that I've seen for whatever topic you throw out.</p>
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<p>And so I have a memory of this, a memory of that. They're, they're diabolically opposed to each other, but those are real experiences. So I have an opinion about something, but that's why I say I don't know the answer because it's not so clear-cut. There's a lot of nuance. I think in g- like, again, in general, the, the country is just, it's so diverse and so different, yet we are common good people.</p>
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<p>And that's, that's... I'll always believe that and, uh, I will- </p>
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<p>Yeah ... </p>
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<p>convince others, I guess, if there's one thing I try to convince. Yeah. It's </p>
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<p>a, well, it's a good belief to, it's a good belief to carry, so yeah. I love </p>
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<p>it. Go out there and ride a bicycle and see for yourself, is what I tell people. </p>
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<p>Absolutely.</p>
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<p>Well, hey, movement is medicine, at least from my perspective. Like, move your body in a way, get out, and there's something about this country As far as its size, that makes it like the perfect country to ride your bike through and, or ride your bike on. And traveling at that pace rather than going 65 miles per hour, or as they go out west, 75 or 80 miles per hour.</p>
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<p>Of course, in New Jersey they go 80, but it's against the speed limit. </p>
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<p>Right. Right. </p>
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<p>Uh, but like the speed limit posted in Wyoming and Montana that we've talked about is like 75 miles per hour. So when we slow it down and we go 15 or 16 or 17 miles an hour or thereabouts, plus or minus, we see things differently.</p>
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<p>By the way, in my case, my- </p>
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<p>So, but hey, you're pedaling. Yeah, yeah. So it's good to be out there in nature. So I th- so I see it as that movement is, is therapy, which brings me to the questions that we'll wrap up with. So what I've been doing in this series has been asking the person I chatted with last if they have a question for you, Larry, and you get to ask a question too of the next guest.</p>
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<p>So the question that comes up is coming up from Taylor, and her question is: when you think of therapy, what comes to mind, and do you think of different types of therapy? If so, what are those types? </p>
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<p>Um, interesting. I don't think of the word therapy as much. I mean, in a medical sense, I go to a doctor, I have...</p>
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<p>I need a medicine or whatever or, or something. </p>
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<p>Sure. </p>
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<p>But in the, in the... sort of this conversation, I... for me, uh, it's exercise. So if I- </p>
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<p>Okay ... </p>
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<p>um, if I'm sort of stuck with doing something or whatever, I, I'm writing something I kind of just can't get over thinking about, I go out for a run or I, or, you know, ride my bike or do something.</p>
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<p>It sort of... That to me is, quote unquote, therapy because it allows me to think creatively and then oftentimes- Yeah ... an idea will come and I'll get back to the house and I write it down. Otherwise I'll forget it. So for me, it's, uh, in, you know, as long as my body will continue to be, you know, be able to do that, uh, for me, I, I need my exercise and if I'm stuck, it's, uh, it's, you know, it just kind of...</p>
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<p>Y- you know, you just kind of start to get jittery and sort of anxious and so forth. Sure. I need to get out there and just sweat and that's, that's, uh, that's what I do. </p>
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<p>All right. Move the ideas throughout the body. I love it. I love it. So what question do you have for the next person I chat with? </p>
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<p>You know, I'm kind of curious.</p>
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<p>It depends on i- if it's a, um, if it's a older person like you and I, what is their... how do they define their next adventure? What are they gonna do? Yeah. Okay If it, if it's a younger person- All right ... I guess, you know, what, what do they see themself doing in five years, I guess would be a good question. So yeah.</p>
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<p>Okay. All right. So I can ask a great question about adventure. Yeah. So, uh, I love it, Larry. So thank you so much for joining me on this. I know we talked years ago, and it's really great to reconnect and talk about Nevada City or Virgi- sorry, Virginia City in Wyoming, and that's such a cute town. I love that you brought that up.</p>
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<p>I actually was thinking about that I actually used a photo of the America- American flag from my visit through that town- Okay. </p>
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<p>Okay ... </p>
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<p>in one of my posts of late. So I, I was like, that was like a, a great little visit, a great stop. That's where we stayed. So I love that you brought it up. And thanks for being here, and thanks for putting a ripple effect out there into the world and, uh, showing up with, uh, compassion and goodness.</p>
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<p>So I appreciate you, brother. Thanks for being here. </p>
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<p>Thanks, Michael. I will stay in touch for sure. </p>
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<p>Absolutely.</p>
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<p>I love the fact that I was able to sit down with Larry for this series. We met years ago because a mutual friend knew that we were both into cycling, and it's really cool that Larry also rode his bike across the country using some of the same route I took. There's just something about riding through a country, and I think the US is a great country to ride your bike through.</p>
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<p>It's the pace. It's the ability to meet strangers, talk them up, make connections. With the pace of a bicycle, you can just see more. That's what happens when we slow down. So often we're just rushing from one thing to the next thing, just trying to get through it. But the bicycle allows us to take more in and build greater connection with the environment that's around us.</p>
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<p>So I love the fact that we were able to reminisce a bit about our trip, and I love his take on how he sees America right now and his question about adventure. So how would you respond to Larry's question? What's your next big adventure? Let me know in the comment section below. And as always, thanks for listening in.</p>
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<p>Thanks for being here, and I hope you'll check out the next episode of Whole Again and continue to listen in to this series, A Perfectly Imperfect Union. But until then, remember to celebrate your scars as golden symbols of your strength and resilience. And don't forget to have fun storming the castle.</p>
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<p>And if you wish to learn more about creating beautiful ripples and how to prevent a bad moment from turning into a bad day, please visit my website, michaelobrienshift.com, and sign up for my newsletter called The Ripple Effect. And join us each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday here at Whole Again, and discover how you can heal, grow, and become more resilient, and celebrate our scars as golden symbols of strength and resilience.</p>
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<p>Until then, remember, you can always come back to your breath. You've got this, and we've got you.</p>