As I walked around the track under the beating sun, I considered a segment of Tim’s opening speech: “Walking 24 hours is nothing compared to what people go through battling cancer.

I decided to challenge myself to a full-day walk. With every lap I thought, “Mind over matter, Matt, mind over matter.”

I observed quite a bit as I went around. Kids ran and played in the fields, kites danced in the wind, and as the day passed more and more people had red, green and blue hair. I applaud the man with the pink beard.

I did my best to listen to my body. Of course it kept saying, “Please stop walking,” but I pushed through. I drank water when I needed, ate fruit when I felt hungry and followed my nose as the smell of cooking meat caught my attention. At one point I indulged in a splendid root beer float a friend’s mom bought me. The Harry Potter discount was much appreciated. Thank you!

Many kept me company through the day. As my friend Mark walked with me, I commented on how the relay seems to give kids a sense of purpose. “Ice cold lemonade!” yelled a little girl about every time I came by. Late at night two other girls kept insisting that I, along with other walkers, needed hot chocolate. It wasn’t just the youth, either.

I realized the same people manned the same booths throughout the entire day. The team with the hair-coloring fundraiser had a dedicated girl not only staying busy throughout the afternoon but also staying present when the line dissipated. Vincent was onstage conducting the entertainment all day. The luminaria booth was open constantly. Food was available at the Lions Club trailer whenever my stomach complained. A former coworker patiently waited on standby in case of injury, along with the rest of his crew. Last, but not least, everybody walked their turn on the track. The question this leads me to is, Why do we Relay? Why do we do all of this work?

When I was first asked why I relayed I didn’t know how to answer. Most respond saying they have family members who either passed away due to cancer or who are survivors. Of course I knew people who have and had cancer, but that wasn’t what brought me to the relay. What I enjoy about Relay is watching a community develop over the course of 24 hours. In the morning people are still in their own skin. Excited, but more so to themselves as they busily build their temporary home base. As the day progresses we warm up. By the end of the day everyone is working together, lining the luminaries along the track. Conversations with new people arise. Acknowledgment and smiles are exchanged.

In previous years I contemplated this social phenomenon. How can strangers come together as a community so easily? I thought that because we have all experienced the pain of a loved one going through cancer, we are able to recognize some aspect of ourselves in one another and therefore are able to express love and kindness. In other words, pain brings people together.

As I walked the track this time around, feeling the pain in my legs, I realized I was wrong. The power we have as individuals to fight through something so inhibiting does not come from pain. The main reason we are brought together is because of the meaning that life has to us — that is the reason we fight. I walked that track, even though my legs were aching, because on that day I had a purpose. I was intent on demonstrating that the body is only a vessel that allows our existence to be expressed. It is something to be valued and to be taken care of, but not something to stop us from accomplishing our goals.

We don’t come together to cry and to feel pity for one another. We come together to celebrate life and to share with one another the meaning that life has to us, whether we are driven by the love we have for family and friends or the joy of experiencing another day in a beautiful world.

After my thirteenth hour I threw in the towel. I considered drinking one of my energy drinks but decided that listening to and taking care of my body was more important than walking the entire event. Though I slept through the night (and snuck out to shower), I feel that this was a very enlightening relay and I am most definitely looking forward to the next year. Thank you to everyone who participated and helped to make this year successful.

(Quisenberry lives in Napa.)