Connie Shin

So in October, on my actual birthday, I decided that I would walk the entire perimeter of Manhattan in one day because somebody told me it's actually 32 miles long.

I wrote this essay and I sent it to all my friends and family explaining the significance of this birthday.

And I invited people to walk with me.

I was floored by people's responses.

My mom immediately went out and bought a pair of hokas and said she would walk with me.

Some of my mom's siblings apologized to me for never talking about my dad.

I had friends who didn't live in New York who said, I'm gonna go on a 32 minute walk in honor of you and your dad.

And I set up this tracker on Google Maps so that anyone anywhere could see my path throughout the day.

I started walking at 7 a.m.

from the base of Manhattan from South Ferry Station.

And as I began to walk along the west side, various people from my life started to show up.

A roommate from grad school came and she walked with me for a few miles.

Some cousins on my mom's side of the family came and they brought their three kids and we kicked a soccer ball through Battery Park.

And as I continued to just cruise up the West Side Highway, more and more people started to show up.

Even this guy that I recently matched with on Hinge came and walked with me for a few miles.

And then my cousin Andrew showed up.

Andrew is the son of my dad's younger brother.

He's just a year younger than me, so he was almost two when my dad was killed.

My uncle had told his kids that my dad had died in a car crash and it wasn't until Andrew was in his 20s that he learned how my dad really died.

I invited my uncle to do the walk and I even finally asked him to tell me stories about my dad.