AN ACT OF LOVE

Back at Armen's apartment, he and Nan rest their legs on the floor as they speak to Drew, Nan's husband. Armen wears the sandals he typically completes all his carries in - a pair of navy blue Crocs that bare his soles. On snowier days, he wears his lace-up boots. Armen says he felt a sense of responsibility while he carried Nan. "Feeling the breath so close to me and feeling my breath and that being so prominent and hearing the struggles through the breath made me feel a tremendous amount of responsibility to take care - to get us through this experience - but that’s not to say it was all on me. It’s mutual," he explains. "Towards the end it was quite challenging. I had to really work through some pain, but what I find with this is that both people are trying to keep the other person as comfortable as possible, so there is a willingness to go through some discomfort and pain for the sake of the other person." Quite simply, he states, "It’s an act of love. You endure the pain out of love and this is what I find so interesting about this experience - how the two of us negotiate our discomforts for the sake of the other person." As required of The 100 Carry Project agreement, Nan writes on Armen's website about her experience. "I was struck by how much the carry reminded me of being a child again. I guess my parents carried me like that a lot when I was small. I really enjoyed feeling like a kid." Although it was Nan's legs that fell asleep and went numb halfway through the carry, she writes, "It was quite relaxing. I almost could have fallen asleep. We could have gone anywhere and I'd have ridden along." Nan says she overcame her need for control and timid tendency through the carry. "I had a few friends react with surprise that I was going to ride on the back of some man I'd never met. I was never uncomfortable with that. Yet, I can be quite shy and was surprised how easily I was able to hold on tight to this fellow. There was an easy feeling of trust." Nan rediscovered the human connection that Armen strives for in his project as well as a new outlook on an old perspective. "I walk that route every day to and from work. I always walk that way alone. Today I enjoyed more than simple companionship, but very close companionship. I also enjoyed seeing the sights I know so well from a taller perspective - things truly did look different. As I walk that way over the coming weeks, I'm sure I'll be thinking more about this."