Welcome to this month's edition of Adventurous Life!
In this issue:
I welcome your thoughts, feedback & suggestions for stories.
Please don't hesitate to contact me or swing by www.judywolf.com to see what's new.
Pass this newsletter along to a friend!
This winter, I left the brittle ice of New England for a brief visit to my grandmother in Arizona. While I was there, I woke up early each morning, pulled on my running gear, and loped outside for a tour of the neighborhood. Block after block of flat-roofed, one-story homes in brick and stucco (and the rooster that announced his presence from a nearby yard each sunrise) transported me back to my travels in Latin America.
I ran past cactus gardens landscaped with stones. Birds called to me from within their protective fence of cactus quills, and warm weather trees were still blooming with a scent like honeysuckle. Occasionally a square of emerald green lawn would appear, like a garish patch in an otherwise subtle and ingenious design.
The area was experiencing its worst drought in years, so these moments of green were not only startling, but unsettling. I rounded a corner. Before me rose a building that looked like a museum. It took up six or more square blocks, and around it stretched imposing wrought iron fences and a vast expanse of greenery, still shimmering from an all-night watering. I turned away in disgust.
A few blocks later, I reached the edge of the quiet neighborhood, bounded by major streets filled with morning traffic. Noise, exhaust, and the tired look of main drag storefronts greeted me. Two or three men stood on each corner: day laborers, waiting for their rides. We exchanged nods and pleasant greetings as I passed.
The rooster had stopped crowing by the time I returned to my grandmother's apartment. "Did you see the Mormon Temple?" she asked. "Those beautiful gardens? I forgot to tell you, don't run up to Broadway. Those Mexicans hang out there. You don't want to go up there. You run around the temple, that's safe."
"Grandma," I said, aware we were about to have a disagreement. "The Mexicans don't worry me -- they're just a bunch of guys on their way to work. The Mormons, though, they terrify me -- they're wasting water in a drought."
This month, pull apart the assumptions you make in your life: what's safe, what's not, and why? Fear hides in all kinds of corners. This month, peer into a couple of them -- internal, external, interpersonal, physical, emotional -- and see what you discover.
Intrigued by the idea
of hauling yourself up frozen waterfalls? Or just want to live vicariously
while curled in a cozy armchair in front of the fireplace? Reporter and editor
Gary Falleson recently wrote an article on ice climbing, and was kind enough
to ask me what I liked about the sport. You can read "Embracing
the Ice" online.
If you're like me, you're sometimes overwhelmed by the size and scope of the world's "problems." When talking about a subject as huge as world hunger, for instance, it's easy to doubt you can make a difference. When I ran across an article on Modest Needs (which has been featured on NPR and in national publications such as Reader's Digest, Hope and People magazines), I saw that someone just like myself could make a huge difference in the lives of other individuals.
Designed to help people living paycheck to paycheck, this fast-growing foundation helps individuals with small (under $1000), unexpected, and often devastating expenses. Founded by Keith Taylor in March 2002, Modest Needs has grown from a personal project -- he started out by giving the site 10% of his monthly paycheck -- to a full-fledged, tax-exempt organization that by June of 2002 was averaging around $10,000 in monthly giving.
From children's eyeglasses to unexpected medical bills and emergency car repairs, this site is about people helping people in sudden need. The best part is, it's all done through small, often one-time donations from folks just like you and me. In its first seven months, Modest Needs distributed "more than $76,000 to people who needed a small amount of short term help, and nearly ALL of that money has been given to the site $2, $5, and $10 at a time."
"This earth owns me, for I have borrowed the matter from which I'm made from
her sticks and grasses and clouds. Someday, she will reclaim this form, as
she reclaims the fallen tree in the hemlock grove.
I know, too, all that is powerful and holy is here -- breath and wind, stone and sky, trees, and life. Here is God, the 'Great I Am.' If I flee this moment or fill it with fear and anxiety, I dishonor it, and miss a sweet touch of eternity."
-
Karen Monk,
"Spirit Walk"
Top 5 Ideas to Inspire You This Month
"Everybody wants to do something to help, but nobody wants to be first."
- Pearl Bailey
10
Things to Do Before I Die
This month's 10 Things
were contributed by Jeanne R.
in Felton, PA
What 10 things do you want to do before you die? What makes your day? What do you want to feel, do, or experience in your life?
Interested in becoming a philanthropist? Besides one-time or monthly pledges by check or PayPal, the site's "Contribute" section includes creative ideas like donating your "junk" to the site's eBay auction page and volunteering your time and skills once a month to help people who specifically request that sort of assistance.
Want to learn about other non-profit organizations or find out more about deciding where to give your time and resources? Guidestar, a U.S.-based national database of non-profit organizations, offers a straightforward 10-Step Guide for Charitable Giving that's useful for balancing the priorities of your head and heart.
Share your own ideas for how to make a difference in the world, or let me know about cool projects or interesting sites you discover! Drop me an e-mail. adventure@judywolf.com
What's New?
Join me for my Travel & Adventure Workshop for Women on March 12, 6:00 - 9:00 pm, at Cazenovia College.
Register by phone at 315-655-7107 or e-mail your name, address, and phone number to jrees@cazenovia.edu.
To learn more, visit www.judywolf.com/workshops.htm
About the author:
Judy Wolf is a world traveler, freelance writer, speaker, and whitewater kayak instructor. She's taken numerous, extended solo journeys around the world, traveling by foot, bus, jeep, camel, truck, boat, train, plane, elephant, and bicycle to over 30 countries on five continents. She currently lives in upstate New York with her husband and border collie, where she's working on a book-length travel narrative about her most recent adventures…that is, when she's not plunging off waterfalls or entertaining the dog.
Learn more at www.judywolf.com.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone you feel might find it of interest. If you cut and paste content, please make sure you include all attribution, copyright, and contact information. Thanks!
To subscribe to or unsubscribe from Adventurous Life, go to www.judywolf.com/newsletter
To contact Judy Wolf: http://www.judywolf.com or e-mail now (or snail mail to 3786 Dawes Ave, Clinton NY 13323).
Copyright © 2003 Judy Wolf