Adventurous Life Newsletter - Inviting You to Find Inspiration in Odd Corners (April 2003)

When I first moved to my third-floor apartment off a nondescript street -- the kind most people pass on their way someplace else -- I didn't think much of the neighborhood except that it was affordable. Then I started walking every morning. Rain or shine, I paced a route through my neighborhood.

I started walking as an easy way to add motion to my life. Soon I found walking to be a natural form of meditation, more natural for me than sitting still. I discovered that walking was a way to ground myself as I entered each day, a habit that formed a pleasing connection to my environment.

At first, I only noticed large-scale changes: someone's roof was being repaired, a driveway had been freshly sealed, or a rosebush was waving full blooms over the fence. Then I began noting smaller shifts, looking forward to the tiny details of my path: how much bigger were the tree buds today, had the children's chalk on the sidewalk been scuffed since yesterday, did the ground smell different after the rain?

Some days I would see how far I could go without letting thoughts spin through my head. Other days, I would ponder a question I'd left simmering in my subconscious, waiting to see what my footsteps stirred to the surface.

By the time I moved from that city a year later, the thing I knew I would miss most was my neighborhood -- my nondescript, hardly noticeable neighborhood. If this is the sort of intimacy that can be created merely by walking and noticing, meditating and absorbing, what a powerful tool we have in the soles of our feet. This month, start taking the same walk every morning and simply see what happens.

Changing the World One Footstep at a Time:
A Mother's Trek for Truth

Lori Bohannon, a 40-year-old mother from Mendocino, Calif., left her home, husband, and 10-year-old son Josh on March 20. Over the past two years, she's watched the President refuse to sign global treaties to protect the environment, deny funding to international health organizations dedicated to women and children, call for tax cuts for the wealthiest of Americans while educational programs are being slashed, and turn his back on international opinion as he pursues what human rights organizations deem a potential humanitarian disaster in Iraq.

Bohannon is headed on foot to San Francisco, where she plans to walk east over 3000 miles across the country to Washington, D.C. "I'm not a hiker, I'm a mom. I've never done this kind of thing before, but my determination's going to get me through."

Her goal? To meet with the First Lady and ask her to explain "how she can support the horrors her husband is perpetrating in our world. This is certainly contrary to how she was portrayed during his campaign. Where is the compassion that was promised?....As a mother, educator, librarian, and the First Lady of the wealthiest nation in the world, how can she support -- through apathy and neglect -- the same destruction in this country?"

Bohannon plans to talk with other mothers as she goes along, gathering their questions and concerns in a comment book, which she hopes to personally deliver to Laura Bush at the White House. In setting out on this Trek for Truth, Bohannon wants to raise awareness of the true costs of war and to ask Ms. Bush how she can support her husband's actions when it means killing Iraqi children and creating a world that's less peaceful, less humane, and less safe for our own.

You can learn more about Lori's trek and find out how you can support (or join!) her on it at www.trekfortruth.org.

Where to Get Up-to-Date Travel News

While it's never been more important to continue building and broadening our global consciousness, you probably want up-to-the-minute news related to your travel plans.

The Overseas Security Advisory Council was developed in 1985 to provide the American private sector, including colleges and universities, with breaking news and advisories. While you have to be a registered constituent to access the main bulk of the web site, the planned calendar events listing and Daily News section are great additions to the travel advisories you've already researched on your country's state department web site (e.g., U.S. State Department Travel Advisories or U.K. Foreign & Commonwealth Travel).


	Welcome to this month's edition of Adventurous Life!
			In this issue: What Do You Notice? A Walking Meditation Top 5 Ideas to Inspire You This Month Changing the World One Footstep at a Time Where to Get Up-to-Date Travel News Five Things To Do Before I Die
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!
What Do You Notice? A Walking Meditation When I first moved to my third-floor apartment off a nondescript street -- the kind most people pass on their way someplace else -- I didn't think much of the neighborhood except that it was affordable. Then I started walking every morning. Rain or shine, I paced a route through my neighborhood. I started walking as an easy way to add motion to my life. Soon I found walking to be a natural form of meditation, more natural for me than sitting still. I discovered that walking was a way to ground myself as I entered each day, a habit that formed a pleasing connection to my environment. At first, I only noticed large-scale changes: someone's roof was being repaired, a driveway had been freshly sealed, or a rosebush was waving full blooms over the fence. Then I began noting smaller shifts, looking forward to the tiny details of my path: how much bigger were the tree buds today, had the children's chalk on the sidewalk been scuffed since yesterday, did the ground smell different after the rain? Some days I would see how far I could go without letting thoughts spin through my head. Other days, I would ponder a question I'd left simmering in my subconscious, waiting to see what my footsteps stirred to the surface. By the time I moved from that city a year later, the thing I knew I would miss most was my neighborhood -- my nondescript, hardly noticeable neighborhood. If this is the sort of intimacy that can be created merely by walking and noticing, meditating and absorbing, what a powerful tool we have in the soles of our feet. This month, start taking the same walk every morning and simply see what happens. Changing the World One Footstep at a Time: A Mother's Trek for Truth Lori Bohannon, a 40-year-old mother from Mendocino, Calif., left her home, husband, and 10-year-old son Josh on March 20. Over the past two years, she's watched the President refuse to sign global treaties to protect the environment, deny funding to international health organizations dedicated to women and children, call for tax cuts for the wealthiest of Americans while educational programs are being slashed, and turn his back on international opinion as he pursues what human rights organizations deem a potential humanitarian disaster in Iraq. Bohannon is headed on foot to San Francisco, where she plans to walk east over 3000 miles across the country to Washington, D.C. "I'm not a hiker, I'm a mom. I've never done this kind of thing before, but my determination's going to get me through." Her goal? To meet with the First Lady and ask her to explain "how she can support the horrors her husband is perpetrating in our world. This is certainly contrary to how she was portrayed during his campaign. Where is the compassion that was promised?....As a mother, educator, librarian, and the First Lady of the wealthiest nation in the world, how can she support -- through apathy and neglect -- the same destruction in this country?" Bohannon plans to talk with other mothers as she goes along, gathering their questions and concerns in a comment book, which she hopes to personally deliver to Laura Bush at the White House. In setting out on this Trek for Truth, Bohannon wants to raise awareness of the true costs of war and to ask Ms. Bush how she can support her husband's actions when it means killing Iraqi children and creating a world that's less peaceful, less humane, and less safe for our own. You can learn more about Lori's trek and find out how you can support (or join!) her on it at www.trekfortruth.org. Where to Get Up-to-Date Travel News While it's never been more important to continue building and broadening our global consciousness, you probably want up-to-the-minute news related to your travel plans. The Overseas Security Advisory Council was developed in 1985 to provide the American private sector, including colleges and universities, with breaking news and advisories. While you have to be a registered constituent to access the main bulk of the web site, the planned calendar events listing and Daily News section are great additions to the travel advisories you've already researched on your country's state department web site (e.g., U.S. State Department Travel Advisories or U.K. Foreign & Commonwealth Travel).				"When you are alone, and when you have the courage to appear as vulnerable as you really feel, this is when travel's most memorable moments occur." *- David Margolick*
				Top 5 Ideas to Inspire You This Month Stand on your head Find a children's playground and climb on the jungle gym, swing as high as you can on the swing set, play on the teeter totter (okay, you may need a friend for this one), get dizzy on the merry-go-round In a front yard or a park or along the sidewalk, build a sculpture out of natural materials and leave it for someone to discover Climb a tree Slurp your spaghetti so it gets all over your face (wear old clothes and a bib so you can really go at it)
				"For it isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work for it." *- Eleanor Roosevelt*
				Five Things To Do Before I Die *This month's list was submitted by D.J. of Guilford, VT* Take salsa dance lessons Learn to really speak Spanish Stop worrying about making sure 'everybody' likes me Make mosaics for my walls Try to eat more vegetables 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? Send me your list!


		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.

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