I'll be heading toward Kent today, but will first be meeting with someone who called the Zen temple I was at yesterday (Choboji), a certain Ms. Julie Welch of the Northwest Dharma Association. I'm curious to know what will come of that meeting; I owe her a phone call in the next 60-90 minutes so we can set up a morning meeting (she's close to where I am; we'll probably have to find a halfway point).
A thousand thanks to Paul and Ginger for their generosity. Paul was quite the find: we met not through CouchSurfing, but via commenter Curtis S, who has been a longtime reader of my online writing as well as Paul's. Curtis pointed Paul in my direction, so THANK YOU, CURTIS!
Paul, it turns out, has a fine blog: A Blue-Eyed Buddhist. You'll recall that Paul is a member of SGI (Soka Gakkai, an offshoot of Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism); he had some interesting things to say yesterday, and I'll need time to write some of it down.
Which brings me to the two comments I've received (only one of which I was permitted to publish) regarding the topic of time: I'm being asked to SLOW DOWN. This is in the spirit of an earlier discussion about the need to process what I'm experiencing, since so much of this walk is about the writing as well as the traveling/meeting/discussing. It's true: there's a "meta" level to all this and I do need the time to process all the info I'm receiving. There are, for example, issues I'd like to explore in the ritual movement I've seen both at the Zen temples I've been to and the Sikh gurdwara in Lynden (what a contrast!). I'd also like to talk a bit about parallels in ritual space that I perceive (or perhaps misperceive) in Soka Gakkai and Judaism. Paul made some interesting comments about the nature of "church polity," for lack of a better term, when discussing Soka Gakkai, and I'd like to dig into that issue as well. And along with all that, I've got the items I listed last night-- the ever-growing list of things to catch up on.
So yes, taking a few days off simply to write and catch up would be a good thing. But somehow I have to balance this with the need to keep walking, because the longer the walk takes, the more funds I need. Even were I to spend at only a Spartan level-- subsistence-only spending-- I'd still be using a good bit of money every month. Can I really afford two years on the road? I know I can do at least one year, but if I plod along, I'll either need to find work or stop the walk entirely. (That, or you can help out as per the "How Can I Help?" link on my sidebar! Anyone got $50,000?)
Anyway... things to think about as I head out.
Thanks again, Paul and Ginger!
_
Marathon
12 years ago
4 comments:
Kevin's Walk Central also urges you to slow down. Not only will you have more time to write, but in the long run we believe it will pay off in terms of expenses also.
The slower you go, the more time we have to scout out the route ahead of you. This reduces the likelihood that you'll arrive in a town with no contacts there and will have to pay for a motel.
I concur with Kevin's Walk Central, and would add this: one day a week of rest and recuperation would not be excessive. Think of it as a sabbath; there was a good reason for "On the seventh thou shalt do no work. . . ." You will walk faster rested than bone-tired, too.
Furthermore, a bit of arithmetic: Say you average 15 miles per day when moving, and have 3,000 miles to go. That's 200 walking days. Leaving 160 days to rest, write, recreate, cogitate, whatever. I'm only urging approximately 50-60 rest days on you. You can afford the time. You could even afford entire weekends.
I agree with both KWC and addofio. As I mentioned when the subject originally came up, processing is just as important as the experience itself, and you need time to do that.
Hi Kevin,
I must commend you on your energy and enterprise in attempting a 3000 mile walk.
I do not quite know if this is a journey of personal discovery and transformation or whether you are attempting to raise public awareness for a particular cause.
If you are attempting to raise public awareness then money should not be a problem (if you have succeeded in your objective that is, of raising awareness). However if it is a personal journey then do not be attached to the idea that you must complete the walk. The path itself is the goal. Take your time, be in the present moment, enjoy the journey and take time to contemplate and write about your experiences.
One day a week in spent writing should be enough as was mentioned in earlier posts.
And if you have to leave the walk half way due to lack of funds think of the glass half full. But make sure you get the benefit of your experiences by thinking contemplating and writing about them.
Please visit this page
http://www.eastern-philosophy-and-meditation.com/5-facts-buddhism.html
I'll be frank - I am posting on this blog to promote my website but this is not a spam post and I hope I have delivered some value and you will allow my comment.
regards
Nikhil
Post a Comment