What there is to See

My current personal challenge while riding is keeping my eyes on the horizon.

I reflected on this recently and noticed my focus is usually the ground five feet ahead of my wheel, or my immediate roadside vicinity. The latter in an attempt to collect nature treasures such as turtle shells or plants I'm learning how to forage. Every so often a bird will catch my attention and pull it upward- which immediately reveals the spectrum of sight I'm missing.

So far it's been a beautiful cornucopia of sights this way- eagles, vultures,  hawks, owls, orioles, and many others I am not familiar with, along with the stories between them. Who has eaten who's young, who is courting who, and lastly, I wonder what they are saying and to who, could it be me? ;) There have been snapping turtles, box turtles crossing roads, porcupines, stunned baby skunks, unlucky raccoons, rabbits that seem to grow in size the farther west I travel.

Yet, I've been missing the horizon. The grand scene of the landscape, the open road constant and straight, framed with an ever evolving decor.

My friends like to remind me that I overthink things. I find meaning and poetry in a lot of things, and enjoy finding ways to evolve my words, actions, and perspective. Perhaps peering into the horizon is synonymous with my view towards the future. Or maybe just a different way to entertain myself from this bicycle saddle. Either way, I'll be attempting this new strategy or meditation, and share if I find something between where the sky and earth meet.

For more thoughts on sight read Annie Dillard's "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek". A good snipbit can be found here:

https://www.brainpickings.org/2015/03/04/annie-dillard-pilgrim-at-tinker-creek-seeing/

Listening to Remember

30 days have passed since I have started this trip, and until a few days ago, everything felt like it was going too quickly. At first I thought it was my rat-race city mentality, then my performance-oriented work-mode; each I was hoping would fade away with miles and time. It took meeting fantastic elders and through their oral histories, the act of remembering how to listen, for me to truly realize how to slow down.

It might have been the 11miles we travelled from all gps and cell phone reception, the denseness of the quiescent forest, or the comfortability of lived-in homely nest, but I felt I was able to listen and absorb more information then normal. Usually, especially if my hand or feet are not busy, but my mind tends to drift from attention. Yet, the experience of oral history has the greatest chance of long term memory for me. This learning process lends to a different style  and speed of digestion- the opportunity to ask questions, to relate, to move around, to touch the subject of conversation, and to feel whether that is to laugh, enjoy, cry, sigh, or nod in understanding. My friends taught me, "The elders are the ones to show the ways of the past, the young to show what is to come in the future, and the middle age to show what is." More often than sometimes I hear young people, including myself, feeling lost. At the same time a lot is being lost, and we aren't listening or remembering. 

Okay, so to back it up a bit, the Green Riders were in Munising, Michigan at the local farmers market. I immediately walked up to my future friends' tent, said hello and thought I had recognized Bill as a new friend named Ralph I had met a few days prior in the town(that story to be written and told later!). I checked out ttheir market table and chatted about a few things such as native ceremony, tanning, and the Green Riders mission. Although, throughout the conversation I was looking off in the distance assessing the market and where my friends were, or behind me to make space for potential customers. I felt I was taking their time. Blocking sales. I didn't have any money. I walked away. Later on at camp, fellow rider Jonathan expressed the amount of time he spend talking with them and that he was invited to stay in their home. Immediate regret and jealousy passed through me, but grateful for Jonathan's ability to connect and selflessly share, we set out allied the next day to their home. Eventually getting lost on the way, Bill(Burntfinger) and Marj picked us up in their van, not without a prompt scolding for trusting gps instead of maps all the time! **First wisdom**

As I'm writing this I start to wish I had taken more pictures of their homestead, but of course presence and remembering was a part of the experience. Their version of off-the-grid homesteading(another recollection to come as well) consisted of chickens, various gardening systems including small hoop house, container, repurposed tires, and an in-ground garden with a strong wire fence to prevent the many animals from taking over; solar panels; and a generator they turned off at night. "Say hello to Grandmother moon then go to sleep, be up when the sun's up." Their home was a humble Mecca of resources, each skill matched with materials and a bookshelf of knowledge. "We do what we can with what we have."

While listening, walking around the property, and doing work for them, there were small moments that were self actualizing. One I loved most was when I sung a line or two, and Auntie Marj said something along the lines of, "well look at that, you have a voice." I do, don't I! And the remembrance of the things I had loved doing but have given up such as sewing, dancing, listening, wearing skirts often, and being beautiful for the sake of being a woman. Ah, the last one threw you off a little didn't it? An abstract stretch, but necessary and true. They also reminded me of the things I've wanted to learn such as leather tanning, carving, pattern making, medicine salve making, tincture making, cross stitch and beading. 

"Don't forget to write, Burnttoe." Says Burntfinger as we gather to leave. And I couldn't agree more. I've been wanting to write, but now it's different. It won't be  for the obligation of the day being over, or because I am traveling, or because a kindhearted elder shares my affinity for snail mail. Rather it's  because the people I am meeting's oral histories are worth remembering. Additionally, what I remember and learn is my purpose in having a voice. 

Departing Alone, Surviving as Community

As my departure got closer, everyone started asking, "When are you leaving?" As if it's a sure thing. As if I'm ever going to be prepared enough for the goal-oriented adventure to come. There have been hours spent deciding about gear, a cyclical anxious-progress-lull of my training and sponsorship-seeking schedule, and this unsettled feeling of pulling this together last minute. After committing to this two months ago, following hearing about it in January, I feel proud and grateful for where I sit. Today, I could've been on the road, but I chose to pack and do last minute gear repairs trying to set myself up for success! I feel at peace. Here are some thoughts on survival and community written on Sunday:

There's a consistent internal parallel lately, that SURVIVAL is synonymous with SUSTAINABILITY.

The connotations that come with sustainability are abundant. Of my own, I think of sustainability personally, environmentally, and within a society.
"Sustain one's self"
"Do things that affect the earth less"
"An action that is sound economically, feasibly, and has good long-term consequences. i.e. A business that sustains the stock market recession."
I'm sure there are many answers to this from educated facets. There are definitions from "Sustainability" textbooks (they exist- I have a few!), the 21st century go-to Google, Merriam Webster; however, each eludes to actions taken to ensure survival.

When we maintain personal survival, only then can we contribute well to our natural and societal surroundings. 

Preparing for this trip, also known as trying to ensure my future survival, I am reminded of how grateful I am for the opportunity. Although each detail isn't flawless, I was prepared for the opportunity to think this was possible for myself. Preparations such as each camping experience, on-the-fly athletic challenge, innovative find-a-way finances, as well as support from my community. (Stay tuned for this beautiful collection of good-nature in detail)

It took a great deal of help to get me to this point of possibility. To explain why I'm phrasing this in the way that I am, I'll break it down even farther. My fundamental needs for survival were met, so I was able to dream. I like to think back to how artists and philosophers were "sponsored" in a way, in an effort to further society. I'm not claiming to personally further society, yet I recognize the faster each of us can get closer to the level of "self-actualization", perhaps the stronger we can be as a whole. For me to make these kind of changes, I tend to do so in bold strides.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

This endeavor, that is essentially a vacation where I am not procuring income, feels contradictory to the "work-work-work to ensure personal survival" mentality ingrained in me from my "American Dream" environment. I do recognize the potential pitfalls of hubris during this trip, especially in choosing to write about it and asking for money to do so. The only way I could figure out a way to ask for donations through "GoFundMe" and keep my humility in check, was to vow to donate a portion to a different non-profit each week. And to do all I can in service of others.

If I can sustain myself, 

through meager savings 

(I'll be frank here, I have <$2,000 to my name and debts exist), 

and support from my community, 

I know I will be able to elevate myself, my environment, and my society to a greater level of survival and sustainability. 

I am determined to do so!

Nothing left to do but DO!

The Ultimate Support

Today is Earth Day!

As an environmental educator, I lead field trips for school groups outdoors. A good portion of the days, especially in the spring, are held on days with what many people call "bad weather". Rainy, cold, soggy, foggy, frizzy-hair producing, mud-in-your-sock, kind of days. Yet, the show must go on! I remind them that our skin is waterproof, and we set out down the trail to hunt for signs of wildlife burrowed out of the rain; footprints in the mud puddles.

Often the complaints continue. At that point I tell them a secret: these are my favorite kinds of days.

Everyone loves the sunny days. We post pictures of their brightly crisp colors on social media, or frame snapshots from those days on our wall. We go out to the park and sit on the grass, "Oh, isn't nature beautiful?", we say. But on the "bad days", we hide inside, under covers, like hibernating animals.

Yet, what materials are we using when we are hiding inside? The things we use daily, from where did they derive? The books we curl up with, the glass and metal that comprise our cellphones, every drop of water and scrap of food we consume to sustain our lives----no matter the weather, no matter our mood, the Earth is providing us with what we need to survive. It is the ultimate support.

So these are my favorite days. Like a beloved friend that you give a hug to on their grumpy days, hanging out in nature on the "bad" days is like my thank you. I love you even when you're down, ugly, unlovable and cold. You are beautiful. You are home.

The Small Feats

Barefoot, and in a green mini skirt yesterday morning on my front porch, I successfully changed my first flat bike tire. No anger, no help from Google or YouTube videos, nor distressed damsel calls to a bike shop- this small feat will take me miles.

We are told not to sweat the small stuff, enjoy the little things, and transcend past the desirous lower pleasures towards the higher ones.

So, how is one to operate? Where does a dreamer begin to achieve great things, as we are accustomed to believe is necessary to do in this lifetime? Yet, I recognize, when I say "we", I am really speaking from first-person perspective, as an American conditioned to subscribe to the American Dream. That being said, "I" am a sucker for a good cliche: A walk of a thousand miles begins with one step.

Every step won't be the best, but the constant forward motion is by far the most important. Once the success starts, the desired goal crisper on the horizon, perhaps one can take the time to reevaluate and revise the steps. Ask themselves, which actions are necessary, which are a waste of time, energy, or money. Instead of fretting over the details of the ambitious end-goal, I'm enjoying every small step. For now, the name of the game is movement.

Ah...yes. I'm sure you're thinking, What is all this idealist chatter dancing around? What is this great thing you are gearing for here, Kim?  Well my friends, the plan is to bicycle across the country.

Young & Broke, this Amateur Bicyclist, Athlete, and Camper is finding a Way!

And I'm going to write to you about it. My grammar and composition abilities are raw and humble now, but I know they will improve with everything else. This is what I have to offer. This is the beginning.

Training For Those Rainy Rides

More about the group I am riding with:
Green Riders Across America 
http://robgreenfield.tv/greenriderstour/ 
We are the Green Riders, cycling in the service of others and the earth summer 2017. All across the country we will be helping others to grow their own food and live more sustainably. We’ll be starting gardens at people’s homes, at schools, and in the communities of small towns and urban cities in every state that we pass through. Plus we’ll be Freestyle Gardening all over the country! Each place that we pass through will be left a slightly better place than we found it.
We’ll also be stopping into many farms and gardens across the country to learn from the amazing things they are doing as well as share their work. We’ll visit permaculture farms, organic farms, off the grid homesteads, sustainability centers, and more. By joining this adventure you’ll not only get to help others but also expand your knowledge and skills.
We will travel in a low impact style living in an environmentally friendly manner. You will learn and practice simple living, sustainable living, zero waste, and holistic health as well as how to live with less money. We will be camping and staying with hosts along the way so the costs of the trip will be very minimal. This journey will be an immersive experience in sustainable living and we hope you’ll come away inspired and informed on how to be a positive impact on the world around you.

Words are Sacred

So, after declaring to cyber world my plans for a day of silence the next day, I woke up that day remembering the need to work that night. Re-route! to a mindful choice-of-words type thing like those times I was quiet before, but "required" by some perceived construct to speak at school. I didn't mind.

It was a good test to notice the words that sneak by..the curses and grumbles in those stub your toe moments...the effortless answer to a passing "how are you"...yet I found no emotion or profound message in any of these! Isn't speech to communicate with each other? Isn't it to share tips for survival, to cooperate, and to practice our communion as a species?

While recognizing the increasing prevalence of social media in our everyday lives, I noticed how much is a sort of "outward" motion. As if everyone is in bumper cars shouting at the top of their lungs. We are all in our own cars operating at different speeds, different attitudes, and with different goals. Expressing and consuming constantly, I sometimes wonder, are these thoughts even mine? There is an obtrusive way screen time in general operates. They demand acknowledgement when we choose to invest each flick of the thumb to scroll through Facebook, but also when we're doing nearly every menial task like pumping gas or sitting in a waiting room. Our technology interferes down to the way our phone can interrupt our thought process with one *zzt!* vibration. Subconsciously, it rearranges values and impacts our overall attitude and outlook. Which in itself is not harmful, if we know how to access that inner truth that discerns and discards.

Is what I'm saying for me or for you? What's the point in saying anything? Is there importance in broadcasting, receiving, or speaking about discerning truth in the Information Age? Of course, nothing I am saying means much of anything. Just another hippiecrite screaming her beliefs from her bumper car; simultaneously uploading to the Google marketing team intel on my innermost thoughts and desires. On the other hand, it is also everything.

What we choose to do in this life is all we have. (For certain anyway ;) There has been many lives before us, and many to come. I do believe every life and every voice is important. However, I think we need to invest more time in learning, discerning, and knowing ourselves before we speak or use a social media platform. Because words are sacred.




So, after a day of focusing on what is within, I chose to start this blog again. By minimizing what was consumed and expressed, through fasting, turning my phone off, and communicating considerably less, I have decided to let *some of it* flow out onto the platform. For now.

Local Activism in the Workplace

I recently started a new job at a diner. It's very old fashioned where the owners are the chefs, and a few waitresses run the front of house. Simple. Homely. Profitable.
However, as I'm shown around the place I see so many things I could change. Mostly environmental things like water conservation, avoiding the constant use of bleach, and not brewing iced tea in the same flimsy tubberware container day after day(the hot water leeching chemicals from the plastic). Yet as a new employee, in a entry-level job, what are my choices?

Many articles and environmental activism books say to write a formal letter expressing concerns, the reason for them, as well as a positive solution. The solution should include a cost-benefit analysis, as well as facts and statistics about the proposed solution. If only there was a section of the Better Business Bureau or something similar that would support employee audits, or create an avenue that one could submit the concerns anonymously if necessary.

One day I'll find the solution to this bigger picture, but for now I'll do what I can right here.

P.S. /just found this as a draft I wrote back in Oct 2013, but it's still as prevalent as ever. Its soul-crushing, yet somewhat just the obligatory way many of us stay employed, as we waste pounds of food, or toss recyclables into trash cans as its the only thing readily available. Courage to find the solutions!