A Plea to Help My Friends in Kenya

I am writing todays entry as a plea for help of the people of Kenya, but especially for Expanding Opportunities.

I wrote about the good work the group Expanding Opportunities does back in December 2006. It was through my Kenya journal on my website that I began to correspond with Bev Stone, who started Expanding Opportunities.

If you read the reports about the tribal violence in Kenya, most of the cities mentioned I traveled through on my trip there in 1987. One area where the violence is still rampant is in Nakuru, where Expanding Opportunities has one of it's major projects, the Joseph Waweru Home School which is an orphanage for street children.

You can read notes on the Expanding Opportunities website from the good folks working in Kenya who are trying desperately to provide even basic needs like food and shelter to those they can. But here is a quote from Ginger Wilson, who is working in Kenya:

"When I asked for food to help out the ones (orphans) in my house they told me to bring them to the show grounds (refuge camp) and leave them. I will not take them out of a clean safe environment to live in those conditions. We will do our best to take care of the ones we have already I will not send my people to the camp, I have been there and it is horrible. So it looks like the only help we will be getting in the near future is from our sources at home (USA)."

Three of the boys in happier times

Here is how you can help:

People need a safe refuge. Women and children need food and shelter. Many have already arrived at the Joseph Waweru Home School seeking shelter.

Expanding Opportunities will send 100% of any donations received for this emergency directly to Kenya to be used for food, shelter, clothing, blankets, mattresses, and security.The funds will be administered by Expanding Opportunities (a U.S. 501c3 organization and an NGO in Kenya) and expenditures reported to both the USA and Kenyan offices for examination by donors upon request.

Donations can be made by:

* check sent to 84 Payson Road, Brooks, Maine 04921
* internet through PayPal with a major credit card
* phone using credit card at 207-722-3708 or 1-888-760-7943

For more information please go to:
the website expandingopportunities.org
or email info@expandingopportunities.org.

I hope we can help those in need. Thank you.

WanderingTheWorld Store

WanderingTheWorld now has a store, of sorts. Below are links to other websites which have services or products which I either recommend or others have asked for. I've kept it small but feel free to check in every once in a while to see what I've added.

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RoadID.com has been with me on my last two trips. It's like a medical alert bracelet for active adults like runners, cyclists, and wanderers. RoadID is a small strip of metal with important information etched into it, like your name, drug allergies, emergency contact numbers. Anything you want, it's completely up to you. A small price for a piece of mind. (more info...)

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Have you ever seen one of my photos and wished there was some way you could get a copy. Now you can! I've posted all my photos, almost 5000, on Fotki.com. You can order any size print you want, from 3.5"x5" to 24"x36". Click on any photo in this blog and it will take you to Fotki.com and that picture. It will even tell you if the resolution is not enough for the size you want. And you will find that prices are very competive. And if you just want to browse, try the 'slideshow' link in any of the albums.

Below are a few of my 'poster' prints but you can click on any photo in the blog you want or you can go directly to all my photos at Fotki.com.

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Powells.com is a family run business in Portland Oregon that started back in 1971, Powells sells used and new, hardcover and paperback, and is staffed by knowledgeable and dedicated book lovers. If you need a book (or DVD), even if it's out of print, they probably have it. And, if you'd feel better going with Amazon.com, click the link.

The following subject links take you to those books I recommend:

Travelogues / Kenya / Appalachian Trail / Camino de Santiago
Cycling / Buddhism / Science Fiction

Travel-Travelogues

When I'm not out traveling myself, I love to read about others adventures, both to learn from them and to maybe find ideas for future trips for myself. Sometimes it is hard to find good travelogue literature, but the selection below are what I have found, and found exceptional to read too. Enjoy!

Momentum is Your Friend by Joe Kurmaskie
Riding Outside the Lines by Joe Kurmaskie
Yak Butter Blues: A Tibetan Trek of Faith by Brandon Wilson
Shantyboat: A River Way of Life by Harland Hubbard
Beyond the Sky & the Earth: A Journey into Bhutan by J. Zeppa
Miles from Nowhere by Barbara Savage
An Ocean to Cross by Liz Fordred
Tales of a Female Nomad by Rita Golden Gelman
Yukon Alone by John Balzar
Whale Rider by Witi Tame Thimaera
Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Andalucia by Chris Stewart
On The Water: Discovering America in a Rowboat by N. Stone

Kenya, Africa, NOLS

Dead Men Don't Leave Tips by B. Wilson
Flame Trees of Thika by Elspeth Huxley
Out of Africa by Karen Blixen
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
North of South by S. Naipaul
NOLS Wilderness Mountaineering by P. Powers
NOLS Wilderness First Aid by Schimelfenig & Lindsey
Soft Paths by B. Hampton and D. Cole
The NOLS Cookery by C. Pearson

Appalachian Trail, Hiking

There Are Mountains To Climb by Jean Deeds
Walking the Appalachian Trail by Larry Luxenberg
Everything about thruhikers, this book is what started it all for me!
Leave No Trace by Annette McGivney
The Complete Walker by Colin Fletcher
How to Make a Journal of Your Life by Dan Price
From the wonderful artist/writer of the 'Moonlight Chronicles'
A Hiker’s Companion by Cindy Ross & Todd Gladfelte
How to Shit In the Woods by Kathleen Meyer

Camino de Santiago, Pilgrimage

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Pilgrim Stories by Nancy Louise Frey
The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago: Complete Cultural Handbook
The Way of St James: A Walker's Guide by Alison Raju

Cycling, USA, Lewis & Clark

Momentum is Your Friend by Joe Kurmaskie
Riding Outside the Lines by Joe Kurmaskie
Miles from Nowhere by Barbara Savage
Bicycling Coast to Coast by Donna Lynn Ikenberry
The Lead Goat Veered Off by Neil Anderson
Partners in Grime by Neil Anderson
Undaunted Courage by Stephan Ambrose

Buddhism

I have been an avid reader of Buddhist philosophy for a while now, but only lately have I been buying for my bookshelf. I found these insightful, simple, direct and definitely made a connection to me and my spiritual path.

Loving What Is by Byron Katie
Stumbling Toward Enlightenment by Geri Larkin
Hardcore Zen by Brad Warner
Sit Down and Shut Up by Brad Warner
The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh
Awakening the Buddha Within by Lama Surya Das
Very easy to read, lots of understandable info
The Still Point Dhammapada by Geri Larkin
One Breath at a Time by Kevin Griffin
Reflections on a Mountain Lake by Ani Tenzin Palmo
Momma Zen by Karen Maezen Miller

My Science Fiction Hall of Fame

I've always been a fan of science fiction. It seems a great forum to explore the human condition, but through a different context. You can either read for the escape to another reality, or look deeper into the ideas being presented inside the material. The following list are books that I've read in the last couple of years that I found exceptional on all counts.

Beyond the Hanging Wall by Sara Douglass
Angelmass by Timothy Zahn
Avalon: The Return of King Arthur by Stephen Lawhead
Icarus Hunt by Timothy Zahn
A Cavern of Black Ice by J.V. Jones
The Apocalypse Troll by David Weber
Green Rider by Kristen Britain
Tangled up in Blue by Joan D. Vinge
The Stars Asunder by Debra Doyle & James D. MacDonald
The Fourth World by Dennis Danvers
The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay
The Onion Girl by Charles de Lint
The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks
Catspaw by Joan D. Vinge

Martin Luther King Day

Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
1929 - 1968

On August 28, 1963, under a nearly cloudless sky, more than 250,000 people, gathered near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington to rally for "jobs and freedom." The roster of speakers included speakers from nearly every segment of society -- labor leaders like Walter Reuther, clergy, film stars such as Sidney Poitier and Marlon Brando and folksingers such as Joan Baez. Each of the speakers was allotted fifteen minutes, but the day belonged to the young and charismatic leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

"I Have a Dream"
by Martin Luther King Jr

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But 100 years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men - yes, black men as well as white men - would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check that has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and security of justice. We have also come to his hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end but a beginning. Those who hoped that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating "for whites only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no we are not satisfied and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today my friends - so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification - one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day, this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning "My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my father's died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring!"

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.

Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi - from every mountainside.

Let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring - when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children - black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics - will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

-

Distribution statement: Accepted as part of the
Douglass Archives of American Public Address (http://douglass.speech.nwu.edu)
on May 26, 1999 & prepared by D. Oetting (http://nonce.com/oetting)

"Sit Down and Shut Up"

Punk Rock Commentaries on
Buddha, God, Truth, Sex,
Death, & Dogen's Treasury
of the Right Dharma Eye
by Brad Warner

Publisher Comments:

In Sit Down and Shut Up, Brad Warner tackles one of the great works of Zen literature, the Shobogenzo by 13th-century Zen master Dogen. Illuminating Dogen’s enigmatic teachings in plain language, Warner intertwines sharp philosophical musings on sex, evil, anger, meditation, enlightenment, death, God, sin, and happiness with an exploration of the power and pain of the punk rock ethos. Riffing on his triumphant return to Ohio for a reunion concert of Akron punk bands, Brad uncovers the real heart of Zen, in teachings and stories with a sharp smack of truth.

Memorable Quotes:

"You can never notice your own enlightenment." Nishijima Sensei

You just discover that "me" was far too limiting a name for what you really are.

This is the way we all are, though. We're far more interested in explanations of reality than we are in reality itself. The solution is to see the problem and take action - now. Start from just where you are, and do something.

Buddhism is about discovering the things that "go," that really work and make our lives and the lives of others better and happier; and the things that do not "go" and make us and others miserable.

The trick to not thinking is not adding energy to the equation in an effort to forcibly stop thinking from happening.

"Someone who is pursuing the truth is already halfway to the truth. Don't give up until you get there." Dogen

Anger doesn't make music, not even angry music.

"Angry music," exposing as it did its author's truest feelings let me know I was not alone in my own feelings of frustration. Far from making me angry, it made me feel as if there was something positive I could do with my feelings.

Buddhism is about balance. And in the state of balance right action presents itself at every moment.

It's hard for most of us to admit, but when you start paying attention you'll notice that you actually enjoy being angry. There's this wonderful rush of self-righteousness to it. Because, obviously, you can't be angry about something unless you know you're right and the other person is wrong. You are angry because you want to be angry. Always, always.

It's only when we are balanced that we can do any good for anyone else. Otherwise we act from confusion instead of true compassion.

It's about seeing your real troubles, your real trials, all your real difficulties and real joys as they actually are, without the overblown drama we usually ladle on top of them.

The trick here is to give up imagining how things are going to be. Or, at the very least, to give up believing that the way you imagine things are going to be has anything to do with the way they really will be.

Real happiness comes when you are truly living this moment, no matter what it is. It's not the least bit futile to pursue this kind of happiness. In fact it's your sacred duty as a human being.

Faith keeps you going but doubt keeps you from going off the deep end.

Sit in zazen (meditation) enough, and you begin to relearn how to notice the fascinating sensations that make up your ordinary life.

So do what needs to be done right now. The do the next thing. And the next. And the next.

That's the way it is with every skill worth pursuing. It's a pain in the ass for a very long time until you become any good at it at all. And this is true for everyone...

It's easy to become paralyzed in your practice when you focus on the so-called results. But there really are no "results" in the real world. There is only what is, right here and right now.

But it's incredibly tough to pursue a practice that says that if you spend tons of time and energy on it, your reward is...nothing.

Any job you do contributes to the welfare of all humankind. Maybe a little, maybe a lot.

If you're serious about transcending anger, you have to be prepared to give up everything.

Real hate is that part of you that sees itself as eternally separate from the rest of creation. Real love is that part of you that sees everything as a seamless whole.

It's hard to worry what other people thing when you realize their thoughts are just as dopey and meaningless as yours.

Sit Down and Shut Up available at Powells and Amazon

Other books by Brad Warner:
Hardcore Zen

Related Links:
Hardcore Zen (blog)
Sit Down and Shut Up (website)

Book Quotes for the Year

Over the last year, I've added a lot of quotes from books I've been reading or had read. I thought I'd just post the list in case you missed any. And there will be many more in 2008. Click a title and see what words of wisdom I found.

Breakfast with Buddha:
A Novel by Roland Merullo

Start Where You Are:
A Guide to Compassionate Living by Pema Chodron

The Chocolate Cake Sutra:
Ingredients for a Sweet Life by Geri Larkin

NOLS Wilderness Wisdom:
Quotes for Inspirational Exploration edited by John Gookin

How to Make a Journal of Your Life by Dan Price

The Wisdom of Solitude:
A Zen Retreat in the Woods by by Jane Dobisz

Radical Acceptance:
Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha by Tara Brach

Not Always So:
Practicing the True Spirit of Zen by Shunryu Suzuki

Grassroots Zen by Manfred B Steger & Perle Besserman

Momma Zen:
Walking the Crooked Path of Motherhood by Karen Maezen Miller

The Lead Goat Veered Off:
A Bicycling Adventure on Sardinia by Neil Anderson

Meeting the Buddha:
On Pilgrimage in Buddhist India by Molly Emma Aitken

The Way of the Wanderer:
Discover Your True Self Through Travel by David Yeadon

Live in a Better Way:
Reflections on Truth, Love and Happiness by Dalai Lama

Traveling Souls:
Contemporary Pilgrimage Stories Edited by Brian Bouldrey

Pilgrim Stories:
On and Off the Road to Santiago by Nancy Louise Frey

Awakening to the Sacred:
Creating a Daily Spiritual Life from Scratch by Lama Surya Das

Wherever You Go There You Are:
Mindfulness Meditation In Everyday Life by Jon Kabat-Zinn

It's Not About the Bike:
My Journey Back to Life by Lance Armstrong

Buddha or Bust:
In Search of Truth, Meaning, Happiness, & the Man Who Found Them All by Perry Garfinkel

The Four Noble Truths:
The Foundation of Buddhist Thought by Geshe Tashi Tsering

The Passionate Buddha:
Wisdom on Intimacy and Enduring Love by Robert Sachs

Everyday Enlightenment:
The Twelve Gateways to Personal Growth by Dan Millman

The Laws of Spirit:
Simple, Powerful Truths for Making Life Work by Dan Millman

Dharma Moments by Ganai Chanchaochai

Stumbling Towards Enlightenment by Geri Larkin

First You Shave Your Head by Geri Larkin

After the Ecstasy, the Laundry:
How the Heart Grows Wise on the Spiritual Path by Jack Kornfield

When Things Fall Apart:
Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chodron

Stand Like Mountain, Flow Like Water by Brian Luke Seaward

The Book of Secrets:
Unlocking the Hidden Dimensions of Your Life by Deepak Chopra

One Breath at a Time:
Buddhism and the Twelve Steps by Kevin Griffin

Boundless Healing:
Meditation Exercises to Enlighten the Mind and Heal the Body by Tulka Thundup

A Path with Heart:
A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life by Jack Kornfield

The Barn at the End of the World:
The Apprenticeship of a Quaker Buddhist Shepherd by Mary Rose O'Reilley

Transform Your Life:
A Blissful Journey by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Freewheelin':
A Solo Journey Across America by Richard Lovett

The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert

Path Without Destination:
The Long Walk of a Gentle Hero by Satish Kumar

Roads from the Ashes:
An Odyssey in Real Life on the Virtual Frontier by Megan Edwards

A Journey North:
One Woman's Story of Hiking the Appalachian Trail by Adrienne Hall

Forests of the Heart by Charles de Lint

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

A Hell of a Place to Lose a Cow:
An American Hitchhiking Odyssey by Tim Brookes

Yukon Alone:
The Worlds Toughest Adventure Race by John Balzar

An Ocean to Cross:
Daring the Atlantic, Claiming a New Life by Liz Fordred

Happy New Year 2008

Just wanted to wish everyone a wonderful New Year in 2008.

I thought I would start out the year different than I ever have before. Today was the 4th Annual Polar Barefoot Run. This race is put on by Barefoot Rick (barefoot mileage since 2003 = 10,187 miles!). This is a fundraiser for the Free Wheelchair Mission which distributes low cost wheelchairs all over the world.

According to the weather, it was 22°F with a windchill of 7°F because of the 18 mph winds, but with the gusts hitting 28 mph, I'm sure it was a lot colder. Hey, but it was very sunny. There were six hardy souls, or should I say six pair of hardy soles, at Roe Park to run the noon race. All of us ran the 1/2 mile course around the park on snow, ice and asphalt barefoot. Yippie!!!

Do my feet look a little pink!

After the race, Rick supplied everyone with a hot bowl of black eyed peas and ham, along with a steaming cup of hot chocolate. I think all of us would have liked to stand around and visit but it was just too cold. It was all fun none the less, and I hope to return in the coming years. Kind of a nice New Years tradition, don't ya' think.

The hardy 'soles' who went for a run in the snow

Happy New Year Everyone!!!