My sister (Lauri) texted me the first night of the Challenge (after I had walked 20 miles) and asked if she could do the Challenge Walk with me next year. "Yes!" I texted back.
~Beth
September 28, 2009
love
My sister (Lauri) texted me the first night of the Challenge (after I had walked 20 miles) and asked if she could do the Challenge Walk with me next year. "Yes!" I texted back.
~Beth
September 25, 2009
twitter, bike & stories
Went to a twitter seminar from the Ad Club this morning and learned a lot. Part of it was twittering for general life improvement. The main point of what I learned is that a chapter we aren't really "using" twitter - because we're not having a conversation. We're just out there tweeting, and we have some followers, and people might be listening... but we're not participating beyond that. So please accept my apologies and ignorance, and expect that we'll be better at twitter from here on out - thanks to Crosby from Red Door Interactive. Crosby is a cool name for a woman if you ask me, and she had on a long blue wig this morning to be twitter-color-coordinated. I didn't know it was a wig at first and found it a little strange... Our @BikeMS event hash tag is #bikemsb2b if you're interested. Speaking of Bike, I can't believe it's two weeks from now. I found out this week that my sister and her husband are NOT coming out this year to ride in the Tour - which will be the first year in the entire time I've been working at the chapter that they haven't. Bummer.
Finished some more stories this week and last - great volunteers helping crank these out!
And... probably TMI but my car died last weekend. Has been at the shop all week because I can't decide if I should pay for what they "think" will fix it or if I should put that money towards something new(er). Just don't really want to think about it. Colleague Sarah has been chauffeuring me around all week!
~Beth
Finished some more stories this week and last - great volunteers helping crank these out!
And... probably TMI but my car died last weekend. Has been at the shop all week because I can't decide if I should pay for what they "think" will fix it or if I should put that money towards something new(er). Just don't really want to think about it. Colleague Sarah has been chauffeuring me around all week!
~Beth
September 22, 2009
challenge day three
Sunday morning we woke early, packed our bags and went down to the Blister Busters to prepare ourselves for the final 10 miles. There was a very long line for the Blister Busters so Jana sat in it and I went to get us breakfast. I brought breakfast down to the line and we ate. I took our bags to the luggage truck. We put sunscreen on (I had to put it IN my ears because apparently I missed that spot in the two previous days). Jana finally got her blisters fixed (I skipped it, deciding my little blister would be fine) and we got on the bus to the starting point of the day's walk.
Our spirits were high and we made good time for many miles. We giggled and chatted and reminisced about our adventure. Then sun stayed hidden behind clouds so it wasn't too hot. We walked along the harbor towards downtown, visiting with many different groups of walkers. Everyone recognized me from my speech the night before and the candle ceremony, and many people thanked me for sharing your story. It was touching - and a bit of a relief to know that my speech was well-received.
At 11am or so we made it to the pre-finish park (9 miles in [49 miles overall]) where they hold walkers until everyone arrives so we can travel the final mile in a group as a "victory march." We found a shady spot and all of Karin's Kids team members were there (except our Crew member Conrad who was hard at work). We took some group photos. People were dancing at this park! After 49 miles of walking, people were dancing. Amazing. We changed into matching T-shirts, orange for walkers who have MS (and choose to share it) and white for everyone else.
Then we left for the final mile as a group. The police stopped the traffic for us as we walked. We came toward the finish line and there was a high school marching band there to lead us through the arch. There were so many friends and families of everyone there that it was overwhelming. I couldn't stop smiling! Everyone was hugging! It was such an amazing feeling of accomplishment. Jesse and his parents were there with flowers for me, and Jana's husband and mom with gifts for her. All of the walkers sat in rows of chairs in the shade and we had a closing ceremony, complete with each walker coming to the front (in rows) and having a volunteer place the medal over our head. What a feeling! Then a band started playing and we got our lunches and found a nice shady spot on the grass to eat. Many people swung by to congratulate me, and I made my rounds to congratulate many others.
~Beth
Our spirits were high and we made good time for many miles. We giggled and chatted and reminisced about our adventure. Then sun stayed hidden behind clouds so it wasn't too hot. We walked along the harbor towards downtown, visiting with many different groups of walkers. Everyone recognized me from my speech the night before and the candle ceremony, and many people thanked me for sharing your story. It was touching - and a bit of a relief to know that my speech was well-received.
At 11am or so we made it to the pre-finish park (9 miles in [49 miles overall]) where they hold walkers until everyone arrives so we can travel the final mile in a group as a "victory march." We found a shady spot and all of Karin's Kids team members were there (except our Crew member Conrad who was hard at work). We took some group photos. People were dancing at this park! After 49 miles of walking, people were dancing. Amazing. We changed into matching T-shirts, orange for walkers who have MS (and choose to share it) and white for everyone else.
Then we left for the final mile as a group. The police stopped the traffic for us as we walked. We came toward the finish line and there was a high school marching band there to lead us through the arch. There were so many friends and families of everyone there that it was overwhelming. I couldn't stop smiling! Everyone was hugging! It was such an amazing feeling of accomplishment. Jesse and his parents were there with flowers for me, and Jana's husband and mom with gifts for her. All of the walkers sat in rows of chairs in the shade and we had a closing ceremony, complete with each walker coming to the front (in rows) and having a volunteer place the medal over our head. What a feeling! Then a band started playing and we got our lunches and found a nice shady spot on the grass to eat. Many people swung by to congratulate me, and I made my rounds to congratulate many others.
~Beth
September 18, 2009
day two of the challenge: the longest
Our plan was to start later on Saturday morning, and since we were so fast-moving we'd have the opportunity to pass a lot of people. While we were passing them, we would meet them and talk to them and get to know more about everyone. So we climbed out of bed and went to the Blister Busters to get bandaged up, then went and ate our breakfast... and before we knew it we were nearly the last ones leaving the hotel. Later than we planned, but oh well, we'll catch up. The first three miles were a breeze. Our feet and leg muscles felt good and we trucked along as usual. Then we got to the hill. The big hill. The really big steep long hill. We worked our way up it, slow and steady. Marathon folks (not from our event) were passing us at a run! We didn't talk much, just breathed. When we finally made it to the top, Jana's left hip was really bothering her. We stopped to stretch. She said it felt better but I didn't believe her because she wasn't moving very fast. So we went slow until the next rest-stop (5 miles in to Day 2 [25 miles overall]) when the medical professional told Jana it was a nerve issue. Uh Oh. But we kept going, both of us wondering silently if this was the end of our journey on foot. Would we have to catch a van back to the hotel and not finish the 20 miles that day?
About that time, I saw a big sign that one of my co-workers had printed for our team. It says "Go Karin's Kids" and has this cute little goat on it (because a "kid" is a baby goat) and I was so excited! I showed Jana and we took pictures. We trekked a little farther, Jana limping badly. And then we saw another sign, one with a photo of you and I on it that said "Keep walking Beth, We love you. From, your co-workers." It brought tears to my eyes. Seeing the picture of you and I together, and knowing that my co-workers thought of us and had the sign made. Jana took a photo of me with the sign that I'll send to you soon.
I recovered from my emotional moment. And quickly thought about one of my co-workers who has trouble with her hips and so I called her and she described some stretches that we had not yet tried that might help Jana's hip. Jana tried them and they worked! Her hip stopped hurting so much. We picked up the pace and kept going, and Jana did the stretches every mile or so. But we didn't catch with many folks since they were now SO far ahead of us. Jesse caught up with us by car about that time (8 miles in) and took some pictures. He would drive ahead a mile and then peek out from behind a bush and snap photos. Like we were celebrities.
We made it to the lunch stop (12.5 miles in [32.5 miles overall] a park outside a high school) and ate. We rested there 25 minutes or more. At this point we were probably in the back third of the pack. Two more Karin's Kids team members were there: Katy and Lisa. Jesse said goodbye to us and then we got going. We kept trucking, our pace not as fast as usual... and walked with several different groups of walkers who we had never met before. It was nice meeting them and hearing about why they are walking. Some of the people walking have MS - actually about 25% of the walkers had MS at this event. Our friend Debbie lives in the area so she rode her bike to us and then walked along with us, pushing her bike (15 miles in [35 miles overall]). She brought us some Advil which was a nice relief from some of the aches. At this point we were getting a delirious. It had been a long day already and we still had 5 miles to go. But we kept walking. And talking. Now our conversations weren't quite as free-flowing, because something happens to your brain after 35 miles... it just doesn't work as quickly. You can't think of the words to describe what you want to say. It's frustrating, and when you're physically exhausted too that makes for a tough combination. Anyway, Jana and Debbie and I walked and talked. Debbie cheered us on like a cheerleader - walking with us until the last half-mile. We made it to the Day 2 finish where they were going to shuttle us back to the hotel and we said "where's our limo?" Ha ha. No limo. But the shuttle was a nice van with air conditioning.
At the hotel, now 4pm or so, I quickly showered and then rushed down to the banquet room to rehearse some timing for the evening because I did have a part in the program that night. While I rehearsed, Jana was up in the room. Her husband brought 40 pounds of ice which he put in the bathtub filled with cold water. And then Jana SAT in that ice cold bath for 20 minutes! Yikes. But I'm sure it helped that hip. After rehearsing, I went to the Blister Busters for attention to my little blister (which really isn't anything, not bigger than a piece of unpopped popcorn) and the volunteer in the hallway asked if I wanted a massage! I knew we had volunteer massage therapists there that weekend, but I didn't know there would be room for me. So I said YES! I would love a massage. It was awesome. She massaged my feet, my legs front and back, and even my hips and lower back a little bit. What a treat.
Jesse arrived at about 6pm and Jana and her husband came down from the room and we all went to the dinner program together. The food was tasty and plentiful all weekend - and this meal was no exception. After eating, the program began with several awards, then what we call the "testimonials" began. One 31-year-old girl who was diagnosed with MS at age 20 spoke about having a positive attitude. She's great – and looks so healthy that you might not even know she has MS. Then a woman whose mother and brother have MS spoke about her experience. Then a woman in her late 40's who is in a wheelchair full-time and lives in a care facility spoke. She spoke about raising money - and was a real laugh! Then it was my turn to speak.
So I went to the stage. And I took the microphone. And I told the story about Mom getting MS, and how it affected our family. And how it affected me, and how I'm affecting it back by taking this 50-mile Challenge. The audience was so attentive and responsive and wonderful! And after my speech, I led the candle ceremony. The candle ceremony goes like this: all the lights are turned off. I read about 10 reasons for why anyone would be involved in the event, and when each person hears the reason that they're involved, they light their candle and stand up. So it starts with a dark room, and then I say "Those who are living with MS, we honor your strength, we honor you," and about 60 people light their candles and stand up. Then I read "if your brother or sister has MS..." and more people light their candles and stand, and then "mother or father," and more light and stand, including Jesse who joined me on stage with a lit candle. And so on until everyone in the room is standing with candle. It was amazing. To start from nothing and come to a whole room of candles symbolizing support and unity. Goose bumps.
When the program was over, we went to bed. But I laid awake for a long time thinking. A lot had happened in those two days.
~Beth
About that time, I saw a big sign that one of my co-workers had printed for our team. It says "Go Karin's Kids" and has this cute little goat on it (because a "kid" is a baby goat) and I was so excited! I showed Jana and we took pictures. We trekked a little farther, Jana limping badly. And then we saw another sign, one with a photo of you and I on it that said "Keep walking Beth, We love you. From, your co-workers." It brought tears to my eyes. Seeing the picture of you and I together, and knowing that my co-workers thought of us and had the sign made. Jana took a photo of me with the sign that I'll send to you soon.
I recovered from my emotional moment. And quickly thought about one of my co-workers who has trouble with her hips and so I called her and she described some stretches that we had not yet tried that might help Jana's hip. Jana tried them and they worked! Her hip stopped hurting so much. We picked up the pace and kept going, and Jana did the stretches every mile or so. But we didn't catch with many folks since they were now SO far ahead of us. Jesse caught up with us by car about that time (8 miles in) and took some pictures. He would drive ahead a mile and then peek out from behind a bush and snap photos. Like we were celebrities.
We made it to the lunch stop (12.5 miles in [32.5 miles overall] a park outside a high school) and ate. We rested there 25 minutes or more. At this point we were probably in the back third of the pack. Two more Karin's Kids team members were there: Katy and Lisa. Jesse said goodbye to us and then we got going. We kept trucking, our pace not as fast as usual... and walked with several different groups of walkers who we had never met before. It was nice meeting them and hearing about why they are walking. Some of the people walking have MS - actually about 25% of the walkers had MS at this event. Our friend Debbie lives in the area so she rode her bike to us and then walked along with us, pushing her bike (15 miles in [35 miles overall]). She brought us some Advil which was a nice relief from some of the aches. At this point we were getting a delirious. It had been a long day already and we still had 5 miles to go. But we kept walking. And talking. Now our conversations weren't quite as free-flowing, because something happens to your brain after 35 miles... it just doesn't work as quickly. You can't think of the words to describe what you want to say. It's frustrating, and when you're physically exhausted too that makes for a tough combination. Anyway, Jana and Debbie and I walked and talked. Debbie cheered us on like a cheerleader - walking with us until the last half-mile. We made it to the Day 2 finish where they were going to shuttle us back to the hotel and we said "where's our limo?" Ha ha. No limo. But the shuttle was a nice van with air conditioning.
At the hotel, now 4pm or so, I quickly showered and then rushed down to the banquet room to rehearse some timing for the evening because I did have a part in the program that night. While I rehearsed, Jana was up in the room. Her husband brought 40 pounds of ice which he put in the bathtub filled with cold water. And then Jana SAT in that ice cold bath for 20 minutes! Yikes. But I'm sure it helped that hip. After rehearsing, I went to the Blister Busters for attention to my little blister (which really isn't anything, not bigger than a piece of unpopped popcorn) and the volunteer in the hallway asked if I wanted a massage! I knew we had volunteer massage therapists there that weekend, but I didn't know there would be room for me. So I said YES! I would love a massage. It was awesome. She massaged my feet, my legs front and back, and even my hips and lower back a little bit. What a treat.
Jesse arrived at about 6pm and Jana and her husband came down from the room and we all went to the dinner program together. The food was tasty and plentiful all weekend - and this meal was no exception. After eating, the program began with several awards, then what we call the "testimonials" began. One 31-year-old girl who was diagnosed with MS at age 20 spoke about having a positive attitude. She's great – and looks so healthy that you might not even know she has MS. Then a woman whose mother and brother have MS spoke about her experience. Then a woman in her late 40's who is in a wheelchair full-time and lives in a care facility spoke. She spoke about raising money - and was a real laugh! Then it was my turn to speak.
So I went to the stage. And I took the microphone. And I told the story about Mom getting MS, and how it affected our family. And how it affected me, and how I'm affecting it back by taking this 50-mile Challenge. The audience was so attentive and responsive and wonderful! And after my speech, I led the candle ceremony. The candle ceremony goes like this: all the lights are turned off. I read about 10 reasons for why anyone would be involved in the event, and when each person hears the reason that they're involved, they light their candle and stand up. So it starts with a dark room, and then I say "Those who are living with MS, we honor your strength, we honor you," and about 60 people light their candles and stand up. Then I read "if your brother or sister has MS..." and more people light their candles and stand, and then "mother or father," and more light and stand, including Jesse who joined me on stage with a lit candle. And so on until everyone in the room is standing with candle. It was amazing. To start from nothing and come to a whole room of candles symbolizing support and unity. Goose bumps.
When the program was over, we went to bed. But I laid awake for a long time thinking. A lot had happened in those two days.
~Beth
September 15, 2009
back from the edge
I'm just recovering from walking 50 miles last weekend! It was amazing. Stay tuned for photos - well here are some another participant sent me http://www.flickr.com/photos/eringobragh14/sets/72157622256772711/
In the meantime I wrote about my experience, blow by blow. I'll just share Day One for now:
It started on Friday morning. I got to sleep until nearly 6am which is unheard of for a staff member on the morning of an event (usually we're on site by 4:30 or 5am). When I arrived at the opening ceremony, I put my luggage on the luggage truck and did my best NOT to go to the stage and become a staff member. We put on our sunscreen. I got a cup of coffee and wrote in my "In Honor Of" sign: I'm walking In Honor Of My Amazing Mom. And Jana wrote in hers: I'm walking In Honor Of Karin and her courageous family. We pinned them to the back of each other's shirts, stretched out our leg muscles, had a moment of silence in honor of the anniversary of September 11th, the national anthem... and then we were off!
We started out towards the coast, and within half a mile I felt the urge to find a restroom. Apparently all the coffee and water I drank were working. I made it to the first rest-stop at about a mile-and-a-half and I was the first one to use that porta-pottie! Nice and clean. Jana and I continued walking down the coast with another Karin's Kids team member Michelle Israel (wife of our chapter president), drinking water and energy drinks, stopping at porta-potties when needed and logging three to four miles per hour.
The lunch stop (10 miles in) was set up at a park where we sat in the grass and took off our shoes. We saw another Karin's Kids team member, Dawn, at the lunch stop, and she said she was doing fine, just not moving as fast as Jana's and my pace. But there were 250+ other walkers out there, so there were plenty of people with whom she had been walking and talking. We rested for 15 minutes or so, stretched and then got on our way - I took an ice cream bar for the road which was really nice since it had gotten muggy and hot. Plus I was sweaty...
After lunch, Jana and I walked along as a pair, keeping up our pace and trucking along. We kept drinking and enjoying the fruit and snacks from the rest-stops. After a couple of pretty steep hills (16-17 miles in), we arrived at the hotel - and our 20 miles were down! We were probably in the front quarter of the pack all day long - starting in the front and moving fast. At the hotel, we picked up our luggage at the front door, checked in and made our way to our room. We were in good spirits and chattering away about who knows what. Especially considering we'd been chattering away all day already about who knows what. But time flies when you're having fun.
After taking off our shoes in the hotel room, we discovered we had blisters! How lucky to not have felt them along the way. We had matching blisters on our left little toes, and Jana had a bigger blister on her right heel. We stretched, showered and dressed in sweat pants and the T-shirts I had made, and then Jana's husband brought us a bottle of wine. We poured ourselves a glass and went down to the nurses' station which is called the "Blister Busters." They cleaned and lanced our blisters and sent us on our way - we were wearing our sandals now. My husband Jesse had come to the hotel after finishing work and so we visited for a while before Jana and I went to the event's dinner. The dinner program lasted from 6:30 until 9pm (with a funny comedienne who has MS), and again, it was difficult for me to avoid helping with the program as I usually would as a staff member. But I held back. After dinner we went to bed.
~Beth
In the meantime I wrote about my experience, blow by blow. I'll just share Day One for now:
It started on Friday morning. I got to sleep until nearly 6am which is unheard of for a staff member on the morning of an event (usually we're on site by 4:30 or 5am). When I arrived at the opening ceremony, I put my luggage on the luggage truck and did my best NOT to go to the stage and become a staff member. We put on our sunscreen. I got a cup of coffee and wrote in my "In Honor Of" sign: I'm walking In Honor Of My Amazing Mom. And Jana wrote in hers: I'm walking In Honor Of Karin and her courageous family. We pinned them to the back of each other's shirts, stretched out our leg muscles, had a moment of silence in honor of the anniversary of September 11th, the national anthem... and then we were off!
We started out towards the coast, and within half a mile I felt the urge to find a restroom. Apparently all the coffee and water I drank were working. I made it to the first rest-stop at about a mile-and-a-half and I was the first one to use that porta-pottie! Nice and clean. Jana and I continued walking down the coast with another Karin's Kids team member Michelle Israel (wife of our chapter president), drinking water and energy drinks, stopping at porta-potties when needed and logging three to four miles per hour.
The lunch stop (10 miles in) was set up at a park where we sat in the grass and took off our shoes. We saw another Karin's Kids team member, Dawn, at the lunch stop, and she said she was doing fine, just not moving as fast as Jana's and my pace. But there were 250+ other walkers out there, so there were plenty of people with whom she had been walking and talking. We rested for 15 minutes or so, stretched and then got on our way - I took an ice cream bar for the road which was really nice since it had gotten muggy and hot. Plus I was sweaty...
After lunch, Jana and I walked along as a pair, keeping up our pace and trucking along. We kept drinking and enjoying the fruit and snacks from the rest-stops. After a couple of pretty steep hills (16-17 miles in), we arrived at the hotel - and our 20 miles were down! We were probably in the front quarter of the pack all day long - starting in the front and moving fast. At the hotel, we picked up our luggage at the front door, checked in and made our way to our room. We were in good spirits and chattering away about who knows what. Especially considering we'd been chattering away all day already about who knows what. But time flies when you're having fun.
After taking off our shoes in the hotel room, we discovered we had blisters! How lucky to not have felt them along the way. We had matching blisters on our left little toes, and Jana had a bigger blister on her right heel. We stretched, showered and dressed in sweat pants and the T-shirts I had made, and then Jana's husband brought us a bottle of wine. We poured ourselves a glass and went down to the nurses' station which is called the "Blister Busters." They cleaned and lanced our blisters and sent us on our way - we were wearing our sandals now. My husband Jesse had come to the hotel after finishing work and so we visited for a while before Jana and I went to the event's dinner. The dinner program lasted from 6:30 until 9pm (with a funny comedienne who has MS), and again, it was difficult for me to avoid helping with the program as I usually would as a staff member. But I held back. After dinner we went to bed.
~Beth
September 10, 2009
Dear Mom: the challenge starts tomorrow
Hi Mom,
Tomorrow morning is the first day of my big walk! I can't believe it... 20 miles tomorrow, 20 miles Saturday and the final 10 miles on Sunday! I walked 10 miles last Sunday and didn't really feel it, so I'm optimistic. Though I do realize that 20 miles is twice as far as 10 miles... we'll see. It's comforting to know that my friend Jana will be walking with me, and she has much shorter legs than I, so whatever she can handle - I can certainly handle more.
I'm giving a speech at the program on Saturday night. About MS, and about you. I know what I want to say... I'm just finishing up typing it out so I'm sure to get in all the details I don't want to miss. I'm going to have it recorded, so if it turns out good, I'll show it to you. I'm a little nervous, but I think nervous is good. The adrenaline will kick in tomorrow and then there's no turning back!
I just want to thank you so much for your support, and thank all the staff there at the Heritage for their support, through this process of me fundraising and training to walk 50 miles. When I started out, I thought I'd be burdening people by asking them to donate in your honor and in support of me taking on such a challenge, but actually nearly everyone I've asked has seen it as an opportunity. An opportunity to support you, to help me support you, and to do something about MS. Stupid disease. Anyway, thank you. Because I feel so incredibly honored to walk 50 measly miles for you. Because I never knew I had it in me - but you did. Love, Beth
~Beth
Tomorrow morning is the first day of my big walk! I can't believe it... 20 miles tomorrow, 20 miles Saturday and the final 10 miles on Sunday! I walked 10 miles last Sunday and didn't really feel it, so I'm optimistic. Though I do realize that 20 miles is twice as far as 10 miles... we'll see. It's comforting to know that my friend Jana will be walking with me, and she has much shorter legs than I, so whatever she can handle - I can certainly handle more.
I'm giving a speech at the program on Saturday night. About MS, and about you. I know what I want to say... I'm just finishing up typing it out so I'm sure to get in all the details I don't want to miss. I'm going to have it recorded, so if it turns out good, I'll show it to you. I'm a little nervous, but I think nervous is good. The adrenaline will kick in tomorrow and then there's no turning back!
I just want to thank you so much for your support, and thank all the staff there at the Heritage for their support, through this process of me fundraising and training to walk 50 miles. When I started out, I thought I'd be burdening people by asking them to donate in your honor and in support of me taking on such a challenge, but actually nearly everyone I've asked has seen it as an opportunity. An opportunity to support you, to help me support you, and to do something about MS. Stupid disease. Anyway, thank you. Because I feel so incredibly honored to walk 50 measly miles for you. Because I never knew I had it in me - but you did. Love, Beth
~Beth
September 08, 2009
why
Alexandra Samuel of Social Signal has an excellent post about of how to use your Twitter and Facebook status messages to change the world, one tweet at a time:
Many of us are posting daily, hourly or minute-by-minute snapshots of our activities via Facebook status updates or Twitter. These status updates could be a great way for us to share the small steps we're all taking to strengthen our communities, reduce our personal environmental footprints, increase issue awareness, support people in need, empower and mobilize marginalized communities, support social justice -- all the many many things people in non-profits, activist groups, government agencies, social enterprises and multinational corporations are doing to move us towards a world that is socially, environmentally and personally sustainable.
This weekend I painted the "thought prompts" on the Walls of Hope for the upcoming Challenge Walk. Not a big thing, but still important. There are four Walls, and the prompts are "in honor of" and "relationships" and "realizations" and "meaningful moments" which really each are getting at why people will walk 50 miles. Wait a minute, isn't WHY we do this is the most important part?
Alexandra asks:
What did you do today that moved your work, your organization or your personal practice forward?
And I ask, "why?"
Rather than complaining or telling the world you're eating hot oatmeal, sharing a sense of accomplishment towards a goal (and why you're reaching for it) is inspiring.
~Beth
Many of us are posting daily, hourly or minute-by-minute snapshots of our activities via Facebook status updates or Twitter. These status updates could be a great way for us to share the small steps we're all taking to strengthen our communities, reduce our personal environmental footprints, increase issue awareness, support people in need, empower and mobilize marginalized communities, support social justice -- all the many many things people in non-profits, activist groups, government agencies, social enterprises and multinational corporations are doing to move us towards a world that is socially, environmentally and personally sustainable.
This weekend I painted the "thought prompts" on the Walls of Hope for the upcoming Challenge Walk. Not a big thing, but still important. There are four Walls, and the prompts are "in honor of" and "relationships" and "realizations" and "meaningful moments" which really each are getting at why people will walk 50 miles. Wait a minute, isn't WHY we do this is the most important part?
Alexandra asks:
What did you do today that moved your work, your organization or your personal practice forward?
And I ask, "why?"
Rather than complaining or telling the world you're eating hot oatmeal, sharing a sense of accomplishment towards a goal (and why you're reaching for it) is inspiring.
~Beth
September 04, 2009
event planning
The office is busy busy busy! With Bike just over a month away and Challenge and the Couples Retreat NEXT WEEKEND, we're all plugging away at the last minute details. I'm working on scripts - SO exciting to have Joyce Nelson with us! And power points, and music, and my testimonial for Saturday night (it's all about me, right?) for which I'm a bit nervous. But I can only share what I know.
The Couples Retreat has 50 couples booked to talk about Sex & Intimacy at a really nice resort. I'm sure it will be helpful information as well as a relaxing weekend away from the stresses of everyday life.
For Challenge Walk we announced the theme of Sun & Sea so I'm trying to figure out what to wear...
Holiday weekend here I come!
~Beth
The Couples Retreat has 50 couples booked to talk about Sex & Intimacy at a really nice resort. I'm sure it will be helpful information as well as a relaxing weekend away from the stresses of everyday life.
For Challenge Walk we announced the theme of Sun & Sea so I'm trying to figure out what to wear...
Holiday weekend here I come!
~Beth
September 01, 2009
mothers continued
I had a great weekend in the Midwest with Mom. There were 80-90 people at the nursing home for her reception in honor of my brother's wedding - and everyone was so excited to see her. You could tell that all the excitement was wearing Mom out, but she was smiling away. So many faces she hadn't seen in years, and of course all of us that she sees frequently. That was Saturday. On Sunday she didn't want to get up for supper because she was SO tired, but I had two good visits with her anyway. She was overjoyed to hear that I exceeded my fundraising goal for the Challenge Walk! So was all the staff - what a sweet bunch of gals. I showed Mom my new shoes for the event and she seemed unimpressed. I guess they are just shoes. I'll post a link to photos when I have it.
~Beth
~Beth
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