Hello H-town! Anyone out there?
It's me, the Mad Houstonian!
I know, I last posted in August...
As this difficult year comes to a close my goal is to turn things around in 2020, and rejuvenate my creative self.
After all, I turn 60 on March 5th.
As long time fans of my writing know I do not drive.
I walk, bike, use mass transit, commuter transit, & even the occasional airline and Amtrak rail, to get around, & even explore places further afield than where I call home.
This month I want to, among other things, introduce you to a new, growing, movement of walkers, footsloggers, and community explorers across the United States and beyond (By the end of this month I hope to have reached a creative milestone: 1300 blog posts since this blog began in Oct. 2007).
Meet Everwalk Nation... I joined in June 2017, then my computer died.
Almost a year later, online again, on a regular basis, I bought me a pedometer, and soon will have, by the end of this week, logged 2300 miles of daily walking, on the Everwalk site since I began tracking in April 2018.
So what is Everwalk?
After legendary long distance swimmer Diana Nyad finally mastered the swim from Cuba to Florida, she looked for a new challenge, a new way to inspire others to discover their EPIC selves.
In 2016 Diana and her long time friend Bonnie Stoll set out to ignite an "Epic Revolution" of a million walkers, one step, one mile, one person at a time.
"especially in the United States, we have become sitters. We are now the most sedentary country on earth. For our health, for the connection of community, for the self-empowerment of moving on our own steam, we here at EverWalk are going to ignite a walking revolution.
This is a call to action. Let’s not let our lives slip by us on the couch. Let’s walk with our neighbors after dinner. Let’s walk to do our chores. Let’s walk our kids to and from school. Let’s look up at the strong trees and find equal strength within ourselves.
Walking is the EverWalk way toward imagining the EPIC within all of us."
They want to encourage people to "Get up. Get out into the magnificent outdoors. Leave your screens. Talk with each other. Discover your town. Adventure through new corridors. Let the vast blue sky galvanize you to dream."
Turn America into an EverWalk NATION.
How do you become a member?
Take a pledge, join the website, and Facebook Group, connect with Everwalk on Instagram and Twitter.
Connect with Ambassadors, across the country, and in Canada, and Europe, who lead 1st Saturday Walks, and meet other, like-minded people, from all walks of life.
Joining is easy.
On the website you sign on to the following pledge:
I pledge to walk at least 3 times a week.
I will be an example to my family, friends and neighbors about the importance of walking and leading an active lifestyle.
I commit to be an ambassador for EverWalk‘s mission and want to get America walking.
Since Oct. 2016 there have been 4 Epic Walks, week long journeys of 134 miles, in different parts of the country, that people from all across the nation trained for and have participated in (some have done them all!), the most recent, in August, from Philadelphia to DC, all alongside Diana & Bonnie.
Ordinary people, of all ages, from all walks of life, coming together beyond their Facebook, Instagram and Twitter interactions, to spend quality time meeting each other face to face, and exploring new places together in the most challenging way they had ever done in their lives, and sharing the journey on not just the community social media, but their own personal sites, and pages.
One day I'd like to join one of these Epics...God willing.
There are over 100 Ambassadors across the US, Canada & Europe, who lead 1st Saturday walks in their community, and even walks other times of the month.
I became Everwalk Ambassador #83 on 9/11 2019!
Unlike other Ambassadors my work schedule does not allow me to lead group walks, but I was invited and encouraged, to become one of the ranks because of my creativity and enthusiasm.
Maybe I can encourage, thru my creativity, a growing community of walkers in the Houston area, even inspiring someone to be the walk leader I can not, who knows?
Houston is huge, and there is much to see, explore, and experience here, if one can find the time, and a way, to do so, all on foot, whether a car, bike, or mass transit, gets you to and from where you start and finish your walk.
Even the walking you do, as part of your daily life, can lead to something interesting.
I invite you to step out of your comfort zone, get out and walk, take the pledge, join me in the Facebook Group, discover Everwalk on Instagram & Twitter.
You will discover a fascinating, supportive, sharing, encouraging, inspiring community of people.
The Biggest Walking Initiative in America Starts With YOU!
ONWARD!!!
NEXT UP: As an Everwalk Ambassador I'd like to invite you to get in touch with your creative side and join me on a little "Word-A-Day journey, as we exit the 1st decade of the 21st Century and enter the 2nd.
EVERWALK NATION: Inspirational Word of the Day - Courage
Congrats on 2,300 miles of walking! Very impressive.
Posted by: Ellen Pilch | December 10, 2019 at 05:58 PM
Thank you!
I want to try for 2020 miles in the year 2020. :-D
Posted by: Kiril Kundurazieff | December 17, 2019 at 10:01 PM