Pilgrim for Peace

I’ve made it to New York!  There’s nothing like the energy the people have here. 

I’m taking one day off to rest a foot that has gone into muscle spasms, but I expect to be back on track and heading to Brooklyn tomorrow.  I’ll do a loop through Long Island and then it’s out to New Jersey and on toward Philly and Washington, DC.

Look for a story about the walk in the Riverdale Press if you live in the Bronx!

I’ve had an amazing few days going through beautiful land. I’ve been staying with some intentionally poor people for a few days, and some unintentionally poor people at times before that. I’ve also seen people living in luxury, with dogs that eat more and better food than many people, and everything in between. Seeing the different standards of living just minutes from each other has given me a real education in how perception affects our beliefs about what we do and do not need. Poverty sounds like a dreary and uncomfortable existence, but some of the financially wealthy people I’ve met feel poorer than those I’ve met who have no running water. I think that feeling of insecurity is the source of a lot of the aggression in the world.

And speaking of insecurity, the police stopped me yesterday. They said someone called them about me… In the age of “terror,” I suppose someone walking for peace looks very suspicious to some people. Peace Pilgrim always said that she’d never met a person who’d built a bomb shelter and felt safer for it. Very wise words, and much needed wisdom in a country that is trying to create safety for itself using some extremely misguided methods.

Look for articles about the walk in the Millerton News and Poughkeepsie Journal soon!

“A country is defined not only by what it does, but by what it tolerates.” (Sign In Front of a Unitarian Church)

“Happiness is the process of letting go, again and again.” (Host #1)

“I was having a really bad day…  So I prayed that I would find someone who needed my help.”  (Host #20) 

“Most of the people in this world spend the majority of their time getting enough water to meet their most basic needs.  And we shit in it.” (Host #1

“Come back next week!  We’re building a yurt!” (Someone at a collective farm in Barre)

I’m almost in New York!  It will be very exciting to cross a state line.

Some numbers from my trip:

Types of animals spotted: 1 porcupine, 2 deer, 3 groundhogs, 2 rabbits, 3 herons, several hawks, lots of frogs, and I’m pretty sure chipmunks are plotting a world takeover.

Most common trash on the side of the road: 1st place–alcohol containers, 2nd place–coffee cups, 3rd place–cigarette containers

Worst cell phone service if you live in Massachusetts: Verizon

Number of homes opened to me for the night: 21

Number of these homes with goats: 3

Number of mothers who have insisted on feeding me because I reminded them of their child: 4

Number of attempts to convert me to another religion: 2

Number of hostile or otherwise frightening people I’ve met: 0

Number of moose attacks: 0

Number of blisters currently on my feet: 10

The one thing I’ve seen in every town, no matter how small: A war memorial

Peace apologizes for not posting as she hasn’t had internet access, but she wanted to let everyone know that she’s doing fine.  She was at a catholic monastery two days ago and tonight she is at a non-profit organic farm called Seeds of Solidarity.  Tomorrow she will be going to the New England Peace Pagoda in Levrette, MA.

 -PFP Media Team

I’ve been meandering around Massachusetts, but will move more directly West soon.  Tonight I’m at a Buddhist center in Barre.  The people here are so great to talk to…  And they often have Theravada monks swing through, so they’re very used to people who don’t ask for anything, and they have offering hospitality down to a science–they’ve even got tricky ways of figuring out which foods you prefer.  Sneaky.

Today while I was walking I had a young woman sprint several blocks to chase me down.  When she caught up with me, she was hardly able to catch her breath from running to say, “Tell me (pant pant) about your message! (pant pant)”

On this walk, I often get the sense that I am meant to be speaking with someone, but talk about a woman on a mission!  I told her what I’m doing, and she didn’t say anything–she just gave me a huge hug before heading back to her car.

I had a nice walk through Paxton, MA today…  I interviewed with the local radio station (WSRS/WTAG), but they don’t seem to have a website and I’m not sure when they’re airing the interview. 

I continue to meet the most amazing people…  Everyone is so different, and so wonderful in their own unique way.  A few days ago, an organic farmer helped me make a failed attempt to milk a goat (it’s harder than it looks).  Yesterday I stayed with a poet who is certain that her cats are plotting a marxist revolution (she makes a good case for her assertion–those cats are shifty). Today I had a fascinating conversation with a philosophy professor about what it would mean to live completely without selfishness.

Almost all of the wonderful people I meet tell me that the world is full of evil, dangerous people, and that I should be careful.  But the only people I’ve met have been kind and generous beyond belief.  We spend too much time being afraid of each other.

Peace Pilgrim’s tunic has quite the magical effect on people.  I’ve been having wonderful conversations with everyone since I put it on.

Today I talked to a group of young women who I found truly inspiring.  They even walked with me for about a mile!  They don’t believe in their abilities enough to know it, but they’re going to change the world someday. 

Today I visited the Peace Abbey. I can’t tell you how amazing this place is. It’s an incredible retreat center, animal sanctuary, center for activism, and place of worship. They have a fantastic service every Sunday, and I attended today. When the caretaker of the Abbey found out about my walk, he said, “I have something for you.” I figured maybe he meant an energy bar or something… Then he took me straight over to the Peace Pilgrim glass case they have there, with her tunic, shoes, copies of her book and other materials, etc. So I thought he was going to give me a copy of her book. Wrong again. He unlocked the glass case. I couldn’t believe he was opening the thing. Still, I thought maybe he’d give me some little trinket…

He took out the tunic.

Long story short, I am now wearing Peace Pilgrim’s tunic, which I will return to the Peace Abbey at the end of my walk.

Now, for the sad part of this story. The Peace Abbey is in dire need of financial help within the next 20 days, or they will have to sell their property… They don’t ask for money and they won’t let anyone else ask for money for them, so all I can say is that this place is amazing and it needs to exist. And if it were replaced by an orthodontist’s office, I think I would cry.

I’m at an organic farm in Natick today, and on to visit The Peace Abbey tomorrow.

Today a wonderful woman stopped to talk to me and gave me a little protective charm with a picture of a saint on it. She didn’t have any food at the time and I wouldn’t take money, so she actually went shopping and then tracked me down miles down the road, where she loaded me down with as much food as I could carry. She also invited me to sit in her car to get out of the rain (without riding), where she showed me pictures of her four kids and asked me all kinds of motherly questions