I just went to a solstice celebration which completed his year. It was at a beautiful retreat center hall on Whidbey Island. So much snow had fallin in the week before that most events were cancelled, but Kurt persevered and so did we - 70 or more of us showed up for him, for the inspiration of his year and for our own commitment to stretching beyond comfort and assumptions and into braver ways of living.
He offered the following list of learnings from his year, which involved not just NOT doing cars but hiking and biking and kayaking the beaties of his 60 mile region. His learnings are so like mine i wanted to share them with you:
o If we decide to do something, and if we decide that everything worthy of our love hangs in the balance, its amazing what we’re capable of
o Living without a car is challenging, but completely within our capacity
o Making these changes has been easier than I imagined. I can no longer imagine feeling bored or confined here.
o The benefits of this experiment have exceeded the costs by a country mile
o Staying close to home and actively exploring my home terrain has vastly increased my sense of connection and belonging in this place
o My inner life feels richer and more grounded than it did a year ago
o My sense of connection to my neighbors and gratitude for my community is much stronger
o I’m in better shape physically than I’ve been for years, and I’ve hardly even been to the gym
o The daily act of moving from place to place is lived time now, rather than lost time. I’m not checked out when I’m traveling. I’m much more fully engaged.
o I am far less prone to seasonal depression and feelings of despair about the world. I am more open to the truth of what we face, without being so overwhelmed by it.
o I am much more willing to share my gifts and talents without the burden of feeling that my actions are continually out of alignment with my deepest values and convictions. I have a long ways to go in that re-alignment, but I feel I’ve made an honest start, and I feel very encouraged by that.
o I’m far more hopeful that serious change is possible, that we each have it in us to make real changes on a scale commensurate with the challenges we face.
o I am more willing to take other risks now, and I’m not nearly as afraid of what the future might hold.
· When reality steps forward with ultimatums as large as these, and when we turn toward these truths with curiosity and intelligence rather than fear and denial, then the real adventure begins, and there is no measuring what we are capable of.
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