The Last Hill Before Home: Mike's Poem

Monday, September 28, 2009

Mike's Poem

My great buddy Michael Ward and I at our fundraiser for the Last Hill Before Home at Le Scorpion in Los Angeles.

For those of you who missed it...Below is Mike's poem that he read at the "7 Views" photography exhibit benefit and auction at 111 Minna in San Francisco on Saturday, September 19th. His poem was inspired by two things. One, he wrote the poem as a if he were me. He got the content from stories that we shared as we rode our bikes from Panama City, Panama to the border of Costa Rica. It was an amazing 2 weeks that we spent together and a time that I will never forget. Two, he got inspiration from the photo above. The photo above I took while walking across Spain on the Camino de Santigo. It is one of my faviorte photos from my journey and this poem was inspired by that. The trip and this fundraiser has been a life changing experience for me...one that I will never forget. Hewas able to put this amazing story to life through his poem.

Mike...Thank you so much for the poem and having the courage to stand up in front of a room full of strangers to deliever it. It was an amazing thing to do. Much love...

Born as a simple thought in my mind
A fantasy to leave the daily grind
I poured my energy into this thought
Becoming detached from things I’d bought
Life is not about the big tv
Or these thousand count sheets
So much more for me to see
Beyond these crowded streets
So strong was this thought
It eventually became real
I sold off most possessions
I listened to what I feel
With no idea what I was going to find
I knew I had to leave it all behind
Setting out into the great unknown
How can I describe all the things I’ve been shown?
I walked the world for over a year
Through many lessons
it became very clear
The trip was the beginning
Rather than an end
From all corners of the world
I made many a friend
The places the people
Each playing a part
Teaching me in life
You must follow your heart
I realized that no matter
Where my shadow may fall
That I am
We Are
A part of it all.
With one world
One people
One sky up above
In spite of our differences
We share One Love
Little by little
I began to see
The trip was about more
Than just me
It played in my head
Like the words of a song
“give back to that which I belong”
Scary and crazy it would seem
But I felt my calling,
It became my dream
My vision was born
In piece and bit
When it came together
I knew this was it
All of my travels
Brought me here
At a moment in time
It all became clear
Many of days
My shadow stretched long
Each step I took
Was a verse to this song
It took the world
For me to roam
So together
We could climb
The Last Hill Before Home!

Peace, Power and Pedal

Aaron

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Plan USA

¨Plan is a global partnership of caring people founded in 1937 to bring hope and help to the world’s poorest children.

Plan began as a child sponsorship organization. Today, we are one of the oldest and largest organizations of our kind—our grassroots, self-help programs assist more than 10 million children and their families in poor communities around the world.

We are proudly private, not for profit, and respectful of local religions and cultures—we have no agenda other than helping kids. Plan USA is one of more than 60 national organizations bearing the renowned Plan logo. ¨

Right about the time that I was identifying non profit organizations to work with I received an email from my cousin Joshua. Josh, a meteorologist for the United States Air Force who is living in Germany and currently stationed in Iraq, mentioned that he was now sponsoring a child through Plan USA. He said that it was a small step but a small step in the right direction. He also mentioned that Plan USA was backed by the Better Business Bureau, a point that we both respect. Through various research of my own I found that Plan USA is a prominent NGO and has a great marks from InterAction and the Charities Review Council. Most importantly I found that Plan USA´s mission of ¨striving to achieve lasting improvement in the quality of life of deprived children in developing countries¨ linked exactly to my own mission for this fundraising event. Needless to say, it was a great fit.

The Inspiration

¨You must be the change you want to see in the world¨

- Mahatma Gandhi

I love to travel.

I have been lucky enough to throw on a backpack and visit 5 continents. I have been fortunate enough to see some amazing sights. It´s hard not to be inspired when your standing under the rotunda at the Taj Mahal or approaching the Pyramids of Egypt or wandering through the waterfalls at Iguazu in Argentina. These have all been inspiring times.

I also cherish the fact that I have met people from all over the world and been able to learn and share in the differences in cultures. You can learn so much when you share a spicy vietnamese sandwich with a local in Hoi An, when you take a stroll with a friend in a park in Santiago de Chile or gather with pilgrims over a pitcher of sangria at Santiago de Compostella in Spain. I´ve learned a lot and I´m incredibly grateful for all the opportunities.

With all the ups there´s also the downs. Theres another side you see when travelling. This side isn´t shared as much and it can also be quite difficult to talk about. Many countries, especially in the developing worlds, face many problems. HIV/AIDS, pollution, over population, lack of clean drinking water, dangerous living conditions and of course people living under $1 a day are just a few of the issues to mention.

I have wandered through the ghetto´s of Bangkok, I played stick games with the kids in the slums of Mumbai and seen the horrible living conditions of the street beggars in La Paz. While these encounters were only brief they still had a profound affect on me. Somehow, I draw inspiration from these encounters and connections. In so many situations these people who seemed to have nothing, were still smiling, still playing and still trying with all their means to get by. If only I had that much courage!

It was culture shock and it hurt.

I feel that now is the time to give back.

I encourage you to leave comments on this blog. Every word of positivity will help me along my journey. I encourage you to pass the message forward. Together we can help make a change for the kids that need it most. Finally, I encourage you to donate. There´s an icon on the top right hand corner of this blog that will direct you to a third party site that facilitates the donations. Its totally secure and safe. I appreciate all the love and positivity that I´m already recieving, of course this is not possible without people who want to help make a difference.

I don´t think that I´ll necessarily change the world, after all I´m just a 28 year old guy from San Francisco. But, I do want to give back. I do want to help. I have the opportunity so why not use it to help the children in the world who don´t have the same chances.

Now is the time to ¨be the change¨.

The Goal

In riding my bike from Panama City to San Francisco, I am initiating a grassroots fundraising effort to help raise money to feed starving children in Central and South America. All proceeds will go to PLAN USA. My goal is to raise a minimum of 15,000 dollars. In doing so I also hope to bring the plight and struggle of these children into the concious of the public, as well as their profound sense of life, courage, hope and faith. Their undeniable love for life, and ability to continue to dream.

Donate today http://www.firstgiving.com/lasthillbeforehome

I Believe

When taking on a mission like this it´s important to create a set of ideals, principles or beliefs. The task at hand is by no means going to be easy. These 7 beliefs are truly the fundamentals that will help me along my journey.

I Believe...

- In Plan USA. Plan´s clearly defined mission of ¨striving to achieve lasting improvements in the quality of life of deprived children in developing countries¨, is possible with the support from us if we are willing to make a difference today.

- In grassroots charitable efforts. Dedicated individual leaders and community outreach groups are fighting the growing problems of poverty.

- In the power of communication and information. Plan´s key programs of ¨growing up healthy, learning, habitat, livelihood and building relationships¨, are possible by making a donation and passing the message forward.

- Riding a bike from Panama City to San Francisco will raise awareness to the fight against poverty.

- In outdoor adventure travel. Riding is one of the positive and healthy activities that plants confidence into any individual.

- In the power of synergy. A group with a common mission driven by creativity and passion can accomplish any set of goals.

- A dream, a bike and a regular guy from San Francisco can help make a change in the lives of children whom need it most.

The Last Hill Before Home

Monday, September 28, 2009

Mike's Poem

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