Please support the journey
Michele keeps telling me to have faith, but I figure honest assessment, admission of responsibility, and asking for help are all important as well. I'm over my head in debt.
I'm not going to say we haven't been working, because pedaling these heavy bikes cross country is a full-time job, but we haven't been drawing regular paychecks for a very long time. We've been quite reliant upon the kindness of strangers and we are so grateful for the many gifts we have received.
Bicycling thousands of miles with a twelve year old girl and two year old twins in cloth diapers is quite a challenge (The joys of the children make it all worthwhile.). We camp when we can and try to keep our consumption habits under control, but we need to eat a lot and sleep regularly to keep our energy up. Organizing volunteer support isn't easy, because it's tough to predict exactly when we'll be somewhere.
Besides the daily necessities, we've had some relatively major bicycle expenses. Four thousand miles wear a lot of tires, not to mention the replacement of one dangerous bike (after Michele's second accident) and Tala's outgrown ride. We don't regret these expenses, because they were essential to continue the journey. Still, we hate to keep paying interest on them.
Bicycles are an effective outreach tool and the children are excellent ambassadors. We've found common ground with people of all political stripes. We've stimulated many discussions about war, oil, and personal responsibility. And I trust we've inspired many people to find more effective ways to voice their call for peace.
We're committed to stay out here until the troops come home no matter what obstacles we face. It's tough to imagine how, but we will keep it up even through bankruptcy, if we have to. We derive hope from the many people who call out blessings to us when they read our signs.
Here's the bottom line. If you can afford to deposit any funds in my checking account at the Boeing Employees' Credit Union (yes, I once worked for them), it could help us to continue. The routing number is 325081403 and my account is 3560030567. BECU's phone is 206-439-5700. Thank you very much for any support you can lend.
I'm not going to say we haven't been working, because pedaling these heavy bikes cross country is a full-time job, but we haven't been drawing regular paychecks for a very long time. We've been quite reliant upon the kindness of strangers and we are so grateful for the many gifts we have received.
Bicycling thousands of miles with a twelve year old girl and two year old twins in cloth diapers is quite a challenge (The joys of the children make it all worthwhile.). We camp when we can and try to keep our consumption habits under control, but we need to eat a lot and sleep regularly to keep our energy up. Organizing volunteer support isn't easy, because it's tough to predict exactly when we'll be somewhere.
Besides the daily necessities, we've had some relatively major bicycle expenses. Four thousand miles wear a lot of tires, not to mention the replacement of one dangerous bike (after Michele's second accident) and Tala's outgrown ride. We don't regret these expenses, because they were essential to continue the journey. Still, we hate to keep paying interest on them.
Bicycles are an effective outreach tool and the children are excellent ambassadors. We've found common ground with people of all political stripes. We've stimulated many discussions about war, oil, and personal responsibility. And I trust we've inspired many people to find more effective ways to voice their call for peace.
We're committed to stay out here until the troops come home no matter what obstacles we face. It's tough to imagine how, but we will keep it up even through bankruptcy, if we have to. We derive hope from the many people who call out blessings to us when they read our signs.
Here's the bottom line. If you can afford to deposit any funds in my checking account at the Boeing Employees' Credit Union (yes, I once worked for them), it could help us to continue. The routing number is 325081403 and my account is 3560030567. BECU's phone is 206-439-5700. Thank you very much for any support you can lend.
posted by Vernon Huffman at 7:50 PM
7 Comments:
Maybe for account security, you should ask people to e-mail you or call you for your account information instead. Avoiding identity theft is a good way to stay out of debt too.
-Erica and Jesse
Probably true, Erica, but I've always said "anybody who steals my identity deserves what he gets. It's tough enough for me, and I was born into it." When you got nothin' you got nothin' to lose.
Cloth diapers biking across country. I am impressed.
We need pictures of your trip!
Will send $.
Thanks. I put some photos onto the blog.
bike4peace north is getting close. we're in ohio. meet us in flintstone at the stone and song meditation retreat if you can? we'll be there the 18 & 19th.
ron
We all wish we could be doing what you're doing, but some of us have to work.
Get a job and stop begging!!
Sorry to hear you feel you "have to" do something you don't want to, and that you're apparently ashamed to share your name. The work I've chosen to do lately involved hauling heavy loads on my bicycle and facilitating community discussions. It's every bit as draining as anything I've ever done for monetary compensation, but unfortunately, our economy doesn't include payment for serving the greater needs of humanity, except through what you call "begging." Compare our society's attitude toward homeless men with India's treatment of "sadhus." Non-profits have to behave like corporations to merit donations here.
Whatever your judgment of me and the work I perform, I certainly don't want you to give me anything you don't believe I'm entitled to. I appreciate the kindness I've been shown and expect to continue to be upfront about my perception of my needs. If you feel called upon to share with me, please do. If you don't, my feelings won't be hurt if you just ignore me.
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