Reaching Dandi

                                                          
     After 62 days I completed my goal of walking 241 miles.  Thanks to my wife, Hope, who has been supportive throughout the journey.

Low Budget Living: 3 Meals 3 Dollars

                                                               Meal #1: Oats & Raisins

     The morning after my shopping trip my breakfast consisted of oats and raisins. I found that half a cup of oats was more than enough for me; in fact, I split this bowl with Hope. A very satisfying breakfast.

                                                           Meal #2: Brown Rice & Zucchini

     One of the things that cooking your own food entails is a time commitment. Hope and I don't own a microwave, so at our house you can't just "zap" food into readiness. On top of how long something takes to cook,  you also need to factor in preparation time. For instance, brown rice takes about 35 minutes from start to finish. In contrast, prepping the zucchini, which consisted of a quick wash and then slicing it into bite size rounds took less than 5 minutes.

 

Meal #3: Split Pea & Lentil Soup

     My dinner was the most time consuming. It required me to actually plan. Not one of my strengths, at least in the food department. Initially, I thought I would just have to add the mix to water and boil.  Wrong. Instead, the directions had me soak the split peas and lentils for over an hour.  Luckily, I wasn't hungry when I started making dinner; otherwise, it would have been tough having to wait. I also used my leftover rice from lunch to thicken up my soup. Yum.

     

     In the end I found that you can eat healthy on a limited budget, but it's not easy. This week, Hope and I are committed to spending only $35 on our groceries for the week (Monday thru Sunday). We won't be purchasing any packaged or prepared foods, and whenever possible we will be buying organic. We decided to make a menu to help us shop smart.

Part of the Solution

                                                     "Give a Hoot, Don't Pollute!"

     Litter. It's one of the things that I've been noticing on my daily walks. It makes me sad, and I can't understand how people can just throw their garbage on the ground. In fact, the other day I watched as a young boy who was eating an ice cream bar just tossed his wrapper and walked away. I really wanted to say something, but I didn't. When did this kind of behavior become OK?
     Eldridge Cleaver once said, "You're either part of the solution or you're part of the problem." Of course, Cleaver wasn't referring to pollution, his statement was directed toward the problem of racial inequality. However, I think the idea can be applied to this situation as well.
     I want to be part of the solution. Now, while I haven't been littering I'm still part of the problem. After all, up until now, all I've been doing is complaining about the problem.  In order to be part of the solution, I need to take action. During my walks I will now be carrying a trash bag so that I can start to make a difference. This will be my small part in being the change.

Low Budget Living: Food Shopping

                                                         "Low Budget" by The Kinks

     Before shopping I spent some time at the USDA's website: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/. The new MyPlate graphic showed me that for a well-balanced meal I needed to have the following: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy.  Time for a little food math. Consider the following equation: If you take five food groups and you multiply them by three well-balanced meals, and then divide the product by three dollars, what does it equal? Answer: Impossible.  Even with a calculator I couldn't stretch my three dollars to cover everything the USDA recommended. Since dairy is expensive, and I don't drink milk, I decided to forgo dairy products.

Shopping the bulk bins at Fred Meyer

  
     The fact that I wanted to buy organic definitely limited my buying power, and except for my veggie soup mix, my lone source of protein, I did stay organic.
     One of the things I noticed during my shopping experience was how much I couldn't afford. Initially, I planned on buying an apple and having apple slices with my meals, but Granny Smiths (my favorite) were $1.99 a pound. This would have busted my budget, so instead, I bought two bananas, which were only 78 cents a pound.
      My first thought around protein called for a trip to the deli to buy a couple of slices of cheese, but when I got there, and saw the price of cheese, I knew I needed a new plan. Hope suggested sunflower seeds, but the bulk container was empty. My dietician then suggested that I consider split peas or lentils. While I debated between the two, Hope pointed out a veggie soup mix containing both; I measured out a half cup and bagged it.

3 meals in a basket

 
     Overall, I enjoyed the challenge of finding an assortment of grains (brown rice, oatmeal), fruits (raisins, bananas), vegetables (zucchini squash), and protein (vegetable soup mix). However, I did feel some angst about whether I was staying within my budget. I poured back some of the oats I had back into their bin, afraid that I had more than I needed and could afford. I really thought about all three hundred of my pennies. Organic vegetables were expensive, and that really limited my choices. The zucchini squash was $2.49 a pound. The first zucchini I picked weighed almost a half pound. I couldn't spend almost half of my budget on a single squash, so I put it back and searched for a smaller one that would fit my budget.

9 cents to spare

   
     When I reached the checkout I found myself really concerned that I had gone over my budget. I felt anxious at the idea that I would have to tell the cashier that I couldn't pay for my groceries. This was something I hadn't thought about, the stigma of poverty. How it brings with it the constant worry of making ends meet, and of being ashamed because of how much money you don't have.

Low Budget Living

      The Unites States of America is one of the wealthiest nations in the word, yet according to www.breadfortheworld.org, 13% of Americans live in poverty, and 16.7 million children live in households that struggle to put food on the table. In the 1960s, President Lyndon Johnson declared a war on poverty; however, his noble intentions quickly got sidetracked by another war in southeast Asia.  Since that time, our country has waged more than our fair share of wars, but the war against poverty remains unfought.

                                                    LBJ 1964 "War on Poverty" Ad

     Last night, Hope and I watched the documentary film "Nero's Guests." The film focuses on poverty in modern India, and specifically its effects on India's farmers. We learned that 836 million Indians live on less than fifty cents a day. I can't even imagine that level of poverty, and it makes me a little ashamed to think of all the times I've stared into a full refrigerator complaining that we don't have anything to eat.

                                                       "Nero's Guests" Official Trailer
   
     I have to be honest; I have never experienced poverty. Growing up, I never had to worry about not having something to eat. I lived in the delusion that everyone had equal access to food. It's what I saw, and nobody told me anything different.  But today, my eyes are wide open to the problem.
     In 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that there were 46.2 million people living in poverty.  This number is staggering, and I struggle to fathom how any affluent nation can continue to ignore the obvious inequities that exist.
     So, in an effort gain a better understanding of what it means to be poor, I'm going food shopping. Now, as Hamlet would say, "Here's the rub": I decided to only budget myself $3, and that needs to purchase enough food for all my meals tomorrow. Additionally, I'm not going to buy any packaged foods, and I want my purchases to be organic. Finally, I'm going to try and create my meals around the USDA's new MyPlate graphic and their daily recommendations.

On the Road to Dandi: An Update

                                                     
                                                  The Grateful Dead - "Walkin' Blues"

      After walking 10 miles today,  I have reached 185 miles.  This leaves me 56 miles shy of walking the 241 miles representing Gandhi's march to the sea. My legs continue to feel strong, and I have been blessed with, for the most part, good weather. If my projections hold true, I should finish my quest during the first weekend of November. I plan to end this experience by walking my final miles so that I end up at the coast. I will then gather sea water and attempt to make my own salt.

                                                 Gathering Salt from the Arabian Sea

Unplugging the Television: Update

    

      This week, I went the entire week watching only a single hour of television each night. The only caveat was Saturday night, when I watched "Rio" (96 min.) with my grandson.  Now, after last week's miserable showing, I was really glad that I tried again.  I found that it helped to clearly announce my intention to watch only a single program. It sounds crazy, but by saying it out loud I made it more real, at least for myself.  I found that mid-week was the hardest time for me. I was tired, and I had a lot of work I wanted to avoid. My strategy of not being able to watch television until I had completed some school work really helped with this.
     Overall, while I'm glad that I was able to limit my viewing to a little over 7 hours, I still think that's too much. This week, I'm going to continue unplugging myself from the television and try to limit my television viewing to only 4 hours. Since, for me, television viewing is about escape, I want to escape into a novel that I've started, and have been struggling to finish.

Living My Message: An Introduction

     "My life is my message."

                                                                                          -Mahatma Gandhi

     On the occasion of Gandhi's 70th birthday Albert Einstein commented that, "Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this one ever in flesh and blood walked upon this Earth." Gandhi lived his life by example; this garnered him a moral high ground and gained him respect, even from those who didn't agree with him. His conviction and belief in what he was doing, and in why he was doing it, shined through his life's actions. 
     Internalizing Gandhi's words, I have begun asking, what is my life's message. In trying to answer this question, I have been trying to honestly examine how I've chosen to live my life. This hasn't been easy; self-reflection rarely is, and it's forced me to confront my many shortcomings.  During this process, I continually remind myself that reflection is not about blame or shame, but rather, it is an opportunity to evaluate what changes can be made. It has been important not to fall into the trap of "what if," or dwell on past failures, but instead, at 46, shortly to be 47,  recognize that I am still, very much, a work in progress.
     When I think in terms of my life's "message," I want to focus on changes in my roles as an educator, husband, and grandfather. In each of these roles, I have strengths and weaknesses. For me, understanding that I have room to grow isn't the problem; after, all I have no illusion or delusions that I'm perfect. Instead, the hard part is being committed to the work of making meaningful change happen. I believe change can only happen when you are truly ready to embrace it.  And seeing how my efforts have benefited me, as well as the people around me, has become a strong motivation to continue this work. I feel ready for the continued challenge of embracing these changes.

Unplugging the Television

      I am an addict. That's right, I am addicted to watching television. How do I know that I'm addicted? Easy, because I often find myself watching programs, just for the sake of watching something. I also don't hesitate to re-watch, if I can't find something new. I watch between 16-20 hours of television each week. What do I watch? Mostly non-educational drivel and sports. Here's a quick list of some of the shows I watch: Castle, Fringe, NCIS, CSI, Bones, and Warehouse 13.
     Three years ago, I tried to address my addiction and ditched my cable. Initially, my viewing decreased; however, I was introduced to online television, and before I even realized what was happening, I was back to watching 3-4 hours of television a night. At first I tried to rationalize that this wasn't a problem, in fact, I focused on the fact that I was no longer paying the cable company for my television. But the truth was that I had simply replaced the delivery system, that I was ignoring the problem. Currently, all of my viewing happens on my computer thanks to: Hulu, ESPN3, and Netflix.
     For the past two weeks, I have been trying to limit my television viewing to a single hour per night. This has been met with limited success. In truth, for the most part I feel like I've failed. Looking back, I see that my biggest problem has been being consistent.  I seem to do fine early in the week, but come Thursday, I find myself watching 3 or 4 shows in succession ( I call this "chain viewing").
     Lately, I've been thinking about why I watch television. Sure, some of it is entertaining, but most of the time I'm just being lazy, or trying to avoid doing other work. So, this week I'm going to try a new strategy: before I can watch any television I need to complete my homework (any work for my classes the next day), and if I don't have any homework, then I can do a household chore to earn my television time.

On the Road to Dandi (Addendum)

     Hope and I just returned from a long walk on the Fern Ridge Bike Path. We walked from our apartment on Bailey Hill Road to Meadowlark Park, a round trip distance of just over nine miles.  While I was walking it occurred to me how good it's been to breathe in fresh air. The act of taking a daily walk has kept me from sequestering myself inside. I've never really stopped to think about how little time I spent outside. Getting outside and exercising improves not only my physical well-being, but, perhaps more importantly, my mental health. Several years ago, I was diagnosed with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). Now, as we quickly move into the time of year that has traditionally been my hardest, when the sun disappears, I feel that walking and breathing in the fresh air will help me to do more than just "hang on" until Spring.

                                                         

                                                          Gandhi on the road to Dandi

On the Road to Dandi

     Yesterday, I passed the halfway point in my quest to walk 241 miles. The 241 miles is significant, as it represents the number of miles Gandhi trekked on his historic Salt March.
     Gandhi’s march was a response to the British government’s refusal to discuss Indian independence. In 1930, when the march occurred, the British held a monopoly on salt. It was actually illegal for Indians to gather and make their own salt. Gandhi saw salt, and the tax associated with it, as being symbolic of British rule.  In an effort to unite his nation, and help propel the country to “swaraj”- self rule, Gandhi led his followers on a march to defy the unjust British law. After Gandhi arrived in the seaport city of Dandi, he went down to the sea's shore and picked up a lump of salt, thus breaking British law. His actions served as a signal, and all across India the people followed his example.
     Gandhi needed only 24 days to complete his march to the sea. He averaged 10 miles a day, stopping at villages along his route, speaking to, and encouraging the villagers to join his non-violent army. 

     After 36 days, I have walked 124.5 miles. On most days I walk a 2 1/2 mile loop when I get home from work; however, the last three weekends I have been walking between 15-20 miles on Saturday and Sunday combined. I hope to complete my march in early November.
     This past week was the first time my commitment to daily walking was really put to the test. Up to this point, the weather had been my ally, but this week the rain came. It would have been easy for me to use the weather as an excuse, and in the past I probably would have, but after more than a month, taking my evening walk, or as the British would say "constitutional," has become part of my routine. So, instead I borrowed Hope's rain gear I walked with the raindrops.
    In terms of my health, the primary reason why I started walking, I continue to feel energized.  My legs continue to feel strong, the rubbery leg feeling that I experienced when I first started is non-existent, even after my longer walks. I also believe that the daily exercise is helping me maintain my weight, which in turn, makes me feel better about myself.  At 46, soon to be 47, I believe I am in the best shape of my adult life.

Speaking No Evil (Part 2)

"Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment, full effort is full victory."
                                                                                                   -Mahatma Gandhi


      After a week of non-violent speaking, overall, I am satisfied with my efforts.  And while I still have a tendency to sprinkle expletives throughout my private conversations (sorry Mom), I know that I gave my full effort to speaking non-violently.

    
     The aspect of this experiment that I am most proud of is going the entire week without raising my voice in class. On this front, I claim full effort, and full victory. Now, I have always been blessed with a deep bass voice, and this has always seemed like a natural way to make sure my classes got the information I wanted to share. However, the act of not raising my voice whenever the class got loud, or I wanted to be heard, made me aware of just how much of a crutch "yelling" had become in maintaining control in my classroom. I had never stopped to consider that speaking loudly could be construed as a form of violence. Perhaps the greatest revelation that I learned from this experiment is that I didn't need to raise my voice to be heard. Students adapted to the change, and knowing that I wasn't going to raise my voice, they quieted down. For me, this change brought the added dividend of an internal calming. I have felt less agitated and irritable since I started this experiment. I feel more in control of my emotions. Non-violent communication seems to agree with my disposition. My wife, Hope, confirmed this Friday afternoon. Picking me up from work, she commented that I seemed much happier, that I didn't seem so tired or upset at the end of the school day.
      The area of non-violent speaking that I still want to work on is cursing. While I started out strong, I noticed that by the end of the week these violent words were becoming more frequent, although less than at my normal rate of frequency.  A positive note is that I did recognize when I slipped, and the fact that I am being more conscious of my words is a promising trend.
I believe that Gandhi is right, "satisfaction is in the effort" and I am committed to continuing to make non-violent speaking the norm in my life.

Living Simply Part 2

"If each retained possession of only what he needed, no one would be in want, and all would live in contentment."
                            -Gandhi

     Yesterday, I counted the number of t-shirts I currently own, it's 67. I felt embarrassed after I counted them, after all, I know I don't "need" that many t-shirts.  I must admit that I had an entire dresser drawer filled with t-shirts that I hadn't worn in some time. So, I decided it was time again to unburden myself from some of my possessions. For me, simplifying is a process, so the first step was to put all of my t-shirts in a pile. With this done, I began the selection of which t-shirts I would keep, and which I would donate. There were several factors that I took under consideration: age and wear of the shirt (condition), size and fit, last time worn, and sentimental value.
     I spent about two hours creating my keep and donate piles. Every t-shirt needed to be evaluated. For some, it was an easy decision (too big, not comfortable); I even found a couple of shirts that I had never worn. However, like my experience in the storage unit, "sentimentality" was the hardest factor in letting go. I wrestled with the guilt of parting with something, because of the memory attached to it. This seems so irrational, but I can't deny that some of my t-shirts stirred vivid memories that seemed to live within their cotton fibers. In the end, I recognized that I didn't need to retain the object to retain the memory, and those sentimental t-shirts found their way into the donate pile.
     After finishing with my t-shirts, I decided to tackle the rest of my clothes. I made it my goal to be able to house all of my clothes (minus button down shirts, ties, coats, and cardigans) into the four drawers of my dresser.  Since the bulk of my clothes are t-shirts, I needed only a little less than an hour to go through my collection of pants, shorts, sweaters, and sweatshirts.
     Today, I have 24 t-shirts, and while I think it's still more than I "need," they do all fit in a single dresser drawer. I also feel a great sense of satisfaction, in that I now, for the most part, can fit all my clothes in a single dresser. And as I look at the 5 bags of clothes I'm taking to Saint Vincent De Paul's I feel like I've taken another step in liberating myself from my possessions.

                                           24 t-shirts tucked in a drawer

                                           5 bags of clothing donations

Gandhi Speaks

Check out the first Gandhi "Talkie."  I love that he refers to himself as an optimist.

Speaking No Evil

     When I was a kid it wasn't uncommon to hear someone say: "Sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me,"  or "I'm rubber; you're glue; whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you."  Today, I know that it isn't that simple; that these sayings were simplistic defense mechanisms, taught to us by adults, a naive attempt to temper the hurt inflicted by words.
     I know that words are powerful, and while bones can break, they do heal; meanwhile, the damage done by words can often have devastating consequences. It has become all too commonplace to see news stories of teens who have committed suicide because they were unable to stand up to the onslaught of hateful words directed at them by their peers.

     One of the concepts that we have been working on with our students in Humanities is non-violent communication. I believe that we, as a society, need to make a concerted effort to learn how to communicate in a more open and non-violent manner. Since, I need to change myself before I change the world I will be attempting to communicate more non-violently.  My first course of action will be to not make fun of people; this will include limiting my use of sarcasm, as it can often be mean-spirited and hurtful. I want to stop cursing. I need (and want) to be more conscious of the words I use, and how I use them. I am going to try to think about how I would feel if those words were directed at me. Hopefully, this will allow me think before I speak. Finally, that last element of this experiment will require me not to raise my voice, as yelling can be construed as an act of violence.
      After two days, I have felt I difference in how I am communicating. I feel calmer, and I feel more in control. I have noticed that I am being more deliberate with my speech, taking the time to think about the words I am using. This "think before you speak" has also helped me curb my sarcasm. Often after I am sarcastic, I feel guilty because, while what I said might have been funny, it was humor at the expense of someone else.
     I have also been doing well on not cursing, something my mother will be happy to learn. I caught myself once this afternoon, but rather than make a big deal about it I simply made a mental note that I could have chosen a more appropriate word. I think by recognizing my shortcomings and not dwelling on them it will go a long way in keeping the positive momentum of change happening.
     So far the hardest part has been not raising my voice. On face value this seems simple enough, but having a loud voice in a high school classroom can often help in the fine art of classroom management. To help with this I have informed my classes of the nature of my experiment, giving them a heads up that my volume will not be compensating for theirs. This seemed to work for the most part, and I only felt the urge to raise my voice a couple of times in my morning Humanities class.

Living Simply

"If each retained possession of only what he needed, no one would be in want, and all would live in contentment."
                            -Gandhi


      Life is complicated; it always has been, and it always will be. However, one way that we can make it a little less so is by taking stock of what we possess, and conversely what possesses us. The fact that at the end of Gandhi's life all of his worldly possessions could fit in a small cardboard box is oddly inspiring; it illustrates that Gandhi had freed himself from the bonds and burdens of possessions, and was living the simple life.
      Now, while I have no intention of trying to whittle my possessions down so that I can carry them around in a cardboard box, I do want to downsize. For me, the main purpose of this experiment is to force me to consider what are the items that I  truly value and need, and what are just taking up space.
     A sad, but true reality, is that forty plus years has led me to collecting more possessions then can fit in a small two-bedroom apartment. The solution to this space problem was to rent a storage unit where my stuff (important enough not to discard, but not essential enough to have a place in the apartment) lives.  This seemed like a logical place to begin, after all, it should be easy for me to get rid of something that I don't see or use on a regular basis. Boy, was I wrong.
     Assessing something's worth is not as easy as I thought it would be.  One problem that I discovered was that often the "saved" items had a memory connected with them, and the thought of getting rid of the item was a betrayal of that memory.  The internal debates made the process slow going, and I often found myself unable (or unwilling) to make a final decision. Another problem was that I have accumulated a lot of teaching materials in 16 years of teaching. Going through this material also proved a challenge, and I found myself constantly questioning if I wouldn't find a need for the item once it was gone.
     Ultimately, I came to the decision that if I hadn't used it in the last three years, there was a good chance that I wasn't going to be using it again, so I hauled it away to Goodwill.  On one trip, the West 11th Goodwill received around 85 old high school English textbooks that I have been hauling around for the past ten years. While the experience was painful at times, in the end I feel good that I have started the process of unburdening myself of unnecessary possessions. I await contentment.

Gandhi's Salt March

Walkin' with Gandhi

   

     Gandhi first developed the habit of walking when he was a student in London. As a student,  he frequently found himself short of funds. In fact, he chose his apartment because it was centrally located, and he could walk to wherever he needed to go, instead of taking the bus. Gandhi found that his long walks kept him both alert and strong. Later, back in India, Gandhi would walk for miles using the rhythm of his footsteps to regulate the rhythm of his breathing and clear his mind. In 1930, Gandhi walked 241 miles in 24 days as a protest against the British salt tax. He was sixty years old.
     Now, you should know that I have long been a proponent of avoiding a formal exercise regimen. I joined a gym once, but it only lasted as long as the free trial offer lasted. I guess for a long time I just lived in denial, believing that as long as I watched what I ate the rest would take care of itself. Since I met Hope six years ago, she has regularly encouraged me to become less sedentary, to exercise regularly, that this would help in maintaining my weight.  Finally, this August, I was ready to take the plunge and add exercise into my daily routine.   Inspired by Gandhi's Salt March I decided that I would try and take a walk every day.
     A quick google search on the "Benefits of Walking" linked me to an article that referenced  a recently published Harvard study. The study revealed that walking at a moderate pace (3 mph) for 3 hours a week, or 30 minutes a day, can help prevent heart disease. The article also went on to state that walking has also been shown to improve circulation, help breathing, combat depression, bolster the immune system, prevent and control diabetes, and help control weight.
  When I first began my walking experiment in mid-August I only had the goal of taking a daily walk; I had no set distance, or time connected with the activity. However, the more I studied Gandhi and his Salt March the more I became transfixed by the distance he covered in such a short amount of time. Starting in September, I mapped out a 2.5 mile route and made it my goal to walk 240 miles. Since September 1st I have managed to walk at least 2.5 miles every day (minus the Wednesday and Thursday of Sky Camp).  To date I have walked 50 miles, only 191 more to reach Dandi.
     At first,  I found myself quite winded at the end. All I could focus on was getting home and plopping myself on the couch, too tired to do anything else. However, after the first week I started to notice a difference. I stopped being winded and tired, and in fact,  I actually felt like I had more energy and focus.  Another thing that I started experimenting with during my walks has been meditating. While I walk I focus on my walking, counting silently the rhythm of my steps (1, 2, 1, 2). This repeated mantra has had a calming effect on my mind, slowing down the endless stream of thoughts and bringing a sense of clarity. 
     All in all, this has been a wonderful experience. It has invigorated not only my body, but my soul as well.

Going Gandhi

     One of my favorite Gandhi quotes asks us to "be the change [we] want to see in the world."  For me, this means that in order to change the world, I first need to change myself. Gandhi's search for truth lasted a lifetime and it constantly pushed him to try and experience new things, in essence to experiment with life.  Over the course of the next few months I will attempt to take a more Gandhian approach to how I live. It is my hope that my experiments with how I live will bring me to a deeper understanding of what I truly value, and in the end transform my life. The posts on this blog will document my experiments as I attempt to "Go Gandhi."