Thursday, December 29, 2011

Sometimes, I need a ride.  It's nice when I do, that I have friends with fun lights:)

Monday, December 26, 2011

Check In

Happy Holidays!
Week two!  50 miles on foot and bike so far and we are loving life.  Leah said to me this week, "Mama, you know why I love walking so much?  I do because we get to really see things.  You don't see things in a car mama.  Out here, we notice everything."  Yep, that's my amazing little miss sunshine and she's right.

One thing, that I have made a mental note about when traveling without a car,  always carry some money and an empty backpack because inevitably I am near a store and think to myself, doh! if I only brought my wallet.
Lists are becoming essential too.  I think I underestimated how easily and frequent those trips back to the store for that forgotten item occurred with a car.  Efficiency is my new friend.

Thought about any new ways to BE LOCAL in your community yet?  The forms of giving are countless.  I have talked to friends this week that are on the cusp of commitments of their own.  I cannot wait to hear what they are!  Share good people!  Maybe your commitment is what someone else needs to read to feel inspired.  It's almost a new year, a perfect time to resolve to be an active participant in your community's vitality.  Each and every step we take, no matter how small, makes a difference.

Have a joyous week friends.  Remember how blessed you are and share thanks.

Cheers, Shonna

Friday, December 23, 2011

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

People in my neighborhood walking to pick up some tasty lunch! Go walkers :D

Monday, December 19, 2011

Check in.

Okay, so once a week I want to do a check in and tell you how it's going.
Generally, the blog will just be a visual look at our world on foot but I also want to plug great business' that support what we do and I want to share how it goes for a mama and her 6 year old. AND! I want to hear from you!  Do you bike everywhere?  Do you have a little commitment of your own to your community?  It doesn't have to be giving up your keys or even have anything to do with traveling.  Are you committing to your community and DOING something to help?  Being local takes so many forms.  Please share how you care.

We just finished our first week!  YAY!  On our walk home from the Y tonight, Leah was skipping and sang, "We get to walk for a year, we get to walk for a year."  How amazing is that.  I love my little rose bud.  

Seems like the weather is on our side, it's been so mild except on my bike ride to Leah's school this morning  I considered that my fingers could fall off.  Quickly the temps increased and my heart was so warmed by our awesome kindergarten teacher that planned to walk to our downtown field trip.  19 little kids walking hand in hand for a mile without giving it a second thought.  I'm so inspired:) 


                                                           joy to the sparkles of the season

Sunday, December 18, 2011




Bare trees stretching their fingers to the sun,
 grasping at her warm rays..

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Coming soon!

I promise photos will start soon!  Cameras can be so cantankerous.

Also, we are logging all our steps!  We will have a banner up soon to show you how far we have traveled on foot and bike!  So check in often and watch our numbers grow.

Finally.  Share your stories!  Share how you are taking steps in your world:)

Friday, December 16, 2011

My dad inquired and this is what I said...


Hi Shonna – cool, what kind of hopes do you have for publishing your blog? Even though you can’t predict peoples’ responses what sort of impact do you imagine your notes may have?  Curious. / Pops

Hi Dad,
Well the big thing is it's a sustainable living experience for me and Leah.  But as I started writing my intro I became excited about people feeling bits of inspiration because of our experience.  Finding ways of sharing how they are "doing" for the greater good.  I talked to a friend today that shared her experience of being a passive supporter of veterans for 5 years.  It was a nag in her gut that hurt until she finally started volunteering at the Veterans Hospital.
When she started really supporting this cause she felt a calmness in her body again.  I believe that people can only stand by and cheer for so long before they feel an urgency to respond and be a part of a solution.  Maybe just maybe our journal of daily living without driving a car will create a spark among people in my community.  Maybe it will reach beyond my community.  I don't know and I don't have any egotistical vision of it reaching far but perhaps it will reach just the right person. 
But really, when Leah is 20 and she can look back at our blog and see what we did together, the commitment we made, I know that she will feel love and appreciation and there is no greater gift I can give to her.

Thanks for asking:)

Love. Shonna




Thursday, December 15, 2011

Welcome!


Shut Up and Walk?  What is that?  It’s a call to action!  In so many ways I am grateful for the new community emerging as a result of electronic communication.  I have developed closer relationships with friends, I find out about more social events and I have never been more informed on important issues. 

What an amazing tool to spread ideas and information!  Sadly, through my observations from facebook, I have noticed that we are far too guilty of being passive supporters of causes.  I really became aware of it while I campaigned to raise money for leukemia. People were “liking” my donations link but not donating anything.  I started to notice that is kind of passive response is all too common.  It replaces action.  Shut Up and Walk, urges us to put well-meaning intentions into DOING something. 

I am going to Shut Up and Walk .

It's really quite simple and very EXCITING! My 6 year-old daughter Leah and I have decided to set out on an experiment of keen awareness for our impact on the planet.
In my community there is a huge buzz about people becoming more aware of our community.  “Buy Local” is a slogan I see just about every day in my town.    Some of our local businesses offer a discount for their services if you bike, walk or use public transportation.  I love that!  I want to tell my neighbors all about these businesses! 

These incentives sowed an important seed.  A great way to buy local and in effect BE LOCAL is to stop relying on our car.

What if we just stopped driving everywhere? What if we really made a commitment to reducing our burden on the environment and became a positive force, one that entails ACTION?
We have been talking it through for months now and our enthusiasm to DO something could be contained no more. Of the many choices we considered, we chose to give up the keys to our car for one year.

Upon awakening Monday morning, December 12, 2011, the first words out of Leah’s mouth were “Mama, are we biking or walking to school today?"
Her Christmas-day like excitement was contagious!  We rode our tandem with glee, and with that, we jumped right into our adventure!
 
From here on out, for the next year, we will find alternate ways of getting to and fro. We will walk, bike, take a bus or even accept a ride from a friend but what we will not do is drive a car. The toll to our planet for that single purpose is too great.  In one year our car alone will save roughly 700 fewer gallons of fuel, 10k fewer miles of wear and tear on our roads and 3.31 metric tons of CO2!

What happens as a result of our commitment is the adventure that awaits. We will make this blog a photographic journal of our journey. There are so many questions that will be answered along  the way. How will our life change without a car? How will the quality of our time be affected? Who will support us in this effort?

The most exciting questions I can't wait to answer are these:
How will our commitment impact your journey?
Will you make a commitment to reduce your carbon foot print?

Welcome blog followers.  Our hope is that this blog helps you to take a step in our direction.  Enjoy watching our journey until that day that you can contain your enthusiasm no more and move into action.
JOIN the conversation with a commitment of your own!              
What if you took a look at your routine and decided on a destination that, for this next year, you can employ walking or biking or public transportation?
Share your journey. Create a spark within your community. Let's see just what we can do!

Living consciously,
Shonna and Leah