Thursday, December 31, 2009

Final Walking Tally

I'll be back in the New Year with more frequent posts.

I walked* 836 miles in 2009.


Keep walking!

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Shop At Alternative Christmas Market

This is the second year in a row that I have shopped at the Alternative Christmas Market at Solana Beach Presbyterian Church. Actually, I should say that this is the second year that I have shopped ACM online.

You may have an Alternative Christmas Market at your church or a church near you.

The following is from Solana Beach Presbyterian's ACM website:

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For those of you who don’t know about the ACM, it’s an opportunity to buy gifts of food, shelter, medicine, water and education for needy people right here in our own neighborhoods as well as in many countries around the world. Purchase these gifts in honor of your family members, friends, neighbors, colleagues or children’s teachers and give them a beautiful Christmas card with an insert explaining the gift you gave in their honor.

Our Alternative Christmas Market (ACM) is turning 24 years old this year.

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Read more by clicking here or on the title of this post.

Below is a list of just some of the different causes to which you can make a donation. You can print out an insert to drop in a Christmas card that you give to a loved one.

I took these details from the actual online receipt less than an hour ago. If you look closely you'll see that I could have saved $3.00 by shopping "live" at our Alternative Christmas Market during recent Sundays at Solana Pres. Have you ever bought 1/2 kilo of earthworms for someone for Christmas?

I will tell you that I did purchase midwife training on behalf of the Afar, meals at Ladle Fellowship and earthworms in the Philippines as well as other worthy causes.

Who do you know that might appreciate something from the list below? (Would you?) Please take a couple minutes and look it over. You never know...

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Name of Event: Alternative Christmas Market 2009

Shipping Information: Not Applicable.

The base cost of $3.00 above is the service charge which will be added to each
order. Please enter the quantity for each item in the box. Your total will be
calculated and shown at the top of the payment page.

First Name Charles
Last Name Hicks-Moore


Afar Partnership (Ethiopia) - A Weekend Training for an Afar Midwife
Afar Partnership (Ethiopia) - A Month Supply of Sterile Blades to Cut Umbillical Cord
SBPC Creation Care - Spell & Smell for the Hamilton Children's Garden
Floresta - 10 Trees for a Family
Food Truck Ministry - One Child's Care Package
Ellie Goolkasian - 100 Cups of Milk for Migrant Kids
Ellie Goolkasian - A Pair of Shoes for an Orphan
SBPC Hispanic Ministry - One Pair of School Shoes
Ladle Fellowship - 7 Hot & Savory Meals
Marchena & Allred (Intervarsity) - Attending Leadership Conference for a Student
M.O.M Camp Pendleton - Fresh Produce for a Family
Oaxaca Partnership (Mexico) - A Breeding Pair of Rabbits
Oaxaca Partnership (Mexico) - A Brood of 10 Chickens
Presbyterian Council of Military Chaplains - One Share of "Chaplain Family Conference"
Presbyterian Council of Military Chaplains - Shipping Fee for Chaplain Devotional Materials
SBPC Reality Changers - One Share of Academic Scholarship
SBPC Reality Changers - A Forest Home Camp Scholarship
SBPC Reality Changers - A Full UCSD Academic Connections Scholarship
Greg & Kathy Saracoff (Team Tijuana) - Beans to Feed Hungry Kids
Greg & Kathy Saracoff (Team Tijuana) - 5 Dozen Eggs for Esperanza Rehab
SD Rescue Mission - A Hot Meal for 12 Homeless People
SD Rescue Mission - A Night at the Emergency Shelter for 3 Women & Children
SD Rescue Mission - A Day of Work Therapy, Recovery Class, Bible Study & Meals for 3 Homeless Men
South American Theological Seminary (Brazil) - 2 Weeks of Tuition at SATS
St. Leo's Dental Clinic - An Extraction
Farming with Natural Solutions (Philippines) - 1/2 Kilo of Earthworms or 4 Ducks
Safe Water Solutions (Gambia & Tanzania) - Training & Materials for a Village Group
Tranforming Lives Thru Micro Loans (Peru & Sri Lanka) - A Start-up Loan for a Family or Community
Tranforming Lives Thru Micro Loans (Peru & Sri Lanka) - A Small Business Expansion Loan

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Keep walking!

Friday, December 11, 2009

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To This Post

This is the time of year that @AvenueZ runs the Virtual Food Drive. I Tweeted more than a few people last year and I might have even annoyed some of them, but it was for a really good cause. This year I'm spreading out my annoyance, er, tweeting and decided to mention the Virtual Food Drive here.

As I was copying and pasting the link I noticed that Beth Ziesenis (she of Avenue Z) had posted about me donating to Ladle Fellowship. I want to take this opportunity to urge you to follow my example and donate to Ladle Fellowship or your favorite "feeding people" charity and tell the Virtual Food Drive what you've done.

Please note that this is not about boasting, but about shining a light on what is possible when we give. My hope and I'm sure that Beth shares this hope is that by seeing what and where people are donating that you readers will donate and/or share the idea with others.

I've included a re-tweet from me and another from Global Patriot that you can send out via Twitter. The first one sends you here to read about this. (For you physics enthusiasts - I do like infinite regression!) Hopefully, following that won't send anyone back in time! Global Patriot's tweet actually sends you to Beth's page where she mentions my donation. Your choice.

Clear as mud? Then just click on the title of this post!

By the way, I don't think I'm actually the Twitter King. Maybe something more like King Ralph, but a little more grey matter! Did I say that out loud?!

At the very bottom of this post is what I've copied and pasted from AvenueZFoodDrive.com.

Keep walking & Merry Christmas & Happy Hannukah, etc..!

RT Virtual Food Drive! @BigManWalking http://tinyurl.com/BMW3030 -Give where U live then register UR pledge! #09VFD

@GlobalPatriot
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RT @AvenueZ: Virtual Food Drive Donor Spotlight: @BigManWalking http://bit.ly/93eJkC - Give where you live then register your pledge! #09VFD
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The Twitter King @BigManWalking helped get the Virtual Food Drive off the ground last year, and he’s back with another generous donation (50 pounds) for the Ladle Fellowship. His blog is always worth reading….

Thanks again, Charlie!

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Thursday, December 10, 2009

Things I Learned (TIL) A Year Ago This Week

Last year at this time I was in the middle of a cleanse - Jordan Rubin's Perfect Weight America or Maker's Diet cleanse. I had good success and felt great and in the past year I've found out how you can put the weight back on!

In order to not get discouraged I think it's important to ask yourself what you've learned from your experiences over the past year. For me, I recognize that getting back to a healthy weight means both exercise and a more disciplined approach to what I put in my body.

Keeping things in perspective is very important, too. Last night with Reality Changers I was really moved by the true stories of their lives that the students shared. I have never had to live in a car even one night, let alone for years. I have never had someone pressuring me to join a gang over and over for years. I have never had to take over a house cleaning job while I went to school because my mom had a stroke. All these scenarios are realities that these Reality Changers students are overcoming.

I can overcome, too. Dropping some weight I can do once again. I've done it before and this time I can keep it off.

Keep walking!

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Speaking And More Speaking

What a great night!

I arrived 40 minutes early to start teaching some Reality Changers how to be more comfortable with public speaking and the students in attendance dove right in or should I say, stood right up! Hopefully some or all will go on to the Lion's Club speaking contest in the New Year.

The Reality Changers speech contest night was the best I've ever seen. The seniors had some of the most moving and inspirational true stories to share of their trials and tribulations and triumphs. They have really overcome some huge hurdles to get to where they are and now colleges and universities are just around the next bend in the road for them.

Compared to what they are doing and have already done, exercise is snap!

Keep walking!

Waking Up At Old California Coffee House

During the last 6 months or so I have become a regular at The Old California Coffee House in San Marcos. I do something most days that you can do, too. I walk 1/4 mile in the parking lot while my coffee is being made. This morning it was a nippy 46 degrees. Even if your beverage doesn't take as long to make as my organic Bolivian, you should find that your coffee is still hot when you get done.

Remember, an extra 1/4 mile a day year round means losing approximately three pounds a year. Usually it takes less than 5 minutes! Not much, but that's 30 pounds over ten years or 60 pounds in 20 years! How many people have gained about three pounds a year since high school?

If you are in the area, I highly recommend visiting The Old California Coffee House. Ask for Noelle and tell them BigManWalking (or Charlie) sent you.

I have walked* 764.25 miles in 2009.

Keep walking!