Did you see them? They were quite a show-stopper, rolling around Scarsdale last week. It’s not that unusual around here to see a family with small children biking together, especially on Bicycle Sundays when the Bronx River Parkway is devoted to bikers and walkers instead of cars. But seeing a family of four who are spending a whole year traveling by bike certainly is unusual.  I hope you were one of the lucky ones who got to meet Heidi and Reuben VanderKwaak and their two small children, Eden and Harper, during their recent stay in Scarsdale. 

This unique family has been traveling self-contained by bike for the last 11 months. They've toured all around North America and Central America. When they rolled into Scarsdale they’d ridden over 12,000 kilometers from Ontario to Washington, down the entire west coast and into Central America all the way to Panama. Now they are headed up the East coast for their last month of biking before returning home to Hamilton, Ontario.  

Daughter Eden, who turned five the day the family arrived in our community, was able to name all the countries she’d been to and link them to the various country flags sprouting from the back of their bike trailer.

Their caravan includes two bikes ridden by the grownups, each packed with waterproof panniers holding camping equipment, a few sets of clothing, cooking supplies, and other needed bike items. Oh, and toys, lots of lightweight toys! The children have the choice of riding behind Dad on a double set of child seats, or riding behind Mom’s bike in a twin trailer. Reuben fondly called the trailer “the kids' playroom” when the family gave a presentation on their trip to the Greenville Church Nursery School students. 

Maybe the idea of doing something like a year long bike ride with two small children sounds impossible to you. Maybe it sounds exciting. However it sounds, know this: this pedal-powered family is having a great time. 

They’re calling it adventurous simple living. For them, it’s about strengthening relationships with family, friends, and even strangers along the way.  They are focusing on living in the now and living more fully in line with their life values.  You can read lots more about them and their big adventure on their website www.PedalPoweredFamily.com

It’s not for everyone, but it sure is for them.

I have to say, they inspired me. I had the pleasure of hosting them during their stay. I'm proud to say, I'm related to them. The visit gave me time to pick their brains and hearts about their goals, their fears, and things they had learned during the year. I got to talk to the kids as well as the parents. I also had the chance to ride along with them for about 25 miles during the Five Borough Ride. I watched how they do it. I was impressed. 

I was inspired by the close bond I saw between them. They are amazingly connected as a family.

I was inspired by their delight in simple living. They dared to dream outside the box, and they are satisfied. They aren’t longing for bigger and better. Pretty refreshing.

I was inspired by their resilience and flexibility. The year’s experiences have required fortitude and dedication.

I was inspired by their parenting.  Both parents know the kids inside out and respect and love them in intense ways. 

I was inspired by the kids. They are pretty darn cool, both of them. 

What they are doing is pretty far out. Off the grid of daily life as we know it in Scarsdale. Not something everyone can do, or wants to do. Actually, I was inspired by that too.  When's the last time you bucked the system and followed your heart in ways that were different?

When's the last time you jumped in with both feet to do something that you really wanted to do but involved risk and the unknown?

It seems to me they are making do with less, yet having more.

Maybe they’ll inspire you too.  

When is the last time you walked 10 miles?
Err….have you EVER walked 10 miles? 

From http://scarsdale.patch.com/articles/e-motion-get-inspired

When a 90 year old person suggests you “take a walk together” the image that comes up for me is this:  a painfully slow amble down a hallway while holding his/her arm en route to the dining room of a nursing home.

Well, try this image on for size:  a ten mile walk from Scarsdale up to the Kensico Dam AND BACK with only two rest stops!  That’s about 20,000 steps and 3-4 hours straight of walking, at a pretty good clip.

Well, Gil Erskine, age 90, did just that last Saturday, along with about 30 others from our community.  He’s at the front of the pack in the above photo, striding out with his walking poles and a huge grin.  And, yes, he’s really 90 years old.  Just so you know, I saw him the day after the walk and he was alive and kicking, still wearing the huge grin.  Way to go, Gil.  And, way to go, to all the other walkers too!

Gil started this walk after hearing his pastor challenge the congregation to “Uncover your mission in life!”  His first thought (then age 89), was, “Well, I guess he’s not talking to me today, I’m too old to have a mission to uncover yet in this life.”  And then, listening further he heard this:  “Everyone has a mission, large or small, young or old.  Find your mission in life by uncovering your passion in life.”

Gil thought, “I like to walk!  And, I like to raise money for good causes!” 

So, he crafted the idea of a hike that would raise money for our local faith communities.  He would invite people from the different houses of worship to sign on, get sponsored, and take a long walk together.  Getting to know each other and become friends, despite differences, would be a natural bonus outcome. 

For the next year he worked closely with community leaders to plan the event.   He organized a trial run followed by the real deal later in 2010.   And then, last Saturday, he led the second annual hike.  He wasn’t sure he would be able to finish it this year.  After all, he is 90!  But finish he did, all ten miles!

We hear a lot about military missions, aerospace missions, business mission statements, etc.  I like hearing about one person’s mission and what was accomplished.  When we put our minds to something that is important to us and work hard, we can accomplish amazing things.  Last year the hike raised $9000  for our local faith communities!  That money funded important projects to help  many people. 

The numbers aren’t in yet this year, but there’s a good chance it’s even higher.  But, it’s not all about money.  Every walker I talked to last Saturday reported feeling good about joining the hike.  Lots of them talked about how great it was to have different faith communities do something together and share a common goal.   New friends were made.   Our community is a better place because of this hike.

Passion:  An unflagging and energetic pursuit of an aim; lively eager interest

Mission:  A task that you consider to be an important duty; a strong inner impulse towards something.

I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty inspired.  Makes me think about my life and what I’m doing.  And what I COULD be doing, right now at this age—AND when I’m older, like Gil!   It galvanizes me to craft goals, both big and small, and go after them with gusto.  It encourages me to remember how important it is to connect my passions in life with my goals. 

I posted about the Hike on Facebook, and got responses from California to Canada telling me they were inspired too. 

How about you?