I’ve spent a lot of time in LA because I use to have a job here in the summers and my dad formerly owned a house here. Venice beach seems to define LA as much as anything else. It serves as a microcosm of all that LA is. Homeless, tourists, multicultural, the uber wealthy, beach culture, the ugly and the beautiful.

You can find almost anything on Venice beach from new shades to tattoos, real estate, and Ferraris. There is even a gymnastics gym…well sort of. It has all the men’s events in the sand as well as a full floor made of grass. Many a gymnastic minute has been spent here. It was here that I really felt as if I had made it to LA.

While here I met Doug. Doug is originally from Kansas City, but has been here on the beaches for the last year and a half. His face is filled with character and he was fun to draw. The character was hard won however, and he recounted the number of times that he has had to stitch up the very face I was drawing. He was a kind man and was patient with my drawing.

I also happened by a group of kids that were feeding the homeless. They weren’t preaching or expecting anything in return, they just went around telling people that there was food for them if they wanted. I was humbled by their humanity. I thanked them for doing what they were for peace.

Finally, I met Jean. She was moved by what I am doing, and asked if she could join me. I told her of the miles and the cost both physically, spiritually, and mentally. I suggested that she do what she could with her skills to love others as best she could without expectation of anything in return. This is hard. I know first hand. Loving others, you expect to get loved back, but it is that simple concept of letting go of an expected outcome that is so difficult. The cost of letting every expectation go is perhaps more than any of us can part with. Every time I think I’ve done so…I’m humbled. We all want people to be kind to us when we are kind to them. It is hardest to let go of our expectations especially when it is family that we are most intent on receiving love from. But, in my experience, it is loving without expectation and despite what is returned that we truly experience enlightenment.

Love, Art & Peace to all.

Feeling very happy. I just completed my first radio interview. It was on an Arts show hosted by Elizabeth Stewart with KZSB in Santa Barbara. I was really quite nervous, I wanted to be able to represent peace, love, and compassion faithfully…genuinely. I was getting myself a bit worked up, but then my buddy Dave put me at easy and reminded me what will be— will be. I just hope that peace was central and not me. Hopefully too it provided some food for thought.

One of the questions that Elizabeth was interested in is how I can support 25 miles a day running by the generosity of the universe and strangers. She hit upon something that I hadn’t really thought of; food isn’t the fuel that powers this trip. Truly as her co-host Chris pointed out, it is the intention to love and be compassionate that provides power source. It is as if the physical body becomes the embodiment of peace. Food helps though.

The universe does provide. I had mentioned two days ago to my friend Susan that I needed to eat more vegetables, and in my mind I was thinking celery and leafy greens. So no big surprise then that the universe just happened to have me run by fields of celery yesterday. In addition, they just happened to be harvesting it. Furthermore, as I ran by one of the workers just happened to offer me two stalks…coincidence or providence?

OK, the celery could be coincidence, but then explain the fact that I then ran by heaps and mounds of “rejected” tomatoes. Ones not “fit” to be sold in stores. It really made me sad though to see all this food go to waste when so many are hungry. I didn’t want to weigh down the cart too much, but free is a very good price. 

It was really beautiful to look at though. Part of me just wanted to dive in, or at least have a food fight. Hopefully I can paint a painting that describes the beauty of the site.

After the tomatoes, the universe was kind enough to also give me some prickly-pear fruit. Tricky to get, but tasty in every way. Of course I was singing:

Now when you pick a pawpaw
Or a prickly pear
And you prick a raw paw
Next time beware
Don’t pick the prickly pear by the paw
When you pick a pear
Try to use the claw
But you don’t need to use the claw
When you pick a pear of the big pawpaw
Have I given you a clue ?

Finally I settled last night on the beach north of Malibu. I met three lads that were there to watch the sunset.

It was one of the finest I’ve ever seen, and I was envious of the surfers vying for the last waves before night covered all in darkness. Just before that happened, in that magic lighting, it seemed that the sea was covered with lavender foam. Beautiful.

One of the guys said, “It is really a great thing you are doing.” And for the first time I kind of reflected, this is something I am DOING, and not attempting anymore. Nearly 2000 miles in, and it is obvious finally to me that I am able to love as I desire, and compassion can be my focus. I’m not trying or hoping anymore, I am doing it…and everyone else can too. We can all choose to love, even when we don’t really want to. Thank you all for the wonderful things that you have been doing for peace, love, art, and compassion. Thank you all for supporting me in my endeavor to do the same.

It was an honor to give this peace to some lovely girls named Daisy & Jackie. Peace, Love, & Art to all.

Chewing on a piece of grass
Walking down the road
Tell me, how long you gonna stay here Joe?
Some people say this town don’t look
Good in snow
You don’t care, I know

Ventura Highway in the sunshine
Where the days are longer
The nights are stronger
Than moonshine
You’re gonna go I know

Am I my brother’s keeper? This is the singular question that haunts all of America/World right now. The questions of Social Security, health care, and the 99% are all predicated on the fundamental question of whether or not it ismy responsibility to take care of others. The fundamental substructure of all communities and civilization is the belief in the “Golden Rule”. I will do my best to treat others as I wish to be treated, and I trust that you will do the same.

Any civilization/community/nation will fall apart when this fundamental trust broken. If I were to drive drunk, give you a garbage mortgage, or pick your pocket your fundamental trust of me and others would wane. This leads to a fundamental question, “Are there truly ‘Evil’ people in the world?”

There have been many who have told me this to be true. Every town I visit, I’m told to “be careful” in the next town because there are “bad people” there. These comments have a singular thread that unites them…fear. They evidence expectations unfulfilled, trust lost, and hopes dashed. Many people can express that “I trusted you to drive responsibly”, “I trusted you to not rob me”, and “I trusted you with my kids”, and yet know full well that that trust was squandered, wasted, and abused.

But are people evil? Are some?

As the nation recoils from multiple sexual abuse scandals, our trust of one another seems to be at an all time low. The presidents approval rating is lower than any president ever…lower than Carter, nine percent of the public trust the congress, and abuses of power by those who were entrusted with it are rampant in the media. In a season where we read Dicken’s “Christmas Carol” we have failed to believed the moral tale. We find the wealthy blaming the poor if they don’t have job, and the poor digesting and believing this self-hate.

What then is the solution? There is only one. Trust, love, and treat your neighbor as yourself…despite the fact that they will fail. We all fail. We all fall. I’ve debated for sometime about relating all my shortcomings here, a sort of preemptive solution to the day when my short comings are made known by others. I am not perfect…but neither are you. We have all been the worst person possible. We have all thought the worst things, despite whether we did them or not, we did them in our mind. Despite this, we have all been the best too. We have all been trustworthy too. We have all stood up for the underdog, poor, helpless, and handicapped. We have all cheered for Tom Thumb, and were gladdened by the conversion and redemption of Scrooge.

(Forgive, trust, forgive, trust, forgive, trust, forgive, trust, forgive, trust)  X  (Infinity)

Yes, I am my brothers keeper.

This morning as I walked through downtown Ventura I met a homeless man abusing a woman named Tina. I shared with them both my bananas and cookies; the victim and the victimizer. I asked him to love her for she needed it—she deserved it. I shook his hand. Who shakes hands with the homeless? Not many, but by shaking hands with him and by feeding him I loved him just as I asked him to love her.

I next met a 10 year old boy who seemed to be in a hurry. He was carrying a bowl of Cherrios complete with milk. I commented on it, and he said, “I’m late for school…what else can I do?” Truly, what else could he do. I just laughed out-loud. What else can we all do? If we all just do are best despite the actions of others, and we do it anyway; what else can we do?

People are good. If we all just do what we can. As Tip O’Neill said, “All politics is local”. Start small and love your neighbor, be your brother’s keeper. Be the love in your neighborhood…even if it costs you your life.

The Southern California roads lay before me. Palm tree lined and sea salt swept the journey into SoCal has been beautiful and has offered me a different “flavor” than any other portion of this trip so far. Being criss-crossed with freeways that function like arteries feeding the beating heart of the cities, I have found that traversing the small side streets gives me a different exposure to the Southland culture.

Thankfully I’ve been able to meet some wonderful people here. Chief among them were Wyatt, Ike, and Sandy. I met them camping over Thanksgiving weekend at Lake Cachuma. There I saw their fire and asked if I may cook some veggies over the fire. To my delight, they invited me to spend the evening around the fire. In addition, they invited me to stay with them once I made Santa Barbara. Last night, at their home, I felt I had come over to a “best friend’s” house. We sat around the back yard Chimnea drinking beer and eating grilled cheese and tomato soup. Can life get any better?

Ike is an German ex-patriot who runs a roofing company and also brings German tourists who want to ride America on a Harley-Davidson to get that truly “Authentic” open road experience. Sandy is an E.R. nurse by training and now teaches CPR courses so that she doesn’t have to miss out on any of her son’s life. Both of these people were exceptionally kind in every way, and consider myself extremely lucky to have made their acquaintance.

Running out of SB this morning, I met Laura. She is a therapist by trade, and we discussed the nature of loving those in need. She said that it is compassion that motivates her day in and day out. I was honored to run with her as well as give her this painting of Lake Cachuma.