I hope you find this story provoking, maybe a little bit on the mistic side of things, and after reading it, open the door and walk with purpose, for as long as you think you should.
Did you ever hear about Mildred Norman? No? Let me help you.
From 1953 until 1981, a silver-haired woman calling herself only “Peace Pilgrim” walked more than 25,000 miles on a personal pilgrimage for Peace. Wearing a blue tunic and carrying just a few worldly possessions in her pockets, she shared her simple but profound message with thousands of people and communities.
Her story and testimony changed my life profoundly.
Mildred was not born in the age of Tik Tok or Facebook, which means that you either had to know what to look for or be lucky enough to be found by history. I was lucky.
The first time I read about the Peace Pilgrim, I admit that I did not believe in it. Knowing a thing or two about covering long distances, I thought there was a typo on the numbers. But there wasn’t.
At age 44, Mildred Norman left her life circumstances. She became Peace Pilgrim — walking coast to coast for Peace for nearly 30 years, living on faith and sharing her wisdom and exuberance generously with people across the land.
Her message was simple and powerful.
“When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others.”
The current situation we are experiencing in the world is far from being peaceful; we all sense how polarized our social fabric is and the distrust we are slowly building about almost every topic. When I look at the horizon, it is easy to have doubts: so many conflicts and uncertainties above our heads.
Probably not by chance, in the last couple of weeks, I have been reviewing some of the content about the Peace Pilgrim.
In one of the rare videos available, Mildred said that “When enough of us find inner peace, our institutions will become peaceful, and there will be no more occasion for war.”
I felt profoundly shaken at my core. Am I at inner Peace? What are my actions and thoughts telling me? Where is my energy flowing?
Not easy to face the answers.
I often think If we realized how powerful our thoughts are, we would never think a negative thought again, and because of Mildred Norman, I was never able to stare at any given path the same way.
I like to think that there is a “blue angel” with humble sneakers walking side-by-side with me, especially when I am weary and burdened.
Fortunately, in the coming week, I will be on the road with a Walking Mentorship program, and hopefully, I will do my homework and share my conclusions.
Remember, Peace is a matter of survival. It might be worth it to open the door of your heart and walk for Peace.
1 – VIDEO
This is a powerful documentary about an extraordinary woman, named Mildred Norman. This 60-minute documentary is a poetic and musical exploration of her life and message, which is as relevant today as ever. Also included are interviews with Dalai Lama, Maya Angelou, John Robbins, Elizabeth Kubler Ross, and many of Peace Pilgrim’s friends, admirers, and relatives.
2 – PICTURES
We take too many pictures and spend very little time enjoying them. We share a couple of images from our programs that once, in a while, “jump” to our blog.
3 – IDEAS (TOWARDS THE BEST VERSION OF YOURSELF)
1 – Born to Walk: The Transformative Power of a Pedestrian Act – At a personal and professional crossroads, writer, editor, and obsessive walker Dan Rubinstein traveled throughout the U.S., U.K., and Canada to walk with people who saw the act not only as a form of transportation and recreation but also as a path to a better world. By the way, Dan will be one of our future guests on the Podcast Keep Walking with me.
2 – If you would like to discover some fresh music, we suggest you listen to the Walking Mentorship playlist which has been built over the years and different programs, with the contribution of our mentees.
3 – After reading this e-mail, stand up! Decades of research suggest that the way we treat our body has a huge effect on the way our brain performs. We can reap immediate intellectual and emotional dividends from investing in exercise, sleep, or even from taking a moment to breathe deeply, smile broadly, and stand a little taller.
4 – UPCOMING PROGRAMS
If you are ready to take the road less traveled, check the upcoming dates (click for +info).
– Slow Down (Alqueva Lake) 29 Oct-01 Nov (4 places)
– Slow Down (Rota Teresiana) 7-14 Nov (1 place)
5 – SHOULD WE WALK TOGETHER?
Walking Mentorship is a passion project. A labor of Love that we hope helps you gain deeper insight and equips you to create a meaningful impact in your life and the ones around you. How can we work together?
At WM, we try to keep things simple by offering Online and Outdoor mentoring programs, see what is the best fit for you.
We have a Patreon pageto channel more energy and focus on our content. We publish weekly videos, a Podcast, and share news and content about our work. Visit the page here.
Keep walking with me,
João Perre Viana
Founder of Walking Mentorship
Ps* If you enjoyed the 0,00KM, please share it with others. If you received the 0,00KM from a friend, just send us your e-mail and we will add you to our mailing list.
