The Three Buskateers!

I am a lucky human being in that I have many brave and beautiful friends. I know people who do things like:

• move to another country to work and live.
• create and self-release an album.
• write openly about their experience of coming out to their parents.
• survive and thrive without owning a car.
• train for and complete triathlons and marathons.
• go to school for their ph.d.
• go on a summer tour of homes.
• be a single mom.
• give up smoking cigarettes.
  
• ride their bike across nebraska.

these are amazing things, no? i am proud of these people. i am lucky just to know them.

so, right now, i am infinitely proud of my friends peter and dan (and by association, their friend carly). these three brave cohorts are embarking in the morning upon an adventure: they are riding their bicycles from hamburg, pennsylvania, up to, and then across, canada.

meet peter:
(and two of them just graduated from high school like, last week, a pretty grand feat in itself!)

they've loaded up their home-made paniers (cycling-speak for saddle-bags) and leave tomorrow. along the way they plan to support themselves by busking on streetcorners, playing guitar and singing for strangers for their supper. they will camp and couchsurf their way across a continent, transporting themselves with only their mighty legs!

meet dan:
peter and dan are some of the most beautiful souls i know. each has an infinite well of goodness inside of him. these two are curious, fun-loving, kind-hearted human beings, and from what i know of her, so is their companion carly. i connect deeply with them and their love for the earth, deep affection for humanity, and kindness to all living things.

as they seek to explore, discover, and grow on this trip, i wholly believe that they will contribute far more good to the world than they receive. it is their nature. they are givers. they will share their joy, teach good lessons, inspire greatness, and scatter kindness to whomever they meet. they leave tomorrow on a truly epic journey, one that they, and the world, will be better for.

i am not posting this story just to encourage you and warm your heart, although i hope you will be inspired by my good, daring young friends. i am writing because they need your help! although they can probably exist on only fresh air and their dreams, these traveling troubadours need some cold hard cash.

i've done what i can to support them. i believe that they will use my money well; in fact, my biggest concern is that they will give it away to someone whom they feel needs it more than they do. please. do me a favor. do the world a favor. if you have a spare penny to your name--and really, really, don't we all?--help buy these guys a few calories along their ride. they're sure to need 'em. (and it couldn't be easier--they accept credit card and paypal!)

If you want to follow peter, dan, and carly on their journey, they have a trip blog at: http://threebusketeers.blogspot.com. there you'll find updates on their travels, an interactive map, and a handy little "donate" button in the left sidebar. read their blog. comment. be inspired. help if you can. i'm vouching for them. these are people you can be proud to know, too.