Walking Meditation 2008

On Wednesday evening, Seido Honbu hosted the annual Walking Meditation, where Seido students and instructors walked to the local shelters to deliver clothing, toys, and dry goods to those in need. At least 30 of us showed up to participate. It was quite a mixed crowd with Sei Shihans, Jun Shihans, Kyoshis, and Senseis as well as color belts of all different ranks. After a couple of pictures upstairs, Kaicho, along with Nidaime,led the procession into wet and rainy streets of downtown Manhattan. The first stop was a co-ed church shelter that couldn't be more than two avenues down 23rd street and half of the group--each with a bag in hand--delivered their goods to the appreciative residents. My group walked ahead to a shelter for women on 30th street to deliver clothing such as winter coats, sweaters, pants, and scarves to its residents. I must admit, I was not prepared for what I saw when I got there. I thought that it would be dropping the bags off in the lobby and going on my way but we were all met by at least a dozen women hovering around the entrance eagerly receiving these donated goods (some very gently used designer garments, some of the ones I donated still had the tag on them as I never wore those pieces). It was definitely an experience to make another person's day, especially when I wasn't expecting my participation or donations to really make a big difference. For those of you that missed the chance to share some holiday cheer, there will be another walking meditation on Dec. 18th (yesterday's 2nd walking meditation was postponed due to extremely nasty weather) when more clothing ,and this time, toys for children will be given to local shelters. I encourage all who can to take advantage of this unique experience and if you can't make it, to donate something!