A Great Feat: Prayer with Footsteps

Every Moment, Every Minute, Every Step You Take
By Ella Lauser
(as seen in Bling Magazine, December Issue)


With the state of the world today, there is a strong current of doubt, complaint and negativity riding high. What can be done to reinstate hope within our hearts? Action, action as opposed to reaction.
Therefore, during this holiday time of year people are finding themselves reflecting upon their accomplishments, their setbacks, their goals and more often than not, the fears that still hold them back. Prayer occurs in great volume, purchases as well. It's the big 'make it count' crusade of the winter season with family, work, friends and yourself. The first step in making a dent on our endless to-do list is the hardest one to make and Christopher Howe is doing just that with every moment, every minute, every mile that he takes to make possible the impossible. Simply put, he is walking from Los Angeles, California in the United States to Brazil. It takes a few times of hearing this for it to actually sink in even as he says, "I'm walking to Brazil, walking- one foot in front of the other." Nope, still not quite fathoming this one. He's doing what?????

Through 10 countries, "I am walking, running, meditating, praying, transforming my life and yours 6,583 miles from Los Angeles to Brazil," he expresses with calm and joyful enthusiasm. A thousand questions spring to mind when he shares his vision and disbelief certainly rears its head but he has already crossed the border between the United States and Mexico. He has already walked nearly 250 miles in a month's time. He has spoken with migrants, pastors, police, and people from all walks of life. He walks through their streets and villages and highways for the sole purpose of eliminating borders and presenting possibility. All of this from a single vision during meditation and an endless supply of enthusiasm and ‘yes’es. He trained for months, sold his car, sold his belongings- bringing himself down to the bare minimum of what it is to be human. On October 5, 2008 he had a proper send off from the Elevate Film Festival where he began his walk for change and breaking down the concept of 'no'.

This seems so big and really when you think about it, it is with the tiniest effort that anything moves from miniscule to infinite. It is in the sheer will of doing it one step at a time, that the world changes in every shape, every form. Beautifully and strangely enough, he doesn't see this as one man's journey; he sees each step he takes as one step for man-kind. And yet, unlike our New Year's resolutions that are primarily based in egoistic terms and last for a week, a month tops- he is doing this incredibly simple and outlandish task for more than a year.

Christopher himself says it best…

What is easy in life is often the most difficult to overcome and what is difficult is often overcome with a single step. So get off the couch! Realize the difference you can make in this world. Realize the divine potential within you by acknowledging it in everyone and everything. Go beyond your expectations of yourself and get involved in something beyond measurement, beyond circumstances and reasons.

It certainly beckons many to stop asking why and start declaring- "Why not?" The hope behind his project is to inspire YOU to see that you can BE anything, create whatever life you can imagine.

Even Christopher considers his plight to be crazy and extreme, before he began the walk he constantly asked himself “What am I doing? I should just stop now, this is crazy!” How many times have you found yourself saying the same thing about dating someone new or applying for a new job? Take this dramatic example and apply it to your life. What about that intention of yours to take that life-long dream trip to India? What about the French lessons you always wanted to take? What about the 30lbs you’ve been intending to lose? As most of us know, it’s sometimes the first step that’s most important but it’s often the commitment to follow through that we lack. Baby-steps, right? Why not go big after you’ve attempted those first few simple goals?

Breaking down the patterns of negative thought- the 'I can'ts', 'I won'ts', and other debilitating mantras are exactly what Christopher Howe takes on minute by minute just as you do in your daily efforts. We are all challenged to keep going but what Christopher helps remind us is to go forth with intention, with love- at least that is his hope. Walking 2.7 miles per hour, eight to twelve hours per day, for over a year to inspire YOU, to challenge your beliefs about what's possible. The I Am Walking project shakes up everyone Christopher encounters, and all who know his plight, to go beyond our 'reason' as he says, “beyond our thinking, seeing what is possible in and above our complaints, above and outside our 'limitations', outside and through our 'boundaries'.” He is a walking, talking metaphor for every aspect of human life- moment by moment.


"So this is Christmas," as John Lennon said, "and what have you done?" What now will you do to go beyond yourself and your notion of what is possible?


For further information on Christopher and his I AM WALKING project visit www.iamwalking.org. He asks for prayers to be sent his way but once again, not for him but for you, for the world, for the change you wish to see. The site has information on his vision, his route as well as regularly uploaded videos, blogs, photos and the prayers that he receives.