It was a chilly forty degrees at 7am on a Saturday morning, and my friend Chris Cuddihy was standing outside the CBS studios in a kilt. You may be thinking he must have been doing so for a very good cause, and you'd be right. But those of you acquainted with Chris also know that he might have done it just for fun.

Chris has rowed across the Atlantic Ocean (yes, rowed, with like, oars) and run seven marathons on seven continents in seven days. He does these things for charities like the Wounded Warriors Project and Isaac's House, an orphanage in Uganda. His latest adventure will take him from New York City to Washington DC. On foot. He's running a punishing 250 miles to deliver a petition for a Veterans Bill of Rights to our Congressional Representatives.

Understand that Chris is not a professional athlete. He's also no spring chicken. He came back from his 7 in 7 on 7 trek with some very messed-up feet. You don't even want to know what rowing an ocean will do to a guy's ass cheeks. It takes a very determined and rather remarkable sort of man to undergo such things.

But Chris is a middle-aged guy who lives on Long Island and works for the county. He is a husband and father. He taught me how to design this website. He goes to church.

Not that I want you to think he's 'just a normal guy'. He sports a ponytail and tattoos, and can rock a peace sign and a 'Support the troops' sign simultaneously. He is quintessentially American despite his Scottish heritage. (And don't think his ancestry explains the kilt. He likely just enjoys wearing skirts.)

Chris and his family come over for dinner sometimes and he and I talk about all that's wrong and how we will right it through grassroots philanthropy. We have great discussions about the importance of backing up one's spiritual endeavors with actual work. More than most I know, he puts the 'active' in activism. There's is no doubt in my mind that his mad stunts do save lives and improve our planet's future.

His greatest legacy may well be with his son. Ryan has apparently inherited the active philanthropy gene. He recently hiked the entire Appalachian Trail south-to-north through rain, cold, mosquitoes and loneliness for the Wounded Warriors Project. And he did the whole thing in a kilt.

Of course the true hero is wife and mother Pat. During our Sunday dinners, she and Robert are forced to listen to Chris and I drone on about all the ways we'll save the world with just one more step. One more signature. One more dollar. One more day.

You don't have to be Madonna or Bono or Desmond Tutu or Bill O'Reilly (chas v'shalom) to make a difference. You needn't run seven marathons either. Your impact can be simple and immediate. Just find a way to share your passion.

Share ridiculously.

Do it now.

JSB

Please visit http://www.nydcrun.com/ to track Chris' progress and add your name to the petition for a Veterans Bill of Rights.