Today was awesome because it was a healthy day for mind and body.
My mobile phone alarm clock woke me up at precisely 9:27am. For no reason whatsoever, I have avoided setting any alarm for any time that ends in zero or five since I was a child. At 9:28 a miniature version of myself in a devil costume appeared on my left shoulder and whispered that it would be alright to go back to sleep. Tempted, I remembered my commitment to my new friend Ella, so I summoned the strength to sit up, swing my legs over the edge of the bed, stand, and walk to the toilet.
Running late, I skipped breakfast, borrowed a bicycle from my housemate Darryl, and greeted the morning sun. At my first intersection I discovered the lack of functioning breaks on this particular Raleigh. Still running late, no time to turn back. I pedaled the brakeless bike to Ogden Point where Ella and friends were waiting. After a few "pleased to make your acquaintances" we started pounding pavement. Ella brought us together to support Walk in Her Shoes. Every step will empower women and girls to fight poverty. Over 8,000 seaside steps were taken by each of us. I saw a starfish in the water! I didn't know we had starfish in Canada. We found a dead stingray washed up on the beach! I didn't know we had stingrays in Canada.
The rest of my Sunday was spent the way Sundays should be; moving at a slightly slower pace that usual. I practiced guitar, I wrote in the fresh-paper scented pages of my new treeless notebook, and I started reading a new book. Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac. Long has it been on my "must read" list and forty-two pages in it has not disappointed.
Today, I got a little exercise in support of an important issue in the morning, and spent the remainder of the day exercising and resting my brain. And today was awesome.
(What made your day awesome? Tell me in the comments section below. I'd love to hear about it!)
Showing posts with label learn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label learn. Show all posts
07 March 2011
06 March 2011
05 March 2011
Today was awesome because I went for a walk.
I threw my guitar on my back and headed for the beach. I decided to follow Cook Street all the way to the ocean because I had never gone that way before. It was a good choice, because I passed through a very cute, little area called Cook St. Village, where there's wonderful looking cafés, a British pub called The Beagle, and everybody smiles back. At the beach, I found my own little, private spot amongst the driftwood to strum a few tunes. I've been working on barre chords ever since I had the action on my guitar adjusted in Vancouver a few weeks back. Honestly, I was still having a bit of trouble with it just a couple of nights ago... but all of the sudden, on this beach, with the ocean as my audience, I'm throwing down F's and B minors like it's my job! It really felt great to know I'm making progress.
After a while, my hands started getting a little chilly, so I decided to walk down the beach for a bit and give them a chance to warm up in my pockets. A little ways down, I came across a couple of guys, one was putting the finishing touches on a true work of art. I introduced myself to José, the artist, and Tim, the friend, and told them how incredible I thought the installation was. José creates art using whatever he comes across in nature. Today, he had collected dozens of small pieces of driftwood and, amazingly, was able to use balance and weight distribution to weave them together in an almost basket-like sculpture. Then he balanced a big, long piece of driftwood across the top, without toppling the whole thing, and started stacking stones on either end!
It looked like this:
About 3 minutes later, it looked like this:
And you know what the best part was? After José inadvertently destroyed something he had spent over four hours on, he laughed. Wasn't bothered at all. He reminded me of Tibetan Buddhist monks, who create beautiful works of art using coloured sand called, dul-tson-kyil-khor (mandala of coloured powders). The monks spend days on their sand mandalas, only to have them swept or blown away shortly after their completion. It's a great lesson in impermanence; don't get too attached to anything!
Today, I went for a walk.
And I started to master a few new chords.
And I met an artist with Buddhist tendencies who creates art from nature.
And today was awesome.
(What made your day awesome? Tell me in the comments section below. I'd love to hear about it!)
I threw my guitar on my back and headed for the beach. I decided to follow Cook Street all the way to the ocean because I had never gone that way before. It was a good choice, because I passed through a very cute, little area called Cook St. Village, where there's wonderful looking cafés, a British pub called The Beagle, and everybody smiles back. At the beach, I found my own little, private spot amongst the driftwood to strum a few tunes. I've been working on barre chords ever since I had the action on my guitar adjusted in Vancouver a few weeks back. Honestly, I was still having a bit of trouble with it just a couple of nights ago... but all of the sudden, on this beach, with the ocean as my audience, I'm throwing down F's and B minors like it's my job! It really felt great to know I'm making progress.
After a while, my hands started getting a little chilly, so I decided to walk down the beach for a bit and give them a chance to warm up in my pockets. A little ways down, I came across a couple of guys, one was putting the finishing touches on a true work of art. I introduced myself to José, the artist, and Tim, the friend, and told them how incredible I thought the installation was. José creates art using whatever he comes across in nature. Today, he had collected dozens of small pieces of driftwood and, amazingly, was able to use balance and weight distribution to weave them together in an almost basket-like sculpture. Then he balanced a big, long piece of driftwood across the top, without toppling the whole thing, and started stacking stones on either end!
It looked like this:
About 3 minutes later, it looked like this:
And you know what the best part was? After José inadvertently destroyed something he had spent over four hours on, he laughed. Wasn't bothered at all. He reminded me of Tibetan Buddhist monks, who create beautiful works of art using coloured sand called, dul-tson-kyil-khor (mandala of coloured powders). The monks spend days on their sand mandalas, only to have them swept or blown away shortly after their completion. It's a great lesson in impermanence; don't get too attached to anything!
Today, I went for a walk.
And I started to master a few new chords.
And I met an artist with Buddhist tendencies who creates art from nature.
And today was awesome.
(What made your day awesome? Tell me in the comments section below. I'd love to hear about it!)
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