Life is Good

The South Brooks to the Bunsbies

I just got back from an 8 day kayaking trip with 7 women.
It was magnificent.
The ocean with its many moods, the trees, the sun, the white sandy beaches, the west coast mist, the ferns, the rock, the sea creatures, the sunsets, the sunrises, the big sky, the changing clouds, the taste of salt, the clean air, the bear eating seaweed, the colours under the sea, the otters, the seals, the wind, the waves, the surf, the ride, the boats' sleekness, the paddles' sound as they slice the water, the totems, the tide rising and falling and how it changes the look and feel of a place, breathing, the inlets to explore, the eagles standing guard in the tallest barest trees, the loneliness, the nakedness, the vulnerability, the intimacy, the community, the aroma of supper cooking.

The Otesha Project

I had the pleasure of hosting a sustainability in action group called "The Otesha Project". Otesha means "reason to dream" in Swahili. This group of young adults from across Canada are cycling from Vancouver BC to Calgary Alberta to tell, live, sing, dance, act their message about being the change they want to see in the world. In many communities along the way, they present a humorous, informative play about how to live in a sustainable way.

Their message was full of possibilities and opportunities, without the guilt thrown in. At the end of the performance they gave out postcards, (on recycled paper), with the word Hope on the front. The idea is to write down 1 thing that you want to change in your life to make it more sustainable, do that thing for a week and then send the postcard to The Otesha Project office.

What was so refreshing for me was that this group, (wearing old t-shirts, turned in side out, with The Otesha Project put on them), was walking the talk, but not in arrogance. They believe that making these individual changes in their lives will make a difference in our world.

A few Otesha Project suggestions: Put rocks in your toilet tank so that it doesn't fill up with so much water; don't flush if it's yellow, only if it's brown; turn water off in the shower while sudsing up and then on again to rinse; eat organic, fair trade, local, not processed, not fast food; decrease amount of meat you eat, particularly beef; buy used clothing; cycle instead of drive; buy alternative energy cars; recycle; use cloth bags when shopping; take the bus or train instead of flying; and on and on it goes.

I have to admit that I have been a bit sceptical and depressed about the little difference I can make in slowing global warming and contributing to sustainability. My energy towards this has been flagging. Since participating in the Otesha Project in a small way, I feel rejuvinated and my "reason to dream" has been reinstated.

Four Wishes

I would like Hope and District to be a plastic bag free community. It shouldn't be too hard to do. Our 2 grocery stores have cloth bags that can be purchased. All they have to do now is not supply any plastic bags.

I would like Hope and District to ban the selling and use of pesticides and weed killers. It hurts me to see the birds eating bugs and worms from lawn sprayed with chemicals, not to mention the babies crawling on these green places, picking up objects to suck on. Oh and what's with the railway companies spraying herbicides along the tracks to the extent that the trees are dying.

I would like to be able to buy locally grown produce in the grocery stores in Hope. If this isn't an option and it appears that it isn't, I might have to go to Agassiz and buy directly from the farmers. But then my dilemma will be that I will have to burn fossil fuels to get there.

I would like to be able to park my bike in various places in Hope. I think the benefits of more people cycling to work and to the shops, far outweigh the costs of installing a few secure bike stands. The touring cyclists would appreciate it too.

That's all I want for now. Is that too much to ask?

Illusive Happiness

I just finished Anne Giardini's book "The Sad Truth About Happiness". It had some great moments but overall I thought it lacked fluidity. The author would break out in beautiful, scensory paragraphs that didn't fit into where the story was at or where I thought the mood was going.

Having said all that, the novel made me think. At the end of the book, after the main character has spent a fair amount of time alone, she comes up with this thought, " I am no longer in pursuit of happiness. As I stand here at my front door, key in hand, I think it is just possible that happiness, at least for now, today, this hour, may be in pursuit of me." Aaah, she has arrived.

I'm wondering if instead of what Freud said, (human sexual drive/instinct is stronger than even our survival instinct)-that the strongest drive in humans is our pursuit of happiness. Perhaps we have evolved to this or maybe this is a path that is inherent in the North American culture only.

I try so hard to make all the right choices in life and I have made many. I have all the ingredients in my life that should make happiness. I have someone (s) to love, I have something to do, and I have something to look forward to. I have to admit that I'm not always happy and I'm tired of trying so hard.

I'm going to quit the pursuit. And when happiness hits me, I'm going to suck up that moment and then breathe it out again. Wish me luck or better yet, wish me happiness.