Lost

The first time she touched me, she was using me for a demonstration for her class. She had me throw a punch and hold it up in the air while she simply blocked it with a knife hand and kept the blade of her hand touching my forearm as she explained the technique to her class. This is the most vivid memory I have of her. The power I could feel emanating off of her hand was the most intimidating thing I have ever felt. I stood there and felt like a fool as I lost control and started to giggle. It was not a “this is funny” type of giggle. More like a “I am about to die” nervous giggle. I may have towered over her and was triple her weight, but there was no doubt as to who was in control. I have never felt more helpless.

On December 27th, it will be three years since Master Margitte Hilbig left us. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t mourn the loss. I owe a lot to her generosity and kindness while the experience and knowledge that left with her is unfathomable. I would give anything to have another hour with her.

“Every one of us is losing something precious to us. Lost opportunities, lost possibilities, feelings we can never get back again. That’s part of what it means to be alive.” - Haruki Murakami (b. 1949)

Greta Thunberg

“I have not come to offer prepared remarks at this hearing, I am submitting this report as my testimony because I don’t want you to listen to me. I want you to listen to the scientists. And I want you to unite behind the science. And then I want you to take action.”

While the rest of us argue about the obvious climate crisis, a teenager is showing the world how it should be done with her simple 8 sentence letter to the US Congress. The time for hearings and committees is long past. It is time for action.

“You don’t listen to the science because you are only interested in solutions that will enable you to carry on like before. Like now. And those answers don’t exist any more. Because you did not act in time.” - Greta Thunberg (b. 2003)

Politics

We have another federal election coming up in a few weeks. I know I have vented a lot in the past on issues that could be interpreted as being political in nature but I have never seen myself as political. However, I am definitely opinionated when it comes to what the job of representing me in the House of Commons entails.

What I hate about elections and how our government is run is the fact that my personal representative in the House of Commons represents a political party and only a political party. I have no representation at all. This frustrates me to no end. Why the heck are we paying the salaries of 338 MPs if they are all just going to vote their party line? Why not give the party leaders x amount of votes and leave it at that? It would save a heck of a lot of money and end the charade that we somehow have individual representation. Before you tow the party line and tell me that my MP is my access to the party leader, stop being so naive. People who tell me that have never taken the time to meet their MP about their concerns. I have. They barely have better access to their party leader than you do. Unless your MP is a minister or better yet, the Prime Minister, you have no access period.

So if you are running for a political party that has a known liar as its leader, I am not going to vote for you. If you are running for a political party that is claiming to be “fiscally conservative” but have run up the biggest deficit in Canadian history when you ran the country - see my first sentence in this paragraph.

I plan on voting for a party that stands on its platform and promotes positive engagement. I’m not going to vote for you if all you do is complain about the other guys. Tell me what you are going to do to fix the problem, how you are going to pay for it, and the timeline until completion. If your party has made those same promises in the past and failed to deliver when they were given power, stop wasting my time with your lies.

If you want my vote, convince me that you are going to govern for the welfare of all your people. I am not going to vote for you if your only focus is going to be on those of us who voted for you. This is not a you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours situation. You have a job to do that is important and a lot of people without a voice are depending upon you to be theirs.

Lastly, if you depend on big business to support your election, you are not fit for office. You are there to represent the little guy. The big guys already have a seat at the table and they have enough privileges and breaks. Stop selling the lie of trickledown economics.

“There are more than three million young eligible voters in this country and as far as any of the political parties are concerned, you might as well all be dead. In fact in some elections, in Quebec for example, the dead have a higher voter turn out.  It is the conventional wisdom of all political parties that young people will not vote. And the parties, they like it that way. It's why your tuition keeps going up.  So please, if you're between the age of 18 and 25 and you want to scare the hell out of the people that run this country, this time around do the unexpected. Take 20 minutes out of your day and do what young people all around the world are dying to do.  - Vote.” - Rick Mercer (b.1969)

Clutter

It has been almost six years since I narrowed my focus on minimizing my number of possessions. The number I threw out there was 100 but even at the time I knew it was not a reasonably attainable goal. As I had previously identified, owning a house pretty much eliminates any chance of reducing my number of possessions to 100 but the exercise was never about the ultimate destination, it is about the journey.

This project has made me much more mindful about where and how I spend my money. I think about every purchase and evaluate whether it is a need or a want. That alone eliminates 90% of my bad decisions. I may not be spending less money but I am changing how I am spending my money. Less money is being wasted on things and more money is going toward experiences.

My garage still holds multiple motorcycles and my pets continue to beguile me into buying excessive treats and toys, but for the most part I am holding the line and I am happier for it.

“There is massive propaganda for everyone to consume. Consumption is good for profits and consumption is good for the political establishment.” - Noam Chomsky (b. 1928)

Jet Lag

I’ve been home for a couple of days now and I am almost caught up on my sleep. I lost quite a bit of sleep in Norway from the jet lag and the sleepless nights on trains and planes over the past week.

Norway is very similar to Canada but there are a few things that are different over there that I would like to see adopted here. For one, dogs are welcome everywhere. Shopping malls, public transport - pretty much everywhere. My quality of life would improve if I was allowed to take Bark Lee everywhere with me like the dogs of Norway are allowed.

The people of Norway, especially in the city of Bergen, have a strong sense of community. They are friendly and they take care of each other. They clean up after themselves and recognize the responsibility they have as individuals to improve their community. North America seems to have a ‘me first’ attitude towards everything where Norway’s attitude leans more toward ‘community first’. I like that.

 “ I always saw pollution as theft, and I always thought, ‘Why should somebody be able to pollute the air, which belongs to all of us, or destroy a river or a waterway, which is supposed to belong to the whole community?’” - Robert Kennedy, Jr. - (b.1954)