I Like To Wear Pumpkins On My Feet

As I watch my newest cat watch me watching him, I can’t help but smile at the serendipitous opportunities life continues to throw at me. Milo, the cat I am currently losing a staring contest with, has been gaining strength and weight everyday since I adopted him a month ago. The vet estimates his age to be about 17 or 18 years old and in his emaciated state, he looks every second of it. He wasn’t expected to live more than a few weeks but as things are going now, I am pretty sure I will be sharing Christmas with him and maybe a good part of 2011.

Milo’s Christmas gift to me has been the gift of perspective. He clearly accepts everything life throws his way and he makes the best of every moment he has. As with any cat, he doesn’t really convey gratitude and acts as if he decided to adopt me and let me feed and care for him. I have to respect his unshakeable confidence and his faith in the good of man.

I am inspired.

“Bunny slippers remind me of who I am. You can't get a swelled head if you wear bunny slippers. You can't lose your sense of perspective and start acting like a star or a rich lady if you keep on wearing bunny slippers. Besides, bunny slippers give me confidence because they're so jaunty. They make a statement; they say, 'Nothing the world does to me can ever get me so far down that I can't be silly and frivolous.' If I died and found myself in Hell, I could endure the place if I had bunny slippers.” - Dean Koontz (b. 1945)

No Impact Man

I have learned a lot about the environment and the interconnectedness of everything from David Suzuki. His ability to convey complex ideas in layman terms has gone a long way to educate the masses about environmental issues. David Suzuki is 74 years of age and I am concerned about the void that will need to be filled when he passes on.

I have been following Colin Beavan’s No Impact Man project for a few years now and I believe he, and others like him, can lead the charge in convincing the masses to consider the consequences of our lifestyles. His latest blog on the No Impact Man project offers solid advice and guidance on how the rest of us can positively engage others in discussions about climate change.

As long as someone is always carrying the torch there is always hope.

“What I do matters. It affects how other people act. The choices we make in life affects the choices of everyone else.” - Colin Beavan

Big Finish

As UBBT 7 winds down into its final month, I have given all my Student UBBT Members a final journaling assignment to write about their UBBT experience. There is still a significant portion of UBBT 7 left but I always assign this task at this time of year for a reason. No matter how the test has gone, you will always remember how you finish. This will go a long way to help you recognize the path to mastery.

It is important to reflect upon the entire year in order to truly appreciate the scope of the journey and it is my belief that upon reflection there will be evidence of growth no matter how poorly the year went. The great thing about the UBBT is the fact that it is a process as opposed to a program and if you recognize this, there is no such thing as failure.

It is impossible to judge anyone else’s experience. My respect for anyone who steps up and attempts to improve themselves and the world around them is absolute. I am proud of everyone that has ever taken on this challenge.

“Eighty percent of success is showing up.” - Woody Allen (b. 1935)

Gratitude

As the year is winding down I have been reflecting upon the past 11 months and giving thanks for the blessings that have been bestowed upon me this year. I recognize that my pursuit of mastery has led to a lot of personal growth and has kept me on the path to a life of consequence.

As I get older, and hopefully wiser, the value I place upon personal relationships grows. I have come to recognize that the quality of my life is directly proportional to the quality of the people I am surrounded with. I am definitely blessed to have so many people of quality who I trust in my life.

No matter what is going on in your life, stress is always more manageable if you have people you trust to turn to. Trust. There is a lot to be said about trust. It takes a lot to earn but next to nothing to lose.

I have learned to keep the value of trust in front of me and my goal for the next year is to ensure my actions and words bring value to those around me and never betray the trust I hope to earn.

“We're never so vulnerable than when we trust someone - but paradoxically, if we cannot trust, neither can we find love or joy” - Walter Anderson (1903 - 1965)

Lest We Forget

I believe Remembrance Day is one of the most important days for reflection, and the fact that we are a country at war makes the day even more significant. I hope everyone has taken the time to stop and contemplate what a privilege it is to be Canadian and the price so many have paid in service to us and our country.

Whether or not you support the war in Afghanistan, no one should be doubting the sacrifice that has been made by Canadian soldiers over the past century. We enjoy the privilege of our lifestyle because of lives that have been sacrificed or forever changed on our behalf. Remembrance Day of all days is a perfect time to consider our own responsibilities not just as Canadians but as free, engaged human beings.

If you believe we should be supporting our troops in Afghanistan, it is important that your support is reflected in your actions at home. Hold your political representatives accountable for representing your values not their own party's agenda so that there is meaning to the sacrifices being made at our government’s bidding. If you believe in freedom, exercise your freedom by actively striving to improve the world for yourself and for those who will inherit what you leave behind. If you want change, let your spending, or better yet your lack of spending, reflect your values. If you see injustice don’t stand by, speak out and let your voice be heard.

Support our troops by recognizing that your actions and inactions can have equal consequences. Become the change you want to see by not accepting mediocrity and becoming active in your community as a visible objector of apathy and indifference.

“Words and thoughts concerning compassionate action that are not put into practice are like beautiful flowers that are colorful but have no fragrance.” - Thich Nhat Hanh (b. 1926)

Milo

I adopted a senior citizen cat this week and I have dubbed him Milo. Milo came to my attention a couple of weeks ago when he visited my fish pond for a drink of water. He was completely emaciated and whenever food was put out for him he would stagger off like a wary stray without seeing or consuming it.

On Wednesday Milo was once again drinking from my pond but this time when I set food out for him, he came right to me. Obviously Milo was not always a stray because even though he was very weak from malnutrition, he was more interested in cuddling than he was with eating. He was so thin that I was uncomfortable petting him for fear of hurting him in his frail state.

I took Milo to my vet for a tune up and a kick start with some fluids. The vet estimates that if he is lucky, Milo only has a few more weeks to live. He is very old and his kidneys are shutting down. A big bill and an undignified enema later, Milo is back at my place living the good life with a warm bed, his own ceramic heater, and all the expensive kidney food he can eat. I am hoping that his last days are going to be some of his best.

Something my vet said to me has caused me to consider a few things. My vet was touched at the efforts and expense I was putting into an old stray cat. It had not occurred to me to put money ahead of a life but when I thought about how our society continues to treat animals as a commodity and the earth as a resource to be exploited for profit, I realize that my attitude is not the norm and in fact, probably one that will be ridiculed by others.

This whole experience has caused me to consider our contention that we are a just, civilized society who have enough moral high ground to impose our values upon others. I know our hearts are in the right place but our credibility is seriously suspect.

If we truly are civilized with credibility, why are we pursuing biofuels that are taking resources out of the food system and causing deforestation to support our unsustainable lifestyle while others are starving? If we are just, why are we accepting the torture and internment of children without a trial despite signing on to a UN agreement to protect and rehabilitate child soldiers?

We recognize bullying as a serious problem and we devote so much time to combat the issue while at the same time I watch political campaigns use bullying tactics and intimidation as a strategy to generate votes. What frightens the heck out of me is that this strategy seems to be working.

“If one benefits tangibly from the exploitation of others who are weak, is one morally implicated in their predicament? Or are basic rights of human existence confined to the civilized societies that are wealthy enough to afford them? Our values are defined by what we will tolerate when it is done to others.” - William Greider

God Bless the Bridgestone Tyre Corporation

I ride my motorcycle any chance I get. Some mornings in rush hour traffic it is like Road Warrior out there with the traffic so heavy and ev

eryone rushing to get to work. I’ve been in three motorcycle accidents in my life and my parents and friends always question why I continue to take the risk. I always tell them it is the meditative benefits of the ride that make the whole experience worthwhile.

My motorcycle is the one place where I am always in a totally relaxed meditative state. The more hectic the traffic, the more in the moment I remain. No matter how many close calls there are on the way to my destination, I always arrive feeling calm and refreshed. Thus is the power of meditation.

I have never been someone who has consistently taken the initiative to specifically set a time to relax and just meditate. I find the constant buzz around me while I juggle the responsibilities of my healthcare career, my school, my business, and my personal life tend to prevent me from consistently following up on my best laid plans. Yet meditation is a major part of my daily routine and one of the most beneficial byproducts of my training. It is in the unplanned moments where the opportunity to return to the here and now present themselves that I take the initiative to meditate. Whether it is a ride on my motorcycle or the weight of my cat purring on my chest, I make the most of those precious moments.

“Wait until you see God, then brake.” - Kevin Schwantz (b. 1964)