Model-T & The Snow
A Ford Model T Touring Car in Edmonton’s first snowfall.
I came across this scene on my way to work yesterday. The driver was fueling up at a gas station. When he finished, he got back in and drove off. As I watched the antique drive away, a couple of thoughts came to mind.
Dishonest Clicks
If we’re honest, most of us prefer a spicy, marketed perspective over unadorned, plainly served, unsalted truth.
Yes to Canada
I do like to travel. I love seeing what's out there and having new experiences all over the world, but I love the feeling of the plane landing on Canadian soil when I come home. This is why: I am proud of what our country can become.
Cruel and Likely
Despair has a well-marketed and fast-traveling message, and I know my kids won’t have to travel far to find it. In the words of C.S. Lewis, “it is so likely that children will meet cruel enemies…” Despair can be cruel, but it’s certainly not unusual. It grows insidiously like mold throughout our lives. Kids need to see the best of us adults, and if they can’t, they should at least see us trying.
Life at 1000 Feet
I’ve flown on airplanes, helicopters, a paraglider, and a parasail. In all of those situations, there was a plan involved and a defined destination. You take off at one point, and you will land at a destination. A hot air balloon was different.
Building Peace
I continue to believe that violence reflects a profound lack of imagination, void of any creative power. We cannot solve chaos by adding chaos to the equation of conflict.
What you had and Lost
Life will not leave you unscathed by loss. Mourning what you already had and lost is something we will all need to face. But we need to have symbols and reminders of the gifts we once had.
Political Mind- Trick
I can imagine the authors of the referendum waving their hand at me, like I’m some stupid, weak-minded stormtrooper. “You don’t like waste...you should do whatever you want…You will vote yes" This referendum process is a very costly Jedi mind trick masquerading as responsible governance.
Your MRE
A soldier’s or astronaut’s work is important enough that they need a subtle but important boost of energy midway through their day. If food could carry a message, I believe the message an MRE conveys is simply this: “You are important enough that we thought of you and want you to make it back home.”
3 Million Shipwrecks
The successful still sink. The proof of this lies on the seafloor.
If the successful still sink, the simple still succeed.
The People Who Exit
Using the metaphor of a train ride with one’s life does break down very quickly when I remind myself that I too am another rider on someone else’s route. It also seems that, for a variety of reasons, I too have exited at a stop along a colleague’s or friend’s life.
Downtown Light
Sometimes we offer hospitality, and sometimes we’re the ones who accept the offer. When these two ingredients combine, we get peace.
Smell the Fries
This is not a call to stop and smell the roses…or the fries; this is about having an early warning sign to support my health and growth.
City & Soul
Our experience in the moment matters, and it’s a difficult stage because we’re often judged in the moment when we need to make a decision. Everyone has an opinion on what’s best for us, and at the same time, we have our own internal pressure to deal with because we don’t want to make mistakes either. We’re just haphazardly doing the best we can!
Shoes of a Trillionaire
The term 'trillionaire' itself is no longer an abstract exaggeration casually hurled at the wealthy. There is one unique pair of shoes taking steps among the 8.3 billion humans on planet Earth because they are worn by the only trillionaire ever to exist.
Disclosure Day
It’s worth asking yourself: how would your neighborhood, church, school, work, or family respond to the next big disruption? Even better, ask how you would respond when the news reports an unavoidable new truth.
What’s The Albertan Story?
There is no argument that I can make that hasn't already been made about why separation is a broken idea. Facts no longer matter as much as they did before. Internalized stories inform beliefs, and they now carry the momentum of a freight train.
A Church of Dictionaries
Those 7000 voices should matter to us. Thousands of stories, songs, jokes, and histories answer the question of what it means to be human and alive. As a traveler, I’ve come to appreciate the value of understanding is in gaining a new perspective on life.