A few photos of the trip so far are in the gallery below.  I’m finally starting to adjust to this timezone.  There are 12 of us here to cheer Roni on in the Youth Olympic Games.  Unfortunately her younger brother, Austen, has been in the hospital since shortly after we arrived.  He is fine and will be out tomorrow hopefully.

[Show as slideshow]

The weather has been fabulous, sunny and just below freezing.  Roni’s had two races so far – the Super G and Super Combined.  She DNF-ed (Did Not Finish) the first day, unfortunately.  The second race, Super Combined, was today and is one Super G run and (if you survive the SG), one Slalom run.  She finished 9th overall which is excellent but she was not overly happy with her result as she made a few mistakes and can do better.  Still we are all very proud.  Way to go Roni!

We’re looking forward to seeing what she will do with the GS and Slalom on Wed and Fri as these are her better events.

Tomorrow is a day off and some of us are going to take the train to Salzburg to do some sightseeing..

The first Winter Youth Olympic Games will begin in Innsbruck, Austria on January 13, 2012.  I will be travelling there with a family group next week to watch the games, experience the skiing, scenery, and villages in the Tyrol area of Austria but most especially, to support our niece who is representing Canada for Alpine Skiing.

Roni Remme is just 15 and has already demonstrated that she is someone to watch.  She is one of only two young ladies chosen for the Canadian Youth Olympic Team for Alpine Skiing, and in the youngest age possible for this event.

Her ‘fan club’/family will be sporting red and white hats knit by her maternal grandmother and red sweatshirts with the following graphic (of her competing in the Whistler Cup), purchased by her paternal grandfather.  I do hope we don’t embarrass her too much.  :)

I’ll publish updates from Innsbruck on Roni’s and other Team Canada results as well as any new adventures.  The famous Kitzbuehl downhill race will be happening nearby, while we are there so we may go watch that, as well.

Go Roni!

To keep track of events and schedules, here are some URL’s:

http://www.olympic.org/

http://www.innsbruck2012.com/en

www.youtube.com/innsbruck2012

The athlete list can be found here:

http://www.innsbruck2012.com/en/sports/athletes

http://www.innsbruck2012.com/en/sports/athleten/103444_remme_roni

and results on the FIS site:

http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/604/1228.html?event_id=30465&cal_suchsector=AL

Winter is here and with it, at last, the first snowfalls which turn dead, dreary landscapes and forests into magical, white wonderlands.

Many prefer to stay indoors, avoiding the cold and sometimes bitter winds.  As someone who grew up skiing in Ontario, I’ve always been accustomed to outdoor activity during the winter although I must confess that I find the cold uncomfortable and my ski days are sporadic and short (more like half-days).   But, I also enjoy snowshoeing and walking in the woods.  Part of the allure with walking instead of soaring down the hills is to shoot the scenes of winter.  It’s almost a painful thing for me, now, to drive by something beautiful and not be able to take a picture of it.  So strange, this new obsession, but also so engrossing.  By capturing the beauty of an outdoor scene, after I process it, I can put it on my iPhone, my computer, or even print it and come back to stare at it, feeling again that sense of awe.  This picture above is of the bridge in Collingwood accessible from the backyard which connects the neighbourhood to beautiful walking trails in the woods.

Christmas and New Year’s 2011 are over and now it is January 2nd, the beginning of a new year.  Back to work tomorrow but soon, we will be on our way to Innsbruck, Austria to watch the Youth Olympic Games from January 13th to 22nd.  My niece, Roni, is one of two girls representing Canada for Alpine Skiing so it is very exciting.  I will post some updates on how she’s doing from Innsbruck.

Happy New Year to all…

In early October, I heard an advertisement on 95.1 radio station about the First Annual Wasaga Beach Short Film Festival.  Wasaga Beach is a neighbouring community to Collingwood (our weekend retreat) and a common beach/resort destination from Toronto (just 1.5 hour drive).  When I was in high school, we would often drive up for the day and sometimes camp nearby.  And when my sons graduated from high school, they came up in droves to rent cabins at Wasaga and celebrate.

As an amateur photographer and videographer, I was intrigued by the opportunity to produce a video for this competition but also conscious of the fact that the entries were due in two weeks.  I originally planned to develop a short film, working together with some others in my family.  There are 5 categories for entries – Romance, Action, Documentary, and Comedy (all 4 to 8 minutes in length) with the fifth category being a 30 second advertisement for Wasaga Beach.  Following the release of my novel, “Vision Speak”, I’ve been exploring how to tell stories using other media, or perhaps mixed media with my writing, so this seemed like a nice chance to experiment with video production.

It came down to the weekend before the entries were due, Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend, which was unbelievably hot for mid-October in my area of the world.  It was hot enough to go to the beach, swim, and shoot some film.  With such limited time, we ended up just submitting one video in the Ad category.  There just wasn’t enough time to produce a longer film for this first event.

Since then we are among the finalists and the Film Festival has placed all the final videos on Youtube.  The Gala event/Award ceremony is on January 21st in Wasaga Beach, however, we will be in Austria for the Youth Olympic Games to watch our niece compete for Canada in Alpine Skiing at that time.  So, our sons who participated in this production will go to the event and hopefully collect our prize.

Here is our video, entitled “Share the Magic at Wasaga”:

This coming Friday, December 2nd, come to the Book Launch and Book Fair at the York Simcoe Literacy Council in Newmarket.  For more information, visit author Heather Lambert’s site at http://cassiusvampire.com/news-and-events

I will be onsite to sell my novel, “Vision Speak” (www.vision-speak.com), along with other local authors.  As this is Heather’s book launch, she will do a reading from Cassius Blood Rights, her new vampire novel, at 6pm

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The Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts (www.bmfa.on.ca) in Collingwood is a juried show featuring creative work by local artists and artisans.  “Vision Speak” is available for sale at this show during November and December of 2011.

WINTERS GIFT

November 3 to December 31st -  The Arts Centre

The Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts presents Winters Gift, a fine art and craft show and sale. Opening on November 3 and running until December 31, 2011 the show includes the work of over 30 of the regions talented artists and artisans. Pottery, jewellery, woodworking, glass, painting and more will be beautifully presented in the historic Arts Centre building adjacent to the Gayety Theatre. Support local arts while taking home an exquisite one of a kind gift.

The Arts Centre will be open Wednesday through Saturday, 11 – 5 pm and Sundays 1- 4 pm.

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I just heard the commencement address delivered by Steve Jobs at Stanford University in June, 2005.  Below is an excerpt from this speech (the “third story”).  This is a powerful story with even more meaning now in the wake of his untimely death.

“When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn’t even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor’s code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you’d have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I’m fine now.

This was the closest I’ve been to facing death, and I hope it’s the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Video of his full address to Stanford: 

In the blink of an eye, something can happen that will change your health and well-being, your future, your view of the world.  For example, you could be walking across the street, carefree and strong, and be struck by a car.  You could have a brain aneurism or a heart attack.

Or some unknown person, with a twisted heart, could come out of nowhere and assault you.

These are not happy thoughts and not usually the type of thing that I write about on this blog.

But that was before some random person committed a violent act against my son who was punched so hard that his tooth was knocked out, who now has stitches all over his lips and gums with his teeth wired to his mouth, who still can’t understand how anyone could do something so violent for no apparent reason.

What happened? As my son was on his way home from the bar in London, Ontario with a girlfriend, a young man walking on Richmond Street in front of him suddenly turned around, punched him in the face and ran away.  Many witnesses and even two police officers were on the scene.  My son was on his knees, blood dripping from his face with his tooth in his hand, shocked and dazed.  He never even saw who hit him.  The police were of little help and told him he’d better get in a cab and get to the hospital.  No report was filed.  No attempt was made to catch the perpetrator.

My son is in fourth year at the University of Western Ontario and on the Western Mustangs Lacrosse Team.  He has been gearing up for this lacrosse season physically for months and excited about it all year.  After they shoved his tooth back into his mouth and stitched him back together, the doctor told him he wouldn’t be able to eat solid food for weeks and likely had more painful dental surgery in his future to save his front teeth.  But that wasn’t what really upset him.  The most devastating news that night was that he couldn’t participate in contact sports for 6 weeks.  He was out for the season that he’d been looking forward to all year, his last season playing for the Mustangs.  It was the year that he thought they might be able to win it all and they had just started the previous week with two wins.  To suddenly be told he could no longer be a part of their quest was heartbreaking.

But he knows and we know that it’s done and now we must pick up the pieces and move on.   When things go wrong, our brains often do the ‘what if’ or ‘if only’ dance.  If we had done something different, if only it hadn’t happened and so on.  Something like this with consequences that will be felt for months, is hard.  Of course, we all know it could be worse.  We’ve heard about violent crimes of this nature, often associated with young people and alcohol or drugs, where the damage is extensive, where sometimes people die senselessly.  At least my son will heal and this will eventually be a bad memory.

The other obsessive and difficult thing to deal with is the anger, the need for some kind of retribution.  I’ve seen his facebook statements about this incident and his friends’ comments, their rallying cries.  A natural tendency is to want to find the guy, to hit him back, to sue the guy, to get even, to hurt as one has been hurt.  The more one thinks about it, the more these emotions can swell up and make a bad situation, worse.

And for me, I feel outrage at the police who were there when it happened.  Aren’t they sworn to serve and protect?  My son and his friend said they seemed indifferent, didn’t want to bother with the situation.  I called the London police last night to ask about this.  We can still file a report and they have video cameras downtown so they may be able to find footage of what happened although it’s unlikely they’ll be able to identify the perpetrator from the video.   We may pursue this.  I’m not sure whether it’s a good next step or if one is best to ‘turn the other cheek’ at this point.  The constable that I spoke with said there was nothing reported and it would be impossible for him to determine which officers were on the scene as there would have been about 100 of them out on the street on Friday night at that time.

But this astounds me.  Is this type of thing happening so often that they don’t even try to stop it?  Why are they working on the street if not to do something about violence like this?

I fear the answer is that with so many college and university students frequenting the bars in London, that there are fights and violent incidents all the time.  All they do is break it up and move on.  I’ve tried to find statistics but what would they mean anyway if most incidents are never even reported?

How do we stop this? Can we only grit our teeth when our kids go out at night (for we know they will not stay home) and hope that they are wise enough, or lucky enough, to steer clear of the lunatics?

I don’t know the answer to this but I do know what I must do.  I must help my son to move on, to accept what can’t be changed, to try and turn this negative into a positive or at least a life lesson.  And I must do the same.

I now understand how oblivious I’ve been to the perfection all around me, to every day miracles.  With a busy life and ever churning mind, who cares what kind of trees are in my neighbourhood?  Who takes time to notice the immense beauty in the minute details of our four season climate with glittering snow on bare branches, sprouts and blossoms glistening with rain in the spring, or lavish green growth, wildflowers and butterflies in the summer?   I’m embarrassed that the answer is “ME” but that’s changing.  Next I will experience the rich colours of autumn with new eyes now that I am finally paying attention..

I realize this probably sounds crazy to those who have always been present and aware of the wonders around them, who know exactly what trees and blossoms and flowers bloom when, and to people who watch the flying creatures in our world, who perhaps have birdfeeders and binoculars and are able to identify the various species, following their habits and listening to their songs.

But it is possible to be conscious of all this and at the same time, unimpressed, if you’ve never looked closely enough.  I have to credit a new hobby with helping me to experience my surroundings with new wonder – photography.  It started with video editing and then an idea about a new way to tell a story using accompanying illustrations by taking staged scenes outdoors with my ‘imaginary friends’.  (More on this topic in a future blog).   Then came a burgeoning curiousity about the variety of trees and bushes, creeks, ponds, and lakes, flowers and blossoms, grasses and bulrushes, and all the creatures that lived among them.

Since then, I’ve had a few chance ‘encounters’ that have hooked me for good.

I took vacation during the first two weeks of July at our getaway home in Collingwood on Silver Creek. Co-hosting a ‘rubber duck race and wing ding/bbq’ was a busy start but, after that, it was a relaxing vacation intermixed with golf, quiet nights and some day trips.

Tiger Swallowtail

On July 5th, golfing at Osler Brook with my sister, mother, and aunt, I saw my first Tiger Swallowtail.  If I’d ever seen one before, I
didn’t look closely enough for it to register in my mind.  As they are common to this area, I don’t know how I could have missed them.  I’ve since seen them featured on book covers and cards but with this encounter, I was like a child awakened to the world.  The vibrant yellow and black butterfly was flitting about and drinking from a Butterfly bush (who knew there was such a plant?) With my new camera handy in the golf cart, I was able to capture this moment so here is my first new friend.  I loved this picture and stared it many times over the following days.

49th Birthday Gift

A few days later, on July 9th (my birthday), I was sitting alone on our back porch with my camera when I heard loud rustling in the woods near the creek on our property.  I’m ashamed to admit that if this had happened last year, I probably would have run into the house and peered at it through the window.  Instead, I moved a little closer and had my first encounter with a deer.  I thought when this doe saw me, it would run the other way but instead, it was curious and came around to the edge of the woods to stare at me.  By this time, I had carefully walked down the yard to get a better view and was able to get a few good pictures of my new friend.   I’m afraid I’m the one who bolted first, never having been brave around wild animals.   I was surprised at how bold this deer was, not only staring at me but advancing.  A few minutes later, after I chastised myself, I was back outside but it was gone.  I’ve never seen a deer before or since on our property but it was a lovely birthday gift.  Whenever I see this picture, it fills me with wonder.

So, now I am reluctant to go anywhere without my camera close by and I’ve had two more butterfly encounters.  On the golf course again, I met another Swallowtail but this one was Black!  Who knew there were a variety of different types of Swallowtails?  Okay, probably many of you knew but I didn’t.  Here’s the Black Swallowtail

Black Swallowtail

having lunch.  (Of course, I was in the middle of a Match Play competition when I came across this creature but I have my priorities right.  And yes, we subsequently lost the match.. )

After this second beautiful butterfly picture, I was determined to get a picture of a Monarch which is the only kind that I actually knew by name before this summer.  The Monarchs teased me for weeks, flitting by on the golf course, on the roads, in my parents’ yard but never stopping long enough for me to get a picture.  Then this weekend, when I least expected it, I stepped onto my back porch with my camera in hand and there was a Monarch, drinking from the Purple cornflowers at the edge of our deck.  So, say hi to my newest friend…

The Monarch

Now that I am watching the trees and flowers and creatures that are everywhere on our planet, I remember some of the lessons that I’ve blogged about, especially about being present.  Could it really be so simple as to just open your eyes and look around you?

This question has been asked since mankind reached consciousness and it has certainly driven me forward in my life quest, in searching for meaning in life.   I think many people, regardless of religious tradition or beliefs, will generally agree that our basic goals should be to make a difference in this world and to contribute to others.

Or, in loftier terms, as I suggested in the post “Searching for Nirvana” - to find peace and love, to live in harmony, to create a better world for our children and to surpass the limits of the form we were born into, to evolve the human spirit to new heights…

But while my underlying commitment is about living my life to achieve these ideals, I find that I often fall short of them in my everyday life.  The daily grind, the limits of our human bodies, the endless chatter of our mind, the upsets and frustration we all experience (not to mention the way business and society dictate our behaviours) not only get in the way but often derail us.  So, I sometimes find myself in conflict with people (which always depresses me) and not always exuding the warmth and balance that I strive to demonstrate to others.  This, in turn, can lead to a desire to escape, to be alone, to avoid too much contact or intimacy with the other humans on the planet, lest I misbehave further… hardly an enlightened approach.

One overriding lesson I’ve learned is that it is very difficult for an unhappy, depressed, or angry person to exude warmth and love, to create a space to truly contribute to others, or as Oprah has so eloquently put it: “to be the change you want to see in the world”.  So, our number one priority must be to take care of ourselves.  Consider that if you are ‘happy’ then you are more able to be with people such that they will feel better in your presence. (The old analogy of the airline’s safety rule stating that you must put your oxygen mask on first before assisting others holds true.)  I believe the enlightened individuals on our planet, those we look up to and strive to emulate, understand this, continuing to do the work on themselves while accomplishing monumental tasks for the planet.   They have a deeper sense of their soul’s purpose.

Speaking of giants, I came across Oprah’s Soul Series on XM Radio yesterday.  She was interviewing Brian Weiss which was a great ‘coincidence’ as I had recently read his first book ” Many Lives Many Masters: The True Story Of A Prominent Psychiatrist, His Young Patient & The Past-Life Therapy That Changed Both Their Lives”, as well as a book called “Journey of Souls: Case Studies of Life between Lives” by Michael Newton, PhD.  If you haven’t read them and are open-minded (or perhaps, especially, if you are not), then I highly recommend both authors.  They are both professional therapists who have worked in the field of past-life regression for decades.  They both have a great many documented case studies of patients who have recounted stories about past lives, and even more interesting to me, the soul’s journey between lives.

The original question that I posed – “why are we here?” takes on a much deeper dimension when you consider this viewpoint.  If the heartaches and challenges and struggles of your life were actually selected especially for you (possibly by you), as lessons that you must learn, obstacles that you must overcome, on your soul’s journey, does this change your perspective?  Face them now or you’ll just come back and do it all over again.   Do the work on yourself now.  Be the best person you can be.  Contribute to the people around you with your whole heart.

Another thought-provoking angle is the idea of soul groups which means that many people closest to you have been part of your existence for many lives and beyond.  If you believe this then you can more easily accept their passing and your own when the time comes.  It also puts new meaning, for me, to the concept of contributing to others in this lifetime.  Some advanced souls may only be here for a short visit, to touch our lives, to steer us towards our life lessons.

I believe that everyone is here for a reason and that everybody begins life with something special.   To rise above our life circumstances, to be our best selves and recognize what those gifts are, is part of our quest, our life’s greater purpose.  Some are born rich or poor, beautiful or ugly, brilliant or dull, physically superior or handicapped.  Most of us are somewhere in the middle of these extremes but, regardless of our physical and situational traits, our deeper being has something more to offer in this life.  We all have a unique ability or vision to share with others that can make a difference and allow us to live a fulfilling life, to advance our soul’s journey.