tail-lights

Apparently, our right-hand tail-light wasn't working. Not sure how long that had been the case, and it wasn't until someone followed us home one night (that we knew... not a stalker...) that we found out about it.


It's all fixed now, but I noticed a lot more tail-lights that were out on other people's cars in the days that followed (and was a lot more paranoid about the police potentially following me!) I did start to think about how that relates to our own lives, though, in terms of our "tail-lights" - the areas of our lives that we can't see, for whatever reason.

I need to have people who are "following me" (and not in the sense of me following Jesus - perhaps "tailing me" would be better), and helping me know when my tail-lights are out. There are certainly blind spots in all of our lives - parts of our character, attitudes, thought processes, belief systems - which we don't really know about. This can be because they're either so familiar to us because they are habits that have been around so long, or we're simply not aware of them due to lack of exposure to alternative ways of thinking. Without someone else pointing them out, we have no clue that they aren't working. I know I need to have people in my life who are telling me it's time to replace a globe or two, for my safety and the safety of others...

inspiration

Last weekend was a massive weekend in Canada. For those who didn't hear the shouting, Sidney Crosby scored a goal in overtime to win Canada the gold medal for the hockey at the Winter Olympics... and the crowd went wild (across the country).

I said to a lot of people that I'm not aware of another sport that a country expects or wants to win in as much as hockey at the winter games for Canada. Maybe basketball for the US at the summer games, or the World Cup for England (I'm leaving out sports like cricket that not many countries play), but there are very few. It's Canada's game, and they want to win it more than anything.

When Crosby scored the goal Sunday night, the response was incredible - this clip from Vancouver being an excellent example... That win, added to the record number of gold medals Canadians won at these games gave a swagger to a nation that has, for a long time, sat in the background, going about their business, trying not to get in the way.

It was fascinating, because even with the wins, there wasn't a hint of arrogance, just a genuine "we did really well" attitude, and an awareness that they do belong on the world stage - an even fuller self-confidence that they can do things their way and be successful... very successful.

The question for me is what does Canada do with it? Is it just euphoria that lasts for a few days/weeks, then goes back to normal or is it something that causes a genuine change in attitudes? If so, what does that look like? It'll be interesting to watch...

[no alarms and] no surprises

Each week, I have a 45-60 minute (each way) drive to some bi-weekly meetings. I actually really enjoy it - some good alone time, and most of all, a great opportunity to listen to some tunes.

Last week, I forgot to take my iPod, though, and was at the whim of the many radio stations here in Toronto. I've got a few favourites - won't name them for fear of judgement... - and flicked between them.

One of which was playing mainly the same songs they've been playing for the last couple weeks, so didn't get much opportunity. However, there were times when I was pleasantly surprised as I surfed the [radio-]waves, and it got me thinking. When I have my iPod on, generally, I'm using playlists that I've created, or, at times, I'll throw on an album or an artist that takes my fancy. When I listen to the radio, I'm at the mercy of what they choose, and at times, that can be rubbish. At other times, though, the surprise of hearing a song I haven't heard for ages, or a new song I didn't realise had been released means the payoff is more than worth it.

How often do we do the same with our choices in life - safely sticking to our existing playlists, living with albums and artists we know are safe and will give us some joy. But in doing so, we miss out on the joy of opportunities that catch us completely by surprise - bumping into someone or somewhere we haven't been for ages, finding ourselves somewhere that brings back strong memories, discoveries of new pleasures or places.

When was the last time you switched off your iPod and changed channels?

stories

Been reading some Hemmingway over the last week or so, and also read The Catcher in the Rye by Salinger.

To be honest, I'm not sure what the fuss is about Catcher, but I have been blown away by Hemmingway. I borrowed a book of his short stories, and am astounded that in 2-3 short pages, he can tell a story so rich and engaging. At the same time, I'm also reading The Old Man and The Sea, and am loving the simplicity of the way in which he tells that story.

Catcher, on the other hand, I just found to go nowhere - partly because I felt it had too much detail at times, plus I didn't really enjoy the style of writing - personal preference. Possible also that reading it for the first time when teenage angst seems some time ago causes some loss of power...

Got me thinking, though - as I've mentioned before, one of the reasons comics are so powerful is because we have to engage our minds to read them. Reading Hemmingway's short stories is a similar experience - his ability to engage the mind in a few short pages is nothing short of brilliant.

That then led me to ponder about how we read and unpack The Story - God's story. Too often, I think we explain everything away, every last detail, and then wonder why people don't engage with it. We need to get better at allowing the space in the story to breathe, allowing the Spirit to engage our minds and challenge, inspire, encourage us. Or do we not trust that the stories are powerful enough...?

colour

I'm amazed sometimes at the power of colour.

I was talking last night with some guys about NFL teams, and who we support. For me, because I wasn't raised on it, and because I'm not from any of the cities that have NFL teams, I don't really have any teams that I support fully. However, the teams that I do have a soft spot for are teams that have been successful, but more than that, for teams that have a lot of dark blue on their uniform (my favourite colour) - the Patriots, the Cowboys, even the Bills (yikes...)

In terms of baseball - same deal... Yankees, Twins...


Basketball - I'm more of a purist, so it is far more about the players (Go Cavs!)

I was thinking about that a bit more this morning, and walked out into a fairly grey and gloomy day, and realised how much difference that made, too. The weekend was spectacular - sunshine, blue skies... In fact, it was actually colder on the weekend than today, yet today felt colder and more dreary, because of the grey skies.

I'm sure there's a reason for it all, but it does amaze me that we can be so affected by the colour we see (consciously or not).

seasons

A lot of people have asked why on earth we'd want to move to a place as cold as Toronto. Having lived here for a bit, I've realised that there are far worse places we could live - like Winnipeg...

Regardless, I have to say that I'm really excited about being in a place where there are significant differences in the seasons. We moved here during the fall, and it was amazing to see the leaves turn - I've never seen such an explosion of colour. It was also fascinating to see that only last for about 2 weeks, then the trees started to shed their coats and take on the ghostly shapes they currently have. And as for the first snowfall... oh my gosh.


I've commented previously about some of these dynamics (here and here), but count it a privilege to be able to experience it first hand at a level I've never seen before.

I wonder how often I miss the opportunity to have those sorts of experiences in my spiritual walk, though? I'll often spend time trying to avoid hard times, to make my life nice and comfortable, because it's easier that way. In doing so, do I miss the colour life has to offer? Do I miss the (very real) breath-taking that happens on a cold winter's day? And even if that's not because I've decided to insulate myself inside, perhaps I miss it because I'm so dissatisfied about my circumstances that I'm only focused on what I don't have, rather than embracing the season I'm in, knowing it will change at some point?

I've said to lots of people that one of the reasons I think people in North America embrace summer so much is because they have the contrast of winter - they know they need to get out and enjoy summer, because it is, literally, only for a season. I've also had lots of people say that the only way to cope with the long dark cold of winter is to embrace it - to get out in it and enjoy it.

Personally, I can't wait to see the transformation as we hit spring - to see the trees start to sprout, the snow start to melt, to hear the birds begin to sing again (something I hadn't realised had stopped until someone pointed it out the other day...). I also can't wait for summer - to enjoy the heat, being outside, having picnics, going to playgrounds. But in the meantime, I'm going to put on my jacket, toque, scarf and gloves and enjoy the crisp white of winter!

2010

So... looks like I successfully managed to go a whole year without posting any thoughts. Something to be proud of? Doubtful.

Things have changed significantly in the last year - I have a new job, we live in a new city, in a new country, but thankfully our family is still the same (although we're older and hopefully better connected)

I feel like my blog is an opportunity for some people I'm meeting to get to know me a bit better, and for people I used to spend more time with to keep up with some of what's going on. Inspired by Sam Javanrouh I am also going to try and keep my camera closer and keep more of a visual record of our life. Here's one example from a trip to High Park with Josh on Wednesday (many of the photos on my flickr page are better, but this is the most recent...):


In the spirit of a new year, it's also worth pondering what things will be like in 12 months time. 2009 brought a lot of changes for us, most of which I would not, had you asked me at this time last year, have thought were even on the radar. I wonder what life will be like at the start of 2011, and how much influence I will have exerted over that. Obviously some things will unfold around me (which I feel is important - I'd like to continue the journey of letting things go...), but I'd also like to think that I've purposefully moved from where I am now to where I am then, rather than it just happening by accident. We'll see.