Month: July 2022

Niagara Falls!

7/17/22

I hit another landmark today. Kinda feel similar to how I felt back in October, when I saw the Grand Canyon for the first time.

I woke up very early this morning in Toronto, and buttoned up the apartment that had been so kindly loaned to me for my four nights there. I biked to the train station, bidding farewell to a beautiful Lake Ontario in the early morning light.

The train ride was pretty uneventful, but with some nice scenery. It was a bit odd: I had tried to book an Amtrak train, but wasn’t able to make it work in their reservation system, so I decided to book a Canadian ViaRail train instead. But when I got out to the platform to board, I saw that it actually was an Amtrak train after all! Interesting…

When I disembarked in Niagara Falls, Ontario, I bicycled from the train station to the falls, but I passed a small park on the way with a cool sculpture of a water molecule, made in 1967 for Canada’s centennial.

I pedaled along the aptly named River Road… and before you know it, lo and behold, there was an enormous waterfall! (And then another one right next to it!) I spent some time just marveling at these feats of nature, and meandering down the sidewalk to see it all from different angles.

I briefly considered getting on one of the tourist boats, or taking a zipline with a view of the falls, but decided to save my money and the wait time; there were long lines for both, and I also wondered what I might do with my rig while enjoying such excursions.

Just seeing the falls was cool enough for me.

I then crawled my way across the Rainbow International Bridge, which took about twenty minutes as I got in line with the auto traffic, per the posted instructions for cyclists.

I crossed the border without incident, and then made my way into Niagara Falls State Park in New York, which offered different views of the falls.

The whole thing was really cool. I’m so glad I finally experienced this amazing natural international landmark.

I then moseyed over to my hotel, along the riverfront bike path. It’s a decent hotel, and I was able to get it without a cash outlay by using credit card points.

Tomorrow is supposed to be quite rainy, which is unfortunate since I will be bicycling several hours to reach Buffalo. I’m thinking of stopping to visit the carousel museum, which I just learned about today from my awesome friend Mimi, who grew up in Buffalo.

Here’s hoping for some breaks in the rain tomorrow while I ride!

Do you have your own dream or project, and would like some support or collaborative brainstorming about it? Use the green “contact” button above to schedule a one-hour phone or video call with me!

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Want to support my vision financially? I am in the process of manifesting $50,000 in lieu of a “salary” for the year of this journey. You can make a one-time or monthly contribution, or even become a Fairy Godfunder! (Heartfelt thanks to all my patrons and supporters!)

Cycling the beautiful Toronto Islands

7/15/22

Today was lovely. After a lazy day yesterday enjoying the beach and some nearby restaurants, I got another nice slow start this morning, but also good news shortly after I arose: my COVID test was negative! I don’t know how long this has been the case; I hadn’t re-tested since my positive result on July 6th. Today was my 11th day since the start of my symptoms, so I felt confident I wasn’t contagious… but it felt extra good to see it in “black and white.” I still have a few lingering symptoms (which I always do for a week or two after a cold) but mostly, I’m back, and feeling good.

This afternoon I wanted to see the Toronto Islands, which must be reached by ferry. Several people had suggested that I should see them while I was in town, and I’m glad I went.

But first, I wanted to meet up with someone in person whom I hadn’t spoken to in more than twenty years, and had never met before… but our talks at that time had given me my first inkling that I would like to visit Toronto someday.

Kevin McLaughlin was the founder of AutoShare (1998) a then-independent car sharing company which is now part of Enterprise Rent-a-Car. Back when I worked for CarSharing Portland (also founded in 1998, by my then-boss Dave Brook, and now part of Zipcar) we had a few conference calls with Kevin about the operations of the two companies, which were similarly sized and structured.

Kevin now manages his new startup, Zygg, an e-bike subscription service with offices in Toronto and Vancouver. I stopped by the office for a brief chat to reminisce about car sharing’s nascent days, as well as the present and future of urban mobility. Keep an eye on Zygg: expansion plans are in the works!

After our meeting, I biked down to the ferry dock, where three ferries depart at regular intervals to take foot- and bike passengers over to the islands.

After disembarking, it was cool to sit on a bench at the beach on Ward’s Island, and look over at the city across the water.

I spent the better part of the next hour cycling a beautiful path to another ferry dock at Hanlan’s Point, where I caught a return boat, then bicycled back to my apartment in The Beaches at the end of the evening.

I have one more full day here. Looking forward to whatever unfolds!

Do you have your own dream or project, and would like some support or collaborative brainstorming about it? Use the green “contact” button above to schedule a one-hour phone or video call with me!

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Want to support my vision financially? I am in the process of manifesting $50,000 in lieu of a “salary” for the year of this journey. You can make a one-time or monthly contribution, or even become a Fairy Godfunder! (Heartfelt thanks to all my patrons and supporters!)

Made it to Toronto… by train!

7/13/22

My dream of traveling by train in Canada came true today! (I’m doing my best to overlook that it cost me $149 Canadian, for an aisle seat with no view, on a train with no café car, and that it also required me to disassemble the rig more than I prefer to. On the plus side, I walked into the station and was able to buy a ticket on a train leaving within half an hour, and they even gave me pre-boarding privileges and a helping hand out to the train with all my stuff.)

This morning I packed up all my things from the empty house in Ottawa, and my “hosts” came by to say goodbye and chat just a bit in the driveway before I embarked.

When I did embark, the bike ride to the station took me just under an hour, and I was once again impressed by Ottawa’s bikeway network: most of that ride was on lovely off-road paths. I definitely need to return and ride much more of their bike network at some point, maybe next summer.

The train ride was scheduled to last just under five hours, but due to delays, it ended up taking closer to six. I do wish I had had a window seat, especially when Lake Ontario first came into view! But I think it’s safe to say the ride was more pleasant than it would have been on the bus, and the midday timing of it was also much more pleasant.

When I arrived in Toronto, it took me a while to reassemble everything, and by the time I started on the also-about-an-hour ride to my new place (also currently unhosted, though not empty—my host is on vacation) some rain had begun to fall. Fortunately I had expected it, and my gear was sufficient to keep me comfortable.

My host lives in the neighborhood called “The Beaches,” right near the lake. What a cute neighborhood (even with a frequent-service streetcar right on the street) and so awesome to be so close to the beach! The next three days are forecast to be sunny. I’m looking forward to exploring Toronto, and also enjoying some private downtime that isn’t overshadowed by COVID symptoms.

It’s getting off to a good start: the small grocery store two blocks away was carrying vegan Ben & Jerry’s for only $3.99 per pint (Canadian!)

Looking forward to more of this city.

Do you have your own dream or project, and would like some support or collaborative brainstorming about it? Use the green “contact” button above to schedule a one-hour phone or video call with me!

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Want to support my vision financially? I am in the process of manifesting $50,000 in lieu of a “salary” for the year of this journey. You can make a one-time or monthly contribution, or even become a Fairy Godfunder! (Heartfelt thanks to all my patrons and supporters!)

Ottawa update

7/12/22

OK, three days later.

My symptoms are mostly gone. My nose/throat still has a bit of “congestion feel,” and I do cough sometimes. My energy definitely is still lower than normal. But I don’t feel achy or miserable, and I no longer need to keep tissues within reach. On Day 8 now, I think I’m on the mend.

I moved out of the guesthouse the day before yesterday, into the vacant home kindly offered by a friend of a friend of a friend whose family had just sold the home. They set up a cot for me, and provided some dishes, linens, and toiletries. The house has been a wonderful place to convalesce. I will be there one more night, before taking either the train or the bus to Toronto tomorrow.

I say “there” rather than “here,” because sadly the one downside to the house is a lack of wifi. I quickly blow through my phone plan’s daily data allotment, so I have been walking to the nearby library, about 20 minutes away, to use the internet. (Of course I’m masking here in the library to be extra careful, but according to Ottawa’s public-health guidelines, I believe I have not been contagious since yesterday or the day before.)

Last night and today we had rain, sometimes heavy, and even thunderstorms. Luckily my data held out today just until the rain stopped, although the sky is looking like there might be a bit more before I head back.

Meanwhile, you will recall a wonderful woman named Beverley who was bringing me all the food. I still have so much food left from what she has brought! (Those two bags on my handlebars are full of food.) She felt comfortable yesterday—with extra precautions such as masking, distancing in the car, and windows down—to take me on a tour of Ottawa. It was so cool! I’m so glad I got to see at least a glimpse of this city before moving on. It is more lovely than I had imagined, so I’m definitely putting it on my list to return and explore more fully.

We went to Parliament Hill and saw various government buildings, which were breathtaking! Then we drove through some beautiful neighborhoods, and stopped at Rockliffe Overlook, which was beautiful at sunset. (That’s Quebec across the river.)

Then, we actually crossed the river, into Gatineau. Once again, all street signs were in French. It was a beautiful area with lots of nature. She took me into the edge of the Gatineau Hills, including a beautiful huge nature park with endless hiking and biking trails. Apparently both Ottawa and Gatineau are very good with bike infrastructure. I’ll have to come back and visit both.

My time in Ottawa has been surreal, to say the least. But the kindness I have encountered from locals has been incredible.

That kindness continues in Toronto: I have one friend helping me to possibly get a free hotel for my first night (since I’ll be arriving around 9 pm) with her hotel points… and then another new-to-me person is allowing me to stay in her vacant place while she is on vacation. The dreams I wrote about the other day are rapidly coming to pass, and it feels so gratifying and wonderful on multiple levels.

Thanks for following along on this journey with me.

Do you have your own dream or project, and would like some support or collaborative brainstorming about it? Use the green “contact” button above to schedule a one-hour phone or video call with me!

Want to be notified of future blog posts? Use the green “sign up” button to subscribe!

Want to support my vision financially? I am in the process of manifesting $50,000 in lieu of a “salary” for the year of this journey. You can make a one-time or monthly contribution, or even become a Fairy Godfunder! (Heartfelt thanks to all my patrons and supporters!)

COVID, kindness, and beautiful trees

7/9/22

Wow, what a surreal past few days.

I’m still definitely experiencing COVID symptoms. Taking it a day—and a moment—at a time, as my body does what it needs to do on its own timeline.

I’ve received some wonderful feedback from some of you about my last post. (Even a few donations, and my first house-sitting offer! Thanks so much to all of you. All of your support means so much to me.)

Yesterday was rough. A large swath of Canada—including Ottawa—was nearly paralyzed by a telecom outage. Rogers Communications, which supplies mobile phone service and internet, was down for nearly 24 hours. This meant I had no WiFi here in the guesthouse, which was problematic on a few levels.

First, although mercifully I was able to use my own Verizon phone plan for both phone and data, I could not stream video since that would use too much bandwidth. So, although my health dictated that I needed to stay in all day and rest, watching videos was not an option.

Second, even just using Facebook and email apparently overtaxed my Verizon plan: by midmorning, I received a text saying that I needed to pay an extra $5 or else face drastically reduced speed. I paid the $5, but then got a similar message several hours later. I didn’t want to pay extra again, so my internet access was severely throttled for the late afternoon and evening. Argh, such bad timing! Even doing crosswords online became impossible because they wouldn’t load.

Third, the payment system at the guesthouse was down due to the outage, so I was required to pay cash for my room for the night. I have almost no cash on me, and definitely no Canadian cash. So this meant I had to drag my beleaguered body out at 9:30 am to walk to a gas station ATM ten blocks away, to be charged exorbitant fees to withdraw the cash for the night. (And even though internet was restored overnight, I ended up having to reprise the trek this morning because apparently the payment system here is still down.)

Meanwhile, the manager here was being kind of weird and cagey about whether I would be able to book another night here for today. So, on top of everything else, I was worried about finding another place. All other hotels in the area are about twice as expensive as this place (which isn’t all that cheap either) and of course I couldn’t stay in anyone’s home with them while contagious.

I guess when one sets out bold intentions, sometimes challenges and apparent obstacles are the first things to follow!

The good news?

I have been absolutely floored by the kindness of strangers. Truly, humbled almost to tears.

A woman who had initially offered to host me here (before I tested positive) offered to bring me vegan food every day, and she has been doing so. It has been plentiful, healthy, and delicious, and sometimes even homemade. She has also offered to bring me things like masks and sanitizer if I need them. And, she still wants to host me in her home as soon as it is safe to do so. I’m not sure if the timing of that will work out (I had already planned/hoped to leave for Toronto today, which obviously isn’t happening, but I do hope to maximize my time there) but regardless, her generosity and kindness have been invaluable.

Meanwhile, I put a post out on Facebook yesterday, thinking I might not be able to stay here tonight, and asking if anyone knew of an empty home, or maybe hosts who had recently recovered from COVID themselves, or possibly an empty dorm or something… I needed to brainstorm options, with the help of others. I haven’t ever known anyone in Ottawa (except one Facebook acquaintance, who happens to be in Montreal right now) so this seemed an especially tall order.

Shortly after I made the post, a Dallas, Texas friend of mine—whom I had met in person for the first time earlier on this journey—tagged an Ottawa friend of hers.

That Ottawa friend shared my post to her local network.

A friend of hers contacted me to say that her mother had just sold her house, and it was empty and available for me to use if needed. (Although it was completely empty, and no WiFi! I hated realizing how much the WiFi issue caused me to hesitate, but it happened to be right there in my face as all this communication was happening.)

The friend said they could set up a cot and linens for me, and that I could stay as long as I wanted.

Humbling doesn’t begin to cover it. I just cannot believe how kind and helpful people can be. (I’m also continually in awe of the power of networks, including social media.)

Wow.

As it turned out, I could indeed stay another night here, which I think is better for a few reasons, including the safety of whoever stays in this room after me, as well as my own self-care of not having to pack up and bike 30 or so minutes to the new place.

But I’m so grateful. (And still might go to that empty place tomorrow night, depending how I’m feeling/how I test.)

I also had a cool conversation last night with a fellow resident of this guesthouse, who checked in for a month (long-term stays are OK here too, in some cases I guess!) ten months ago. He shared his own challenges with living in such a small space—with no laundry or stove—for much longer than he had planned. He has a chance at a place of his own about a half-hour drive out of town, a month from now. I hope he gets it.

Meanwhile, the previous day—when my symptoms seemed mild and I foolishly imagined that my “COVID experience” would only last two or three days—I ventured out to the nearby arboretum. I hope the 20-minute bike ride in each direction didn’t set back my healing process, but it was absolutely lovely to walk among the trees, and sit on the shady benches, for a couple of hours in the evening.

This life is a trip, man. A day at a time, eh? It’s all an adventure.

Do you have your own dream or project, and would like some support or collaborative brainstorming about it? Use the green “contact” button above to schedule a one-hour phone or video call with me!

Want to be notified of future blog posts? Use the green “sign up” button to subscribe!

Want to support my vision financially? I am in the process of manifesting $50,000 in lieu of a “salary” for the year of this journey. You can make a one-time or monthly contribution, or even become a Fairy Godfunder! (Heartfelt thanks to all my patrons and supporters!)

COVID… and my dream for the future

7/7/22

Well, it’s official. On the evening of July 4th, in Montreal, I began to feel a slight sore throat. I tested myself in the morning: negative. I boarded the bus to Ottawa, faithfully wearing my KN-95 mask.

The symptoms continued. When I tested again last night, on the 6th, it was confirmed: I did catch COVID, presumably at the Marillion weekend.

It’s been a bummer, for sure. I slept a lot yesterday, and I’m spending a lot more than I had planned on a hotel room; of course I couldn’t stay with my planned hosts in this condition.

BUT.

I do my best to see opportunity in every setback. This is giving me a needed rest.

And this time feels like a bit of a turning point in my journey. I am more than ¾ of the way through my loop. I have entered a new country. I have begun my journey westward, back toward Portland.

So I’ve taken some of this downtime to do some dreaming into the next year of my life. This past (current) year’s travels have been absolutely incredible. Everything I had wished for. And… I’d like to continue! I plan to arrive back in Portland by the end of September, but I am continually refining my dream for my “new” (post-Lippman Company) life, and so even though I’m technically still sick, I took the selfie here a few minutes ago, and it reflects my state of mind: kinda messy, imperfect, but absolutely loving life.

So here is my dream for my “new life.” Coincidentally, I drafted most of this on the 4th, in Montreal (before any symptoms) sitting next to a beautiful pond in a beautiful park. I’ve added a bit more just now. I invite you to take a look, and help me to hold the vision that this will come to pass:

My dream is to live lightly in the world, as a blessing and inspiration to others, and a connector and supporter of visionaries and changemakers—especially those of marginalized identities—around the world. (These marginalized identities include women and people of color, but I’m also feeling especially inspired to support LGBTQIA+ folks, especially trans folks; neurodivergent, especially autistic, people; and/or trauma survivors) around the world. I connect these folks to each other, at times, for mutual support, and I also “broker” funding to them via Fairy Godfunders, whom I also encounter in my travels. These godfunders are people with abundant financial and/or material means, who wish to directly support the changemakers by “underwriting” their work for some period of time, such as a year. (My personal experience is that members of these marginalized communities often have brilliant ideas and skills to help the world, but because of discrimination, mental and/or physical exhaustion, Complex PTSD, and/or neurological challenges, it can be very difficult for them to “hold down a job,” much less one that actually uses their passion and skills for the best benefit of the collective. Our world is poorer as a result.)

Money flows joyfully and abundantly toward me to support this life mission, and also flows through me to support these visionaries and world changers.

Much of my time is spent in “magical meetings,” both virtual and in-person, and also bicycling, walking in nature, traveling by train, enjoying natural and artistic/architectural beauty, music, and conversation.

I also embody magic, sensuality, and eroticism, and I attract the right people and situations into my life for all of us to enjoy these things together. I also enjoy exploring psychonautics/psychedelics, and pondering questions of the human condition and the nature of the universe.

People are inspired by my energy and vision/mission, and they invite me to stay in their cities for anywhere between about a week to a month at a time. They help me to find lodging at little or no cost.

One example of this would be housesitting, as an example of godfunding. I may take care of plants or pets at times (or household physical issues) but mostly people offer me their abundant/unused space in good faith, as a form of godfunding toward my mission. (One friend of mine likened this idea to that of an “artist in residence,” though my most of my “art” takes a different form.)

Some of the lodging, though, may be staying in homes with residents, as I have been doing for the past year; I have loved all the connections I have enjoyed in this way, even though I now wish to mix in a bit more solitary time for the coming year.

I connect in person with these various folks when I am in their cities, and all of us consider it a win-win blessing to do so. We then part ways energized and inspired when I move on to a new locale.

The cities are geographically linked such that I encounter optimal weather in each one as I visit (highs in the 70s F/20s C, lows no lower than about 50 F/10 C, minimal rain, low humidity). I have learned enough about myself at this point in my life to know that an important part of my self-care includes this kind of optimal weather.

These cities are also geographically situated in such a way that I can access them in eco-optimal ways, such as cycling or trains, with occasional coaches or carpools. Minimal flying. I am initially inclined toward another loop of the US and Canada, such as I have been doing this past year, though I would also like to spend time in Europe, and perhaps also Central and/or South America.

I aim for an average of one or two magical meetings per day, and I distill the contents into my blog/newsletter. People read and subscribe because they want to be inspired by the people I meet with, and/or connect with them, and/or offer them support of various kinds.

In these magical meetings, I feel out who people are, what their dreams and projects are, the status of the projects, what their obstacles are, and what kinds of support they would like to receive from others:

*Funding (small and/or godfunding, but especially godfunding)

*In-kind material contributions such as housing/lodging, transportation, food, etc

*Volunteer mentoring and/or skill-sharing from those who have expertise to share

*Other?

This is my dream for the coming year, starting in October of 2022. I have fears that this may not be possible. But I also have hope and excitement that it will be! I am publishing this to make my dream “official,” and to begin to put out feelers for anyone you think I might wish to talk to, as a changemaker, godfunder, potential host, or anything else.

I am excited to imagine my—and all of your—dreams coming to fruition!

Do you have your own dream or project, and would like some support or collaborative brainstorming about it? Use the green “contact” button above to schedule a free one-hour phone or video call with me!

Want to be notified of future blog posts? Use the green “sign up” button to subscribe!

Want to support my vision financially? I am in the process of manifesting $50,000 in lieu of a “salary” for the year of this journey. You can make a one-time or monthly contribution, or even become a Fairy Godfunder! (Heartfelt thanks to all my patrons and supporters!)

My last two days in Montreal

7/4/22

Wow. My time here is wrapping up. It is so hard to condense the past two days into just 15 photographs. I’ll do my best.

The Marillion Weekend wrapped up last night, after three nights of absolutely wonderful concerts. I’m so grateful that this event happened to coincide with my timing here in Montreal—what are the odds? Talk about magic!

Yesterday, my Servas host Gabrielle took me on a wonderful walking tour of Montreal, including the Old Port area I had been wishing to see.

First we got on the metro, which was my first time on it for this trip. (Last time here, I was staying farther from the concert venue, so I took the metro home each night.) Although I didn’t have my bike with me, I was pleased to see that they had good bike access in the subway station, and a dedicated car on each train for cyclists. Wow!

I posted a photo the other day of the outside of the Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral. Well, yesterday we went inside! It is a 1/7 size replica of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Just gorgeous. I tried to be very respectful as I photographed it, because there was a mass in progress. (And the chanting was incredible!) But the interior was breathtaking.

Afterward we went to the Bonaventure Hotel, and a few other downtown buildings. The Bonaventure (no photos here, sorry) has a heated outdoor pool that guests can swim in during the winter! The water is warm, but there is often snow around the pool.

We went into a few other buildings, including one containing an amazing water feature that you can barely tell is water (see photo) and also a large chunk of the Berlin Wall.

After that, we made our way to the cobblestone streets of Old Montreal, which was crowded at times, but very beautiful. The architecture is very European.

In one modern building there, we were able to take the elevator up to a very small but cool outdoor observation area, with scale models and plaques about many of the city’s attractions you could see from there, including the Jacques-Cartier Bridge and the Habitat 67 structure. (The plaque for that one indicated that, indeed, the average selling price for one of the apartments is a million dollars, Canadian.)

It got to be a pretty hot day, so after three or four hours of walking, Gabrielle (who is 80) took the metro back home, while I stayed to walk around a bit more. I saw a few more beautiful sights on the walk back home.

Then today, I decided to make the effort to scale Mt. Royal, right in the middle of the city, on my bike. I was intimidated, since the mountain is 764’ tall (233m). But the particular pathway I chose was long and extremely gradual, so I never had to walk the bike, nor even to pause and rest. In fact, I was able to avoid even using my lowest gear, except for a very short portion near the top. When I arrived at the lookout, I wasn’t even winded!

That park is another incredible one. The views at the top are amazing (see the Jacques-Cartier Bridge again, in the cover photo?) but the way up and down is a forested wonderland, with many hiking trails, and even a small lake. I spent a bit of time lounging on shady benches on the way down, but it would be so easy to spend a whole day or more exploring that park.

When I reached the bottom, I headed back to Resto Vego for my fourth(!) meal there. I love their buffet! On the way, I passed more picturesque alleyways.

I also stopped again in Parc La Fontaine, right near Gaby’s place. It is another very large and beautiful park, with a wonderful reflecting pond in it.

I will miss this city. Many friends have asked me, after these last nine months of travel, if I have a favorite place so far. I have always said no, that I have enjoyed almost every place I have visited, and thoroughly loved many of them. That is true. But now I have a new answer: my favorite place is Montreal. If you haven’t visited here yet, I highly recommend it. (Not outside of summer, of course, unless you really like cold weather and winter sports. But if you do, it’s apparently wonderful for skating and sledding and other fun winter activities as well.) But it’s really a special city.

Tomorrow: the Canadian capital city of Ottawa!

Do you have your own dream or project, and would like some support or collaborative brainstorming about it? Use the green “contact” button above to schedule a one-hour phone or video call with me!

Want to be notified of future blog posts? Use the green “sign up” button to subscribe!

Want to support my vision financially? I am in the process of manifesting $50,000 in lieu of a “salary” for the year of this journey. You can make a one-time or monthly contribution, or even become a Fairy Godfunder! (Heartfelt thanks to all my patrons and supporters!)

Marillion-inspired thoughts on pleasure activism

7/2/22

This post is a bit different.

I don’t have much time these few coming days; I’m seeing the concerts at night, while still sightseeing and seeing people during the day.

I’ll share here a smattering of photographic scenes from my lovely day yesterday.

But I was hit by something at the first (of three) Marillion concerts last night.

I condensed my thoughts into a Facebook post.

It feels appropriate for here too, so I’m sharing it.

I’ll probably get back to traditional “travelogue” blogging in the next day or two. But it feels important to me to share these deeper, travel-inspired thoughts here on this blog as well.

Thank you all for joining me on this journey. (I always make an effort to refer to this year’s travels as a journey, rather than just a “trip,” because it is definitely deeper than that.)

Some thoughts on the state of things, and one part of what we may need:

Last night was the first night of the Marillion weekend here in Montreal. Great concert.

Marillion are definitely not a dance band. Although last night’s show was focused on their “uptempo” tracks, I only saw the merest of swaying from a few in the crowd.

There is one song of theirs, though, that always makes me want to dance. (“The Damage,” for those of you who know.)

It felt so good to get into it and move my body! I felt the music and its power flowing through me.

My ecstatic-dance days of yore feel so far away from me now. A different time, a different world…

But as I danced, and felt the power of the music, and the crowd, Alice Walker‘s quote “Hard times require furious dancing” came into my mind.

And I thought… YES. We need this kind of energy–more than ever–in times like this. (Emma Goldman‘s “If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution” comes to mind as well.)

It is so easy to feel POWERLESS RAGE at times like these. Those of us in/from the US are living through a very dark time these past few weeks especially.

As I danced, I thought, We need to be dancing our ANGER. Our JOY. Our SEXUALITY. Our POWER.

These things all go together. They don’t have to be compartmentalized. There is energy, and momentum, in them.

I know I’m in no place (physically or mentally) to organize such things, but I’m putting this out into the collective, in case others may feel motivated. I feel like we need to muster our collective energy here–our anger and joy and sexuality and power (and hope, and faith, and strength to make a difference) and it can all come together with dance.

How about joyful revolution? Power, anger, yes! And also… joy, and hope, and excitement about what we DO want in the world, not just what we don’t want? How about political demonstrations that include huge helpings of joy and aliveness in addition to the anger? (They did some things like this in the ’60s, yes?)

My time in Montreal, and especially seeing the biosphere, has reignited my delight with the visionary Buckminster Fuller quote, “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”

So. There are three quotes for you, and some dance-inspired feelings and ideas. Not fully formed, but on the “dance floor” last night they came to me powerfully, and I wanted to share.

We need ALL the feelings, and ALL the energy they can generate, and re-generate, to live the lives we DO WANT to live.

(Thanks, Marillion.)

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