tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331985902024-03-07T18:44:56.427-08:00Whirld Dervishwhirld dervishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243260414434902183noreply@blogger.comBlogger167125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33198590.post-67700251945276215882010-09-09T11:30:00.000-07:002010-09-09T11:38:44.744-07:00PNE Centennial with KarenWhat a marvelous day last Saturday with Karen at the PNE. The only fly in the ointment was that Kadir bailed on us.<br /><br />I took the bus and met Karen out front of the Fair. She said she would be dressed in black and white and when she appeared in front of me at the entrance her face was shining. It was wonderful to spend some time with her although we didn’t do anything we hadn’t done in the past.<br /><br />The best thing was taking her to see the Centennial Naval/Marine tattoo in the Coliseum which featured the US Marine Pacific “killer” marching band, the British HM Royal Marines which were a seamless texture of perfect musician ship and drilling skills, the HMCS Naden band which brought back memories of my days as a Cadet in HMCS Chippewa band in Winnipeg (where Naden was the summer band camp of choice), a small contingent of WWII veterans who along with a vocalist did a sing-a-long of the greatest hits of the Blitz including “<em>Pack up your troubles</em>” and the “<em>White Cliffs of Dover</em>”.<br /><br />As far as I am concerned though #1 was that Karen got to see the Seaforth Highlanders Pipe band in all their triumphant regalia, uniforms Karen remembers her dad wearing. They were playing in a single unit with the Vancouver Police Pipe Band and I noticed the British and American musicians watching them from the wings. They are a pretty impressive band on their own.<br /><br />During the course of the afternoon we shared a single order of the BBQ chicken and potato salad/coleslaw that we’ve eaten at past fairs and also got a bag of mini donuts. At one point we dropped into the beer garden where Karen had a Corona and I a glass of Merlot, but there was a rock band warming up for their set and it was not a relaxing atmosphere. Before we left Karen and I shared a Greek style chicken wrap washed down by a root beer.<br /><br />At that point after 5 hours we got ready to leave and Kadir finally answered his phone and apologized for bailing on us. I wish he had seen the bands most of all.<br /><br />Karen still left me in her dust for most of the fair but when she remembered she backtracked to take my arm, probably the closest we have been in years. We took the #4 bus back to Granville before dark where she took the Canada Line home.<br /><br />I got off the bus with her where we said our goodbyes and from there I began my walk home from the sky train station but I paused before I turned the corner to see her strolling off in the wrong direction. The Canada Line entrance was on the other side of the street. But she wasn’t lost.<br /><br />She had paused at Birks jewelers to look in the window and light a cigarette and there I left my lovely girl in her white jeans and flip-flops which showed off her pink painted toe nails. She was so kind and gentle to me at the fair, just as she had been when we were first together 30 years ago now.<br /><br />What a great day!whirld dervishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243260414434902183noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33198590.post-38944699719929331282010-06-24T11:30:00.000-07:002010-06-24T11:49:23.294-07:00Lunch with Chaya, Nika and JerikaIt is a cloudy Thursday morning after a brilliant hot afternoon yesterday, but it was also a day that began like today.<br /><br />My girls were going to pick me up for a late Father’s Day picnic but as it was cloudy and cool we opted to go to Granville Island where we decided to shop the food booths in the central market.<br /><br />Chaya was driving as Nika and Jeremy have taken truck #2 off the road to save cash.<br /><br />We stopped briefly at Chaya’s place near the market, built on the same land where I used to lunch under the trees while working as a courier at Adanac Customs Brokers and where a bird once directed my attention to a silver fountain pen someone had dropped on the ground, a pen that helped fill my journals over the next year or so.<br /><br />Chaya’s boyfriend’s apartment is a big fancy one overlooking the marina and both the Granville Street and Burrard Street bridges. I visited briefly because she wanted me to see where she lived and she also needed to change clothes from job interview earlier in the day.<br /><br />The stroll to the market was pleasant as the summer sun had returned and Nika found us a table near the main busker’s stage while Chaya and I brought back the lunch. Mexi-style steamed burritos and root beer!<br /><br />The busker was talented and the music was pleasant and Latin flavored, a perfect accompaniment to our quasi-Mexican meal and by this time baby Jerika had woken in her stroller and was looking around at the beautiful summer colors and shapes. We were sitting under a small leafy green tree and the baby was looking up through them towards the sky.<br /><br />I tried to talk to baby, but she was not paying any attention at all to the distraction coming from my side of the table. Her wide innocent eyes mirrored the emptiness of the sky above the leaves.<br /><br />Nika looked tired and bedraggled as did the baby…I guess they had been up most of the night. If not for Chaya’s early knock at their window, they would’ve slept in and there would have been no meeting for us.<br /><br />After lunch we strolled back to the Kids Only Market past the water park where we used to frolic as a family when the girls were younger. I pointed out the turtles basking on the sunny rocks to Chaya which she had apparently been unaware of and she pronounced: “<em>I’ve been Turtle-ized</em>,” in a Schwarzenegger-esque accent.<br /><br />How quickly time flies...it seems that it was only just yesterday I came here to play with my two small girls.<br /><br />Nika picked up the pace just after we crossed back under the bridge along the seawall and ran with her baby in the stroller, laughing and erasing the tired worry lines from her face. It is not easy work at home with a new baby as I recall only too well.<br /><br />I decided against taking a water taxi and opted for a walk home past the armories under the growing heat of the sun, over the Burrard Bridge back home where an old man scolded a young woman for being in the pedestrian lane with her bike.<br /><br />She smiled sunnily at him...it was just that kind of day.whirld dervishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243260414434902183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33198590.post-16297419431750099282010-06-09T13:05:00.000-07:002010-06-09T14:11:21.966-07:00A Perfect WalkYesterday, after doing my laundry and then walking up to Safeway to do my grocery shopping, I took my usual stroll up Harwood, down Pacific and Hornby and back west along the seawall to Sunset Beach.<br /><br />I wore only a t-shirt and although it was cool I felt quite comfortable.<br /><br />Because of the beautiful sunny weather there were a lot of others enjoying the ambience of the walk and the beach and I followed in the footsteps of an elderly couple who passed me walking arm in arm. They were very tiny, well under 5 feet for sure. He was bald and she had carefully coifed, colored and brushed light brown hair that did not completely hide the gray.<br /><br />As they passed me, I could smell them and it was a smell of cleanliness and familiarity. Everything about them was perfect. They could have been my own grandparents. I felt so comfortable walking in their wake.<br /><br />They walked with easy dignity and exuded an aura of love, not like two young lovers but like two who have known the whole journey of love and lived through it and stayed the course.<br /><br />As I continued to amble towards the Inukshuk they outpaced me and I lost sight of them.<br /><br />I decided to walk as far as the Inukshuk, circle it and then go back home to begin cooking my dinner. It was an easy walk and as I rounded the loop by the stones where the Inukshuk stands watch, I observed many young people posing, laughing and mugging for their tiny cameras, in order to capture their tokens of this glorious day.<br /><br />There was one trio who seemed to be taking fashion photos of a very pretty young woman, and she smiled and pouted and flirted with the camera as the wind blew up a choppy surf in the background. She also took photos of them, but it seemed that the focus was on her.<br /><br />Another group a little further along was taking a much more relaxed and fun-filled set of pics, they seemed more like school friends.<br /><br />Round the bend I came face to face with the elderly couple who had first passed me and I noticed the man's face for the first time. He looked at me briefly and did not smile but his eyes were light and kind and full of benevolence.<br /><br />This walk was the kind of everyday experience that is so often taken for granted. Today I was awake enough to cherish it and make it my own.whirld dervishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243260414434902183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33198590.post-12257665342402310582010-05-19T19:47:00.000-07:002010-05-19T20:30:28.817-07:00From Sunny Day to Pouring RainIt was a gorgeous May morning, the sun vibrant, the sky blue and I woke knowing my weekend chores were completed the night before and that this was <em>my</em> day.<br /><br />I had plans to meet Karen and Kadir for dinner at 4:30 and decided to take advantage of the weather to take a mid-day stroll to 2nd Beach.<br /><br />I wore my t-shirt and a put on a flannel shirt in case it got windy but was carrying it by the time I reached English Bay.<br /><br />I took my normal leisurely walk admiring the ocean, the flowers, the long still-uncut grasses along the slopes above the seawall. I kept wondering how Kadir would look after his 2-week kayaking journey in Strathcona Park on Vancouver Island and was looking forward to details.<br /><br />My walk took about an hour, I came home and watched a little TV and then planned to do one more loop down to the water and then walk back up to Davie to meet the family members but a few minutes after I started back down, I could feel the chill in the air and the first few raindrops beginning to splatter.<br /><br />I realized that this was not a walk I would enjoy in shirt sleeves and so went back home to bide my time until our meeting time. At 4, I called Kadir's cell and to my surprise he was already waiting at Davie and Thurlow, a half hour early. I told him I would be right there and grabbing a hat and jacket started off. I am glad I didn't take an umbrella.<br /><br />On the street outside the sky had grown suddenly and ominously dark and there were flurries of leaves like small cyclones blowing randomly over the street. The wind had kicked into overdrive. The rain had not really started yet but there was doubt it would be here, and soon!<br /><br />It arrived by the time I had walked 2 blocks up to Davie and holding my hat in place so that the wind wouldn't carry it off I walked up to Starbucks at Thurlow and Davie where Kadir was sprawled at one of the tables, holding a now empty cup and looking very impatient.<br /><br />He was wearing a new hat and new shoes that were in danger of being soaked by the now growing-in-intensity downpour. Clothes are not an item that he has ever been able to take for granted and so he was understandably upset about the bad timing of the weather.<br /><br />Karen was running late of course and was just boarding the Canada line in South Vancouver and so we started off to get a table at Stephos, but half way there changed our tack and decided to walk up Davie to meet Karen at the Sky Train station in Yaletown where we assumed she would be getting off.<br /><br />I am glad the rain changed our plans for us, as by the time we reached Thurlow again it was dumping buckets and Kadir was sweating bullets over his new shoes. We huddled under an awning for awhile until Karen called and told us she was at the Waterfront Station, as she didn't know where to disembark.<br /><br />So we diverted our steps to Osaka Sushi on Burrard where we have all gathered before and where I was confident that due to the weather we could while away a half-hour before ordering until Karen arrived.<br /><br />She finally arrived soaking wet and wearing flip-flops in the chilly rain! What a gal! Just like the weather and you never know which way the wind is going to be blowing.<br /><br />This was a successful meeting though for as soon as Karen arrived Kadir's mood improved and we were soon all laughing together.<br /><br />Getting the details of his trip was more difficult as he had been sick on the trip and it sounds like the young team was challenged but I got enough details that I am sure it is a journey he will not soon forget.<br /><br />And at what other school would this trip provide credits for his high school year?<br /><br />It was a good, good day.whirld dervishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243260414434902183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33198590.post-46242052615330133752010-04-22T10:29:00.000-07:002010-04-22T10:50:03.128-07:00An Earth Day PrayerYes, I confess to slacking off when it comes to my blog. The main obstacle to me these past few weeks has been waiting for the right moment to post.<br /><br />I don't like to blog when I have things on my mind that are too personal and don't have anything happy, or uplifting to share with others. There is already too much bad news out there all the time!<br /><br />So this morning, a bright and sunny Earth Day I have the perfect excuse. I am soon to be a grandfather and yesterday my pregnant daughter Nika showed up with her mom to take a seawall walk with dad.<br /><br />Nika and Karen showed up pretty much on cue, around 12:30 and we went down to the seawall and walked to English Bay and then up Denman for lunch.<br /><br />Nika had just cut Karen’s hair and they had pretty much bonded before arriving so it was nice to be in their ambience. All through our visit I didn’t see evidence of a single cigarette nor a complaint in that direction.<br /><br />We had lunch at the new Knight & Day along Denman (they did; I had breakfast) and then they polished off my leftover pancakes for desert after their calamari and salad lunch which looked very appetizing indeed.<br /><br />Nika looked healthy and very happy and a friendly waitress announced that her belly was definitely harboring a boy as it is very round and pronounced!<br /><br />Nika told me they had everything they needed for the newborn baby and are going to wait until June for the baby shower once they are sure of the baby’s sex. Karen is going to be helping them clean their apartment in anticipation of the baby’s immanent arrival in May.<br /><br />The walk to English Bay was initially cold and sunless but by the time we came outside after lunch, the sun had started to appear and part the cloud cover and so we were able to amble back in its healing presence and admire the tulips, bluebells and cherry blossoms.<br /><br />The return walk was pretty much the walk I envisioned when they first suggested it last week. We walked and talked to the rhythm of the surf and admired the new spring greenery all around us.<br /><br />It was nice to spend time with two of the very specials girls in my life. It was nice to live in the moment with them as in the family days of yesterday when Nika was just a toddler.<br /><br />Today, on Earth Day, I pray that the April showers will give birth to many May flowers.whirld dervishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243260414434902183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33198590.post-82541665434302360252010-03-07T11:06:00.000-08:002010-03-07T11:20:50.456-08:00My Two Jet-Setting SonsI received a lovely long letter via email from Ky written last night. He is in New York City preparing to leave for London again mid month.<br /><br />He too is ecstatic about Kadir’s trip and feels he will have a life altering experience as he did, suddenly making the rest of the world much more accessible.<br /><br />Kadir has been invited to go to a resort in Cancun and will be accompanied by two of his school friends and their mom. Karen and I spent a few furious days trying to cough up a passport for him and to our amazement we succeeded.<br /><br />Ky let me into his feelings (where he is usually tight-lipped) and despite the fact that he thought the grammar was atrocious it is one of the easiest to read pieces I have ever received from him. There was no bad grammar that I could see at all.<br /><br />I had a few stunningly vivid dreams last night. In one I was talking to the Dalai Lama and in another being reunited with Veronica, the mother of my young (in the dream) son Chad. At times it seemed to be Kadir that I was walking with and hugging and kissing spontaneously. It was a wonderful feeling of bonding, of being welcomed by those I love.<br /><br />I woke around 7 a.m. saying “Wow” and then going to the bathroom and going back to sleep to dream some more. I woke at 9:15, a perfect time for me to get up.<br /><br />It is Sunday and feels like it although I couldn’t help but notice men’s voices in the hallway this morning. Whether they are residents or visitors I don’t know.<br /><br />I checked Ky’s photos on Flickr this morning and he has now (what an array of changes in the past year) morphed into a Bob Dylan lookalike with a short beard, sunglasses, black suit w thin black tie and a small brimmed fedora style hat!<br /><br />He posted a stunning photo of himself typing on a portable machine while sitting at a small desk on a dock or platform outdoors churning out pages of writing which are flying in the breeze all around him.<br /><br />He calls it “too commercial” but I call it BRILLIANT! (Google: ky zoss photos) He never ceases to amaze me.<br /><br />I also Googled “<em>Milk Bar</em>” which is the coffee shop in Soho he will be working in this month, once he arrives and settles in. He has a lucky horseshoe stowed somewhere on him.<br /><br />Kadir flies out from YVR early tomorrow morning and Ky from JFK mid month.<br /><br />I have marked both dates on my calendar so I can track the flight paths of my two suddenly grown-up young jet setting sons!whirld dervishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243260414434902183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33198590.post-26903548238312706042010-02-17T11:44:00.000-08:002010-02-17T11:50:17.266-08:00No ComplaintsAlthough it poured rain the night before last by mid day yesterday the sun had broken through.<br /><br />I took my usual Tuesday walk to Safeway to shop and reveled in the cherry blossoms and crocuses in evidence along the way. The sun was warm although the air was chill and I completed my shopping, happy in the knowledge that with laundry done my weekend chores were now complete.<br /><br />As I walked home carrying my bags I noticed an elderly lady stopped in the sidewalk ahead of me, her face raised skyward as though studying something.<br /><br />When I crossed the intersection she smiled at me, radiantly and beautifully. I looked up to where she had been looking and I could see the sky filled with crows and pigeons, circling madly.<br /><br />“<em>There must be an eagle up there</em>,” she exclaimed in a strong British accent. I agreed as this is often the cause of such a display of aerial acrobatics.<br /><br />Sure enough as we looked a young eagle soared into view above the rooftops. Its white plumage was not yet in evidence but it was recognizable by the steadiness of its trajectory amidst the flutterings of the other birds.<br /><br />We both commented on the beauty of the day and the apparently early arrival of spring and then parted ways, and encounter that left me with a very nice feeling to take home with me.<br /><br />She had commented on the chill in the air and added, “<em>I’m not complaining mind you</em>.”<br /><br />“<em>No complaints from this quarter either</em>,” I responded as I waved goodbye.whirld dervishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243260414434902183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33198590.post-52660427057781155412010-02-04T11:23:00.000-08:002010-02-04T11:28:18.622-08:00Olympics FeverThese days I don’t often walk down towards the East Side to check out the old neighborhood, the Vancouver I first saw when I came here in the early 70’s.<br /><br />It was mid winter, and fresh off a cross-Canada hitchhike my partner and I got a room at the <em>Terminus Hotel</em> in Gastown a run-down last ditch resort for derelicts and addicts. As a starving artist I fell right and comfortably into their midst.<br /><br />I pawned a typewriter to pay the first week’s rent and began busking on the sidewalk across the street, in front of the then new <em>Spaghetti Factory</em>.<br /><br />With the <em>2010 Olympics</em> coming on I wanted to get a first hand look at the facelift the city is giving itself to meet the world in a week or so.<br /><br />I kept my promise to myself and walked down to <em>Army & Navy</em> yesterday, to check out the area around Victory Square and the preparations for the Olympics. There are signs of construction everywhere and the new Woodward’s building looks like a snapshot of its turn-of-the-century architecture with the store departments lettered largely under the windows.<br /><br />The new red “W” is winking and spinning up top like it never left.<br /><br />There is a new and burgeoning <em>London Drugs</em> now taking up the southwest side of the building along Hastings and across the street where those seedy run down convenience stores used to be, artisans are hard at work constructing what appears to be a new set of store fronts.<br /><br />On the East side along Abbot Street <em>Nester’s Market</em> has moved in and is calling itself the <em>Woodward’s Food Floor</em> after it’s namesake which was still thriving and bustling when I first arrived here in 1971.<br /><br />The <em>Vancouver Film School</em> has expanded from its one small building just West of Victory Square to cover nearly the whole block occupying many of the buildings.<br /><br />There is so much construction going on in the area that it is almost impossible to believe we are on the receding edge of a major recession.<br /><br />I guess this is part of the face Vancouver will be showing the world when it arrives.<br /><br />Well what about the homeless problem?<br /><br />I guess there are major perks floating around the area these days as many of the people I saw on the streets including some who were clearly challenged are now wearing clothing with Olympic slogans and games related gear.<br /><br />I just pray that this downtown eastside renaissance continues long after the games have come and gone and that the homeless are finally welcomed home.whirld dervishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243260414434902183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33198590.post-81278503298611985382010-01-25T10:12:00.000-08:002010-01-25T10:32:24.616-08:00A Lesson Finally LearnedIt was raining lightly as I was walking home from work last night around 9:45. I had my umbrella open although I probably didn't need it and I had stepped off the curb and was crossing Comox Street when I was scared badly by a car turning left off Bute.<br /><br />The crosswalk was brightly lit and there is no way the driver could not have seen me unless he was not paying attention to the road. He had not signaled nor begun his turn until after I was in the intersection.<br /><br />I was shaken and stumbled in front of the car as it braked only inches from me, although I was already on the far side of the road. There seemed to be no attempt to stay in the right lane and avoid me.<br /><br />I stood facing the windshield and held my hands <em>palms up</em> in dismay as if to signal “<em>What the hell are you thinking</em>?”<br /><br />He rolled down his window and stuck his head out and I spilled my emotions; “<em>You scared the fucking shit out of me</em>!”<br /><br />He was a grey-haired man wearing glasses and with a companion and he replied calmly “<em>I know I did</em>” and in the moment and because there was no sign or sense of apology it seemed he intended to scare me.<br /><br />There was an awkward pause during which numerous sarcastic or nasty things to say came to my mind and he then said, “<em>It’s a good thing no one was hurt</em>.”<br /><br />In retrospect, I think he too was worried what I might say or do next. He may have even been afraid to apologize giving me the sense that he was in the wrong and thus the opportunity to do or say something hurtful.<br /><br />A lot of things went through my mind all at once and I came up empty handed. What use would it be to accuse him or hurl abuse his way? In the same angry and scared tones I used at first I exclaimed, “<em>Yes it sure is a good thing</em>!”<br /><br />I walked away fuming, far from calm and furious that I had received not so much as a single word of apology and I continued to chew on that all the way home.<br /><br />In an hour the anger had passed and I was glad that I had not piled any more negative energy into an already heated situation.<br /><br />This morning I remembered a lesson I had learned in my twenties while studying meditation and spirituality. It was the admonition, “<em>Let the anger die in you. Do not release it back into the situation.”</em><br /><em></em><br />Easier said than done, but I realize today that is exactly what I did.<br /><br />It only took about 40 years for that lesson to sink home.whirld dervishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243260414434902183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33198590.post-65539251224061132942009-12-12T11:00:00.000-08:002009-12-12T11:07:45.577-08:00En route to the mountain...I placed a flurry of phone calls this morning to family to see if they had got off to a good start for their Whistler expedition. They were at Karen’s a few minutes ago picking up some of Ky’s things, but Kadir has been on his front porch waiting since 7 a.m.<br /><br />Both boys sound totally pumped. I haven’t heard Kadir sound so happy in a couple of years. Family, there’s nothing like it, nothing that can replace it!<br /><br />The weather is co-operating. It didn’t snow last night down here near the water so the highways should be relatively clear. Snow is supposed to start tomorrow. Nika and Jeremy are coming home tonight but the boys will stay overnight and come home on the bus.<br /><br />I asked Kadir if he was taking a bag. “<em>No, I’m going in a t-shirt and underwear</em>,” he deadpanned.<br /><br />I wanted to suggest he leave his iPhone in it while snowboarding. Leaving his iPhone behind is a no go.<br /><br />“<em>I need to listen to music, get in the zone</em>,” he instructed, sounding suspiciously like a 1960's surfer dude. He said he will put it in a plastic bag to keep it dry.<br /><br />I just called them and they are stopping for coffee in West Van having successfully crossed to the North Shore and everyone sounds happy. Ky is even getting a turn at the wheel.<br /><br />Kadir sounded a bit subdued but it is no surprise with Nika and Ky both talking at full speed.<br /><br />Even if Ky is not staying on for long it is great that he came home at this juncture for the holidays and to bond with his siblings. As the youngest family member Kadir especially needs this but so do the others.<br /><br />When they come down from the mountain perhaps they will all remember once again that they are not alone in life, and are loved.<br /><br />Hopefully this family bonding will continue on through the holidays at least, providing some healing to our splintered clan.whirld dervishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243260414434902183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33198590.post-90068523771246937232009-12-11T11:17:00.000-08:002009-12-11T11:25:40.455-08:00The Return of KyQuixoteIt is Friday morning and very cold and grey outside, but so far no snow to be seen. What a difference in energy from yesterday when I was up an hour early and not sure whether Ky would be here on time.<br /><br />He rang my buzzer at a few minutes past 10 respectably prompt and I was greeted by a tenderly bearded young rabbinical student (he looks so very <em>Jewish</em> complete with pronounced nose) in black shirt and tie, carrying the usual computer case and Nikon camera.<br /><br />His facial hair has got much darker as has the hair on his arms, and he is showing more signs of budding manliness.<br /><br />We got right down to talking. He is planning on staying here for a few weeks, working at 49th Parallel over the busy holiday season and then heading on to New York to continue his learning and travel curve. He told me that staying here in Vancouver right now would seem like going backwards. I understand only too well what he means.<br /><br />He said he visited many of the places in India where his mom and I visited with the girls and got a thrill at standing in the same spots he’d only seen in pictures.<br /><br />Our visit was very brief as I was getting ready for work but he doesn't leave until early January so we have a lot more time to catch up.<br /><br />Nika is taking him and his brother up to visit Chaya in Whistler this weekend where they will go snowboarding and all of the siblings will have a chance to bond again.<br /><br />The weather is co-operating too as there is a new snowfall forecast for this weekend.<br /><br />It should be a picture perfect Whistler pre-Olympic getaway!whirld dervishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243260414434902183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33198590.post-31003449314801776572009-12-07T10:17:00.000-08:002009-12-07T10:50:43.355-08:00Another Gorgeous Sunny MorningIt is another gorgeous sunny morning and probably frosty cold as well though I have not left for work yet. The walk home last night with wind chill was truly wintery. The good news is that sun is forecast over the next few days, my days off.<br /><br />I was awake and up just before 9 a.m. this morning after a night of very vivid dreams. None of them are blog worthy though as they were all fragmented (<em>at least they are in so in memory</em>).<br /><br />It is already one week into December! How quickly this year has sped by!<br /><br />I am eagerly awaiting the return of my son Ky, who has been overseas for nearly a year now. He is due back on Wednesday but so far has not advised me of the flight number or airline. My daughter Nika and her boyfriend will be meeting him at the airport and ferrying him to their new apartment on south Main where he will stay with them until he gets his bearings.<br /><br />He has not advised me whether the job opportunity in New York is still open for him. I am secretly hoping he will stay here for a while and not leave again so soon. I miss his company and presence in my life.<br /><br />My daughter Nika came to visit with me last week and we walked up to Denman together for breakfast. She is now <em>starting to show</em> and is in her first maternity clothes. She looked relaxed and was very upbeat. She is finishing her courses at Langara this week and will be continuing to work until later in her pregnancy.<br /><br />Chaya has started a new job in Whistler as distribution manager in the Whistler Olympic Park. She took her sister Nika shopping last week and has been very much there for her. I have not had a chance to catch up with her in a while and am looking forward to a window in which we can meet.<br /><br />Kadir is holding firm in his new place on Wellwyn Avenue in East Van. As a 16 year old now in semi-independent living he is showing remarkable stamina although he has been ill several times this winter. I talk to him several times a week via phone but we have not had a chance to get together for a few weeks now.<br /><br />When I do talk to him, he is usually en route to a friends place and so subject matter is sparse. I ask him how he is doing at school and he asks me how I am doing at work. I look forward to our meetings when we usually delve into deeper topics...although the movie <em>Zombieland</em> was our last outing together.<br /><br />Karen is holding firm in her new apartment in Marpole but has had difficulty finding and keeping work.<br /><br />When we got married I envisioned us growing old together, surrounded by all our children. I guess it hasn't worked out in quite the way I imagined.<br /><br />But we are still all living, in good health and in fairly frequent contact and for that I am thankful.<br /><br />And so much for my open letter to everyone. Now I will set off for work.whirld dervishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243260414434902183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33198590.post-33225000283174958962009-11-27T11:35:00.000-08:002009-11-27T11:49:51.811-08:00The Gateless GateIt is Friday morning and I am preparing for work.<br /><br />There is blue sky and sun today, a wonderful window in what has been mostly a cold and rainy November.<br /><br />I was doing some surfing this morning and came upon the following link to a Buddhist text by Ekai, called <em>Mu-mon</em>, translated by Nyogen Senzaki and Paul Reps circa 1934:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/glg/index.htm">http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/glg/index.htm</a><br /><br />It is a translation of and commentary on 49 Zen Buddhist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C5%8Dan"><em>koans</em></a>, originally published in Zen Flesh, Zen Bones.<br /><br />I read this book in my 20's while traveling and playing music in California and many years later met and studied with its author <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Reps"><em>Paul Reps</em></a>.<br /><br />Both reading the book and meeting the author were life-changing experiences for me.<br /><br />As I set off for the office I will be thinking about the young traveler meeting his teacher in the late 1970's and what a miracle in everyday guise that was.whirld dervishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243260414434902183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33198590.post-37675437467007684942009-11-17T15:14:00.000-08:002009-11-17T15:27:47.122-08:00...more or less ready for another week.It is Tuesday morning and we are getting glimpses of blue sky and sun though it is sure to be a narrow window in among the rainy waves of wet weather.<br /><br />I received a phone message from Karen this morning. She was calling from a rooftop in Kerrisdale where she is working today (roofing) to tell me about a police standoff which happened near her apartment in South Vancouver last night. Apparently it lasted nearly 4 hours and ended with a huge boom which was the sound of some kind of weapon used to take the gunman out.<br /><br />I have been calling Kadir nearly every day, something I was not able to do when he did not have a phone and it is great to be in constant contact with him. The other day I called him from work on my dinner break and he was in Kits with his school friends, waiting for a haircut!<br /><br />There was a time when I couldn't pay him to get a haircut. How times change!<br /><br />I did things sort of ass-backwards this morning…starting off with my meds and then a few phone calls including one to the dentist to settle my bill.<br /><br />I followed this with prayers and exercises and then I grabbed the window of sunlight to take out my trash and go shopping at Safeway. I made a pit-stop at Great Clips and got my hair cut thus killing 2 birds with one stone.<br /><br />The lady who cut my hair is a long time employee there of middle eastern origin but I haven’t seen her in over a year and so we picked up lost time by discussing last night’s 6.6 earthquake which I slept through but which Danny tweeted this morning.<br /><br />She launched into a story about a big quake here in the early part of this decade which shook her West End apartment badly throwing a good scare into her and her husband. I couldn’t understand a lot of what she imparted as it was done in rapid-fire high speed with a strong accent but the gist of it was that she was aware that we live in a quake zone and she can’t understand why they are building so high in an area of such great risk.<br /><br />Meanwhile the scissors and clippers flew and buzzed around my scalp as both of her hands gesticulated wildly describing her experience. In the mirror it almost looked like she was juggling. By the time she finished she was breathless but produced a mirror to show her handiwork which looked pretty good to me, against all odds.<br /><br />I breathed a sigh of relief and thanks as I said goodbye and headed to Safeway.<br /><br />The good thing about kicking off shopping early in a week day is that there were no lineups so I was in and out of there in a flash, and walked home with 2 bags of groceries. I used my canvas ones as I am careful these days about bringing home more plastic.<br /><br />Once home, I put in my first load of laundry and then headed to the shower.<br /><br />My chores almost done, I am more or less ready for another week.whirld dervishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243260414434902183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33198590.post-9582418337726980652009-10-04T09:49:00.000-07:002009-10-04T10:10:41.965-07:00Dancing Peak to PeakIt is just after 9 a.m. on Sunday morning and although I rose at 8:30 it was nothing compared to 5 a.m. yesterday. I couldn’t believe how lonely the streets felt at 7 a.m. when I left for the office.<br /><br />Yesterday we made our staff trip to Whistler.<br /><br />Although I came to BC in 1972 I had only made the attempt once before in a Volkswagen bug, I can’t even remember the year. I do remember I made it to Squamish and Shannon Falls before the car began to overheat and stall, causing me to abort the trip.<br /><br />But yesterday I was vaulted out of my comfort zone here in town in a rented newer model Dodge minivan driven by my friend and co-worker Danny and in two groups in two vans our party made the trek to Whistler.<br /><br />Although this year was one of the hottest on records and there had been no snow on the nearby mountaintops all summer, we were greeted by newly dusted white caps on the surrounding peaks.<br /><br />There was no snow in the village but the Sales Manager of the new <a href="http://www.coasthotels.com/hotels/canada/bc/whistler/coast_blackcomb_suites/overview">Coast Blackcomb Suites </a>Brandi took us on a tour I won’t soon forget. After a brief tour of the hotel we hiked down the ski slope at the rear of the property into the village.<br /><br />From there we took a gondola up the mountain side to a second lift where we could access the <a href="http://ww1.whistlerblackcomb.com/p2pg/">Peak 2 Peak</a> Gondola ride the largest unsupported gondola ride in the world. At its highest point we were 4 ½ km above the valley floor and the cars were big enough to hold 20 people.<br /><br />The ride goes from Whistler Mountain to Blackcomb Mountain which are two side by side peaks separated by a deep valley. The view from up there is stunning in its magnificence and if a person had any doubts that we live in one of the most beautiful spots in the world, this ride would cure them at a stroke.<br /><br />The air up there is so pure that all the senses seem to open at once, making the colors more vibrant and the eyes more clear and the breathing easier. It was cold up there though, and I was glad I heeded the advice to dress warmly wearing my winter coat and a wool toque. A couple of staff members had not listened and suffered and shivered accordingly.<br /><br />After a brief stop at <em>The Rendezvous</em>, a mountaintop restaurant and pit stop we took the trip back down which seemed to take forever, to the much milder climate of the village and then a shuttle bus back to the hotel where Brandi our tour manager had arranged and now personally prepared for us a hamburger barbeque. She cooked and served which after her tour duty with us was above and beyond the call. She was also an avid raconteur and regaled us with stories of her 5 years in Whistler and beyond.<br /><br />On the homeward journey I felt I had been awake and traveling for 2 days although we were back in Vancouver by 5 p.m.<br /><br />I had expected the usual hotel tour which although informative are rarely spectacular. Anyone who takes <em>this tour</em> is sure to tell all their friends and to return to visit this amazing place.whirld dervishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243260414434902183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33198590.post-81942054732710182062009-10-01T10:22:00.000-07:002009-10-01T10:26:34.784-07:00The Big 16This month Kadir will turn 16 and yesterday I gave him his gift.<br /><br />At just about 4 p.m. sharp yesterday my door buzzer rang. It was Kadir arriving early from school…apparently his social worker had canceled due to being sick.<br /><br />We talked for a few minutes and he downed a glass of juice. He bought up the subject of a phone…I guess Karen had mentioned something to him about my decision to get him a cell phone. So we walked over to Rogers, as it was pretty clear he preferred that over FIDO.<br /><br />We looked at a few phones briefly and then waited in line to speak to an agent…there were only two agents and both were busy. While waiting in line I noticed Kadir eyeing the iPhone display and there and then I decided I was going to spring for the extra $100+ to get him one.<br /><br />Once the agent demonstrated the power of this phone, I knew I had made the right choice. I could almost hear Kadir humming with happiness. Now he has what many of his school mates already have, and it is the power of new technology at his fingertips. It’s a phone that doubles as an mp3 player, a camera, and a computer enabling him to browse the internet. It has the virtual touch screen so there are no sliding keyboard appendages making it hard to manage.<br /><br />The monthly fee will be around $65 dollars with the extras package but with his allowance that should be do-able. And he will now be able to shop for a job after school. He was supposed to meet with the person he will be moving in with last night but it sounded like this might be delayed due to the other person being too busy.<br /><br />I guess I will know more in a few days. At least I know I can call Kadir now, and he can call me at no extra charge any time of day or night on the My5(+ 5) Plan.<br /><br />The agent who signed us up was very helpful and convinced us that we had the best deal…he said there would be new packages available next month but none as rich as the one we got.<br /><br />We walked down to Vera’s Burger Shack and I bought him a huge burger which he demolished with joy and then walked him to the MacDonald Bus. He kissed me on the lips again before leaving…that shy butterfly “I love you dad” kiss that means the world to me.<br /><br />When the bus pulled away he was talking on his phone and smiling at me, giving me a big thumbs up.whirld dervishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243260414434902183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33198590.post-3509315669034450572009-09-16T12:55:00.000-07:002009-09-16T13:10:49.883-07:00Love from Ky Quixote & KadirYesterday was a pristine day although my pleasure was watered down by the crew hauling down a large Maple tree across the street and destroying the neighborhood peace and quiet.<br /><br />This morning is cloudy with afternoon rain forecast which at 11:30 had just started to fall. There is supposed to be a mix of sun and cloud tomorrow though.<br /><br />I have shaved, exercised and said my morning prayers and just finished checking email. There was a short one from Ky just letting me know he is safely returned to London “...<em>doing chores and setting up work</em>.”<br /><br />I like the fact that he doesn't say: <em>Looking for work</em>.<br /><br />He later Twittered:<br /><br /><em>"First few photos are up on Flickr now</em>. <a class="tweet-url web" href="http://bit.ly/447bFd" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/447bFd</a>"<br /><br />Last night around 9 p.m. after I had eaten supper and was watching <em>So You Think You Can Dance Canada</em>, my phone rang. I was pleasantly surprised to hear Kadir telling me he was coming over after school.<br /><br />He came over last week with his friend Mike to let me know he was safe, although I had not received a call from him all summer long (not since the end of June).<br /><br />When I asked him why, all he said was "You have no idea what I have been through." Sometimes things are best left unsaid until the right time.<br /><br />I was glad he called because we were supposed to meet at the Paramount today to see the latest Harry Potter movie. But when I checked movie listings in the local paper I saw that Harry Potter was no longer listed at the Paramount. So I let him know that we missed our Harry Potter window there.<br /><br />His reply, “<em>I don’t care. I just want to come over and hang out with you</em>.” Before he hung up he threw in “<em>I love you</em>.”<br /><br />Ky ended his earlier email to me with the same words.<br /><br />What a treasure for this proud father!whirld dervishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243260414434902183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33198590.post-67807050546172330632009-08-16T11:01:00.000-07:002009-08-16T11:52:24.713-07:00Dances with DervishesIt is a sunny Sunday morning as I slowly arise, do exercises and prayers and now completing my journal entry.<br /><br />As I walked along the seawall yesterday evening, under a canopy of rose-colored sky streaked with wispy clouds I could still hear the chanting of the dervishes representing Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Palestine and many other Middle Eastern countries who had put on performances that afternoon at the Art Gallery for the <a style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN-TOP: 10px"><em>Fifth Canadian Islamic Cultural Expo</em></a> that took place on the fountains lawn as it does every year.<br /><br />As I wandered downtown yesterday, I had no idea this would be happening but I could hear the drumming from a couple of blocks away and was drawn into the confluence of people gathered for the event.<br /><br />I arrived just as a dervish demonstration was ending and as they left the courtyard where they had been dancing and doing <em>zikr</em> (chanting praises of Allah) I was surrounded by them and swept up in their effusive energy. There must’ve been 30 young men in their late teens and twenties and the energy of celebration was palpable.<br /><br />It was strange to come from a very Western-style new age spiritual celebration at the Quaker Hall with the women of <em>Ruby</em> (<em>see yesterday's post</em>) the night before and to find myself once again and so soon immersed in a stream of devotees.<br /><br />It was like standing in an electric current. In a few minutes my whole body was tingling with energy that had not been present moments before.<br /><br />It was also strange that I seemed to be invisible to them, as they circled all around me barely brushing me (but never once jostling me) with their robes and congratulating each other on their performances, their smiling faces full of light and joy.<br /><br />Picture standing in a group of BC Lions players just after they score a touchdown…it was like that only far more subtle but with just as much (maybe more) energy. If I had seen them coming I probably would have got out of the way.<br /><br />The young men (<em>of Palestinian origin I think</em>) were holding long white batons about the size of spears which were stripped in green, like candy canes. They wore turbans wrapped around little conical hats that gave them the appearance of soldiers/knights/stage players celebrating days of glory.<br /><br />On scene next came the contingent from the Peninsula of Saudi Arabia dressed in full headgear and waving not batons, but long curved swords.<br /><br />It was like a scene out of <em>Lawrence of Arabia</em>. And within minutes I was drowned in the boom of the big drums and the drone of voices lifting me out of the realm of the ordinary into another place, another time.<br /><br />And as I was leaving another synchronistic happening very much in tune with the energy of the past two days…I passed the Turkish tent and stopping to read a passage from Rumi’s <em>Masnawi</em> that was posted I was drawn into conversation with another young man who asked if I had ever been to Turkey. As I left he handed me a DVD of The Whirling Dervishes direct from Konya, which was recorded in Calgary…and included a full classical Turkish orchestra performing for a <em>Sema</em> (or the celebratory dance of the dervishes).<br /><br />So last night I played that back to back with Ruby’s CD<em> On the Way of Love: Songs inspired by Rumi</em>.whirld dervishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243260414434902183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33198590.post-34182085490494433752009-08-15T12:03:00.000-07:002009-08-15T12:24:31.851-07:00A Healing GiftYesterday was an unusual day in that I decided to head down to South Vancouver and do several things including shopping at Oakridge, saying hello to Nika who works there and visiting Karen’s new area.<br /><br />I caught the bus to Oak and 41st which confused me at the start by taking a right off the bridge towards Kits (they now have a new route which bypasses busy Granville and Broadway). There was a new trainee driver on board and so the bus virtually crawled to its destination.<br /><br />I had forgotten that Oakridge Mall was not on Oak Street and so when I got off, I wasn’t sure which way to head at first. I quickly got my bearings though and headed east.<br /><br />Nika was not working that day and neither did I want to carry clothing in bags to South Van as I was already carrying my jacket. So after window shopping I left the mall empy-handed in a kind of daze and began making my way west before finally circling back through the mall and catching a bus on the north side of 41st heading south. I got off at 64th and began walking west through a residential area with no sidewalks.<br /><br />The streets were deserted and it felt like the old days hiking in foreign territory and the walk soon became a hot slog. I kept thinking of Herb’s story of passing out in the street from fatigue and heat and hoped I would not repeat it.<br /><br />I finally made it across 70th and walked past the Quaker Hall where I knew there would be a Sufi gathering & concert that evening which I had planned to attend for some time. But Karen’s new apartment was only a block from there so I tested my intuition to see if I could find it.<br /><br />It was depressing to me to think she might be in a rundown neighborhood but I was pleasantly surprised by the peaceful ambience and big trees just off a major traffic artery out of the city. There were several older but respectable-looking apartment buildings and I decided she must be in one of these. And I was happy to discover that there were no old rooming houses in the area, laying to rest another nightmare about her possible situation.<br /><br />I finally caught a B-Line bus home which was a quick trip but after getting off at Seymour and transferring to a Davie bus to get home, I was tired. I put aside my plans for the evening concert on the south side and opted instead to go grocery shopping and make dinner.<br /><br />As planned I cooked and ate my dinner but was inspired to call Karen and ask if she would like to attend the concert with me. She eased my mind further by informing me that she was in one of the nicer buildings I had seen earlier in the day. She was busy but encouraged me to attend the concert on my own. So I called a taxi with only an hour to spare and was soon walking through the doors of the hall.<br /><br />I was also walking back in time about 10 years when I used to regularly attend Sufi meetings there. When I had passed the hall earlier in day it looked deserted and there was no signage to advertise a concert that evening. But I was not surprised to see the chairs all set up, the sound system ready and many of the chairs already occupied.<br /><br />I walked downstairs to use the washroom and was met by two women and my friend Amir who is with the Sufi Order in Vancouver. We hugged and then as I looked at the women in his company the penny dropped; these were the women of <a href="http://www.worldofruby.com">Ruby</a> who I’d come to listen to. I immediately told them that I’d downloaded and heard their song “<em>Listen O Drop</em>” from a poem by Rumi.<br /><br />When they began their concert they gave me the healing gift of dedicating this song to me, causing me to weep many and much needed tears.whirld dervishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243260414434902183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33198590.post-83246713662493732482009-07-30T09:30:00.000-07:002009-07-30T09:47:12.333-07:00The hottest day EVER!The last time I remember being this hot was on my return from India in 1986…it was 40 degrees in Athens and I could barely breathe.<br /><br />Yesterday was the hottest July 29th <em>EVER</em> in downtown Vancouver, and although it was only 32.9 degrees, it felt much hotter. After all, this is Vancouver and I live near the water!<br /><br />I tried a walk in the later morning, heading up to the Pacific Centre Mall which I knew was air conditioned. It was like walking into a fridge after the heat of the street.<br /><br />I'd proceeded there earlier at a snail’s pace along the sidewalk and stopping to test my blood pressure at the Burrard Clinic was not surprised to see it had returned to high/normal.<br /><br />I think the heat opened up all my veins allowing a pure free flow. But man, did it slow me down!<br /><br />Global warming...what global warming?whirld dervishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243260414434902183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33198590.post-53345326232318041712009-07-26T10:47:00.000-07:002009-07-26T10:54:38.849-07:00A fierce display of elemental energy!I am up at 9:15 after a sporadic last minute attempt to fall back asleep after a typical wee hours worrying session.<br /><br />This morning a new Tweet from Ky: One too many momos. I Google searched and found this <em>not</em> to be alcohol but a Nepalese dumpling in tomato sauce, fast food in Kathmandu.<br /><br />I have serious bags under my eyes this morning, big watery saggy ones. If I felt as ill as I look I would be calling in sick. But I feel pretty good.<br /><br />Yesterday’s work shift ended with the sky turning a flat blood red and forked with jagged yellow lightning fangs. It was like the opening scene for a horror movie.<br /><br />The two other agents in the office with me gazed out at the sky with a mixed expression of fascination and terror our smiles slightly lopsided as if we not sure what was about to happen next…and we weren’t. None of us have ever seen the sky like that.<br /><br />We had cheered earlier on when the rain began to fall imagining that the vast crowd of litterbugs on fireworks night would be all but washed off the beach but the eerie turn of energies skyward had us dampening our cheers.<br /><br />It was the second day of the fireworks but instead of packed streets on my way home just a few minutes before ShowTime, there were a few weary stragglers carrying umbrellas to ward off the new falling rain and a wet, tired-looking policeman posted at the Bute Street entrance to the West End with no traffic to ward off.<br /><br />I was going to borrow an umbrella from the office but managed to get home with only a light soaking.<br /><br />This morning I am still trying to figure out what happened. How could a day that began so sunny and hot end in such a fierce display of elemental energy?whirld dervishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243260414434902183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33198590.post-59926404888171656872009-06-14T10:34:00.000-07:002009-06-14T11:29:41.597-07:00Worry Zone BluesIn terms of posting to my blog it has been a dry month for me.<br /><br />There have been a few domestic upheavals in the past weeks that have had me crouching down in my "worry zone" a place I don't enjoy hanging in.<br /><br />But each day is a new day bringing with it new opportunities and chances and every day I start my day with prayers and exercises to help bring me into tune with the higher frequencies and forces that surround us and can nudge us out of the doldrums.<br /><br />I have to constantly remind myself that things I picture as terrible possibilities are not likely to happen. But when you are hunkering down in the worry zone, that's easy to forget.<br /><br />So this is my advice to myself today:<br /><br />Stand up, shake it off and move ahead. Don't run, don't push, don't complain. Take your time. When you take your time you do things right and don't have to do them again.<br /><br />And if you are not going to throw anyone off course, there's no harm in shaking a tail feather while you're at it!<br /><br />So shake it, shake it, shake it...baby!whirld dervishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243260414434902183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33198590.post-7235810597729554352009-05-27T20:23:00.000-07:002009-05-27T22:08:26.518-07:00A re-surgence of energyWednesday and my 2nd day off.<br /><br />Tuesday it rained for half the day, but today I had no chores and woke to a pristine sunny day.<br /><br />After my morning rituals, I set off for my seawall walk. I had a re-surgence of energy and was able to make it all the way to Siwash Rock.<br /><br />For the first time in a year, I paid homage to my mom at <em>Siwash Rock</em> and then visited Pauline Johnson's memorial in the park.<br /><br />I made it clear (to myself and to the deceased poet) that I was not there to take on any illnesses this time but to honor the poet and the memory of my mom (who was an admirer of the poet) and to thank God for the deep lessons learned on my last visit when I wound up in hospital and unable to walk without a cane for months after.<br /><br />Sometimes it is important to communicate with the dead if only to make intentions clear to oneself.<br /><br />I wore a t-shirt as the weather was great but I took the precaution of applying a limited amount of SPF48 suntan lotion, being very careful not to apply any where it might contact my eyes.<br /><br />I seemed to have passed the critical phase of my life (experienced last year during my "illness") shared with W.B. Yeats where the bodies and presences of young women cause such an upheaval in my innermost being. I was able to view and admire them without any visible repercussions today, and enjoyed the ambience of the beauty in my environment.<br /><br />I knew before I left today that I would be able to do the walk without any excess clothing and my intuition proved accurate.<br /><br />I was even able to dissuade myself from stopping for food along the way and settled for a home cooked meal. Knowing that I would arrive in time for the hockey game proved an incentive and indeed I arrived home with only an hour to spare before the Wings/Hawks game on TV.<br /><br />It was a remarkably close game and kudos to the Hawks for fighting such a fierce battle but the Wings won in overtime and now it will be a repeat of last years playoff teams, the Wings and the Pens.<br /><br />My sister Marilyn will be arriving for a visit next week and so I am inspired to be able spend quality time with her.whirld dervishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243260414434902183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33198590.post-31413203248663366122009-05-14T11:37:00.000-07:002009-05-14T11:46:01.774-07:00Moving with the Wild GrassesI summoned up the energy for a walk to 2nd Beach this “weekend”. I wasn’t able to do it on Tuesday the most pleasant of the two days, but I managed a walk on a cloudy, moody Wednesday.<br /><br />The seawall was nearly deserted and it felt like the middle of winter but those kinds of walks are usually very pleasant as peace and quiet rules.<br /><br />It was chilly and I wore my winter coat but it was not quite cold enough to warrant a cap and so I let the cool breeze caress my ears and ruffle my hair as I walked. It was quite different weather than the previous day when I wore my t-shirt only on errands outside.<br /><br />That day I thought of my son Ky, who has now made the transition from the heat of Delhi to the northern areas of Uttar Pradesh and the holy city of Varanasi (Benares) on the Ganges. It is a relief to know he is not idling in the stifling 100 degrees plus heat of Delhi.<br /><br />There were very few cargo ships out in the bay but there were quite a few herons waiting for a ripple or a flickering image that would signal fishing time.<br /><br />As I walked my eyes feasted on daffodils, tulips, dandelions and bluebells resting in elfin groves in the shadows of the tall new-leafed trees. I feel so very lucky to be able to walk into the coming spring season free of a cane to lean on.<br /><br />As I approached 2nd Beach I contemplated extending my walk to 3rd Beach but for whatever reason and since my “accident” last summer I have felt a significant drop in my energy and my balance still has not returned to normal.<br /><br />Last week I could only summon up the energy to get half way to 2nd Beach and so I felt that making it the whole way this week was enough of a success.<br /><br />It is strange though to see my image in windows as I walk by these days. Gone is the spring and stride of the younger man I once was and in its place I see a more humble, slower moving grey-haired person in my peripheral vision, one I still have trouble recognizing as me.<br /><br />It gives me pause to realize that my friends and co-workers will also recognize this shift of energy in me. But I guess this is a taste of what the word senior really means in physical terms.<br /><br />This will have to be my time to learn to move slowly and gracefully and in the rhythm of the wild grasses.whirld dervishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243260414434902183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33198590.post-4272204127669145662009-05-06T12:55:00.000-07:002009-05-06T18:54:30.910-07:00Ky Quixote arrives in New DelhiIt is just after 12 noon and it is just after 12 midnight in India. The temperature yesterday was 107 F and going up this week as high as 111! I wonder how prepared Ky will be after the balmy coolness of London Town.<br /><br />But today (or rather tonight as it is after midnight there and already Thursday May 7th) he's in India in the company of one of his friends and hopefully they successfully ran the gauntlet of bargaining cabbies at Indira Gandhi airport and have found a pleasant bed for the night with a hot bath so that they can start their India journey refreshed.<br /><br />The first step was to disregard his dad's injunction to fly British Airways. I guess they found a better deal with KLM and flew from London to Amsterdam first and then to India.<br /><br />Ky also left his computer in London, telling me he was <em>going analog</em> for this Journey to the East, probably a wise decision for several reasons, one of the main ones being that with the temperatures so high they will be grateful for traveling light.<br /><br />It seems only yesterday that I was holding my newborn son in my arms and praying for guidance in raising him. He was born at home in Shawnigan Lake on Vancouver Island in August of 1987, just a year after we had returned from India.<br /><br />His birth (and the birth of our second son Kadir) was forecast by my sufi teacher in Delhi and Ky's middle name <em>Nizam</em> was given to him by this same man before his birth.<br /><br />It is only fitting that 23 years later he will be paying a personal visit to the Dargah of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia, and I can imagine what a surprise Syed Ali Moosa will receive when the young man whose name was once only a promise knocks on his door.<br /><br />How I would love to be there when this happens and I am hoping that Ky keeps a detailed record of this and posts a ton of pictures on his Flickr pages (Google: <em>Ky Zoss Photos</em> to follow up) although there may be a time delay as he doesn't have a computer with him and I think he is taking an older Nikon which means the film will have to be developed first.<br /><br />Journey onward my brave young adventurer!whirld dervishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243260414434902183noreply@blogger.com0