The Enjoyment of Losing Stuff
April 27th, 2012
Losing stuff is a fine way to go about life. It is often the only way we can realize what is actually important. I tend not to lose or misplace things, but that is mostly due to how angry I get at myself when it does happen. Keeping my wallet, keys, and phone in one designated spot may also be a bit of undiagnosed OCD (though I’m told by real sufferers that it’s actually CDO, in alphabetical order).
For anyone who has ever smelled smoke and not been able to locate the fire knows the feeling. That sinking gut feeling that things may get a lot worse. When I lived in the San Diego warehouse, I lived next to a scrap yard. I was there, digging about the old doors and window frames when I caught the delicate and charming aroma of burning mattresses. Of course at the time I had no idea what the fire was feasting upon, but looking up to the sky I knew it was a smokey treat. My legs intuitively sprinted to the warehouse, my chest bursting with that low sinking feeling that everything you own is gone.
But as my brain caught up to my pounding heart, I realized that there was nothing in the warehouse that couldn’t be replaced. I owned nothing that actually mattered, and suddenly I realized I was free. Well figuratively. In truth, I had no renters insurance and my student loans weren’t locked inside, ready to be burned up and forgotten. So there would be the annoyance of replacing my passport and things, and having to buy new clothes and other junk. And of course the student loans will always be there. But other than that, losing stuff isn’t that big of a deal.
Starting fresh has its benefits. I’m always amazed when I see a new Facebook blast go out about losing a phone, ‘I need your numbers’. Losing a cellphone can be the ideal time to let go of all those booty call numbers and folks you don’t actually like but you keep them in your phone in case they call you first. You know the ones…
Oh, right. So that warehouse fire was actually just some mattresses that some kids lit on fire in the alley. Me and a neighbor put it out with some garden hoses and expired fire extinguishers. Still, it opened my eyes and put the fear of Zeus into me.
We are officially traveling overseas now, wandering slowly about the globe. The above photo is what I’m currently traveling with, for better or worse. Nothing I’m traveling with is all that important, and at this point in my life, anything lost or stolen will simply make my travels a bit lighter.
There is a bright side to fires and losing things. When you’ve got little to lose, you’re free to do what you please.
Demand Your Dreams Back
April 17th, 2012
I’ve been more quiet than usual since temporarily relocating to Florida. Meg and I landed some interim employment- she at a wine bar and me at a tourist restaurant. Both locations sat right on the beach, so back to serving we were. These past ten weeks have given us a healthy padding to our travel funds.
As anyone who has worked in the food and beverage industry knows, there is an initial grace period where your subconscious is flooded with food orders and menu questions and pretty soon you’re having awful dreams about forgetting someone’s water. Unfortunately, I’ll even have these dreams about missing a class in college and realizing I hadn’t gone all semester and it’s the final week and of course, it’s always a damn math class.
Know what I mean?
Anyhow, Meg and I are preparing to leave Florida for a few short days in Chicago (the perfect layover). We have booked our one way ticket out of this fine country of ours and into the land of green, lucky charms, leprechauns, Guinness, and whisky.
Yes, Ireland.
So now I can have my dreams back. No more waking up in the middle of the night questioning myself about menu specials, that party table , or did I even put their order in? No! I can demand my dreams back.
Symbolism aside, I’ve been asking people about their hobbies, life goals, and dreams. To my astonishment, a surprising amount of people had no answers. I realize that the blog world is heavily inspired by Four Hour Work Week folks, dreamers, and people who are at least asking themselves the existential questions of life and their purpose. But it seems to me that a sad lot of people simply aren’t dreaming. They aren’t even pushing for more.
So my realization is simple: you can’t demand your dreams if you aren’t dreaming in the first place.
You can push through crap jobs, awkward living situations, long hours, small wages, uninspired friends, and any other hiccups life can toss your way because you have a vision of bigger things for your life. But you have to at least know what it is you want.
And even if you don’t know what you want, at least figure out what you don’t want. Start there.
Post-script: if you’re in Europe at all this summer and would like to meet up for a tea or a pint, or even a good old fashioned picnic, drop me a line! We plan to head through the Middle East by fall, aiming to hit the trans Siberian train before winter, so the same invite to anyone along the way!
Why You Should Stop Creating
March 22nd, 2012
There is a popular movement nowadays of artists, bloggers, and regular folks talking about themselves and the importance of doing. We encourage each other, and ourselves, to create, to write, to build, to do! If you’re not part of the creativity, then you are wasting your time. If you’re working a 9-5 job, then your life has very little meaning or at least, you are fully free to feel down about yourself.
For the most part, I’d like to continue encouraging one another to fill their lives with passion. I still believe in our golden age. I still believe that we owe it to all of human history to do spectacular things with our days. Right now. But recently I’ve had a revelation of sorts. There is a secondary position we all must take too. And, in history, this space has always been held and fulfilled. And today, we need these people too.
Supporters.
Wait! This isn’t boring stuff here. This is perhaps more important than your own pursuits, your artwork, your music, your life. This is about the future of greatest sitting amongst our present.
We cannot have our Vincent Van Gogh without our Theo Van Gogh. Theo was Vincent’s brother, and arguably the only reason that we have the brilliant mind and art of Vincent. And let me connect the dots for you. Vincent Van Gogh is often considered one of the most important artists to ever live. He inspired movements that influence film and art still today. If you still need convincing, watch this short clip here.
Theo was Vincent’s emotion crutch, his greatest support. Vincent depended on the praise and enthusiasm that Theo provided. His unstable mental state was frail and constantly at risk of falling apart. Theo not only mentally kept his brother going, but he also financially supported Vincent too. Remember, Vincent sold only one painting in his lifetime.
Theo wasn’t just Vincent’s brother. He was well known and respected in his age for his contributions and work as an art dealer. So, you can keep your normal job and still play an important role in history.
We are often only interested in the immediate returns on our investments. Today, his investment is considered priceless, though if one had to put a number on it, it would be considered the highest price in art history.
So consider who you can and should support. Theres an artist, a writer, a musician who needs some support right now. Mentally, emotionally, financially. They may not even believe in their skills yet. So be that support.
Some folks are the mad artists, and some are the silent supporters. We all have someone to invest in.
Of course, that doesn’t give you an excuse not to create. But you know, now you have something even more important to do.
Embrace Inconvenience
March 7th, 2012
During the early 1990s, people were crazed about two things: grunge music and coffee. Now this isn’t something I’ve thoroughly researched, but I imagine even the folks at the University of Cambridge felt this way at least about coffee. You see, the researchers in the computer laboratories had a dilemma, or rather an inconvenience. There was one kitchen, and as you’d guess, only one pot of coffee. In a seven story building, this could cost a great deal of time and energy just to check to see if the coffee is ready. (And think of all the stairs!)
Because the sole coffee pot had to fuel the bellies of many hardworking academics, it had to always be available, hot and fresh and full. So before even the birth of the Internet, these crafty magicians wired up and created the first webcam. Yes, that’s right. The first webcam was created out of an inconvenience for coffee.
We must be inconvenienced in order to find out what is a neccessity, which is why the wise folks say that necessity is the mother of all invention. We create greatness when we embrace inconvenience.
G. K. Chesterton explains that an inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered. So, create an adventure. Embrace inconvenience. Or in the very least you just may create something we all now need.
A Memoir of Memory
February 27th, 2012
Memories are a strange thing. So much of life goes by without ever becoming a memory. The memories we often want to keep are the ones that slip away. And of course, conversely, the things we most often want to forget are the ones we keep within us. So really, most of life is lived without retaining it mentally. Sure we have an abundance of photos, videos, tweets, and whatever else to help us remember everything that happens in our lives. Think about the kids who are growing up entirely on Facebook. I’m thankful my awkward teen years are not digitally archived.
Recently I’ve begun to write down every memory I have. A humbling exercise in writing, but also it is a chimera inducing project that may never have a completion date. Writing aside, this experiment has made me feel more in touch with myself. After all, who are we without our pasts? Of course, I’m a sucker for nostalgia. That coupled with constant reflection of everything and anything, most of my days are now spent connecting them with the past. Since I tend to be an optimistic, positive person, most of my memories are that way too. Even the sad memories are peaceful in their passing.
Dont be confused though. I’m not wistfully daydreaming my life away. On the contrary, I have only spent a minimal amount of time developing these memories into complete stories on paper.
One thing that has happened though, is that I’ve realized how little matters except the present moment. Looking back on people and things that at the time were my whole world, and now today have been reduced to a few paragraphs worth of memories puts life in perspective.
Reflecting on the past means you’re presently living in that memories future. It seems strange to me that memories never seem to care about the future. Take a moment to digest that. The same future you had all those dreams and questions about, is exactly your present moment. And again, in ten years, maybe five, you’ll be at the same place- your past’s future. I realize this seems quite complicated, but it is important.
In the very least, your present depends on it.
I realize this post may be awkward or confusing, or perhaps just poorly written. I didn’t do the topic justice, but I had to at least get the thoughts out there. I happily welcome thoughts and criticisms.
