Tag Archives: kindness

Peace, Rain & Hallelujah (on ukulele)

Me & L. Cohen – matching & scaffolding

With thunder, lightning and rain brewing outside and chaos and confusion in the world at large, wearing in pajamas at Tsuchida Cottage, i reflect about Billy Bragg’s “I Keep Faith” song about thwarting cynicism when all seems for naught, and my fellow Evergreener Rachel Corrie (and her mother pouring the sand from the boots in which she died for what she believed in) before banging out a decidedly mediocre version of a song which so many have sung so well so many times: Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” before finishing with a few more thoughts about hopes that the greater goodness of humanity comes out in the end (and that the cottage doesn’t collapse).

sure it’s *not good* but it “exists”
Bonuses:

Diary: sparking tiny fires

Fresh tray of fire starters made from paper egg cartons, sawdust, wood chips, dryer lint, soy wax // not the most aesthetically pleasing batch I’ve made but they’ll keep us going through the winter / One match is all you need

Diary notes:

Saturday included: new orthotic inserts, made on site to order, plus reviewed/evaluated big bag of shoes for sturdiness and arch support / very diligent and serious practitioner

had ramen with my duo after shoes dealio / such kind folks + Ichi was charming (also hit up a park & community centre in wife’s childhood neighbourhood)

Also recently:

mixed CD arrived by post, looking forward to enjoying

packet mailed to Kentucky river region came back with “address not found“ hmmm

postcard from India received, my attempts to reply have been denied so far

did I mention that 2 Canadian passport with middle name “Thorvald“ arrived?

Mac the goat farmer came for oden dinner couple nights back /he forgot his pickles gift but remembered signed/stamped poetry book

expecting a pleasant guest from Vancouver on Nov 28

read Tintin books, watched Country Bears, practiced English with Ichiro

previewed a pod im a guest on taking about writing “early sht” {oh my!}

limited project on the #Circumnavigation book this week as interrupted by medical appointments and recovery but still, 90+ pages drafted in so far

Re: books

finished Tanizaki’s Makioka Sisters (making a note to watch the movie adaptation during New Year’s)

now working through:

  • Alex Kerr, Heart Sutra
  • Murakami Ryu, 69
  • e.e. cummings, 100 selected poems
  • (sorta) DT Suzuki, Zen & Japanese Culture
  • Deep Kyoto Walks, various (ed. Ted)
  • Tokyo Van Nuys Express, Rick Lupert
  • various others

tomorrow (probably):

hanging family photo corner, bringing in some firewood, maybe harvesting some persimmons, and making ginger/turmeric syrup

Carrying on:

“yesterday’s tomorrow, is right now”

And I love waking up to the sound of rain / I live in the sunniest prefecture in all of Japan (really!) but still, I’m (partially) a #cascadia human/Sasquatch

Did some tasks:

  • Recycling (plastic food trays) done (mostly) // As “rebellious“ as I get these days is overfilling the plastic recycling bin at the grocery store that we don’t necessarily always shop at (90% of our groceries are delivered through the Co Op) / Yep, it’s a wild lifestyle
  • Hung buncha great family photos / more to say & the location, lighting & wall are hardly ideal, but we’ve made a start!

Further annotations:

For the record: im never sarcastic, very rarely cynical, mostly sincere, often enthusiastic, frequently curious, enjoy offering compliments, and always (try to be) kind

Be rich when “poor” by giving more

Also noting it’s great seeing more kids/toddler/babies out and about… The first couple years of our kiddos life, we hardly saw any other parents out with their kids that we could do that “I know what’s up with this“ nod with

Asked darling wife what she would like for a Christmas present(s). The answer “a chainsaw and/or a sewing machine“. Sums her up. (Oddly enough, you could maybe buy both of those from the same brand but seems Husqvarna doesn’t make sewing machines anymore)

A trio of great poems by Jason Emde (of Gifu rock city and creator of the “writers read their early shit“ podcast) in “hole in the head review”. High-quality writing (and yes, I’m a guest on his next episode in which I reveal *way too much*) mentioned above

{While not as well known and heralded as some others}, “Ken Sanders Rare Books“ in Salt Lake City is one of all-time favorites book shops. Sometimes, i browse around and fill up carts but then again my nemesis: shipping fees comes to thwart the plan :( kensandersbooks.com

Ahead:

Monday Morning is grocery delivery & order + garbage out.

Backing up twtr in case, locked down to be tight & tidy, security hygiene.

(Hopefully) back to barn to finish packet to Gary S. & notes for The Matinée, more poems & stories for book. Tuesday meeting at pre-school + wife’s band comes to rehearse. No scheduled medical appts! Oh order something for festive dinner & work plan for card (design, quantity, production).

Just talked to my brother who happens to be in Muscat, Oman. However, he did not use this #payphone

Signs in the Wild, vol. 1: Actions, Beauty, Kindness, Love, Grace, Celebrate, Hugs

who needs action when you got paint

Oftentimes, I come across signs which are interesting, amusing or occasionally useful, or maybe just aesthetically curious or intriguing. Not funny *per se* but mildly amusing, accidentally inspiring, or possibly crafty. 

Here are some, i have others, suppose this means *yet another series*. Here we go:

you are beautiful

I don’t remember where any of were seen/photographed, well maybe I do for some… but then i’d face a problem of incompleteness and inconsistency, so… what follows is an un-annotated, non-geo-located, and un-credited assortment and purely for archival amusement purposes.

practice kindness, own you sht

Your enjoyment is important to me. Remix as desired.

may all that is unlived in you blossom into a future graced with love
free hugs free hugs free hugs free hugs
beat
i <3 you
celebrate

Rest in Peace to Ayurveda Dr Rishi in Nepal

My heart aches at this shocking news. Dear Dr. Rishi was such an instrumental part in changing my life for which I will be forever grateful. In his presence, I felt a very rare and powerful and graceful energy which I will always remember.

His credentials and accomplishments are endless as he travelled the world bridging cultures and sharing his knowledge of Ayurveda as well as other healing modalities with scholars and practitioners. He kept up quite a schedule but also was the chief medical man of this highly efficient and effective group of clinics in Nepal.

DaveO and Dr Rishi at Ayurveda Health Home in Kathmandu. Nepal – note almost matching moustaches

I remember sitting with him at lunch as he gently ate and kindly answered my questions (building about the differences between traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda, and the importance of being present and doing the most minor activities with intention – including eating and cleaning.

Importantly for my healing journey though, he travelled from Katmandu to Pokhara specifically for my intake at the hospital – along with his luminescent colleague Dr Rumee. After *losing* so many years of my life to chronic and complex illness I was so discouraged as doctors never seem to take the time to listen to me and thoroughly examine and inspect me. He listen to all aspects of my life, physical, emotional, spiritual and so on with a deep well of empathy and acknowledgment.

Wishing every blessing my wee heart can muster for his family, friends, colleagues and other patients. I will light incense in your honour from Japan and remember you always so very fondly.

In gracious remembrance of a wonderful human.

Note: much more to share about my time to Ayurveda Health Home in Pokhara and later a visit with Dr Rishi in Kathmandu.

Continue reading Rest in Peace to Ayurveda Dr Rishi in Nepal

Effectuating positive change from heart (with ukulele)

Just back from cleaning the grandparents’ graves and regrouping in century+ old barn studio, i riff a few things in my head about communities, hubris, restitution, sincerity, safety, life and death, empathy, seeds, cycles and children and everything.

As well as attempt a few chords on ukulele and talk about an air conditioner.

Gentle Advice: Roll slow, be gentle, eat healthy (read War and Peace)

Make friends with heavy books

Roll slow, be gentle, eat healthy, look out for your vulnerable friends and neighbours, minimize TV, start a novel, watch all the foreign films you’ve always meant to, crack open War & Peace like you should’ve years ago / hit me up if you need some podcasts or train videos #hugs

More: commentary on this topic on a popular social networking software place.

“What i learned making #daveo50” / excerpt from “The Breaker” podcast

I was recently a guest on (my occasional co-conspirator) Bob Mackin’s excellent PC/Pacific Rim/Cascadia news podcast called “The Breaker” talking about the postponed/cancelled Tokyo 2020 Olympics as well as riffing about personal archiving project, life lessons at 50, and birth of Ichiro Stanley Thorvald Olson. 

In this 6-ish min. trimmed excerpt, i offer a few audio annotations about what i learned about myself, life as we know it etc whilst curating #daveo50, i.e.: how we really are who we are at a young age (in my case anyway), the importance of being kind, fostering and nurturing long-term relationships, that hobbies are the real thing, and the Internet is for communication not just a business construct.

Bob and I both celebrated birthdays this week so that came into the conversation as well. This episode – theBreaker.news Podcast: Socially distant birthday fun – I appeared in also featured Burnaby city councillor and punk rock legend, DOA’s Joe “Shithead” Keithley and other guests and riffs in Bob’s unique style. 

Consider listening to the whole episode and subscribing to Bob’s great podcast plus show him support especially if you live/vote in British Columbia.

Also available as:DaveO Personal Archive Project on The Breaker on Soundcloud

Listen also: Oly-nomics and Goodtimes w/ Hammer Bob – Olympic Outsider #24

Note: Roll slow, be gentle, eat healthy, look out for your vulnerable friends

Roll slow, be gentle, eat healthy, look out for your vulnerable friends and neighbours, minimize TV, start a novel, watch all the foreign films you’ve always meant to, crack open War & Peace like you should’ve years ago / hit me up if you need some podcasts or train videos #hugs

I add: If anyone makes interesting things or needs a bit of encouragement or even maybe advice about their projects, or has just made something they want to share and want someone to click on something and share them along, I got you, Im yer dude #InstantFanClub

Wedding Tribute from Owls / Dave + Ryoko 4-20 Kekkon-shiki

> Pardon me while i laugh and cry all over <

My pals from Hootsuite – which obv was a such a big part of my life and something i never go to “say goodbye” to – made the most remarkably kind dispatch.

The intrepid Cameron Uganec nonchalantly dropped a note that he and Ryan Holmes had a wrangled a little something and sent me this link which features the sweetest words a fellow ever deserves to hear from colleagues > friends > family spread around the world.

This is rather personal to say the least and my first instinct is to keep it this way but i also know that many other people will truly be edified by watching/hearing this outpouring of agape. As such, no holding back.

PS I would do that thing where you tag all appropriate people but lots of “cool kids” aren’t hanging out here and this is a bit too sensitive to the schoolyard fo Twitter and def not Snapchattable so just going to send it out as-is, with all the hugs.

I will however include a reply to the participants who extended such a gracious effort to this drifting poet who is no longer drifting, ergo:

Dear Lovelies,

I am so wonderfully filled with all the emotions and so incredibly grateful to each of you for your words and vibes. I explained to Ryoko (who loved seeing all of you and was answering back to your charming Japanese) who each of you are, and how we came into each other’s world, and also how i never go to say “goodbye” … i didn’t want to leave, one day my body/life/world changed and was never able to return – this was *so* hard and as i collapsed and drifted for so long. So many times, just when i needed it most, one of you wonderful beings would appear with a helping hand, a kind word, a check in, a rescue I’ve forgotten a lot of things but not those #realtalk.

Now this wonderful video creates something far better than “closure”, rather helps me open this wonderful new reinvention of life. Truly thrilled and so completely surprised to see face after beautiful face (my goodness you are all so fabulously good looking!) – hearing your sincere words is something i will treasure this week and forever. This goes in the vault and in my heart.

Please accept my fondest thanks for letting me part of your lives and i hope to be a worthy friend until we are all olden and grey. Oh also, was so cool to see everyone spread all over the world on various career (is that what you call them?) and adventures. Of course, please make sure i have current postal address so i can send you random cards and treats and make sure i introduce myself to your kiddos (where applicable).

Fondly, daveo