Life in the Moment

OK, as you can probably tell from the title, this is going to be one of those what does it all mean type posts, so be forewarned. Stop reading now if it's not your cup-o-tea. Still there??? Anyone...

 I was riding my bike yesterday. It was one of those sporadic warm summer days we get here as the season desperately tries to gain a foothold. I was thinking. I do some of my best thinking while riding. I used to write songs too. My son once suggested that if I ever released a cd it should be called "Songs from me Arse" as I was often sitting on me arse riding as the lyrics came to me...but I digress. Anyways, the thinking I was doing yesterday was not good thinking. It was about work and as I'm driving up water Street it hits me...It's a beautiful sunny day, I'm cruising on my motorcycle and here I am thinking about WORK!!! In that moment of realisation, a eureka moment I call those, it occurred to me I was missing a more important moment, indeed a bunch of them. I pushed work aside and took in the pleasure of that sensation of freedom that riding gives me.

I often talk about, think about, read about, claim to believe in, the importance of living each day as if it were your last and finding happiness where ever you can. However, as much as I do this talking, thinking, reading and believing, when the rubber hits the road, I often find myself caught up in the plans and worries that are part of the "big picture" Why? Hmmmm... Well the answer to that is probably several years of therapy and more time and space than this blog would allow. BUT in that one eureka moment yesterday, what I believed and what I actually did came together and it was pure freedom, peace and happiness. It set the tone for the rest of the afternoon and what a great ride I had

Now, I'd be a hypocrite if I claimed not to believe in big pictures. I do. It's important I think to have some semblance of a plan and seek to follow a path toward it. However, and this will sound cliche...that plan is the destination. Life is the journey. It's important to look out the window and enjoy the view along the way.

That moment on the bike spawned this post, but I think that moment stuck with me all the more so because of a couple of recent occurrences. One was out of the blue when a woman I'd known in high school, who was from my hometown, connected with me on FB. I hadn't spoken to  her in over 30 years. Her name is Verna and she has an awesome blog where she promotes many of the values I believe in. She actually does the life coach gig for a living.http://www.allwaysinspired.com/ I thought that was pretty cool and since I liked her FB page I get a stream of positive, inspirational quotes that serve to keep the whole notion of being happy on the front burner.

The second thing is I have begun promoting my annual Terry Fox motorcycle ride fundraiser, which I call 24 Marathons in 24 Hours. People like Terry Fox inspire me. To me he represented the best of what people can be. Making a positive difference in others' lives during the brief time we are here on the planet is something I believe in. I have dedicated nearly 30 years of my professional career to it. It has, however, taken me a long time to realise we don't all have to undertake huge initiatives and become famous national icons to make a difference. That wasn''t Terry Fox's plan. He just saw a need and decided someone should do something, so why not him? It is in that realisation that I come back to the moments. It is in seizing the moments when those moments present themselves,  it is enjoying the moments when life serves them up, that is how we find happiness and that is how we can make a difference. Little victories Bob Segar called them.

I used to get frustrated a lot because many people didn't seem to want to achieve the kind of change I felt needed to be made...to do what I saw as the right thing. Even five years ago, when I first started doing this ride, I figured I'd just send out a bunch of e-mails and people would naturally support a cause associated with Terry Fox. It doesn't quite work that way and it is in appreciating the moments that one learns to accept that not all difference making is going to be achieved in a giant fell swoop. Bob Dylan, who pretty much has a line for every occasion, once wrote: people don't do what they believe in, they just do what's convenient and then they repent ( Brownsville Girl--1986). That may seem cynical at first, but it really isn't. It's just reality. Most people do care, and given a choice most people want good things to happen, but not everyone is going to automatically jump on your bandwagon  because it's the right thing to do. If one is to avoid becoming cynical and also avoid going completely nuts, one must learn to accept this about people.It sure makes for a lot less frustration, let me tell ya! Appreciating the moments helps this acceptance. If you see them, if you seize them, if you enjoy them, the change you want, the happiness you seek, will come! Perhaps slowly, but...little victories said Mr. Segar, another fine purveyor of rock 'n roll quotes by the way.

So there ya go. No pics with this post. Just taking a moment to share a perspective...oh and to remind you that if you do want to be the change and support me in the 24 Marathons in 24 Hours, all ya have to do is click the link below: https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?registrationID=2467243&langPref=en-CA

 Until we connect again...here is an extra special treat; a song about moments. I wrote  this several years ago for a Remembrance Day assembly at my school. Be forewarned, this isn't "produced"   :o

 ...Until next time See You Out There!Ride On...