Moving II

It's the moving not the distance that is the trial

The psychology is touching forgotten memories

That hung on walls so long unlooked at.

It is finding all the lost and errant bits of life

Oft times replaced because of sure belief

A can openers loss was permanent

Now seeing so many I wonder at my belief system

Or the search functions I've employed poorly.

How lazy I've been so many years.

And whose clutter is this anyway.

When did I become a hoarder and collector.

What need I of this.

I could be moving a room away and the experience

Would be no different.

There are just more elevators and doors and vehicles

In this real world.

But in my mind the pain and shame and joy are

No different were I moving room to room.

Storage lockers are just places I can pay

For more procrastination with facing the

Inevitable reality that we arrive alone

And leave alone.

No baggage cars go to heaven that's for sure

But hell may be a different matter.

It may well be the place where all that matter

Goes without the soul.

I have a boat and truck and motorcycle that

Bear with me and my cat.

We need so little but have so much

And despite the excess feel even less.

I am going nowhere with gravity

While the spin is happening all about me

And I am careless as I cling to inanimate

In the whirl of animate.

I have to really ask where my treasure is

Even memories fade with time

And certainly these wood and steel sculptors

Once promised what titanium now does.

I am moving to a better place of mind

Lighter and freer with fewer distractions

And perhaps a sense of purpose

As arbitrary as that may be.

The Invention of Lying

Kirk called to say he was up for a Tuesday movie night. "Let's meet at Tinseltown." When I arrived he told me it was his birthday. I'm older by months. He told me he'd thought he was a year younger. "That's denial." he said. I wished him Happy Birthday, spoke fondly of how the year had been pretty good. I left out the World War III continuing to build in the Middle East, the fall of the Western Economy because of greed and theft and lies.

He told me he'd been living with a lovely woman for months. I told him I was really enjoying my motorcycle and had shot some grouse hunting. We ate Chinese food and caught up with each others lives between steamed veggies, ginger beef and sweet and sour pork.

The Invention of Lying was written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson. Kirk later said it was the kind of movie where you knew the writers had a great time writing it. It's an alternate reality town where everyone tells the truth about everything , whatever comes to mind. This continues until one person tells a lie and thereby begins to rise from the previous 'loser' category. It's a tribute to the story tellers of all time and pokes major fun at social conventions as well as sex and religion. To tell the truth I thought about sex with Jennifer Garner alot. But so did Ricky Gervais and Rob Lowe. In the end it was really a romantic comedy. The Pizza Hut boxes were priceless.

After, Kirk and I walked over the Starbucks where we bought Americanos and bitched about debt and taxes and then discussed God, enlightenment and the shape of 20 year old female asses compared to 30 year old female asses. This was directly as a consequence of distracting variables. Kirk hadn't read Dan Brown's latest book so I told him it was about the noetic sciences. We talked about sailing and coffee, India and the Caribbean. There was autumn in the air when we walked out side to where he'd parked his car. Shaking hands and hugging we parted again till the next time.

I was all set to drag my sorry ass home when I realized I'd left my tech bag (purse) in the show, rushed back worried to the Tinseltown Theatres; huffing and puffing told the staff I'd left my bag.

"A black bag," she asked. "Yes," I said. "What ID name would be in the bag? " "Hay," I said waiting anxiously. She returned with my bag , truck keys, Treo smart phone, Sony digital camera and money all there. Just a reminder of the honesty of the Tinseltown staff and a reminder of how many good things happen and how we so often dwell on the negatives. The Tinseltown Theatre staff really are great people! Wow!

I drove the Honda motorcycle home feeling pretty good. Seeing a great friend, watching a terrifically funny movie, seeing the goodness of human nature, enjoying the autumn air. Life is good. God is great!

Fat is a Family Affair

Judi Hollis book Fat is a Family Affair is a great book. The latest research shows that overeating is a compulsive disorder just like alcoholism with all the 'isms' of the disease without the alcohol. Overeater's Anonymous is the treatment of choice since compulsive disorders respond best to group therapies given the denial and the underlying lying that goes with the disease. Just as alcoholics have long been known for blaming and rationalizing and justifying their illness on 'stress' and "others", the obese 'stuff' their emotions and use food as a means of avoiding dealing with their resentments and fears.

Ironically 'church lady's' were often obese when it's now recognised that the disease of addiction is a 'spiritual disease'. The addict has difficulty living in the present where God resides but rather lives in the past with resentments or the future with the fears. Just as alcoholics 'went on the wagon' or 'changed their drinks' or 'their companions', so the compulsive over eaters do all of these behaviours especially loving the 'quick fix' diets and short term solutions not disimiliar to the 'detox units' which are only supposed to be the stepping stone to a new life of recovery not 'revolving door' solution. With food addiction its the feast and famine cycles.

The tragedy of the western world of first nations is that the members are more likely to die of the disease of abundance rather than the diseases of insufficiency. Cardiac disease, hypertension, hip diseases, sleep disorders, depressions and diabetes are just some of the illnesses that obesity can cause. Healthy families exercise and exercise has been shown to be equivalent to antidepressants in affecting the mood of individuals. Obese people in contrast not uncommonly have a 'people pleasing' exterior (smiling depressions) with underlying negativity.

Treating alcoholism I often encountered people who said they didn't want to go to AA because they talk of God. When I began treating obese people I encouraged them to go to the gym but they didn't want to go there. They don't talk about God at the gym but alcoholics would be happy to go to the liquor store even if they were to talk about God there. Obese people are always happy to go shopping especially in a supermarket whether they talk of God or not. The critical factors of Alcoholic Anonymous and Overeaters Anonymous is that it's here that the rubber meets the road. The key idea of a spiritual disease is that you recognise your 'anxiety as a measure of your personal distance from God and your lack of faith and trust at any given time but as well that anxiety is equally a measure of the human condition'. In putting one's faith and trust in God you look to the architect not the walls (food or drink) for the solution to the spiritual malady. The 'spiritual awakening' that occurs in AA and Overeater's Anonymous is the overcoming of the 'craving' for food or drink. But the Intervention movies show the extent of the harm that addiction causes and how many people are willing to come forward and help the individual who suffers yet blames others and their environment for their disease until one day they reach their 'bottom' when they finally accept responsibility for the 'solution' and are willing to go to any lengths to treat their disease of addiction, ie overcome their own distance from a loving God or their fellowship of recovery. As a great long recovered addict ever reminded me "I have a saying on my mirror, 'you're looking at the problem".

Increasingly the compulsive disorders are being seen for the damage they cause individuals and families with alcoholism, the substance abuse addictions of the chemical variety, food addictions and gambling addiction and sex addiction and shopping addiction, the latter being called the 'process addictions'.

All seem relatively harmless at first but they all tear families apart and cause great suffering for the individuals and for the community. Whereas the costs of addiction show up in police records and jails and hospitals the overeaters addiction costs are seen in hospital costs and what is not done.

Judi Hollis in her book has practical ideas such as don't eat while watching tv and eat but only eat and savour the food rather than be doing several things at once. The Mediterranean and Zone Diets have been those most associated with longevity and health so that a reasonable diet without the junk food is the mainstay of the long term approach.

An interesting study though showed that diets were secondary to exercise in terms of obesity. Indeed a lot of therapy for the addictions in general have been called "rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic."

In this study, marine volunteers agreed to be force fed while doing a few hours on the obstacle course a day. What came from the study is that with a certain level of exercise no amount of eating could cause weight gain. The body is like a black box, energy in and energy out. The trouble with our society is that we are 'sedentary'. When we 'exercise' enough the body becomes 'efficient' and eliminates any excess energy.

There are no obese people over 100. There are smokers and there are drinkers but there are no obese people. Indeed the lean live longest and contrary to popular belief, they're not mean. The fat are sick and sad and carrying the weight of two, hoarding out of fear ,they're like the 'happy drunk' who deep down isn't really happy at all.

Judi Hollis' book is a great beginning. Overeater's Anonymous offers a way out. Addiction is a disease of isolation and we are as sick as our secrets whereas recovery is a 'we' solution and begins with the first step 'we admitted our powerlessness (the compulsion).

The higher power of the spiritual program is someone other than oneself, 'where two or more are gathered, there too am I' or the 'group' of recovering persons. In recovery 'we are not alone'. Not only do we know God but God acts through other people and 'together we can where alone we couldn't."

Moving

Moving is like digging out one's entrails

To examine the last night's supper

Appreciating the meat and wondering at all the rice

Peas are pretty green but pellet like.

I am wasted by the effort of the past

Would torch the collected wealth and start again

Appreciating bulemia,

Feeling sick with the braille of memory,

Wondering who gave me this gift and why am I keeping it.

When ever will I read this erudite book that I carry

Move to move to move?

When will I sew this button on this jacket

That is too valuable to replace but I never use.

Like the out of dated disco clothes that I kept as costume,

My life fading to carnival as I admit to my gypsey self.

And technologies of memory without devices to

Support the various outdated platforms of a careless computer age.

Planned obsolescence beside hand written cards for birthdays

And names of loved ones now dead.

The present wisdom is to forget and move on.

But I'm not the svelte work out of gym craze

Instead get my exercise carrying bits of my life in boxes

Back and forth to a truck .

I will hold myself in the storage locker

A museum archive of self.

I hope it is over before my saniety loses touch with today

Trapped in the recesses of yesterday.

There is little I am taking on to my new place.

A wigwam in a new forest as I am a nomad now

Long ago leaving the attic and garage world

Of communities and neighbourhoods

Come at last to being lean and mean and light

With creches of supplies and stored treasures.

I'm moving on.

The Lost Symbol

http://www.danbrown.com/#/home Again I've read all of Dan Brown's books. The Lost Symbol is his latest and it's as good a romp as the Da Vinci Code truly was. Digital Fortress made me want to go to Cerne and now Lost Symbol has me wanting to return to Washington with a magnifiying glass and binoculars. Dan Brown is a modern day Michener with Tom Clancy's talent for thrillers thrown in. What's so much fun about reading him is all the learning that goes with it. Da Vinci Cole had a whole lot of arcane information about art and Lost Symbol tells us more about Washington DC than the government really would want you to know. Dan' Brown's Freemason gone wrong leaves bodies and body parts about the city Professor Langdon again must help the FBI find the answers not only to save the world from crisis but to save the life of his friend, the good and fine epitomy of freemasonry and the beautiful woman Noetic scientist. Rosicrucian lore, early Christianity, Kaballa, Gnosticism and the ancient mysteries are all interwoven into this fast paced race against time. Ben Franklin and Washington and Isaac Newton all have a part.

I finished it savouring every page and it was a twisting turning tsunami right to the end with a slap you up the side of the head never saw that coming finish of the Agathe Christie variety. Trouble is we now have to wait till Dan Brown writes his next book. That's the problem with writer's like Dan Brown's, William Gibson's, and Michael Creightons. They don't write enough. Too much good living and learning. The world has too few Shakespeare and Doysotovesky because writers are profligates and should be chained to desks with a reader holding a gun to their head their whole life. No doubt Brown is off learning something new and we've hardly digested his latest. How dare he!

For those who don't read the movie will be great too but it just won't have that literary punch that comes with reading the clues and having Wikipedia to check it out. Wow. I never knew that. Dan Brown's a genius and a great researcher. Mostly makes me want to study more. So much beneath the surface and yet it's all there in plain view. Thanks Dan. You gave me a whole lot of reading enjoyment once again.

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot Vancouver

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, written by Stephen Adly Guirgis,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Days_of_Judas_Iscariot was co produced by Pacific Theatre http://pacifictheatre.org/ Pound of Flesh and directed by Stephen Drover. It was an extraordinarily captivating presentation of powerful and passionate language and superb acting. Cutting to the meat and blood of Christian theology it asked the question why an all loving God appeared unforgiving of Judas Iscariot (Bob Frazer). The court room cast included the touching mother of Judas (Eria-Faye Forsyth), the chaste Mary Magdalene (Alexa Devine) , astute St. Mathew (Benjamin Miller) incomparable Santa Monica (Sarah Afful) , winsome Mother Teresa (Dawn Petten) , profound Pontius Pilate (Denis Simpson) and bumbling Butch (Ron Reed) . Lucifer |(Michael Kopsa) was very hot. Katherine Venour with depth and sensitivity played the defence attourney for Judas while Marcus Youssef played the hilarious prosecution. George Bush and Gordon Campbell got special mention along with Osama bin Laden. Sigmond Freud, played by Anthony Ingram was high drama. Kevin McNulty as the Judge was best with Satan. In fact, heaven, hell and purgatory were all represented but the verdict and sentence were mostly juried. In the end Camyar Chai played Jesus. God is great. God is merciful. Jesus lives.

The Rains Have Come Again

The Rains have come.

Clouds have taken the light.

Surreal streets before my motorcycle wheels,

Splashing sounds of passing cars,

Umbrellas hastening sidewalk people,

I watch for fallen leaf banana peels.

On the news they say that southern United States

Is looking for rain.

I've found it! I've found it!

It's here in British Columbia,

Rain forest to the Canadian nation.

But ours is not theirs though we wonder

How long before they take it,

Invading with fixed prices or bayonets,

Pipelining to some Texan warlord.

Right now I concentrate on braking carefully,

Knowing cars and trucks with drivers

Who can't drive dry, pose greater threat wet.

I could be dead today.

What care I, a peon, for silly politics above my pay grade,

When in the present I can join the rain forest

In praise and celebration of a bountiful creator.

Hallelulah, Hallelulah,

The rains have come again.