Day 196: what if

i was inspired at the sfc conference last night. because of the late-night castle adventure after the gig, there wasn't time to post up this addition so here it is as part of today. and tomorrow.

the sfc conference's stories about its organization and especially the rider's aid program made me feel a little guilty.

wait. stop reading. just follow the link for a second. i'll wait for you.

good.

to be honest, i feel that our group is here this winter for a reason and purpose. i think that's been well established already and i'm thankful for that. still, i'm here in a different country under unusual circumstances and trying to think of ways to support myself and survive in this new life.

i'm telling you this for a reason. a good reason. keep going.

i've mentioned it before. money. there's usually never enough. whether you're a millionaire with frozen cash or if you've got a raised paper cup and smelly hoodie on the sidewalk or a family or if you're some twenty year old kid who's in some random ski town in canada for a season because he fully believes that it's where he's meant to be, then maybe we'll never reach that imaginary benchmark we all have in our mind- the one that changes like the one that i had in my mind. even tonight my cousin, as he so skillfully does, asked a random question while chatting online. 'what would you specifically buy with $5,000 cash in hand if you had your immediate expenses paid?" i couldn't think of too much.

i think it would be awesome for me to commit to trying to support someone else this winter. this could be something with rider's aid or maybe i'm gonna look up what it take to sponsor a child. this is the most relevant time, i think, where life itself has become a huge reminder of selfishness and living simply and within means. being content. there was a conversation about a week ago with a friend where we were discussing the manner of trying to follow the ways of Jesus in a culture and life that's programmed so differently. usually its easiest to give when there's plenty to go around. it takes effort just to begin to be willing to interpret and find applicable ways to do this. i know that last sentence might sound unfounded and i might add some examples later, but i'm trying to take hold of this idea. this idea is starting to become real to me.

this is the bottom line.

there isn't going to be a better time. maybe you could get involved too.

Day 193

if you ever wanted to scrape the surfaces of other cultures, i have a bona fide, discounted solution for understanding australia, new zealand, and the united kingdom. and you don't even have to fly across water.

go to canada.

to be honest , canada, as lately as a couple years ago, hardly held more cognitive detail than a simply assumed tundra that was once really sick on the east coast. americans might not pay much attention up here but they know us.

commonwealth citizens get open work visas for canada and, for most, the canadian dollar is worth more than their home coin, so there's a huge number of australians and kiwis and english working here for seasons or sending converted money home or just up and moving here. the currency conversion is probably a big part of why its uncommon for americans to try to work here. still, the overall headache process might still have to do with a situation involving a salty tea party that provoked some war and a command involving the whites of the eyes.

apparently, most kiwi girls won't give you the time of day unless you have a solid path of conversation planned if an introduction is initiated by a guy. another one of the biggest ways that the southern hemisphere people function in comradeship is with their hassling personalities. meant in fun, the banter and tearing strips off one another affirms deep friendship. it's true. i see it. there's a ton more cultural differences but overall, it's just as likely to meet a canadian as it is southern hemisphere denizen up here.

there's much to be said about canadians too. guns and beer in public stores are never present and most people don't even lock their doors. hitchhiking is still hitchhiking, but i'd rather do it in british columbia than in the states. there was that one dude, though, that i thanked and kindly denied once i noticed a crossbow casually sitting across the passenger seat of his pickup truck.

i'm falling into a bad habit of watching documentaries at night and not forcing a move to bed until 5 am then resulting in a staring at the ceiling for another hour thinking of ideas that seem good at the time and then finally falling sleeping with a mental list of notes until noon when i roll into broad daylight with matted hair and recollection from a few hours before.