Stoicism and Endurance

This tall old brick chimney on corner of Clark and 2^nd in Vancouver is a personal landmark for me. I pass it daily on my way to and from work admiring its monolithic stature. It rises dramatically from an industrial landscape marking a nondescript corner and providing texture and pattern to an otherwise grey and unremarkable neighborhood. I like its age. It throws back to an old Vancouver when people built tall structures out of real brick and mortar. Its stoic sense of endurance gives me a sense of security.

The Unavoidable Nature of Work

Work is an unavoidable fact. There’s no escaping it.

There was a time in my life when having a real job just didn’t fit into my busy schedule. Those creative (though hungry) times stretched through my twenties until the long spans between meals became too uncomfortable.

Luckily for the most part I enjoy what I do. There is simplicity in cutting large pieces of wood into smaller pieces of wood and then reassembling them back into larger pieces of wood. Those are the fundamentals of what I do and I’ve gotten quite good at it over the years. I eat at fairly regular intervals these days and my biggest problem lately seems to be too much work. I returned from my month of traveling a couple of weeks ago and I literally haven’t had a full day off since. Financially this is exactly what I need but I know if I can’t keep it up physically, emotionally, or spiritually for very long. I’ve been down this road before and it always ends with me exhausted and making dumb mistakes or shooting a pin through my finger and bleeding on my work. I’m trying to avoid all that…

Here's Patrick at his job. Standing at attention behind the front desk of the Waldof Hotel.

Easy Keepers

Usually I reserve this blog for my own self promotion but I'm making an exception today to highlight a toy that has been developed by an exceptionally talented friend of mine, Janet Street. These bipedal equine figures are made of natural resin, food grade silicone, natural pigments, and wool. They are completely nontoxic and made of safe sustainable materials. There is no other toy on the market that can claim this. On top of that they are beautifully designed!

I recently had the pleasure of staying with Janet and her husband Dennis in Western Massachusetts as they were preparing for the launch on Kickstarter. I got to see Janet's workshop first hand, see the molds, and hear about the process that has been years in development. I can't say enough about how important and ingenious this is!

Check out their Kickstarter page for more information and watch the stop animation video Janet and Dennis put together. They did it on their iPhones!! Very Very Cool--

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1198284315/easy-keepers

Waldorf Travel Diaries--Still

I woke up this morning in a hotel room feeling a little jetlagged. I was “home”—I got in late last night after my 3 week multi-city cross continent excursion. I put my room back together. It had been used as part of the Waldorf Hotel’s Halloween festivities (as one of the haunted hotel rooms) and needed a little rebuilding. Creating my tiny space again so I have a place to be still.

I’m good at traveling. I travel light and I’m good at waiting in airports, bus and train stations.  I like talking to strangers. I’m adept at crossing borders. I’m not a picky eater. I can sleep almost anywhere and I pick up languages quickly. It’s being still that requires effort. Living in a hotel allows me the illusion of movement—lets me feel like I’m in transit even when I am in fact motionless. It provides a basis of balance.

I probably won’t live at “The Funnest Place on Earth” forever but for now it seems perfect—now I have build things and make some money!