Passion in Politics

History is being made as I write this message. Barack Obama is about to make his acceptance speech at the Democratic convention. The first African-American to ever be selected to lead his party into a U.S. presidential election. It's a key moment for the United States.

As I watch the packed stadium and all of the excitement, I can't help but be a little jealous. Oh, I'm not jealous of Obama. I'm thrilled to see him leading the Democrats. I'm jealous of the passion I see in that stadium. People are involved. People are excited. People are hopeful.

To my American friends, I'm standing on the outside looking in. From the perspective of a non-American, Obama is the best hope for the U.S. As a Canadian, I can't imagine such passion ever being elicited by any of our federal leaders.

Admit it my fellow Canadians. Can you see anyone dancing and cheering for a speech by Stephen Harper? Or Stephane Dion? Or Jack Layton? Or Elizabeth May? No way, no how! If U.S. voters do the right thing and elect the Democrats, there will be positive change for not only their own country, but for the world. I don't know if the majority of Americans understand that.

Here in the Great White North, is there even a chance to vote for real change? Conservatives or Liberals; what's the real difference once they're in power? Very little seems to differentiate the two. Although, I must admit, I'd rather support Dion than Harper. The Conservative stance against things like gay rights and abortion scare me. Those are personal issues that a government should leave alone.

And I like the importance Dion places on the environment. But I don't think that's enough to really win me over to spark the passion I'm seeing in Denver this evening.

For real change in Canada, there needs to be a massive paradigm shift away from the two leading parties. I make no bones about my choice. I voted Green in the last federal election and I will do so again. Elizabeth May may not be the most dynamic individual, but when she speaks of her concerns for society, for our well-being, for the future and for the environment there is a sincerity that I do not see in the other leaders.

May honestly believes what her party stands for. It may not be enough to rev up my political passions, but it's the kind of honesty and outlook I can appreciate and support. I'm going Green for the federal election. If you're undecided on a party to support, or if you'd to see a change in Ottawa, I urge you to consider being radical and vote for the Green Party.

Perhaps it can be our opportunity to make history as the Democrats make history in the U.S. this evening.

No Gold in my sights

It didn't take me long to scratch Gold's Gym from my list of fitness centres worth considering.

Last week I was discussing personal goals with a life coach who is helping me sort some things out. One goal is that always popular "shed a few pounds."

Sidebar: Please note the language here. I'm not out to lose weight, but to shed pounds. The difference? It's mental. Think about it. If you lose something what does your subconscious start to do? It starts thinking about ways to find what you've lost. So, do you want to lose weight, or shed pounds?

I'm working at creating a vision board to help develop my focus on the future. That's when the gym issue came in. One of my activities this week is to locate a gym I can join to work on the physical aspect of my self-improvement project. So, on Saturday I popped into Gold's Gym in Lethbridge.

I'd been here a couple of times before and I don't really know why I want again. Don't get me wrong. I hadn't been here to work out. Once I had to pick someone up and once I had to drop something off. This time I wanted a closer look at things. So I walked in through the front doors.

It's a bit of walk from the entrance to the front desk. I went about 15-20 paces in, stopped, turned around and said to Lynda; "Forget it. This isn't the place for me." And we left. I didn't event make it to the front desk. Why not? That's easy.

Blaring music pounding into my head. Music that would have me hitting the 'seek' button on the car radio if it ever showed up on a station I listen to. Perhaps I should qualify this by saying I'm 51. I have no interest in rap (not really music, anyway) or hip-hop. Especially at volumes that could puncture the inner ear if exposure times lasted the duration of a workout. Even with my iPod playing, it wouldn't drown out this racket.

So it was out the door, back to the car and scratch Gold's Gym from my list.

Honestly, where do baby boomers go for fitness? I don't think Gold's Gym is alone in this approach. I have a feeling I'll find similar environments in more fitness centres in town. I sure wish someone would create a small facility catering to those 40+ only. Ideally, something like a circuit training similar to Curves . . . only something that allowed men.

Hey, here's a radical thought . . . maybe something that was for men only. It almost seems like there is a gym for women only on every other block in town. I can respect that. Women don't necessarily want to be somewhere that can have guys checking them out. Guess what, though? There are likely more than a few guys who would prefer not to have to show off the old pot belly in front of a bunch of women.

So the search goes on. I'll likely check out the YMCA. I hear it's fun to stay there and that you can hang out with all of the boys.

Walking in Lethbridge

One of my goals is to shed some weight and start to live a healthier lifestyle. I must admit I haven't actively pursued this goal, but I'm feeling motivated now to do so. Why? I don't know why. But it's a good thing.

A couple of weeks ago I picked up some good running shoes and a pedometer at my in-laws' shop in Calgary the Tech Shop at 2415 - 4th ST SW. If you're in the area and looking for quality gear, check it out. Say hello to my nephew, Nolan, if he's there. The shoes are good for my feet. Sorry, I'm not going to tell you the brand or model. Shoes are different for different people. What might be right for you may not be right for some. (Isn't that from a sit-com theme song?) Go see Nolan. He'll look at your feet, how you walk, your current shoes, check to see what you need them for, then set you up with some options to consider.

As for me, I'm finally starting to put them to use. To loose weight, I'm watching my diet and starting to walk more. I have a goal to use my pedometer to track the number of steps I take each day. My goal is 10,000. To a runner or serious walker, that may not sound like much, but if you're just starting out, it's a good goal. Right now I'm at 10,665 steps, thanks to two good walks with my dog, Max today.

I'm also going to be adding a clinically proven product to my regime. Double-blind trials conducted at the University of Connecticut show that when used following the same diet and exercise plan as control subject using a placebo, this product helped people lose up to 90% more fat. And that's really nice.

So I'll let you know how things develop.

Ciao for now.

Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again

The title certainly seems appropriate right now. Here in Lethbridge, Alberta, the rain is pounding down right now. There's a little bit of thunder and lightning, too, but not enough to make it interesting. Let's face it, if you're going to have a storm, you might as well have a good one. Not damaging, but with some noise and light.

Here I am, a baby boomer at 50, and I still love a good thunder storm. I don't know why, but if I go to bed to the sound of rain and thunder, I'm out in a flash and sleeping a deep and restful sleep. Perhaps a psychiatrist would say Mom's tummy must have rumbled a lot when I was in the womb. I don't know about that but it sure is relaxing.

I'm waiting for a web conference to start so I thought I'd take a moment to write a quick post. I'm likely writing for myself as I suspect there aren't very many people reading the blog just now. But that's OK. Readership will grow.

Not many people in southern Alberta share my appreciation for the rain. Oh, the farmers will be happy for awhile . . . unless we get too much. But that's not the kind of appreciation I'm thinking about. Most people here love the sunshine and Lethbridge does get a lot of it. I like the sun, too, but there's something about an overcast or even rainy day that is special. Maybe that's one reason I'm attracted to the West (Wet) Coast in Canada. I do have a friend at work who seems to share my appreciation. Others just think we're weird.

Like rain, there are so many things we must face in life that people do not appreciate. Thinking about the people I know, this can include certain forms of animal life, everything from spiders to birds. It can focus on weather, work, the past, present and future. So many things that can bother us. One of the biggies is other people. I know because I speak from experience. Following my stress leave and what I like to call my spiritual reawakening, I have come to believe that I need to appreciate things more.

My spiritual beliefs are centred on the teachings of Unity Church. If you want to know more about that side of my life, please check out some earlier posts. But my understanding and acceptance of God is very much in line with Unity and some other New Thought teachings. Boiled down to its essence, I guess you could say I do not believe God is separate from us. God is not an individual spiritual being who lives in the clouds and waits for the End of Days to judge us and determine our eternal fate.

God is one with the universe and we are one with God. The spark of divine is found within every person and the earth itself. I find wonder in this belief. And through that wonder, a growing appreciation of all things. Oh, I'm not a saint. Hardly. I get frustrated by people. Let a mosquito land on me and it's dead. Lots of things still vex my spirit.

But I'm growing.

Appreciation for all things continues to blossom within. A deep, cleansing breath and silent meditation goes a long way to strengthening that appreciation. But please don't think less of me if I allow myself to get angry or upset. I am a spiritual being experiencing a physical life. It takes some getting used to.

So do overcast skies and rainy days. But they're worth it.

The Long Way Home

Six months.

It's been six months since I wrote for this blog. That's awful. But that's also life.

Those of you who are close friends know that half of that time was spent away from work. Yes, I took a three-month stress leave. I never thought I'd be someone who would need to do that, but when extremely negative thoughts about self start to become the order of the day and a counsellor and doctor both tell you your health is at risk if you don't take a break . . . you take a break!

So there were three months when I was essentially incommunicado. I saw my doctor. I saw my counsellor. Occasionally I met with friends for coffee or lunch. Thank to those individuals. You'll never know how much you helped by keeping me grounded and challenging me to think about life. During this time I also met someone who has had a great impact on my life. Pat Varley is a retired nurse, spiritual director and wonderful human being. Her role in helping me get back on my feet cannot be understated.

During the past six months, I've gone through some lows and some highs. Right now, I'm feeling more positive about life than I have for a long time. I've started feeding my spirit again, finding a home in Unity. There isn't a Unity fellowship in Lethbridge . . . yet. But I've made vital contacts online and in Calgary.

I have also examined what I'd really like to accomplish in life. My passion is really to help others see the potential life can hold for them. I guess having gone through some mental stuff myself, I want to follow a path that will allow me to step into the life journey of others and share some ideas and concepts that can help make a difference to them. Watch for that tendency to start showing up in this blog.

Oh, I haven't forgotten the intent to share the ups and downs of life. Heck, I just shared about a three-month stress leave. Mentally, I'm feeling great. Physically, I need to work at some things. I have shed a couple of pounds, but there are a lot more to go. I've purchased some great shoes for walking and a pedometer to provide some record of achievement . . . if I can figure out how to make it work!

But it's all good.