Category: Buddhism & Philosophy

There Is No Mold…

We often hear sayings like, “They sure broke the mold with this one…” It usually refers to someone who operates or behaves outside the norm or the typical social paradigm. But what’s interesting is that this can skid apply quite often to martial arts students. One of the most interesting things about training in a karate dojo is watching the progression and growth of the other students around you. Most people never take advantage of this, solely focused on developing and training themselves. But much like observing the world around you, watching how other train and progress can provide important insight, not only on how to train better but to recognize the very important aspect that everyone learns, develops and absorbs knowledge in different ways. This becomes especially important if one is to ever become the teacher. Not many do, but the practice of observing others can also be important when it comes to sparring or practicing one’s skills on the mat.

It’s also important to remember the old saying about never judging a book by its cover. This can often be learned the hard way. I have a couple of examples. I used to train with a younger man, a boy when he started, really. He was headstrong, full of the ol’ proverbial piss & vinegar. Plenty of attitude and personality, he started out being a bit of a thorn in everyone’s side. During his first couple of months of training, I remember thinking he wouldn’t progress far. While it’s normal for a student to lack discipline when first coming to the dojo, this kid exemplified everything one should NOT do while in the dojo. Farting in class, flirting with the female students and making sarcastic comments at the worst of times, I had assumed he would wash out within his first year. When he didn’t, I was absolutely certain he would wash out during the second year. However, someone started to happen during that time. He got stronger. He got faster. He began learning the skills he was being taught and putting them positively into practice.

As his training continued, he grew to become the dojo’s most senior student (second only to his instructor and myself, on the occasions I visited their dojo), beginning to teach others and even take over class when the sensei was absent. Everything that emerged was indicative that this student would grow and flourish and rank up quickly. There were discussions on the possibility that he would become an instructor and potentially have a dojo of his own someday. This is often the pipe dream of most senseis, since the idea is that eventually the student would go on to teach in a dojo of their own. But that isn’t what happened in this instance. Instead, things came to a head when the students attitude and personality took him one step too far in the wrong direction. On an unfortunate night when the students attitude was training at our main dojo, he was part of a circuit training we were doing where one of the stations involved sparring with Sensei (my instructor, not his from his own dojo).

During an unfortunate session where he was sparring with Sensei, he started to get a little cheeky and sarcastic, choosing to cross boundaries with a man who could literally wipe the floor with anyone within the dojo. Sensei kept warning him to mind his tongue and focus on the sparring. The students response was to try and take a cheap shot and make a snarky comment in the same instance. Sensei had had enough. He delivered a very precise front kick to the gut, which sent the students attitude reeling back and tumbled to the floor. He left the dojo, citing he couldn’t breathe. His own instructor, they had attended class with everyone that night, commented later that he had the breath knocked out of him and didn’t plan on coming back. What was sad to see, was that this student had a lot of promise, had progressed quite well and was on the fast-track to testing for his next belt grading. Unfortunately, instead of recognizing the lesson and the important aspect involving dojo etiquette, he chose to let his pride get to him and walked away.

The student continued to train off and on for about another year after that but soon let go of karate completely. He came to regret it, years later, as we’ve discussed the past and our training. He often wishes he had stuck with it. The parties involved, to this day, still argue who may have been at fault and who should have been the bigger person. Regardless, karate isn’t a knitting circle. There’s etiquette and protocol involved and one needs to learn these aspects as part of their training. Not always easy for someone with a “colorful” personality. There have been times throughout the years that I’ve offered to train with him. But he’s declined. Now, the student who showed promise has become an inactive lump. This is an example of how the student who shows promise ends up going down an incorrect path and leaves the art. Now, for an example that demonstrates a bit of the opposite.

Another student, whom I had the pleasure of training with and watching grow, was not what one would call a shining star. A bit on the quiet side, carrying a bit of added weight, he was the personification of the kind of student you see at the beginning of a feel-good martial arts movie; where the quiet, harassed youth becomes proficient and brings it back against his antagonists. But over his first year, it was hard to imagine there would ever be anything around his waist but white. Sloppy and inefficient, he showed aspects that the student from the other story did not. He showed up, he was disciplined, he learned the dojo etiquette and had great respect for the skills being taught to him. What he lacked in skill, he made up for with discipline, commitment and clear desire to learn. Even through some of the harshest drills I had put him through and some of the roughest sparring he dealt with, he just kept coming back. Unfortunately, I had achieved black belt and moved on to my policing career and left the area before I could have a fulsome view o said progress.

It wouldn’t be until a couple of years later, while visiting family and friends back home, that I would join a larger class and did a double take as a I realized that the student was wearing a green belt! Given my previous perceptions, I was pleasantly surprised, as much so as I was once I trained that night and saw his determination, increase in skills and discipline within the dojo. I was impressed with his growth and his ability to deliver the techniques that not so long prior, I had felt he may never master. It was humbling and impressive, all wrapped up in the student still being somewhat soft spoken and quiet. A perfect combination. Another three or four years down the road and I was further taken aback when I visited and saw a brown belt wrapped around his waist. To say I was proud and impressed is the least I could comment. The distinct irony with these two stories, is that the proficient student from the first story who quit, helped teach and coach the shy, timid student that didn’t seem to have the drive. And yet, the first one walked away while the second one stuck it out and progressed.

The lesson here, is simply what I noted at the start of the second paragraph. One should never judge a book by its cover. The same can be said of people. Did I imagine the first student would grow and progress to become a black belt and subsequently an instructor? Absolutely. Did that happen? No, an unfortunate byproduct of many different spawned, challenges, etc. Did I assume the second student would progress? I’m ashamed to say that I judged quite harshly in the beginning and assumed he would become one of the many hundred who joined, trained for a time then moved on. But he proved me wrong and climbed the grading system. It’s unclear to me where he’s at today or whether he still trains. But he reached a point where he could conceivably keep training on his own. This is particularly important, since Sensei has closed his dojo. But as I mentioned before, one of the most interesting things about the dojo environment is that you can simply never tell. Every person is different, with their own paths ahead. Not everyone is meant to be karateka. And some whom you believe may not be suited will often surprise you. That’s why it is so important, as part of your dojo training, to observe. Watch. Learn from others. This is just one small piece of the million-piece puzzle that is karate. Good for thought… ☯️

Slow And Steady Isn’t JUST For The Race…

As one gets older and life carries on, one may begin to contemplate life, how it’s lived and how perspective changes over time. As a child, I wasn’t exactly what one might call energetic. Being afflicted with Type-1 Diabetes, which back then was referred to as “Juvenile Diabetes,” I was often lethargic and lacking in energy, mostly a byproduct of rampantly uncontrolled blood sugars. I’ve written about this before; I don’t begrudge my parents any damage that may have been done when I was a child. After all, I WAS a child and had minimal understanding of what had happened to me and it was the early 80’s in a small, rural Northern New Brunswick town with limited medical resources. I’m lucky I survived into adulthood. But that’s a story for another day. The point is, despite the lethargy and lack of energy, I was like most children and usually insisted on running, climbing and jumping on absolutely everything in my path. This was a sore point for my mother, with whom I spent extended time when my father was at work.

It irked her because of her concerns that I could injure myself. Unbeknownst to her, one of her most annoying (at the time) habits was irking me as well; her walking speed. Now, at the time, I simply couldn’t comprehend why my mother would always walk so damn slowly. It drove me nuts and I often tried to urge her along. This carried on well into my teens and into adulthood when I finally left home. In retrospect, I recognize that she was actually several years younger than I am now when I started to notice this trend, meaning that it couldn’t be attributed to old age. As I got older and started to raise this with her more as a conversation than a comment, her only response was, “I don’t have a reason to hurry or rush. So, why would I? This is the speed I walk. If you don’t like it, then don’t walk with me.” At the time, it seemed dismissive and ignorant. The perspective of a young teenager on the cusp of adulthood. But as I’ve grown to my current stage of this life, I recognize it as something more important.

Since I grew into adulthood and took control of my own health and wellbeing, I’ve been what many might refer to as a dynamo of energy. Every job, every karateh class and every workout I’ve ever done has been carried out with maximum effort, maximum speed and no time wasted. This habit carried on into my personal life, where chores, errands and getting things done involved hammering through them with no room or time to delay or move slowly. Certainly, my career in law enforcement has benefited from this perspective, since time and urgency can be very important elements of a police officer’s daily life. But in the past few years and since retiring from law enforcement, my views and perspectives have changed. And some of it happened without my even noticing it. It was quiet, sneaky and insidious, even. A perspective on daily life and one’s own mental health that I had never really come to appreciate or recognize before.

Some of this realization came from earlier this week when I travelled to a neighboring city for a work function. The hotel it was being held at was completely booked and I found myself staying at a different venue. For to parking availability, I found myself having to walk from the venue to my hotel. While this is no big deal, I found myself with some free time during the afternoon and decided to “dry run” the walk so that I could effectively time how long it would take me to get from one point to the other. This was so that I would risk being late for the event. I left point “A” and walked towards point “B” with the chronometer on my phone running to keep time. As I walked, I realized it was more of a casual saunter. I wasn’t rushing, I wasn’t hurrying, and I wasn’t just trying to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible. I was taking my time. I was walking casually. All in all, the walk took less than ten minutes at a leisurely pace, so I was in good shape. But this realization awoke… well, realization…

So much of modern life is rooted in rushing around, or what’s otherwise known as the “rat race.” This is a terrible way to live, considering this rat race is often one of the main contributors of stress, mental health issues and even physical ailments like high blood pressure and cardiac issues. While hurrying and carrying a sense of urgency can be important in some instances, finding the means to move casually and without rushing can help alleviate many of the things I named in this paragraph. It doesn’t mean I’ve grown slow, or age is catching up to me. I’ve simply begun to realize that setting the tone for oneself early on in the day can determine how one’s day will go over all. Slow and steady can allow oneself to remain calm, relaxed, maintain lower blood pressure and reduce stress. This is something I realized about two years ago when my morning routine was drastically changed.

About two years ago, I changed up how my morning routines have run. Prior to this change, I would wake to an early alarm, hit the ground running and could shit, shave and shower and be out the door tub under fifteen minutes. Looking back, I was actually proud of my ability to “launch” this effectively, first thing in the morning and more importantly, often without caffeine in my system yet. But I began to correct this process when I began to realize two very important details. One, this method of starting my day meant that I was stressed and harassed before even setting foot in my office. And two, I didn’t NEED to rush. I was in a position where I could actually take some time, first thing in the morning, to allow my mind to start absorbing the day and make my way to work calmly. The result has been getting to work much more relaxed and prepared to tackle the tasks of the day, as opposed to being a pent up ball of rage without even having started work yet

The point is, there is suffered in life. And with that suffering comes stress. At some point, we all come to realize that doing whatever we can with the tools we have available to reduce that stress goes a long way towards reducing our respective suffering. When it comes to my everyday life, I’ve come to realize that when I don’t need to rush, I SHOULDN’T rush. Will it be life changing? Probably not. Will it potentially revive some stress and help make me somewhat happier? Without a doubt. And in the end, that can make a great world of difference. Ask yourself, what is your slow walk? What can you do or what can you change, that will help you to reduce the stress in your life. And less stress means a happier, healthier life. And ultimately, that’s all one can truly hope for. Food for thought… ☯️

It’s Not All About Me, or A Review: The Incredibles (Possible Spoilers)

Film and mainstream television can be great at making you feel like you relate to what you see on the screen. For the most part, finding a way to make characters or situations relatable to the folks watching can be an effective way to increase/ensure viewership and can often spell the success of a series or film. None of this is quite as prominent as with the superhero mythos. Generally speaking, watching Superman or the Flash swoop in and save those who can’t save themselves or thwarting the bad guys gives people something to cling to, an ideology to aspire to, and can lead to changes within the viewers life. For myself, I’m a firm believer in simply enjoying the ride; not necessarily relating to any particular aspect but accepting that a film is just a film and enjoying it for what it is. But I can’t deny that there are often aspects of myself that I see in some of these films. And light knows my wife will often point out how some characters we see are reflective of my own beliefs or personality. That’s where “The Incredibles” comes in…

The Incredibles is an animated, Disney Pixar film that was released in 2004. I remember that at the time, I was a bit reluctant to give this film any time. Especially since Spider-man 2 also came out that year, which is something a little more my speed. But once I watched it, it resonated with me in a way that an animated movie normally wouldn’t. In summary, The Incredibles follows the life of Bob Parr, a man with superhero-level strength who fights crime as part of his daily life under the name “Mr. Incredible.” When society begins to turn against the “Supers,” Bob and his family are forced into hiding and living a quiet, “suburban” life. Bob is unhappy with this, realizing that he’s living a life he never planned on, doing something he doesn’t want to do. This resonated with me, considering that I was in a quasi-similar situation, where I used to fight crime and save lives. Eventually, when certain specific parties turned against me and my career was jeopardized, I stepped away and went into proverbial hiding; choosing a different job and career path that took me away from what I had previously felt I was born to do.

Eventually, Bob is contacted by unknown parties to solicit his help in defeating and capturing an experimental robot before it gets out to the public. Behind the scenes, the robots are being designed by an evil genius hellbent on revenge against Mr. Incredibles for being shunned by him when he was a kid looking to become a sidekick. The result is Mr. Incredible is brought back into action, along with his wife Helen Parr (Elastigirl) and their children, who antelopes powers as well. While campy and entertaining, the film provides a darker look at a man’s attempt to be strong enough to protect his family and acknowledging that no level of strength will make him strong enough to deal with their loss. I may be speaking strictly for myself but that’s something that most fathers and husbands that I now would feel and experience. In the end, Bob comes to realize that he’s stronger with his family than on his own and they team up to ultimately win the day and take out the bad guys, like any good superhero movie should.

I wanted to link a few stock photos for reference, for those of you reading who may not have seen the movie. But it stands to reason that there wouldn’t be any free, stock images for this film. The film stars Craig T. Nelson as the voice of Bob Parr, which is interesting because until that point, I had only seen him in the sitcom “Coach,” or as the dad in “Troop Beverly Hills” (Don’t judge, it was a good film). The film spoke to me in a number of areas. Fatherhood and settling down with a family, not getting to pursue your chosen career and how to consolidate one’s family life with work life, being the most prominent aspects. I usually find an aspect that I can connect to. For example, I’m streaming the American medical drama “House.” I find that Dr. House’s approach and general sarcasm often matches how I interact with people. I’ll notice little things like this in most shows I watch but in this case, The Incredibles touched on enough different points I could relate to, that it prompted this post.

This is the kind of singular I have when I’m sitting quietly and left to my own devices. Y’all get a review post about a film that came out twenty-two years ago, Man, time flies. The film also resulted in a sequel, with a third apparently on the way. But the original is definitely worth a watch and given all the different aspects the film covers. And it’s fun. That’s kind of an important part. I’m still of the belief that a film is just a film and should usually be enjoyed for what it is; something created for entertainment purposes. But once in a while, some aspects or scenarios will touch your subconscious, and bring focus to aspects of your own life that you may have slowly forgotten. This is how one connects to film, how one relates, and how people end up watching in the first place. As you may have guessed, there’s no deep, philosophical point to today’s post. It’s just food for thought in an otherwise hungry society. Do with it what you will (and watch the movie)! ☯️

Letting The Hate Flow Through You…

Okay, maybe “hate” is a bit of s strong word but I couldn’t help to have a small play on words from Star Wars. But the focus of today’s post is negative emotion, more specifically, anger. We all get angry sometimes. The best example of anger in action is in toddlers. Think about it, when a toddler doesn’t get what they want or can’t vocalize what they need, they tend to let their internal anger grow and bubble up to the surface. As adults, we tend to identify these emotional outbursts as “tantrums” and usually do our best to stop them from occurring. Sometimes, punitive discipline, such as being relegated to one’s room or having a favorite toy away, is used as a means of not only stopping these angry outbursts but to also prevent future outbursts from happening. But is that the right approach? Just to be clear, folks, this post isn’t an attempt at telling folks how they should parent their child. In fact, with the exception of this particular example, the post will be about anger in general and not focused on children. It’s just an extremely good example.

I need to confess that I’ve probably re-written this post about three times, followed by deleting the content and starting from scratch. Why? Because anger, and really, most emotion in general, has always been a bit of a difficult concept to me. As a child, I was usually timid, withdrawn and never really displayed huge outbursts of visible emotion. During my formative years, I was what most Trekkies would consider to be a proverbial Vulcan, perhaps experiencing the emotions inside but keeping them internalized so that all you see is the creepy, unsettling calm of a young child showing you nothing that you could gauge. As I got older, I was victim of bullying all throughout my school career. While this has a measurable effect on anyone it would happen to, for me, it had the effect of encouraging my martial arts training and to begin using some of my emotion as a valuable tool for growth. Some of the after effects surrounding anger didn’t work out for me so well. By the time I had graduated high school and made my way through college, anger started to become a very real part of my reality. And I externalized it likely far more than I probably should have.

It wouldn’t be until I reached the young stage of adulthood that I would begin to embrace martial arts, not only as a fighting art and means of self-defense, but as a focusing tool to allow me to channel and move my anger in a constructive way, instead of constantly losing my shit over the smallest things. Soon after, I began studying Zen Buddhist concepts, immersing myself in meditation, breathing exercises and finding ways to center myself. You would be amazed at how simple, deep-breathing exercises and clearing one’s mind can help focus and eliminate the anger in your heart. But the combination of both the martial arts and Buddhist concepts have allowed me to work through the past couple of decades in rather stressful and dangerous circles, all the while keeping my cool and controlling my anger. It doesn’t mean I don’t experience that anger; I’ve simply found a way to channel it. I often quip that I’m not calm because I study Buddhism; I study Buddhism to ensure I maintain that calm. To the average person, there likely doesn’t appear to be a difference. To the one working through, the difference is palpable.

So, what is anger? hell, what is emotion in general? Well, on the not-so-physical front, there’s a reason why people refer to emotions as “feelings.” Because it’s something you often end up feeling. Or your emotion elicits some physiological reaction in the body. If you’re sad, you’ll begin to weep. If you’re attracted to someone and begin to develop amorous feelings, your pulse and heart rate increases, you may sweat a bit and if this happens when you’re unfortunately in your teenage years, you may experience some embarrassing visible effects, which usually happen to you right around the time the teacher calls you up to the board to solve a math problem. Such is life. But because of this, and the physiological reaction they cause, most people throughout the ages have believed that emotion comes from the heart. My 11-year old son wisely commented to his mother recently that according to him, the heart only pumps blood. It doesn’t house feelings such as love. Smart kid. I may get to retire early yet…

So, where do emotions like anger actually come from, if not the actual heart? Well, that’s a complicated question and bearing in mind that I’m not a doctor, proceed at your own risk and take what I’m writing with grain of salt. For the most part, emotion stems from a number of systems within the body working together. Starting with the amygdala, which processes everything and tells your brain what emotion you should be feeling, this is coupled with the systems in the body that release key hormones and cause the physiological responses one feels. Then, your body generally pairs that with memory to connect the feeling with the thought, which elicits whatever response you may have. Some of that is primal and genetic and can’t be avoided, such as freezing in place when one hears a hissing snake. Evolution has given us certain genetic memories of when we should feel fear. There’s a whole mess of other moving parts mixed in there but as I said, I’m not a doctor and I certainly don’t understand some of it.

I found an interesting article in Psychology Today, which was posted in September of 2024, that says “(Charles) Darwin assumed a universality of emotional expressions – that they are expressed the same way across cultures and many species. He proposed that emotions are evolutionary adaptations that have helped humans and animals survive and reproduce, and argued that certain emotional expressions are linked to particular physiological responses and behaviors. Influenced by Darwin’s assumptions about emotional expression, in the second half of the twentieth century a theory developed that postulated that there are several basic hardwired emotions arising from deep, ancient, subcortical parts of the brain and that these basic emotions are universally expressed by all humans and shared by many animal species.”

Some of this makes a lot of sense. After all, people across the world who speak different languages and live in different cultures all feel the same happiness, the same anger, the same sadness… Emotion is almost a universal language. This is why people know what a smile is, even from infancy, and use it to express happiness. But some of Darwin’s thoughts focus on the fact that emotions are hard-wired as a result of evolution. If you have ten minutes for a constructive read, click on the hyperlink above and work through the article. It has some great insights into different emotional models. I’m slowly working my way off topic here and going down a bit of a rabbit hole, since my initial intention had been to discuss anger. But it’s difficult to look at a singular emotion without recognizing some o the generalized processes that occur in all of them. So here we are. And we should get back on topic. Before I get angry. You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry… (see what I did there).

This raises the very basic question of, is anger a bad thing? The easy, high-level answer is no. All emotion one feels is not only perfectly normal and part of who you are as a human being, but experiencing them and expressing them is not only healthy, it’s necessary. The key point is HOW you express them. That’s what can make the difference between acknowledging that the asshole in the next lane didn’t MEAN to cut you off and you should get on with your day, or following them aggressively, while honking your horn and nearly causing a collision, just so they can see you flip them off at the next red light. And no, I’m not necessarily speaking from experience. But I have had a lot of experience. And I’ve existed in various states of anger and how I’ve dealt with it. In my teens and early 20’s, I didn’t experience or feel much anger. I’m always reminded of a time when I was out to coffee with a friend. He had always had a bit of an anger issue, and we were sitting at a corner table that had windows around it. Three youngsters stood outside one of these windows and began smoking. They were laughing and occasionally looking inside at us. My friend felt they were laughing at us and felt it was his obligation to step outside and teach them respect. I felt nothing.

Not feeling anger is not necessarily a good thing. In certain circumstances, it can signal that a person is suppressing or repressing them, perhaps as a result of an earlier trauma in life or because you were raised to believe anger was bad and would be punished. That being said, those feelings often surface as something else, such as anxiety or depression. During my younger years, I never looked at myself deeply enough to understand any of that but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized the importance of anger. Most people don’t take the opportunity to realize that anger can signal some very important things, like knowing that a personal boundary or belief has been crossed, that something is unfair to you or requires you to step up, emotionally. Anger is also important to help one with self-reflection; looking deep within themselves to potentially understand the source of this anger and why it was triggered. Last but not least, anger can be an incredible motivator. I’ve channeled my anger into workouts, karate sessions and as a tool to properly assert myself and re-examine situations I find myself in.

So, in closing, the important key aspect to note is to acknowledge that anger isn’t inherently a bad thing. Like most emotions on the spectrum, it’s how you process and deal with it that will make the difference. If you allow your anger to control you and drive your decisions, you can find yourself in compromising and even dangerous situations before you know it. But if you can learn to understand your anger and channel it appropriately, it can serve as an important tool that not only teaches you a few things along the way but can also be a powerful motivator for the adversity of life. The important thing is to find what works for you. Meditation and karate has been absolute life changers for me. But that may not work for someone else. After all, we’re all different people. So, the next time you get a craving for your favorite salt & vinegar chips and some wretched bastard ahead of you grabs the last bag, don’t grab them and put them through a window in rage. Instead, stop, take a deep breath and look within yourself. Don’t try to suppress your anger. Simply channel it and learn from it. You’ll be all the better for it. Food for thought… ☯️

Proper Etiquette, Or False Entitlement?

It’s a clam, quiet Saturday morning. After waking up and getting dressed, you decide it might be nice to bring your child to a local coffee shop for a breakfast pastry of a muffin. You take the opportunity to avail yourself of your favorite breakfast sandwich and a dark roast coffee, intent on watching the world around you as your 6-year old enjoys a rare outing combined with a treat. You walk into the popular coffee chain and as one could expect, the place is what the kids would call “jumpin’.” Just about every table is occupied with at least one person. You begin to consider that maybe you’ll have to take your treats to go, when you spot one remaining table with no occupants. It happens to be a 5-seater with plush chairs and a round table. Your kid excitedly runs to the table and takes a seat. you take the one next to him. You settle in and begin to relax, letting the hot caffeine course through your system. Your kid does some people watching, and stares out the window at the sunny scenery of the world.

Just about then, a group of four loud, laughing individuals come walking in to the coffee shop. They appear to be happy in their entourage, smiling and seemingly enjoying their own company and environment. They order from the coffee shop staff with an almost intentional detachment., essentially ignoring the human beings serving them coffee outside of mumbling their drink order. As they receive their drinks, they scan the room for a place to sit. Their eyes fall on you and your child and they begin to walk over. You feel your sense of relaxation shatter and already know what’s coming. As they approach, the first one speaks, “Excuse me… Would mind freeing up the table? You and your kid are taking up the only space we can sit…” You casually remind this person that there are several 4-seater tables with only one occupant that they could ask, or wait until one of them departs but this is a rare weekend outing for you and your child and you won’t be moving until you’re both done. The group become indignant and begin raising their voices and making a scene, claiming you need to move for them and have no right to take up the space when they need it. You sigh heavily and look to your child, who watches you, wondering what your reaction will be…

It raises an important question, and one that you should ask yourself: What would you do in this situation? Would you cede your table to this loud, rude group? Or would you stand firm on the basis that as a paying customer, you have just as much right to the table, since you got there first? It’s a much more common occurrence than you might think. The world seems to have evolved to a place where people carry an undeserved sense of entitlement and expectations from others, instead of recognizing that the world does not revolve around them. They lack the understanding that respect, especially as it relates to strangers in the surrounding world, if very much earned from both sides. And the moment you step out of the door, the outside world owes you nothing. But people don’t seem to understand that. Modern society seems to think they can simply demand and expect, and the world will kowtow to their demands.

I’ve seen this in dozens of stories and posts where people expect others to give up certain seats on airline flights and pitch a fit when the occupants don’t comply. It’s right up there, with expressions like “the customer is always right” and “do you know who I am?” It can make it difficult to navigate the world unmolested or without being harassed, or even enjoy the word, as it sits. The scenario in the coffee shop is just one of many things that society throws at the reasonable people when all they’re trying to do is relax and enjoy their environment. Those entitled people don’t acknowledge the world around them and when they do, they only do so when they need something from them. It reminds me of a situation I ran into at the grocery store a short time ago. I was walking through the grocery store, picking up a couple of items before going home.

As I was making my way through the far back corner of the supermarket to start heading towards the front, a lady was walking along, idly thumbing on her cell phone. She appeared to have what I assumed were two sons with her; one about six or seven years old and one in his late teens. The teen son was pushing the cart. The first problem came as the lady casually cut in front of me to walk past, nearly colliding with me. I cleared my throat but she never noticed. Then, in a display of oblivious ignorance, the older son parked his cart diagonally across the aisle, effectively blocking anyone’s ability to walk through. Then, he sat there, waiting for his mother who had gone down the adjacent aisle. I coughed once. He didn’t move. Then, I said, “Excuse me?” The boy turned and saw me and said, “Oh, my bad, man…” and stepped away from the cart.

I felt my patience waning as I saw the scene play out and considered that I may be on film, perhaps for some reality show, that I wasn’t aware of. After all, how can rational people be that oblivious, right? I said, “Could you move your cart? You’re blocking the aisle, no one can get through.” The boy grabbed the cart and pulled it away. I barely got ten felt away when I was approached from behind by the mother, who had now hung up her phone and was acting as though I had just punched a puppy. Her puppy. “How dare you speak to my son that way…?” I almost laughed at her anger. I hadn’t raised my voice, I hadn’t been rude and all I did was ask him to move his cart so that people, myself included, could get through. Despite explaining this to her, she was acting like I had kicked her kid into the gutter and spat on him. She was indignant at the fact that I had the audacity to speak up or try to get by. This is also a common occurrence that I often see within the world.

Folks, life is short. Your time on this world is fleeting. And light knows that there’s enough suffering in the world. It’s important to remember not to intentionally cause more. The world owes you nothing. And the important thing is the energy you put out into the world is what will eventually come back to you. So, if all you do is live with an inflated sense of entitlement and you think the world owes you a living, you may be in for a rude awakening. No one owes you a damn thing. And respect is earned. So, if this is you, and you can relate to the scenarios outlined in this post, put your phone down, keep your eyes up and pay attention to the world around you. And focus on putting good out into the world. Important food for thought… ☯️

Let the Hate Flow Through You…

Okay, so it’s probably a bit odd that I’m quoting from the original Star Wars trilogy for a post that touches on something a bit more philosophical and important but in my defense, wisdom and knowledge can often arise from the most unlikely places. So, take for what it is. As someone who studies Buddhism (yes, I still do, despite the fewer posts on the topic) I recognize that the world has suffering. One of the most important precepts is to eliminate that suffering, in order to live a happier, more fruitful and satisfying life. This isn’t always an easy thing, especially in modern times. The type and frequency of the world’s stressors only seems to be increasing. It can make things difficult to navigate, especially when one succumbs to one of the most difficult to navigate emotions; anger.

Anger is insidious. And it tends to creep in at the most unexpected times for the most ridiculous reasons. red light not turning to green quickly enough? Anger. Boss adds another project on your plate during your days off? Anger. Your kids eat the last of your Skittles right before you need them to treat a low? Anger. Accidentally stub your toe on the corner of a wall that’s always been there and is absolutely on one’s fault but your own? Inappropriate levels of rage and anger… It seems to strike more than the average person cares to think about and the issue with that, is that anger eventually does cause physical and psychological damage, over time. On the physical side, constant anger will lead to health issues like increased blood pressure, cardiac issues, stomach ulcers. On the psychological side, poor thoughts, depression, lack of motivation, to name a few. And let’s not forget that nasty vices one may undertake in order to forget or forego one’s anger. Or realistically, we think we do it to “relax.” In reality, we try to stem our angry emotions.

Without a proper outlet, anger can lead to a number of negative results in one’s life, outside of the direct effects on oneself. Someone who is constantly angry may be perceived as difficult or unpleasant to be around. Anger in the workplace can lead to damaged working relationships, perceived poor performance and if you happen to be in a position of authority, extremely poor perception by your staff. At home and in your personal life, a near-constant state of anger can damage relationships, create a toxic home environment and alienate the very people around you who could potentially help stem some of those angry thoughts. I’m making it sound like everyone is walking around like the hulk and it likely isn’t this bad for everyone, but the key is recognizing that anger. One may find themselves a bit surprised at how often this emotion seeps in without notice or warning.

Miyamoto Musashi, one of my favorite writers and author of “The Book of Five Rings,” a famous book on strategy, touched on anger in his book. While I won’t be quoting the book directly (you can find ebook versions of it through Kobo starting at $0.99), his thoughts veered more on the concept that one should recognize and acknowledge anger as it builds, as opposed to waiting and recognizing that one IS angry. Musashi wrote that loss of control over one’s anger, especially towards others, means that the other person has a control over you. If you allow anger to creep its way in during a given situation, it can also allow one’s potential adversaries to note your vulnerabilities, your weaknesses and allow them to take advantage of you or make you a potential target for those who mean to do you harm.

The trick to anger is to control it before it controls you. Some of it is as simple as starting by recognizing that most situations, if not all, are not worth getting angry about. Do you think that person who cut you off at the intersection has spent the rest of the morning contemplating how they cut you off? Of course not. They likely forgot you as soon as the sound from your car horn died down. Despite this, if they live rent free in your head for hours after the incident, this is a clear sign that you’re allowing anger to control the most minimal events of your life. This makes it an obstacle to peace as opposed to an elimination of suffering. And as I’ve often said before and I don’t know about y’all, but I have a strong dislike of suffering. I’m all about trying to find that peace.

Instead, when one begins to feel that anger bubbling up to the surface, it becomes important to find ways to harness and channel that energy into something productive or useful. By channeling and harnessing one’s anger, it can become an important tool for discipline, training and achieving one’s goals. It can be aimed for a positive purpose as opposed to exploding or erupting out of you like an uncontrollable tempest that threatens to damage you and/or those in your environment. By using it as a positive tool, you can also acknowledge that anger is normal. A perfectly normal and expected human emotion that everyone experiences. It isn’t about having that emotion that’s bad. It’s what you do with it. How you allow it to affect you.

If you find yourself in a position where anger is slowly starting to rise to the surface and you have no means of channeling or using it, there are ways to control it. Deep breathing exercises or meditation can be valuable tools in ensuring that your anger doesn’t bubble over into something negative. And will ultimately help in eliminating the suffering within your life. And at the end of the day, finding peace will not only help maintain your health and promote a happier, fuller life but will also allow that energy to be shared or passed on to others. As the old saying goes, don’t sweat the small stuff. Food for thought…☯️

To Learn Is To Teach…

It’s safe to say that I’ve walked through the doors of more dojos than I can count throughout the course of my martial arts journey. Some before I joined Uechi Ryu and some after. But none were upset as memorable as when I walked into my Sensei’s dojo for the first time. For the most part, I was a rude, snot-nosed kid who used sarcasm and attitude t mask my own personal trauma, usually caused by my Diabetes and the issues I had faced as a child. Although I hadn’t yet started karate, I was good friends with Sensei’s son, whom I grew up to recognize as a brother. On a particular night where I was visiting and my blood sugars were skyrocketing (as they usually were), I may or may not have commented about a grown man cleaning up dog urine, when I saw Sensei tidying up after the poodle my friend owned. He decided to introduce himself then, and also introduced me to my first pressure point, which cause my arm to flare with electric pain. Needless to say, I made no further comment.

Recognizing that it’s decades later, some people hear that story and think that it was cruel to do that to a kid. Modern day adults would assume that it would have been better for Sensei to contact my parents, have them give me a talk and be sensitive to what my feelings may have been at the time. Yeah… fuck that. That’s a HUGE part of what’s wrong with the world today. Everyone’s too involved with their feelings and being offended. But that isn’t what today’s post is about, so I’m going to try and stay on track here. The point is, this was the first step towards learning humility that I had experienced up to that point. As a result, I found myself seeking out the martial arts to help heal my body and spirit, as opposed to cowering in a corner. Imagine my surprise when I walked into the dojo for the first time and saw Sensei standing there, in all his black-belted glory, as the instructor of the class. I could have excused myself and stepped out. I could have walked away and sought my teachings elsewhere. Instead, that one brief moment of humility echoed in my mind and told me that this teacher could teach; and learn was exactly what I was there to do.

Decades ago and while testing for my first belt, I noticed a panel in Sensei’s home dojo, which was attached to his house back in New Brunswick. I’ve seen it in plenty of other places since then but I remember being fascinated by the words. It read:

“For every 10,000 people that join a martial arts school, half will drop out within the first six months
Of those remaining students, about 1,000 will complete 1 year of training then quit. 500 will study for two years but only 100 will see their 3-year anniversary
On average, only 10 will study to achieve black belt.
One shall go on to teach others what he has learned, for the martial arts is now part of their life and they shall go on to share this life with others.

This person is a Sensei.”

Although the words didn’t sink in for me as deeply as they were intended, I was fascinated nonetheless. As I progressed in my studies, I began teaching others. Basics at first, then more complicated techniques, forms and even teaching the occasional class when Sensei was absent or otherwise unavailable, which was pretty rare. I enjoyed it greatly and felt that teaching was as much a part of my overall growth and learning as my mainstream studies were. There came a time when one of Sensei’s students opened a dojo of her own. With at least one class that landed on a different night than ours, I took advantage of the added tranning time. Given that I was the eldest belt in that group, I was often looked to as the assistant instructor, often opening and closing the dojo in preparation for class, and often taking on class when the instructor had to work or was absent. Teaching became an ingrained part of my journey. I met and retained many of my close friends through teaching, including but not limited to my friend Ricky, who interviewed for one of my posts back in 2021. You can read his story here.

There’s a rewarding feeling that comes from teaching others. Sensei has always said that karate is a puzzle with a million pieces. As long as you step out of the dojo every day with one new piece, you’ll have learned something. Watching someone go from their first day in the dojo, barely keeping balance when they walk, to performing kata, sparring, and keeping up with the rest of the class, emerging from their cocoon and training to become heir best selves, carries a level of satisfaction that one can only get from teaching. But teaching is not everyone’s cup of tea. I learned this the hard way, when I agreed to take on Sensei’s children’s class as the lead instructor. I went into that first night with an electric sense of excitement in my soul. I had made it. I was a Sensei. The future of these children’s martial arts journey would be molded by my hand. I would have the opportunity to pass on the things I had learned, share my insights, provide my perspective on the lessons learned, the pitfalls, the positive and negative… Until I wasn’t.

Teaching children was a significantly different bag of tricks from what I had become used to. Prior to this, I never had someone in the dojo who was younger than a teenager. While teenagers come with their own baggage, it’s usually and reasonably safe to say that they’re there of their own volition and want to learn. The same can’t necessarily be said of children. Having them line up properly, stay in line and pay attention became 75% of my time during the hour I had them. By the time the adult students started filing in to attend the adult class, I was often emotionally drained and in no position to train myself. My intention to teach others was sapping my ability to train and develop my own skills. The big issue I faced as a Sensei was that when you train children, you need to make it engaging. You need to make it fun. You can’t spend a straight hour repeating the same form over and over like I had been taught. You can’t pound on them and forge their steel muscles through fire the way we were. It was an entirely different ball of wax, one I was neither prepared nor capable of taking on.

Less than a year after I had taken it on, I had to stop and recognize the toll that teaching was taking on me and I had to relinquish the kid’s dojo back to Sensei. For what was probably the first time since that initial step into the dojo decades earlier, I had given up on something. It was no doubt as disappointing to Sensei as it was to me. But it was in the best interest of not only myself, but the children I was trying to teach. I was skilled, I was capable and I could definitely impart those skills to others. But I lacked the proper tools and knowledge to pass it on to children. Although I knew I was doing the right thing, it felt like a failure. It struck a significant blow to my psyche that took a long time to get over. As a result, I never opened another dojo on my own again after that. A few short years later, I joined the RCMP and moved out west. It was a reasonably easy excuse that transferring every few years would make it unfair to students for me to open a dojo, only to close it 3 to 5 years later. But the truth was right there in the back of my mind; the failure of my first dojo was enough to prevent me from taking the chance again.

In retrospect, part of me feels that it wasn’t so much a failure as it was an important lesson for me to recognize the different facets of teaching that I need to recognize. If I were to open a dojo today, teaching kids would likely be less of an issue for me. After all, I teach my youngest son some karate when he joins me. But that’s one child, with all my attention on him. I still believe that one can never truly learn the martial arts to its full potential without eventually teaching. It is a natural progression in one’s skills that is in effect, inevitable. But the big piece is in how you approach it. As I mentioned earlier, teaching is not everyone’s cup of tea. But the beauty of karate is that a studious practitioner will always manage to teach something to others, even when one is not planning or expecting it. Therefore, there are no regrets. Food for thought…☯️

Here We Go Again, The Aftermath…

I mean, is it really the aftermath if I haven’t gotten home yet? I’m gonna say it is, because I have a couple of hours to kill and nothing to do. My travel from Campbellton to Moncton yesterday was pretty uneventful. I hit the city around 1:30-ish and since check in time at most hotels is 3 pm, I decided to kill some time by walking around Champlain Place, one of the largest malls in New Brunswick. I wandered for all of about forty minutes before I started getting bored. I would have loved to have grabbed a slice of pizza at the food court but the lines were very not Shawn-esque. I figured I would simply check in at the hotel then reassess as to where I could grab a small meal before my pre-flight slumber. Check in was a okay, despite there being only one person working the counter with several people waiting. One plus is that I’m apparently an IHG member, which I wasn’t aware of. I’m sure I would have been aware at the time when I got it but apparently I had forgotten.

The nice part about being an IHG Rewards member is I got a free room upgrade and treated to some complimentary waters and snacks. My name was written on a board at the entrance, welcoming me to the hotel. I mean, it was written with about a dozen other people so it’s not like I was singled out or anything. But it was still cool. I enjoy getting things just as much as the next person, but being upgraded to a king bed suite is something that would be nicer if I had my wife with me. I’m all alone; what do I need with a king sized bed instead of a queen? Once I ditched all my stuff in the room, I made my way to a gas station, conveniently in the same parking lot, and ensured my rental car’s tank was full. Then, and because I’m cheap, I hit up McDonald’s (also in the same parking lot). By 4 o’clock, I was in the room, in pajamas and watching Big Bang Theory on the big screen.

My alarm obediently pissed me off this morning at 3 am, which prompted me to hit the ground running and grab a shower, shave, ditch the toiletries and disposable extras I had purchased for the trip and make my way to the airport. Now, I’m seated here in a quasi-empty terminal waiting a bit more than an hour and a half for my flight to board. According to all indications, my flight is scheduled to be on time. This is good news, considering I received a rather disturbing email last night that Air Canada’s cabin crew union was planning job action today and several flights have already been canceled. One would think that potentially being grounded in one’s home province would be a pleasant surprise. But that’s the big issue, isn’t it? And something I realized the hard way during my time here… New Brunswick isn’t my home anymore. Saskatchewan is. That’s where my home, my family and my life are. New Brunswick has simply become the place I go to in order to visit my parents. And even that prospect is quickly slipping away.

The first leg of my trip sees me fly to Montreal; an approximate 40-minute flight. Then, I’ll have about an hour and a half’s layover in the Montreal Terminal. I usually prefer Toronto, since there are actual food options and snacks available. Montreal’s departure terminal is usually pretty bare and doesn’t have many options for anything to eat. Considering I left the hotel before the ass crack of dawn and the longest stretch from Montreal to Regina is about 4 hours, that’s a hell of a long time to go without food. Even WITH Ozempic stemming my appetite. Granted, It’s Friday morning and my injection is patiently waiting for me at home in Regina. I’m rather surprised that my hunger hasn’t already started to make a selfish appearance. That’s the beauty of stress from traveling, I guess. One way or another, I”ll survive. So long as both my flights are on time, I should get home just before lunch.

Considering I titled this post as an aftermath, here is where I take the time to reflect on my week in New Brunswick and what I did and didn’t accomplish. I didn’t manage to communicate with my father. He slept each time I popped in and the one time I tried to rouse him from sleep, it didn’t work. Staff are supposed to let him know I’ve been visiting over recent days. I saw my mother three times. In one instance, I was able to have an open conversation with her about non-specific or memory related matters. She was clam enough but distant and not engaged. My uncle had warned me that this was the state she was at. Seeing her limited to a wheelchair is likely what struck me hardest. Once a proud woman who prided herself on caring for others now had nothing left in her life but having strangers take care of her. I confirmed both parents’ funeral arrangements, because THAT’s what one wants to be doing during a vacation, and obtained the pertinent paperwork for my parents that should allow me to put through my information request for my father. In the months to come, I hope to get at least SOME explanation behind his paralysis. I never thought it would be so fuckin’ difficult simply knowing what had happened to a member of my family.

On the positive side, I got to spend some time with some old and important friends; the ones who are still in the area and have always been supportive and welcoming when I’ve come home. I got to sit and converse with Sensei, whom I consider to be not only a mentor but a second father. Speaking with him made me feel a bit better about things, albeit for only a brief time. I got the chance to see Guillaume who, even if we saw each other in May, was a pleasure to chat with and catch up. Our conversations are like taking a trip back to 1996; we still have the same personalities, attitudes and tone to our stories. I got to spend some time with Ricky and Sam, shares some meals and shoot some pool; something I never do in Regina, even if we have pool halls. And of course, I got to have a couple of sit downs with my uncle, without whom none of the care for my parents would be possible. All in all, there was some positive.

Now, as I sit here alone and contemplating, the realization has set in that this will likely be the last time i return to New Brunswick with the exception of funerals. It feels like the chapter has completely closed. I’d like to say I have a heavy heart or am saddened by the prospect but in reality, I’m rather numb and uncertain how to feel about it. I’m sure it’ll hit me sometime later, at the worst and most inconvenient time. But for now and since I still have an hour to wait for my first flight, I need to go find some caffeine. TSA made me leave my can of energy drink behind. Dictators. I totally get it but that shit is expensive. And a cold, carbonated beverage isn’t exactly something you can shotgun on the fly. Such is life. So this marks the end of this little travel series of posts. For any of you who may have been thinking “Fuck this shit! All this guy writes about is traveling and sad family crap…” Don’t away yet. We’ll be back to our regularly scheduled Buddhist karateka posts soon enough. Keep reading, friends… ☯️

Here We Go Again, Part 6…

Yesterday was actually a reasonably good day. As mentioned yesterday, I woke up, did some quick laundry, grabbed a brief lunch and then traveled to Bathurst to visit Sensei’s son, Guillaume. Instead of simply jumping on Highway 11 and taking the 1-hour rip to his place, I opted instead to use secondary Highway 134, or what we used to call the “Old Highway.” It added about half an hour to the transit time but the view was spectacular. The entire route is coastal, with open views of the Restigouche Bay opening up into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Some beautiful houses and old churches, schools and properties, it was almost a meditative drive of sorts, lending some peace to the stress I’ve felt all week. I reached Bathurst shortly after the lunch hour and made a couple of stops, used the restroom and grabbed a drink, then made my way to Middle River.

I have to admit, Guillaume has a pretty sweet setup. He built his own compound, including a main house, a smaller dormitory for his daughter, which is separate from the house, a large, industrial garage that houses tractors and industrial equipment used to maintain the property, and apartment for his two sons above the garage. He has a private road, bee hives, vegetable crops and absolutely no cell phone signal. He has his own maintained WiFi, but cell phones don’t work on his property. The entirety of the property is beautiful and impressive. In hindsight, I kind of wish I had photographed it, or even taken a video to post on my YouTube channel. I spent a couple of hours in good conversation and pleasant company. Just me, Guillaume and his three large but friendly dogs.

Once I left Bathurst, I drove back to Campbellton by way of the main highway. I made it back in under an hour. Now, I faced a choice… With nothing to do with my evening, I could either go catch a 7 pm movie at the local theatre or, given that I had only gotten about five or six hours’ sleep the night before, I could go grab a quick burger to eat in the room and crash early. I opted for the latter. I sat and munched away on my custom McChicken with cheese (don’t judge) and binge watched some Flash on Netflix until my eyes grew heavy. Then, I unceremoniously dumped myself into the bed and fell into a deep, air conditioned oblivion. Although not in any hurry and with an alarm set for 9 am, I awoke on my own around 6 am. Even when I’m on vacation, I can’t seem to sleep in. Such is life.

Since I was up, I started the caffeination process, including but not limited to grabbing a hot shower and throwing on some clothes. I packed up the room, where I had been laying my head since my late arrival Saturday evening, and made my way down to the front desk. I dropped off my key cards and jumped into my rental vehicle. Now, I”m enjoying a sausage & egg McMuffin and a water, the only meal I’ll likely consume until late tonight (thanks, Ozempic) before getting on the road for the long, 4-hour trek to Moncton, where I will spend the night before hopping the first of two flights that will bring me home tomorrow. I expect my evening will be pretty peaceful. Some gaming to work through my daily puzzles and crosswords and maybe a bit of streaming. I can’t wait to get home. It will be good to be back with my wife and sons. ☯️

Here We Go Again, Part 5…

Okay, so if I’m being real for a moment, these posts all week have been pretty negative and depressing. I get, no need to say it… It’s a bit hard not to be depressing when one is talking about the decline of one’s parents and all the unfortunate realities that come with it. So, considering I accomplished all the parent-related matters I came out here to do (to an extent), I thought it might be nice if I focused on some of the positive aspects. For one thing, I got to SEE my parents. If there’s one thing that been hard over the years, it’s been living clear on the other side of the country, away from them. I also got to spend time with Sensei, reconnect with my Uncle Danny, who has been amazing with helping with mom and dad, and even got the opportunity to grab dinner and shoot some pool with some old friends. I was rusty as hell, but hey! I never go out anymore so this was particular. And today, I actually get to travel down to Bathurst and visit Sensei’s son, whom I basically grew up with as a brother.

Among a few of the smaller, less important hiccups I’ve dealt with, is the lack of certain items. One of the reasons I was able to travel so quickly and efficiently (said tongue in cheek, considering all the delays outside my control) is because when I’m alone, I have the benefit of traveling extremely light and without excess baggage. This is not so easy to accomplish when you know you’ll be at your destination for several days. So, how do I do it? Well, to start with, I have a black, military rucksack with good compartment division that allows me to pack efficiently in such a way where I can fund anything on the fly without issue. Next, I make a point of packing ONLY what’s absolutely necessary without a bunch of extra shit that takes up space. I have a pair of sneakers on my feet. Boom! No need to drag additional footwear. I wasn’t planning on going dancing, after all. Three pairs of socks, three pairs of underwear and four shirts. I wore a zip-up hoodie when I left Regina and brought a super light, Under Armor windbreaker for rain or lighter weather.

The important thing and I always found it a bit dumb, but rolling up your clothing instead of folding it actually saves a huge amount of space and makes it possible to fit more into something smaller. Pair this with a small bathroom “pouch” and you’re off to the races. I call it a “pouch” as opposed to a toiletry bag because it’s about half the size and thickness, to better accommodate the limited space I have. The only thing included in there are infusion sets and reservoirs for my insulin pump and my toothbrush. Some of my smaller compartments had a pack of gum and some Skittles, in the event my blood drops. There’s nothing worse than being at 35,000 feet on a flight that serves no snacks while having a low. Entertainment-wise, I permitted myself to bring my iPad, which houses not only my streaming services and my blogging platform, it also contains my Kobo e-reader and some games that I can play to pass the down time. That’s the beauty of modern technology; everything is jammed into one thing, Star Trek-esk pad.

Now, you may be looking at all of this and thinking that there are a lot of things missing. And you would be right. What about toothpaste? What about deodorant? Some of the basics aren’t really there. Well, when I travel alone, I also try to save as much money as possible. Especially since this isn’t exactly a vacation or pleasure trip. Bear in mind that I left Regina freshly showered, teeth brushed and deodorant applied, like a good, clean little boy should. Like a brand new car just off the lot, I boarded my plane with a new car smell. Once I landed in New Brunswick and started driving north with my rental, I had been in airports, airplanes and sitting idle all day but getting warm, dealing with stress and running around and I was clammy. So, once I reached Miramichi, I stopped at the local Walmart and hit up their travel section. The travel section of any retail location is an overlooked gem, even for when you’re at home. It carries smaller, cheaper and more compact versions of every day hygiene items that one could need.

From this Walmart, I grabbed a reusable bag, since I always seem to be caught buying up some energy drinks with my bare hands. Since they always seem to be on special to buy several at a reduced price, I usually end up fumbling with my hotel room’s scan cards while juggling several cans. But with my reusable bag, I was able to grab deodorant, hair gel, a single bar of Dove soap, shampoo, shaving foam and a disposable razor. A few energy drinks and some sugar-free Gatorade for the room, and I was off to the races. Excluding the energy drinks which I would have bought at home anyway, I spent less than $20 on my toiletries for the trip. Considering a checked bag for Air Canada is $80, it represents a significant savings and allowed to travel much lighter than I otherwise would have. Given the extreme heat, I’ve pretty much had to surrender my clothing to the laundry basket every night. This means I had to grab some laundry soap. Luckily, my hotel has a coin operated laundromat. I had initially planned on doing only one load of laundry TODAY, as I will be traveling back to Moncton tomorrow. But given the high temperatures, I’ve been sweating through my few shirts in record time. As a result, I will be doing my SECOND load of laundry this morning.

So, in summation, I took the cheapest flight, which left me at a bit of a disadvantage as I couldn’t amend, cancel or alter my travel arrangements once paid, the cheapest hotel in the area, which although I had issues with it in May, they were extremely accommodating this time around, and traveled light with limited items to make transit and packing easier. All around, this is probably one of the cheapest trips I’ve ever had to New Brunswick in years, minus the time Air Canada made a mistake booked my round trip for a little over $500. My flight sorts are usually almost four times that amount. No such luck this time but it was roughly $1,000 for the tickets and I usually pay about twice that. Once I’ve hung out with Sensei’s son this afternoon, I’ll likely make it back in time to go watch the Naked Gun remake, starring Liam Neeson. It lend a bit of comedy and laughs to an otherwise depressing trip.

Tomorrow, I travel down to Moncton, where I will be spending my last night in New Brunswick. This is being done since my flights departs sometime around 6 am, which means I would have to leave Campbellton right around the time I’d be going to bed, considering the detours for the wild fires. ten years ago, I likely would have been able to manage that without issue. This time around, i believe I’m reaching an age where driving all night in the dark is no longer something i feel i’m capable of. So instead, I’m going to park myself at a hotel five minutes from the airport so I can simply wake up, jump into my pants and be out the door. Quick, easy and convenient. The best part is this early flight will see me land back home prior to lunchtime, since Saskatchewan’s time zone is three hours behind New Brunswick’s. It will be good to get home. I think I’ve done about as much damage here as can be done. It’s grime to go. ☯️