December 31, 2010

A small step in 2011

New Year’s resolutions.
They’re typically about health, wealth and commitment (to environment, ourselves and to others). Resolutions, too, are often about independence (I will start my own business) and freedom (I will become financially free). And, resolutions are, often, ambitious in style and wide-ranging in scope.

Though admirable the above may be, to my mind (and with one eye firmly on the current climate) there is something to be said for a toned-down, more moderate approach. An approach that, while not mightily glamorous, still manages to address those weighty issues of independence, meaningfulness and freedom.

Important note: If resolutions aren’t your thing (and for most of us—long term—they’re not) then please consider the following a recommendation, or maybe, even, a mantra. One that goes like this…

“I resolve to not get
Any deeper into debt.”

As far as resolutions go, the above, at first glance, may strike you as neither compelling nor romantic. But in my line of work (where I deal, every day, with dollars and cents, debits and credits, assets and liabilities), such an unprovocative promise is as sensible and attainable as they come.

“I resolve to not get
Any deeper into debt.”

In other words, what the above suggests is… Don’t try for the home run. Don’t try for a commitment that—while shimmery with promise on January 1st when the clock strikes midnight—begins to lose its sheen mere days into the new year.

All I’m saying, I suppose is, put away the credit card, turn away from the Do Not Pay for 365 Days extravaganzas, and above all steer away from alluring promises about fast bucks with little effort.

“I resolve to not get any deeper into debt” may sound like a small step—one unworthy of attention—but it is, nonetheless, an important first step. A step that, perhaps due to its simplicity, focuses the mind, jump-starts the progression toward freedom and independence, and brings about bigger accomplishments and more solid gains. For next New Year’s Eve.

Happy New Year everyone!

What about you? What are you hoping to achieve in 2011? Please let me know by leaving a comment.

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December 28, 2010

Mars or else

I’m moving. Getting out of here. I’m leaving.
Leaving for Mars.
Once I finish my spacecraft, that is.
Once I finish building my rocket-ship, survival suit and zero-gravity espresso maker…
Once I ready those things, maybe as soon as next month or quite possibly, 2015, I’m leaving for Mars.
I’m doing it ‘cause I’m tired of the way things have panned out. Here, on this planet.

Avarice as a virtue
There’s a guy on television—O’Lear, or Leary… maybe just O’Leary.
A guy who—so it seems—is a come-to-life Gordon Gecko.
“Greed is good,” I heard him say, on public television.
Imagine that.
After what we’ve been through.
In our post-crash, sub-prime, Madoff-mad world, one that foretold foreclosures; one that is still underwriting distress, torment and hard suffering…
There is a make-believe uber-Gecko proclaiming—on national television—the virtue of greed.
Imagine that. Avarice as a virtue.
How distasteful; how upsetting.

Prozac for Fido
And that’s but one reason I’m moving to Mars.
I’m moving to Mars, too, because big pharma, after over-medicating you and yours, has desires on your cat, your dog and, I’m guessing, your gecko lizard too.
Imagine that.
Beef-flavoured Prozac; formulated for Fido.

Hapless and clueless
“Ready my spaceship!” I say. And redouble the effort too.
‘Cause now’s the time to abandon this planet’s decent into indecency. Now’s the time to distance oneself from the hapless individuals, otherwise called world leaders, who—each one—is less prone, less willing and less adept at stemming the rising tide of avarice, the unquenchable taste for profit.
Your head guy (I’d like to think) recognizes the danger. But your guy (I’d hate to think) is only now sensing the arduousness of the task. Most leaders (I’m afraid to think) are too obsessed with power and prestige to notice or care.
Hence my departure for Mars.

Imagine that
Imagine a simpler, less covetous, less wolfish world.
Imagine a world where no-one demands gazillions; from the input of a trifle.
Imagine a world where integrity and high-mindedness count for something. Imagine a world where honest effort is rewarded with honest appreciation—both in kind and in coin. Imagine a world where avarice is advised against, not promoted as a career choice.
Imagine, in fact, a world where the widening gap between them that’s got and them that’s not lessens. Each and every day.
“Back to my capsule,” I say, “Posthaste!”

On second thought
But wait a moment, hold on a second…  them that’s got shall get, them that’s not shall lose… Billie Holiday, right?
Hmmm, let me rethink my plan.
Rather than a space capsule, why not one of another kind?
A time capsule? Yes, that’s it!
Instead of a foray into another world, why not one propelling me to another era?
Yes, that’s it exactly!

Jumpin’ at the Savoy
Eighty-six the space capsule! Prepare for a trip to the past!
And I know where (um, I mean when) too…
1948; New York City.
Minton’s Playhouse; The Savoy Club; The Three Deuces.
Live jazz; honest jazz; real jazz… Jazz to wash away the blues.
Maybe that’s what we need.
Not a cold, desolate planet, but a hot inspired home from sixty years prior.
And yes, I do realize the world, back then, wasn’t perfect.
But I’ll sit at a table. Never venture outside, nursing my single malt…
And listening—just listening—to Monk and Miles, Dizzy and Bird, Lady Day and Prez.
Over and over. Forever.

What say you? Which do you prefer, a trip to a simpler time or a voyage to a fresh new world? Please leave a comment.

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December 24, 2010

A telling Christmas card

Look at this Christmas Card.
Isn’t it beautiful?


I received the card because I donated a book to the Guatemala Stove Project’s annual fundraiser.
Look closely at the portrait. Look at the radiant smiles—somehow unsuited (at least from a western perspective) to the drab nature of the family’s surroundings.
Look at the dirt floor; the light seeping through gaps where beams meet roof. Look at the hard, bare walls.
Now look at your, comparatively, lush and comfortable environment. And tell me…
Why complain? What have we to complain about?
By dint of the computer you’re reading this on, because you own the computer you’re reading this on, you likely belong to that elite club called The Top 5% of the World’s Income Earners.
Think about that.
95% of the world’s population—including the family in this photograph—is poorer than you.

Just think about that.

Merry Christmas.

Suggestions? Concerns? Questions? Please leave a comment.

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December 21, 2010

Make someone happy. Maybe a stranger?

At a loss? Not sure what to buy that person-who-has-everything?

Don’t panic! Because here are some gift-giving ideas centered around a theme—a simple premise. One that goes like this…
Rather than banking on an almost-impossible hope of satisfying that person-who-has-everything, why not think differently and do something that will benefit some other real-life person? A total stranger, perhaps. Or maybe a neighbour.
Here’s what I mean.
Gimme Shelter
Forget the necktie. Your old uncle Arthur—I’m willing to bet—has enough bloody ties. Instead of browsing in Menswear, head across the mall to where the supermarket is. Now fill the cart with fruit, veggies, non-perishables and, of course, a turkey and truck it all down to your local food shelter. Then give uncle Arty a card explaining that your great and good deed was offered up in his great and good name.
Or, if you want to go basic, just take the coin you were going to drop on a paisley bow-tie and donate it to a needy organization. Make sure the receipt’s in your uncle’s name, and give that to him—with a flowery thank-you on Christmas morn.
Homeless shelters, centres for the abused and, especially at this time a year, food banks need all the support you can muster. So go ahead. Eschew the tie; make the donation. I bet it’ll warm uncle Arthur’s heart much more  than you could have ever predicted. Besides, who wears ties nowadays?

Make it Personal
In a similar vein, there is almost definitely a family on your street, or in your kids’ school, that is down on their luck. You know what I mean right? There’s someone you know—or someone you know about—that lost their job, that’s recovering (or waiting for) surgery, or that’s suffered a hardship that couldn’t have come at a worse time of year.
Help them out. Buy toys for their children, or buy a turkey for their Christmas dinner, then gift-wrap it and deliver it to their door. Then tell that difficult person-who-has-everything, via a card, about the heartfelt gesture you performed in their name. That deed will make you feel good, will warm the hearts of a needy family and it should make the person-who-has-everything happy too. Talk about win-win-win.

Go Indie
Do you know how many independent writers there are? Tons, that’s how many, tons.
And, contrary to popular belief, many—if not most—are fine writers. Brilliant even. In the last few months alone, I’ve read works by Gregory Mose, Daniel Clausen and Leo Babauta. And I’ve enjoyed every page of their books.
For next year I’ve already teed-up books by indie writers like Alex Carrick, Frank E Mundo, Daniel Clausen (yes, him again, what can I say? I’m a big fan), Donna Carrick and Moriah Jovan.
Now here’s the thing. Writers—of all colours, of all stripes and of all corners of the world—love nothing more than to be read. That, of course, is why they write.
So go ahead. Buy a book by an Indie writer (any of the above is a good bet). With luck you might even be able to have it signed and addressed to uncle Arthur. If nothing else, you will have a compelling, first-person account to go along with that original gift.

Get Even More Indie Mood
You know that the word “indie” covers more than independent writers? Of course you know that.
You’ll find Indie artists in the performing arts, the visual arts and the recording arts. Here are just a few I’ve gotten to know, I’m getting to know or I’m hoping to know;  Mike Dickson,  Heike Matthiesen,  Peter Hum,  Trey Ratcliff,  Nancy Kenny, Christopher Davis.
So why not browse the web for your local art scene? Or, (if you trust my taste) seek out one of the aforementioned artists and buy a ticket to their show, buy their CD or one of their prints, buy a music or art lesson, or just arrange for a photo shoot. Think of it. You’ll be helping out an independent artist and you will, almost definitely, have the most original gift under the tree.

There you have it, just a few suggestions for a Christmas gift that goes further than just being given. It’s a gift that will make someone’s day. I guarantee it.

How about you? Do you have a gift idea that, in addition to benefiting the recipient, also helps out someone else? Let me know by leaving a comment.

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