The Boardtalk

The boardwalk seems to be endless and obscure with one little light on top of a door by the end of it. Along the sides, the benches that sit there are empty and only a few lanterns shine their light in between. You take a moment to gather your thoughts and to go over your lines one last time before continuing your path. The stomping sound of your shoes hitting against the old wooden floor one step after the other, joined with the squeak left by your footprint create a pattern, almost like a melody. Once you get to hear the repetition and notice the tune, you ask yourself how many people have walked down the same boardwalk for the same reason and how they would have felt. Your vision that was blurry at first as most things appeared as smudges, gets a little more into focus and on the very last bench a figure sits all alone. You stop for a second to make sure that it isn’t just some sort of a shadow. After confirming with your surrounding s that it is in fact a person sitting on the bench you resume your walk. As you make your first step forward, you say to yourself; “Wow she actually showed up.” Then a smile appears in your face for the first time. Following that realization, it felt as if the time slowed a little, the floor ceased to squeal and the wind softly brushing by your neck giving you the chills, making you take in a deep breath. The same way you had to catch your breath when you first saw her walk into the classroom on that early spring morning.

It was after that same morning that she had locked herself in the attic of your mind and it would hunt you because you would think of her even outside of class and you wouldn’t do anything about it. Until about two weeks later, after rehearsing your lines repeatedly on how you would ask her out, the opportunity came knocking at your window, literally. She knocked on your car window after school asking if you knew when was the next time the 107 bus would come around. Since your friend was taking an eternity to finish his biology project and she lived nearby, you offered to drive her home. Parked in her driveway as she grabbed your door handle, your heart skipped a beat and you went for it. “Hey would like to maybe grab a bite this weekend?” she gently smiled and with the shine in her eyes she agreed, kissed you on your cheek thanking you for the ride and stepped out of the vehicle. 

Walking down that boardwalk on this chill summer evening, the memories of those first dates come rushing through your mind. You can feel her hands around your neck from when you had your first kiss at her door step. The smell of her soft hair brushes underneath your nose from when she fell asleep on your chest watching her favourite movie in your basement. Her heartbeat drums through your ears from the night you laid on her chest watching the stars from your rooftop. Suddenly all those memories stop, as if someone paused the movie and the sensations get blown away as a warm gust of wind hits your body. You open your eyes and there she sits, on the very last bench of the boardwalk by herself. You take a seat by her side, bring forward the roses you were holing behind your back the entire time. You look deep into her eyes and say; “I love you.” As soon as she smiles, all those sensations from before come back to life with their respective memories.

Trust me life is great, boardwalks often long and narrow you can tell the wood that has been used has seen its rain and sun, violent gust and soft breeze. The people who have walked along them, have moved on after a breakup or walk up to propose. Some of them have cried their tears of joy into the ocean, while others dropped tears of sorrow. Not to mention the view from a boardwalk onto a never ending and stream of water overlooked by a glorious sunset or a curious moon. Whatever reason you walk across a boardwalk, just know that someone has been in that same location, in the same position and probably with the same intention. If you take a quick moment to feel the breeze, listen to the water and feel the hard wooden floor, it might just answer some questions you may have.

Good Morning.

Your watch marks “5:45am” as you stand on top of a mountain, but from your perspective you stand tall on top of the world and in control of everything. Still tired from the long climb and the early morning, you take a minute to admire the view and the accomplishment of making it to the top. The clear sky lets the sun shine as it rises up from the deepest parts of the sea and from the largest craters of the earth. Allowing for a new life to begin once again. With your feet grounded on the biggest rock of the summit, you witness the birth of a new day; a new life. All alone with nobody but the morning birds humming by your side, the peacefulness is merely overwhelming. You get slight chills as the wind brushes you on every breath you take, goosebumps invade your body not from the cold breeze, but because of the anticipation. The sun still hiding behind the plains but makes its presence noticeable with its rays colouring the sky with a bright mixture of red and orange. At this very moment it seems as if the sky is on fire, burning everything from last night to leave an empty canvas for a new day to fill it up.

Not many people get the chance to see this wonder of nature because they do not take the time to create openings in their schedules to wake up with nature instead of an alarm. Making that extra work to get up earlier, walk a further distance to have a different and enriching morning might just be worth the sweat. A warm cup of coffee is good as you read the newspaper to learn about the world, but nothing compares to nature’s warmth of sunlight hitting you first thing in the morning.

Standing in front of nature unfolding before your eyes gives you the time you need to stop and reflect on yourself and your ideas. Sometimes we need that break from stress, traffic and people to get grounded once again and move forward. Being stuck in the city surrounded by skyscrapers could make us feel small, powerless and overwhelmed, which is why we sometimes need to break out of that concrete cage. Just you, the birds and trees and a clear mindset might just help to have that creative juice flow more fluidly. That moment of peace and serenity could also help to value what you have in that moment and not take anything for granted.

Trust me life is great, I know sleeping in until your body is numb feels good once in a while, but in the same matter walking up on a hill until your feet hurt to catch the sunrise may feel as good. Grab a friend, grab a camera and some comfortable shoes and go for an adventure, because in nature you never know who or what you will find. Mother nature gave us plants, animals and bright colors, let’s use that to make our days a little better.

Fun Fest

The sun is out, music is loud, people are gathered all around and food is being sold by the pound. Whether it’s a big national festival or a more local event, these are the times to meet with other people who share the same taste as you or even to adventure into new grounds. There is a festival for everything and everyone, from all sorts of music to different tastes of food, all derive from different cultures. Since food and music are two things that unite us, when they are put together alongside those who live and breathe, that culture it creates something unique, something magical. It creates freedom.

The camp ground at a festival is a sacred place; being the supporting ground for the event. Pedestrians, vendors, tourists and artists all stomp the same ground for their respective reasons. The floor is where we all leave our footprints, prints of love, prints of passion and of our culture and our bond. The campground is a restricted place, but it is filled with freedom; freedom of speech and of expression. It is a place of gathering without being judged. What happens on the campground stays on the campground but the memories remain in the mind of the beholder.

Montreal during the summer time is the festival epicentre of Canada filled with different festivals almost every week for practically the entire summer. After the citizens of this multicultural city hibernate for the winter they come back out with the urge to live and celebrate. Montreal is known for its many festivals such as, Just for Laughs, Jazz Fest, Poutine Fest, Ile Sonic, Osheaga and many more. There is no time in Montreal to get bored or to be alone, this is the place and time to go out, soak up the rays of the sun, get a tan and meet new people. Hey, you may even find your special someone if you’re lucky enough.

Trust me life is great, enjoy the music you hear, enjoy the food you eat, but most importantly share those things with those you love. Walk and dance until your feet crumble in pain so you can then lay down under a tree as the sun waves its goodbye. Eat the food you love, share a spoonful with your friends, especially if it’s something you don’t eat often. Go out there, explore out the different festivities, they are there for your enjoyment, for your entertainment and for you to escape for short period of time.

Day Off

The sun is bright, your answering machine is empty, calendar is blank and your girlfriend is sound asleep. For this short period of time there are no worries of budgeting, sales, contracts or hounding clients;only peace and pleasure. As you lay on the terrace with a cold one and great company, your mind zones out to a “happy place” as they call it. This is the place where you are free. Free of worries, free of doubt, most importantly free as a person. You reminisce about the dreams you once had when you were younger and how your adult life would be like. You also plan on how you want your retirement to be, sitting on the porch of your beach house or in your cottage deep in the woods.

This is the time that keeps us sane, being away from all the work commotion, traffic stress and mundane lifestyle. This is the time I like to call “A Day Off”.

We want to be successful, we want to be recognized for our hard work, we want to live comfortably, but more importantly we want to live. Why spend all our breathing moments under pressure up to a point where you just can’t take another breath anymore. Taking some time off by turning the switch, escaping away, not worrying about why we have woken up that morning but enjoying the fact that we have and being grateful to see the sun shine another day. That is the best method to swim up to the surface and catch a glimpse of air to have more energy to face the reality of our lives and push through.

Trust me life is great, take your time, that’s right take YOUR time because after all, this is your life so the only clock or schedule which runs your life is the one that you make. Take your day off. Even better, take your days off, breath as much as you can, and enjoy life as much as you can. The last thing you want is to live in sorrow and regrets, instead of living with a sense of completion and satisfaction.

No Limit Highway

Lying on your bed staring into the emptiness of your ceiling. Thoughts, dreams and emotions run through your mind. All of a sudden, you feel a cold breeze running through your hair. You hear the sound of a roaring engine rushing by your side. You get the smell of burning rubber under your nose. For car enthusiasts or convertible highway cruising connoisseurs, cars are around us day and night.

For some, cars much like coffee are an addiction. Some of us like them darker rather than creamier, harder on the inside compared to lighter. For some people, a car is a necessity and others have them as a complementary toy on the weekend or during the summer. Our lives are also like a highway filled with many different cars flowing at different speeds. There are some of who enjoy the faster lane to get to their destination much faster while others enjoy the scenic drives and take the time to appreciate the scenery around them.

Much like a car, you should adjust the speed of your life accordingly. Going too fast could result in missing out on what really matters, while going too slow could prevent you from accomplishing what you really desire. The mysterious roads of life will have twists and turns, abrupt hills, paved and unpaved roads, exits and on-ramps to highways and shortcuts. No matter what direction you choose, you should be ready for the challenges and slow down when needed. You wouldn’t want to fall off a hill by taking the turn too fast. You don’t want to miss an exit by driving . Avoid getting tunnel vision and broaden your spectrum instead, the highway of life is filled with other drivers and many different obstacles. You wouldn’t want to miss out on meeting certain people by not seeing them.

People might just be the best addition to this road trip, while they can break our hearts and make you wish to have never met them, they more importantly make you realize certain qualities and abilities that you might not have known of yourself beforehand.

Trust me life is great, get on the highway of life with no limits and go for a road trip. Not knowing where your route might lead you may just be the greatest adventure you can have. Don’t be afraid to try different cars and drive with different people because you don’t know who you might meet or where you might end up. Most impotently keep your hands on the steering wheel, your foot on the gas and your eyes on the road.

Beautiful.

I’ve always liked taking pictures. I enjoyed capturing various subjects, I had fun doing it.

A couple of months ago, I only captured snapshots with my phone, but the back of my head wanted to put some time into learning how to properly use a camera.

So I did.

I don’t consider myself a professional photographer or any of that sort. I take pictures for fun and I know a good shot when I see one. The picture above is sincerely my favourite shot out of my entire repertoire.

The interesting thing is, I don’t even know why it’s my favourite photo. I don’t know if it’s the overall composition or the focus on the water drops. I can’t say. Maybe It’s the rush of different emotions that I get every time I stare at it.

The picture was taken at a barbecue to celebrate the graduation of The Architectural Technology Department from Vanier College in Montreal.

As you read this, I’m slowly understanding why it’s my favourite shot. I look at the group of people and I see pure genuineness in their smiles. Yes it’s cliché, but it’s the reason why their smile is beautifully displayed; They’ve just graduated, another step done within their lives and summer has officially started. The water drops came from their teacher who erratically jumped in the shot with an open water bottle.

I’m glad I took this picture. It’s going to be a reminder that the path ahead, no matter how long it is, will offer a beautiful reward in the end. We all struggle, that’s how life is made. Think of it, imagine if everything came to us in the easiest way possible. We wouldn’t feel accomplished. “The victory wouldn’t be as sweet” as others would say. We’d lose the essence of achieving and we’d take our achievements for granted.

Lately I’ve been going crazy over a line from Logic’s The Incredible True Story, actually, it’s a sample from a seminar by Alan Watts. It says: 

“And after all, if you do really like what you’re doing, it doesn’t matter what it is –
somebody is interested in everything, anything you can be interested in, you will find others will”

We’re all interested in something. Some of us like numbers, others like physics, some of us find peace over a circle drawn on paper but don’t ever question the things you like, pursue them because there’s always somebody who’s interested in everything.

 

 

 

Love Yourself.

Don’t you hate it when your mind showers you with negative thoughts that attack your self-esteem? Or when you can’t seem to think of any good memories to comfort you?

Humans are strange like that, we all have self destructive minds. There will be a time in your life when you will be at your lowest. It happens to the best of us, eventually.

Let me share a short story with you.

At some point in time, a child, let’s call him T, thought he had his life figured out. This infant thought his life would continue smoothly onto a straight path. He was wrong. He was kinesthetically intelligent, as well as poetically clever. He came out number 1 in a karate tournament in 04’, made it into an intercity AA basketball team and got twelve thousand views on one of his dancing videos on Youtube.

T loved writing cheesy stories and poems just for himself. He never showed anyone. Every birthday greeting he wrote for his parents made them shed tears of joy. He was so good at these things. But he made the mistake of striving towards only one of his desires.

Leaving out the other two from his daily routines, he slowly became absorbed in competitive gameplay of video games. It got in the way of his relationships, education, and both physical and mental health. As his hours on the virtual reality increased, the time spent for anything else decreased. His friends stopped inviting him when they would hang out, stopped inviting him to parties, and people simply stopped talking to him.

His parents fought a lot and almost had a divorce. They even had to sell their house and move into a small condo. Everything seemed to be going wrong in his life; all at the same time. Once he hit puberty, this adolescent began to see the world through a set of dark lenses. Everything he had seen and experienced, whether it was good or bad, he saw in a neutral or negative perspective. His emotions would always be capped when something happened.

When I say “ capped “, I mean that there was a certain amount of emotion he would allow himself to express. T wouldn’t really allow himself to truly feel happy because, for an unknown reason, it didn’t seem right anymore. He kept his feelings bottled up by staying indifferent about everything.

It had him to focus on all the wrong things, such as the imperfections on his body, things he wasn’t good at or things he couldn’t do, and worst of all, he started comparing himself to people that were succeeding at the things he was failing.

In result, T ended up seeing a psychologist for a year because of his morbid lifestyle. His sad mind turned into depression. He wasn’t capable of enjoying this thing called life. For instance, when he received gifts from anyone, he would smile and he would show gratitude. But in reality, his smile was a mask that hid the emptiness inside of him. He would always judge himself. Fortunately, in the end he got through it.

I’m not going to lie and tell you he’s living happily ever after. But with the support of his family and friends, he saw himself and everything around him in a more positive perspective. Nobody is really ever free from problems, but if I can get through these depressing events, so can you. I have just recently started to actually feel happy. I had made a list. In this list I wrote down things that I have. After reading the entire list, I realized that I have everything I need to be happy. This list of things and people were always in front of my eyes, but I always took them for granted. I have always focused on the negative things.

Go out there and enjoy life. Become that person you’ve always wanted to be.

One day, I read a quote saying that the person you will be spending the most time with in your life is yourself, so try to make yourself as interesting as possible. I hope you realize that some day, whoever you are.

Learn new things, travel, be happy with whatever you do.

Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.