Christmas Wishes 2012

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Tom Trimbath

And what do you want for Christmas? How many kids enjoy the boxes more than the presents? I’m the sort that likes the simple. Maybe that’s because I’ve never received the resort vacations, a new car with a big red bow on top, or jaw-dropping electronics (that sounds bionic, electronics designed to move my jaw). But, maybe one of the benefits of practiced frugality is an appreciation for what brings lasting joy to my core.

Allow me to make it clear; resort vacations, new cars, and marvelously fast computers are appreciated. Hello Santa; don’t worry if they won’t fit in my stocking. I’d probably get some of that for myself when I win the lottery. Though even there, I know I’d prefer weeks in a ski cabin to weeks at a resort. I’d rather pay someone to fix my Jeep Cherokee Classic, because they don’t make them anymore and I haven’t found a better replacement. As for the screaming fast computer, yeah, I’d probably get that.

Thinking back over more than five decades of Christmases my most memorable gifts were a coffee mug, the complete set of Harry Potter DVDs, my first 24 inch tall bicycle, a great pair of wool socks, a Nerf ball, . . . A longer reflection may reveal gifts that were more appreciated, but I can only write about what was memorable enough to remember. How many of us have to keep lists each year to make sure we remember what to thank people for, and to make sure we don’t get it for them as if it was a re-gifting? What gifts do you remember? Ah, but there was that commissioned sculpture of my spirit guide – and what else that was extraordinary?

By the way, the Nerf ball was fun, and I didn’t even receive it. I gave it to my dad. My mom was surprised and a bit disappointed that I’d gotten my dad such a cheap gift. What can you do with a Nerf ball? He promptly smiled and bounced it off my head. I picked it up and bounced it off his. We laughed. She just shook her head.

Since I became single again, each year I buy myself a stocking full of little gifts, set it aside long enough to forget what’s in there, and then give them to myself on Christmas morning. This season has gone by so quickly, and money has been so tight that I haven’t done that yet. Maybe I can do that today and see if I can quickly forget what I did.

My internal wish list:

  • A brick of AA batteries, because I like the indulgence of using a cordless mouse and a decoration that uses a set of LED lights.
  • A clutch of candles, the emergency kind, because I like candle light and don’t need fancy shapes, decorations, or scents (especially with my sense of smell).
  • A pound of healthy bacon, and yes it does exist – at least in a relative sense.
  • Smoked salmon, local, shrink wrapped dry instead of the oily stuff in the opaque envelopes or in the cans. They’re good too, but I have preferences.
  • Maple syrup, an excuse for waffles and butter.
  • Coconut oil, for so many uses.
  • Really long zip ties, because I am not the best at tying knots.
  • Oo, and maybe some retractable pens.

What I’ll probably buy myself in addition to some of the things listed above:

  • A new pair of work overalls. My two favorite attires: shorts or overalls: loungeware that I can’t have to treat carefully.
  • Usually a new pair of work gloves, because they rarely last a year, but I have so many with not too many holes that I’ll get by.
  • One boxed set of movies, maybe the Librarian series, or Indiana Jones, or Men In Black, or ?

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December's Coat

My artistic side appreciates good reviews posted online, and knowing people enjoy what I’ve created. I’m so glad when art finds a good home.

Aside from all of that, I value emotions and feelings more than things: ambience, ease, occasional indulgence, joy, relaxation, manifestation, feelings that are part of a life lived long and prosperously. My favorite things enable a more pleasant life, but they are the conduit, not the goal.

This year a few things come to mind that never did before; but, the list comes down to the simple basic of having enough money for that life lived long and prosperously. It truly would be a joy and a major relief to get out of debt and return to financial prosperity. It can happen. Santa has delivered more incredible things before.

What we can give each other costs little and is most valuable. We can give each other to each other. Visits, calls, hugs, smiles, open ears, shoulders to lean on, dancing, playing and generally socializing can’t be bought – well, maybe they can hired, but the freely given and received are the best. Some would rather be surrounded by fancy and expensive things, even if they are isolated from everyone. I prefer to be surrounded and experiencing the emotions and feelings that make living wonderful and memorable.

Who knows? This year everything may change. If nothing else, marijuana is now legal to possess in Washington State. We can’t buy it or grow it, but I haven’t seen a restriction on giving it. What a lovely one ounce wreath. Thank you. Ho, Ho.

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Light One Candle

Posted on December 15, 2012 by Tom Trimbath

Do you think that sounds trite? Has the concept of lighting one candle become cliche? I’ve tried it. It works. I started this morning by reading a post from a friend: 5 Minutes of Love. It is an even simpler idea, and doesn’t even take a match.

Within the world of blogging, I’ve learned that most posts are read days, or even months, after they’re posted. So, I won’t require latecomers to scroll back through volumes of news items to recall what happened this week in America, China, and probably other less well-publicized places. The truth of the world is that there’s always been recent sad news. That’s why I like Sue’s idea. Rather than only focus on the necessary expression of grief, she asks everyone to take 5 minutes concentrating on love of the world. Simple. Positive. And potentially accumulative to world-changing proportions.

If you stop reading now to practice 5 minutes of love, I won’t mind. I’ll be pleased.

I was raised to be proper and stoic. That can be valuable in difficult times. As one friend described me, it allows me to be diplomatic and graceful under pressure. She obviously wasn’t here when I wast trying to have a conversation with my mortgage company. It took decades of introspection, and a few months of counseling, to begin to uncover the emotions that lived behind that demeanor. Life is different now. I wonder how my friends from my old life will react to the new me. Luckily, the diplomacy and demeanor remain, but now I am more willing to set them aside to be passionate and exuberant.

But there is much work to be done. Another friend has even incorporated the following phrase into his artwork, “Here is a test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished: If you are alive, it isn’t.” His poster is on my kitchen wall as a reminder of that and many other bits of insight and wisdom. (Hey Windwalker, got a link to your poster? Put it in the comments section.)

Life on Whidbey is life in a small community. To yet again quote from someone else, in this case one of my favorite authors; “Shared pain is lessened; shared joy is increased . . .” – Spider Robinson. While I am more emotionally open than ever, I can be struck speechless at the news of a friend’s loss. It is frustrating, but rather than live within the frustration I decided to take a small action. I lit a candle.

One candle

Lighting a candle is a simple act. Strike a match, light the wick, and create enough light to, well, not to do much really. Can you imagine living by candlelight? It is romantic, but candlelight is hard to use for reading or working.

Facebook is the new news ticker. Calls for support show up there before any phone tree goes into action. A while ago while sitting at my computer, I learned about the death of a friend’s child. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know what to write. I choked up but nothing came out. I lit a candle.

Light a candle. And for a few moments, 5 minutes sound about right, feel. Feel that emotion I want spread out into the world. I don’t know if it works like the power of prayer, or if I just do it to make myself feel better; but, I know that my Self feels better afterwards. And I know that when I meet my friend in the grocery store or on the sidewalk, I’m more likely to hug a bit tighter and longer if that’s what they need and want. No words required.

This blog is about money and life. Regular readers know the story so far. As money has temporarily diminished, a lot of what had been filling my life has sloughed away. I’ve been frugal for decades, and embraced voluntary simplicity and simple living, and have now experienced forced simplicity and essential living. I’ve known, and now lived the realization that happiness doesn’t require money. As I learned on my walk across Scotland, and subsequently wrote about in my book, “Every moment contains every emotion. Choose.”

It doesn’t take much to be happy. Paying all of my bills in a way that I can sustain indefinitely, would ease the vast majority of my stress. But, aside from those money issues, I’ve found that simple things like Sue suggests, simple things like lighting one candle or enjoying a meal at home with a friend, can be as marvelous regardless of my financial net worth.

There are times when I go out into the darkness and curse (well, shout really strong language) at the universe. I missed a great chance for it the last two nights. (Presents must be shipped. Pig roasts must be attended. With joy in both cases.) Cultus Bay, the bit of the Salish Sea at the edge of my neighborhood, empties about a mile of tide flats at low tide. In December that happens near midnight for a few nights. December also means storms. I’ve wandered out there through tide puddles, into the wind and rain, in the cold, and had my Lieutenant Dan moments. (Watch Forrest Gump.)

I’ve cursed the darkness. I’ve asked uncountable variations of; “Why?” I welcome the release, and ask the wind to scatter and disperse the chaos. I apologize to the city of Edmonds on the far shore for any of it that may upset them. My muscles welcome the release, but I rarely find answers.

And then I walk home, change into warm and dry clothes, and usually light a candle. And then I relax.

From experience I can tell you that it really is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.

With that in mind, and with one candle already lit on the hearth, I think I’ll light a candle here where I type, and pause, and try 5 Minutes of Love. But first I’ll post.

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Ending Or Beginning

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Tom Trimbath

It’s not over yet! Please, could the media hold off on the best and worst of 2012? The year isn’t over yet. There’s such a rush to be the first to critique and review anything that many don’t wait to see how things end. How many tweet from a movie before it’s over? Though of course, for some, we better talk about it now because the Mayans may have said that there will be no world left after 12/21/12. For others of a different philosophy, today is a beginning because of the auspicious date 12/12/12. A friend and I compared her medical condition and my financial situation and agreed that beginnings and endings aren’t as important as what’s happening now.

What’s happening now is that I am sitting in a comfy chair, warm and dry with a cup of tea beside me, typing this post from the second floor of the Cash Store in Bayview because one of the businesses here, Fine Balance Imaging, is hosting a Christmas art show for some of their artist clients, like me. I get to sit here surrounded by art and decorations, and visit with folks that want to buy my photos or books. I’d do something similar even if my net worth was hundreds of thousands more than it is today. (Check my blog posts from Bailey’s Corner.) Friends work here. It’s a pleasant atmosphere. I could always ask for more, and do, but I also appreciate what I’ve got.

Soft Rocks - Twelve Months at Cultus Bay

My friend has a worrisome condition, but she dresses in style, keeps a sense of humor, and continues on with life. Her experience also gives her an extra emphasis on empathy, because it is possible that every smiling face has some internal struggle that could use some support.

(Ah, someone paused, and then picked up, Dream. Invest. Live. I said hello. They walked away. Maybe I spooked them.)

Dream. Invest. Live.

Are the Mayans right that the world will end on 12/21/12? Pick your version of an ending and you could be right. A few years ago, another friend had a premonition that they would die within months. They were wrong and right. They lived, but an old way of life died. Their premonition was an ending and a beginning.

There are endings that are final for our physical existence: Asteroid strikes (did you read about the three-mile wide asteroid that passed us yesterday? Ah, but we knew about that one for years and were sure it would miss. So, how about the ~120 foot one discovered on Sunday that passed by less than 250,000 miles. Surprise!), Catastrophic solar magnetic storms that blast away the Earth’s protective magnetosphere (and doesn’t magnetosphere sound like some superhero invention?), or Universal changes in the laws of physics (some implications of quantum physics maybe, could, but probably won’t, result in atoms dissolving and – nah.).

The best evidence I have for 12/12/12 being an ending and a beginning has been personal experience. Lots of friends are sharing revelatory dreams from last night. I had a few. (I wish you could see the sailboat. I think it would require a Mega-Millions jackpot. Nice. But, what was more fascinating was where it was headed. That may be another post.) There is particular emphasis on 12:12:12 on 12/12/12, which brings to mind the notion that, with forty different time zones, there are forty moments when the ending and beginning have transpired. (There may be a caveat as some of those time zones may not use the same calendar. Hebrew 5773, Islamic 1433?, Chinese 4710. I guess we could check the historical records to see if their 12/12/12 dates were auspicious for them.)

I think it is easier to make the case that the world’s transition has been happening for a while. There probably won’t be a split-second moment that defines the turn. Many things are turning and changing. Upheavals are happening in finance, politics, culture, relationships, environment, technology, and undoubtedly in ways we won’t recognize until we can look back from far enough away. As a species, we are less than stellar at predicting the future.

As a species, we are also poor at predicting what’s good and bad. Cars are great! They mean less animal abuse and an improvement in public health because there’s no manure in the street. Computers will never be small, cheap, or useful enough for anything besides major corporations and governments. (Insert minority here) can never become part of the mainstream society because they just don’t understand how things really work.

We are, however, good at recognizing and adapting to change. Each adaptation begins with a few that see a new path. The rest may follow willingly. Many times with a struggle. Independent thought and debate is a valuable part of the process.

(Part of my process: Someone downstairs is ordering lunch over their cell phone. They had to raise their voice to order: Ranch, onion, with a little cheese on top, and with tomato bisque. But AT&T knows best about phones. They should be made from Bakelite, rented from the company, and wired to the wall. Oops. Change happened for good or whatever.)

Regular readers know that I am in the midst of an amazing change. It hasn’t been easy, and I don’t know where I’m going; but, I know that I’ve gained some precious insights along the way. Appreciate now. Be flexible. Be willing to let go to get something better back. Be aware.

A few days ago I was doing business with a local business. Off in the manager’s corner a job interview was underway. The interviewee was making an obligatory visit so he could maintain his unemployment benefits. I went back there today and introduced myself. They know me, and when the job is re-posted they’ll contact me and make sure my resume and application aren’t blocked by the resume bots. Maybe my job search could end and a new life begin.

(Stay tuned. There’s more than one champion at work, and there are probably ones I’m not aware of. )

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Transition Assistance

Posted on December 8, 2012 by Tom Trimbath

It is a drumming rain this morning. Puget Sound weather was known for persistent drizzle with occasional sun breaks. It was good weather for rainbows. Lately, I’ve noticed a change. The environment is getting wetter, windier, and wilder. The meteorologists have noticed a change too. Their climate models have fallen out of their old patterns. They don’t know what’s coming next. I hope we get to keep our rainbows. I don’t know what’s coming next either; but of course, that’s the way most of my life is right now. Transition is upon me, and I don’t know where it’s taking me. With logic, I’ll sort out as much as I can. With luck, there will be help along the way. With wisdom, there will be pieces that just have to go with the flow.

The logical parts of my life are so engrained by upbringing and training that I frequently forget to mention them. Engineering teaches a mindset and philosophy as much as it teaches math and science. Break a big problem down into little choices and daunting tasks become doable. The steps in Joe Dominguez’s Nine Step Program for financial integrity (see New Road Map’s web site, or check out Your Money Or Your Life for details) provide tools to sort through choices that balance needs and wants, money and life. The resulting frugality means my terrible financial situation is made more manageable by focusing on my values. Eating out is too expensive, but I prefer my own cooking anyway.

Logically, I also know that I can’t do everything myself. One of the benefits of living on Whidbey, or any small yet caring community, is that support is available. On Monday, I’ll call up Hearts and Hammers, a local home repair program run by volunteers. My house has a window frame that requires repair beyond my skills and current finances. It is the south window, the one that catches the storms. Maybe they can help. I look forward to helping them after my finances recover.

More formal help has been harder to find. Eighteen years of working at Boeing and working at my own business for fourteen years mean zero unemployment benefits. The Boeing work isn’t recent enough, and my business has never made enough to pay me or the State unemployment fund.

Luckily, help arrives from unexpected directions. Yesterday started with a surprise email and call from an editor compiling an anthology of stories of men in middle-aged transition. A friend and client referred me to her because of my newest book, Walking Thinking Drinking Across Scotland. Within an hour she had an excerpt, two photos, my bio, and my portrait for a package she was sending out by the end of the weekend. A tweak or two later and more of my writing and message are ready to go out into the world along yet another avenue. (I enjoyed her description of my writing style. Evidently, I write about emotional awareness and spirituality as if I was speaking from the pub instead of the pulpit.)

A while later, Sandra Rodman of Right Brain Aerobics called to collaborate on a corporate consulting tools and subsequent e-book, and a think tank and newsletter. We even touched on a business that may make money by paying people to meditate. Sandra is helping corporations that are facing transitions. Old business models and even recently shifted paradigms are already out of date and are being replaced. She intrigued me with an interesting observation. The very people who are best at guiding others through transition are the ones who are already there, but being in the midst of this transition isn’t easy. Most of these pioneers and scouts, the two of us included, knew we had to set off into a tumultuous unknown. We’ll play a valuable role, but we must pass through hard times so we can empathize with those who follow.

As the day closed on dinner I got phone call from a friend who is using one of the most powerful hiring tools, personal help from the inside. I’m sure most companies have referral programs, but they are easy for the folks inside to forget about amidst their daily tasks lists. She, however, has gone through three years of even harder times than mine. One of the first things she did when she got her job was to reach out to people like me who she is eager to endorse for positions in her company. I salute one of my champions. If it works, you’ll read about it here, and I’ll reach out as she is doing.

Those last two friends together convinced me to rephrase one aspect of my consulting services. Yes, I consult entrepreneurs and artists, but I also consult with people in transition. A person choosing to change or being required to change can use some help, and it is best to get that help from someone who has experienced change. Let’s see. I’ve gone from engineer to voluntarily frugal to private karate instructor to millionaire to writer to photographer to teacher to speaker to consultant to necessarily frugal to . . .  ?

DSC_5375

Luck arrives too. I’ve noticed people say things like, “You could use some luck.”, “Your luck will come.” Lately, I’ve been asking them to repeat it and include the word, “good”. Considering the incredible string of not-so-good luck that I’ve had for the last two years, I think the rephrasing is worth a try.

Good luck dropped by when I told another friend about the referral. It turns out that yet another friend has an empty house within walking distance of that potential job, and it is all in an old, familiar neighborhood. It isn’t on Whidbey, but that job and that house, and that commute, and that salary would mean I could keep this house and my financial sanity.

The best luck can be the easiest to ignore. The car that runs fine. The heart that beats. The lungs that breathe. The experience that keeps my back pain-free despite stumbles. The chance glance out the window that reveals a momentary rainbow. The myriad of things that go right every moment, even if they don’t have to.

Wisdom is the most valuable. The good luck involved in winning the lottery jackpot would be appreciated; but wisdom is the hardest to describe with due humility. Partly that’s because the consequences of logic and luck can be immediate, yet the decision to follow intuition or to choose life paths based on personal values can only truly be called wise after a life has been lived. What’s more important than that?

Good logic and good luck and good wisdom are, well, they are what I am counting on. Good logic, good luck, and good wisdom are probably my best transition assistants.

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Pushing The Levers

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Tom Trimbath

This year set a record. My photos were on display and for sale every month through various venues. Nice coverage, and a compliment because most of the exhibits were by request. Today I sit beside my art outside Fine Balance Imaging, almost as part of the display, just like those summer days at Bailey’s Corner – except that this is indoors, it’s December, and I’m in a big, cushy, broken-in chair.  (Ah, a moment of optimism as a person walks by, stops, and pays attention to the display. Looks like I’ll get at least the traffic that’s headed to the rest room.) Today I push this lever. Yesterday I pushed some others. Tomorrow will be a different set. But that’s normal. Not even the Dalai Lama does only one thing.

Fringe

I know I’ve been more than busy enough when I look forward to power outages. Bring up the wind, take down a line, and I’m not the only one breathing a sigh of relief from a long list of chores. Whenever power on the island fails Facebook threads appear as people celebrate their externally imposed vacation. My favorite local group, The Rural Characters, even have a song about power failures. We gather at such times for simple pleasures, like sharing wine, comfort food, games, and stories. Candle light is appealing. And then in the song they finish by turning on the generator after everyone’s gone home. Sure they could’ve fired up the generator and kept the lights on and kept working, but the excuse is welcome.

Today though is a day for pushing some of those levers. My art is on the wall and in the display rack: The Overlooked Everyday Beauty of Whidbey’s Nature. Others capture summer sunshine, birds migrating through, and kids on the beach. I’m drawn to what we locals see throughout the rest of the year as well, the little vignettes accidentally arranged and only noticed as we walk along the sand, head down looking at what’s been washed up or is about to be washed away.

Soft Rocks - Twelve Months at Cultus Bay

Between the framed pieces and the floor rack of prints is a table of my books. All of my narratives are there: stories about bicycling across America, year-round travel in Washington’s Cascades, and even the book about personal finance. The book that isn’t there is the most popular, Walking Thinking Drinking Across Scotland; but, it’s an e-book. A pile of electrons just isn’t the same.

Walking Thinking Drinking Across Scotland

Living in a place like Whidbey, or the Outer Banks, or in some ski mecca, has financial implications. Some are able to live here because they have more than enough money. (I was almost there, and hope to get back there.) Some are able to live here because they have a well-paying job, but they pay for it with long commutes. (Which is another opportunity to link off to another Rural Characters’ song.) Many that live and work on the island do so with business cards that are crowded with job titles, or have a spread of cards to cover each business. Look around most vacation spots. The local businesses are usually selling more than one good or service, and the residents are frugal. Artists are also bookkeepers-for-hire. Authors are also marketers-for-hire. One guy is a gardener, nursery operator, and part-time paleontologist. There’s money in those mammoth bones that hide on our beaches.

My mix is consultant for people in transition and for creatives, artist, author, and speaker. Every aspect is gaining traction, but not enough to appease the mortgage company – yet.

Lifetime careers exist. They may appear to be in decline, but I know plenty of people that have had the same job for decades. The expected trend is that we must get comfortable changing careers several times in our lives. I’m in the midst of one of those transitions. They aren’t easy, but they can be positive.

Change is the only constant, and considering the pace of technological change I’m not surprised to hear that changes in careers and lifestyles will become more common. Being willing to change becomes a necessity. For those with a karmic view, accepting change makes life easier, fighting change makes life much tougher, ignoring change leads to change being forced upon the changee.

I’m willing to change, and am trying many things to find which path or paths are the way to go. It hasn’t been easy, and maybe I’ve already taken the right steps. Many have assured me that this will all work out alright and that I’m doing the right things. Glad to hear it. Imagine how hard this would be if I wasn’t willing to try new things.

Then I look around at people and organizations that are fighting or trying to ignore change, and I feel sorry for them. Resisting change rarely ends well. Old-style financial institutions, bureaucracies, and data deniers, are only delaying and intensifying the abruptness of their eventual change. Iceland went the other route. They had a financial crisis. Rather than try to prop up dysfunctional banks and politicians, they overhauled the government and forgave mortgage debt across the country. The change was hard on some, and inequitable in some ways, but the change was quick, fixed many problems, and allowed the country to progress. Germany’s response to the energy crisis has been to switch to new forms of energy. Sweden went so clean that they’ve had to import garbage for their incinerators. The Netherlands don’t debate climate change. They prepare for it, because the cause isn’t as important as the effect.

Those countries aren’t limiting themselves to trying only one thing. They’re working as many levers as they can and watching the change.

Meanwhile, I am dismayed to see the US government pushing the same old levers while ignoring the changes in finance, technology, nature, and civilization. The eventual change may not be pleasant.

I hope I’m pushing the right levers. I’ve never felt so at home as I do in my house and on Whidbey. Maybe there’s better somewhere else. I’m willing to change, but maybe my change is to stay where I am, in some different way. Stay tuned.

Hmm, I’ve been pushing these levers. I wonder what would happen if I pulled them instead.

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Good News Reminder

Posted on December 1, 2012 by Tom Trimbath

Last week I counted my blessings; or at least created a list inspired by Thanksgiving. There’s a broader, more global list. Let’s see where this more global exercise takes me. (Writers beware, I begin this without a mental outline or a goal in mind. Scary, eh?)

The economy is improving.

The US election is over.

  • Whatever your philosophical, ideological, political, or habitual leanings, the US federal elections once again were one of the most peaceful in the world.

Nature continues to impress.

Sudden wealth happens.

  • Hey, I’m glad to see someone win the lottery. (And I look forward to it being me. Trust me, I’ll share.)

Community is becoming the norm.

  • Thanks to the internet, people are connecting up with less regard for borders. Support happens. So do celebrations.
  • Thanks to digital media, story, both fiction and non-fiction, is permeating the planet with fewer gatekeepers and censors.
  • Thanks to gas prices, oddly enough, people are spending more time with neighbors and reinforcing physical community.
  • The Whidbey community has witnessed the power of community via drewslist, something that the rest of the world may witness soon.

Health is improving.

  • Lifespans are increasing.
  • Infant mortality is decreasing.
  • Alternatives to western industrial medicine are gaining proponents, improving lives, and doing so at lower costs.
  • Local and organic farming is coming back into favor.

Technology is improving.

  • Renewable energy is becoming mainstream.
  • Decentralization is democratizing real power.
  • New tech can do the same job with less power, resources, and hazardous materials.
  • Cars are becoming more efficient.

Alternative lifestyles are more accepted.

Is the list complete? Of course not. You’ve undoubtedly thought of several that I’ve missed. Put them in the comments. Make this list longer. If there’s anything the world needs more of, it is good news. And as a conversation on facebook (and my recent post) reminded me, sometimes we just have to stop, step back, and take a look around.

Scatchet Head Rainbow Sunrise

Scatchet Head Rainbow Sunrise – the view on this morning’s walk.

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Take A Breath

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Tom Trimbath

Take a breath. Step back and look up. I didn’t do much of that for the last two weeks. The first half of that time I was helping a client with their manuscript. The second half of that time I was preparing and publishing my newest book, Walking Thinking Drinking Across Scotland. Hours and days of staring at the screen. There is a time for everything, including a time for work and a time for play. A time to lean forward and concentrate and a time to stand back and relax. That’s true for me. That’s true for we.

I’m definitely in work mode. Partly that’s because a lot of long term projects, like five-year photo essays and introspective travelogues, are finally coming to fruition. Mostly it’s because I’m trying to make enough money to pay the bills. Regular readers have heard enough about that. Anyone new who is interested, scroll back through the posts. That’s what they are there for. (Maybe start with Rule of 7.)

The good news is the wealth of tools available to individuals. The photo essay and book I’ve just mentioned would have taken a lot of darkroom work and months of negotiations with agents and publishers twelve years ago. Now, with some hired help it all gets done for less than most folks spend on a vacation. My friend and client may have moved his book ahead a few months by using my fresh eyes to see the missed words and commas that are filled in within the mind of the author. But, the important part is the amazing amount of creativity and productivity that is unleashed by decentralized tools empowering people.

Use some of those tools and it is easy to fall into them, learning their nuances, bumping up against their limits, and eventually producing a personal creation. It becomes a positive self-reinforcing cycle. Ah, I created my first whatever. Now I know how to create a better second whatever. There’s a bit of a pause after the first, that allows for the reflection, which produces the improvement in the second. Take a breath, find a new perspective, and things improve.

For the last two weeks, I’ve been so focused on this computer screen that I have to make sure I step back and stand over by the window every hour or so. Otherwise my back tries on a new shape, my eyes forget that they can focus at more than one distance, and various muscles are either over used or almost neglected. I know it is time to take a break when I feel my neck and jaw tightening.

I’d like to celebrate the publication of the book (and the subsequent sales on amazon – on sale for $2.99!) by taking a step back and catching my breath for a few days, but many projects have been neglected in the meantime. Fewer resumes have gone out (though I edited them a bit at the specific advice of a few friends). I still have to get around to sizing a wing for a collaboration. (Unfunded, of course. Anyone want to help create a new kind of airplane?) There’s research to do for a philanthropic incubator. Consulting proposals for my business aren’t going to be written by anyone else. And we finally booked a date (January 26/27) and venue (Mukilteo) for the next self-publishing workshop. Details must be arranged.

Work and money and life must be kept in balance. For a while I lived my ideal. The mornings were directed towards making money. The afternoons were spent with life maintenance. The evenings were for socializing and definitely for dancing. Each day was different, but the proportions were about the same. Life is different as my money has temporarily departed my vicinity. I look forward to the swing of that balance, and the increased balances in my accounts.

It is common to say that our culture is out of balance. Too much work and not enough play; and the work isn’t very efficient and the play is too proscribed – on a societal scale. Sometimes I think we are fixated on a few topics that are important, but are unproductively elevated to extremes. I’m not surprised. Those issues are important, engage people’s passions, and are usually hard problems to solve. Their advocates may feel that they never get enough support, so they shout louder and raise the stakes higher. Soon, important but dull things like bridges are neglected.

Washington State’s legalization of marijuana surprised me. It’s almost as if, amongst the big debates in other states, tucked away in the upper left hand corner of the map (because you know they’ll draw Alaska in the Pacific beside Hawaii), some folks spoke up just loudly enough, we all took a collective breath, probably inhaled, and voted in legalization and may help prompt the repeal of marijuana prohibition. (A little more than a week away within WA.)

I wonder what we’d accomplish if we dialed down the national debates for a while, took a collective breath, maybe inhaled (just kidding, sorta), and took another look at our collective situation.

And then I turn that mirror to myself. I learned that lesson. That was why I went to Scotland. I needed and wanted to take me away from an increasing workload, force me to look at something other than a computer screen, and to simply walk and breathe for three weeks. I didn’t do it to write a book, but the walk changed my life. A small, simple thing happened. I found joy. How could I not write about that?

I’ve got a long list of things to do in addition to what I listed above. I continue to abide by my Rule of 7, which means I probably won’t be taking many days off. But I think that after I post this, and share it out, I’ll take my cup of tea and go stand by the window. Maybe the mountains will be out. Maybe the whales will be swimming by. Maybe some simple thought or thing will wander in while I breath.

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Posted on November 27, 2012 by Tom Trimbath

Someone reblogged my post to their site. Thank you. So, they’ve inspired me to repost it to my site. Welcome to my new book, Walking Thinking Drinking Across Scotland. One man’s search for joy – or at least a Guinness or some good whisky.

Tom Trimbath's avatarA Walk Across Scotland

Welcome to the world, a new book is born. Walking Thinking Drinking Across Scotlandwent “Live” on amazon for kindle last night. It feels so good to see the book up there, out there, and ready for readers.

Two years ago I walked across Scotland, for a lot of reasons:

  • partly to commemorate the ten year anniversary of my life-changing bicycle ride across America;
  • partly to celebrate the popularity of the subsequent book, Just Keep Pedaling, and my subsequent redefinition as a writer and author;
  • partly because I figured a vacation was a cheaper and more effective cure than modern medicine for stress relief;
  • and, of course, because I’ve always wanted to visit Scotland, its land, its pubs, and maybe a distillery or two.

When I bicycled across America I did it to lose weight. I bicycled from north of Seattle to south of Miami and ended up at…

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A Tale Of Two Views

Posted on November 24, 2012 by Tom Trimbath

The last few days had some highs and some lows. I decided to write about both, but some folks only want to read about the upbeat and some folks are more interested in how I am surviving the struggles. So, today I post three posts: this post which has this short explanation, and two other posts linked from here so readers can choose which story to read. And, of course, you can read all, either, or none.

The upside: Affordable Luxuries
The downside: Mortgage Company Tactics

Be assured, I’m writing the upside second because I don’t want to dwell on the downside; but, I write about both because both happened.

Ah, life can be a tangle, eh?

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Affordable Luxuries

Posted on November 24, 2012 by Tom Trimbath

Giving thanks on Thanksgiving is one of my favorite American traditions. I think it would make a fine global tradition. Okay folks, let’s pick a date that makes sense for everyone. The day after Thanksgiving I reflected on how much I enjoyed the day, yet nothing I’d done was exotic, expensive, or complicated. Several people have complimented me on my attitude amidst my financial troubles. I give credit to living simply, frugally, and consciously; lessons I’ve learned from several sources; my parents, an excellent Nine-Step program, various bits of wisdom floating through culture. They add up to an appreciation that is priceless.

Ironically, or maybe because of it, I recognized this on Black Friday. Shopping was being celebrated across America, on an unofficial holiday that is the antithesis of appreciating what we already have. A pair in contrast: Thanksgiving, thanks for what we have; Black Friday, getting more – though, every purchase is a gift for someone else, right?

Thanksgiving was a day of cooking, eating, and drinking. I enjoy cooking. It isn’t a chore, it is a joy. I cook simply: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, and spice cake. I eat slowly, and enjoy. Cook’s bonus, nibbling throughout the day; from prep, through tasting, through dinner, then nibbling on bits as leftovers are put away. Drinking wasn’t more complicated than brewing a pot of tea, uncorking a bottle of wine (probably the most expensive part of the meal), and then brewing another pot of tea (loose leaf from my friends at Dandelion Botanical.) It was a one man show, which meant visiting the kitchen for fourteen hours of cooking and cleaning. (I’m still proud of my kitchen sink sculpture and share it here again.)

Most days aren’t spent in the kitchen. That was a feast day. Most days that time is replaced with doing work I enjoy, enjoying where I live, being glad to be part of my communities. One handy thing about being a gregarious moderate is that I know right and left brain types, liberals and conservatives, optimists and pessimists and those who see both sides, rich and poor, mainstream and highly unconventional folks. Conversations can be fascinating. I purposely chose Whidbey and this house, my home, because a life is quiet and simple here. A walk down the street is a walk that some fly thousands of miles to enjoy. A walk down the hill gives me a million-dollar view and access to untrammeled nature.

My consulting, my writing, my photography, my teaching, are all things that take very little in terms of equipment, and connect me with my passions of people and ideas. Listening, then helping, someone with their project and their passion is immensely gratifying. Providing a simple perspective on nature and culture is natural for me through my words and photos.

For years I did things that should make me happy. It wasn’t until recently that I learned that the happiness was internal and could be found by being aware of my emotions, and allowing intuition to chart a course that follows them whether logic applies or not.

Welcome to the theme of my book about Scotland. The book looks like it is only about walking across Scotland, but the story is really about the internal journey. Here’s an excerpt where I learned a simple way to find joy.
“A smile could turn into a chuckle and a laugh and, as long as I stopped before hysteria, I’d found that I’d enjoyed a bit more of the day.”

A similar thing happens when I dance. When I dance, I smile. I recognized that soon after moving to the island. I enjoy introspection for awareness, understanding, and growth; but, I realized that there was no need to analyze the feeling. The trip to joy was surprisingly short. Why purposely lengthen it and turn an easy celebration into a momentous feat?

Entertainment doesn’t have to be expensive. Even movies and games don’t have to cost much. DVDs, Netflix, Yahtzee, old computer games, books, and music don’t cost much to buy and last so long that the amortized costs are incredibly low. I’d even go to the movies here on the island if the price of gas wasn’t so high. One downside of moving out of Langley is not being able to walk to The Clyde which only charges a few bucks for new movies, and a dollar for popcorn. And, of course, the cheapest and most valuable entertainment is spending time with friends.

There are plenty of other affordable luxuries. Seeds don’t cost much, and can produce many kinds of value – as long as the slugs, bunnies, and deer don’t harvest first. Meditation is free. Running and bicycling are somewhat expensive, but not really compared to golfing, skiing, and boating. Karate, at least the way I practice it, is as cheap as meditation. Sleeping in is wonderful. A fire, either in the fireplace or outside (where legal of course), creates ambiance and warmth; and can be a focus for socializing or reflection. Even a candle can suffice. Light a candle at dinner for two, or light a candle as a sign of hope, or just light a candle to light a candle.

Mix and match out of that string, add things I didn’t include, (oh yeah, I just remembered affection and intimacy and such, but that’s another story), and it is easy to fill a day.

I buy lottery tickets. Like I say, I am an optimist. When I had a lot more money I dreamed of winning the lottery and buying this, doing that, giving here and there. As I’m passing through this time I realized that what I want to buy with winnings are certain feelings. Yes, I’d pay off the mortgage; but the main benefit would be the relief gained from security. Yes, I’d renovate the house and car and computer, but the main benefit would be the feeling of ease to get things done. Yes, I’d give here and there, because there are people that would appreciate good news. I’d probably even host a dance party because that would be a lot of fun, and that’s a good enough reason.

We live in a society based on money, but after the essentials are acquired, there is a lifetime of luxury available that doesn’t cost much at all. Enjoy.

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