Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Thursday, October 11, 2012
All it takes is a.... Bumper Sticker.
I wanted to share a good, inspiring story for all of us to... think positive in a bad situation. I often remind myself-- it will get better.
“You know, I was just thinking that three bumper stickers changed my life,” Dan said as we tromped down the trail a couple weeks ago.
I laughed because I knew what he was talking about. Not
“Obama/Romney/McCain/Bush for _________” or “Nuke a Gay Whale For
Christ,” but the time someone says something and you hear it. Because
you need it.
In fall 2001, Dan and his wife and business partner, Janine, were battling to get their photography business started, living in their Volkswagen Westfalia around Bishop, California. They had spent three days on the trail in the Sierras, shooting their first-ever assignment for Backpacker, which would get them their first big paycheck as photographers. They had less than $1,000 in the bank and had invested $150 in film for the trip.
On the drive up to the North Lake trailhead, the van’s engine blew up. They nursed it to the trailhead, just to get to the shoot, finish the work, and deal with the engine later.
After three days of hiking and shooting, they hiked back to the trailhead and their wounded van, which at the time, was their home. The curtains were closed, and everything looked perfectly normal. “In the Sierra, you always approach your vehicle hoping all the windows are intact,” Dan says — bears often rip off car doors like they’re opening a tuna can to get to the food inside.
Dan saw a piece of fiberglass on the ground. Figuring a bear had shredded someone’s truck camper shell, he flipped it over with his foot. Then,
Oh no.
The fiberglass was a piece of their van’s roof, the skylight. They jumped up to see a crater in the top of the van. The bear had pried open the skylight, then crashed through the roof into the van. Dan opened the door to see their home destroyed. The bear had done what bears do, digging through everything to find every scrap of food.
They started the van and rolled back down to Bishop, hoping the engine would make it. The wind pulled anything loose out of the holes in the roof and sides of the van. Things were grim. No money, no engine, no roof. No home.
They took the van to a repair shop, and started to walk to a friend’s house down Main Street in Bishop. They had hit bottom. Then, a car pulled up to a stoplight, and Dan and Janine, sullen, both read a sticker on its bumper:
TOUGH TIMES DON’T LAST
TOUGH PEOPLE DO
They looked at each other and laughed.
And then, they lasted. They fixed the van, getting a new top for free from a guy who’d just hit a cow and totaled his Westfalia. Work started coming in, contracts from Marmot, MSR, and other companies. Things got better.
Then their work took off: Climbing, National Geographic, Adventure, Outside, Backpacker, Patagonia, Trail Runner, and other magazines. They recently moved from the Dolomites to Interlaken, Switzerland and spend most of their lives working in some of the world’s most beautiful places.
I don’t know what exactly is the right way to make big decisions — I supposed spreadsheets, lists of pros and cons, and maybe even math are helpful. But I like people who find the turning points in their lives with bumper stickers, song lyrics, single sentences from long talks with friends, and other “signs.” Something in the mail on the right day, a story in an airline magazine, a conversation with a stranger, bad weather, missed connections, what we sometimes call serendipity. Life is more poetic that way, isn’t it? ---
When Your Life Is Changed By a Bumper Sticker
In fall 2001, Dan and his wife and business partner, Janine, were battling to get their photography business started, living in their Volkswagen Westfalia around Bishop, California. They had spent three days on the trail in the Sierras, shooting their first-ever assignment for Backpacker, which would get them their first big paycheck as photographers. They had less than $1,000 in the bank and had invested $150 in film for the trip.
On the drive up to the North Lake trailhead, the van’s engine blew up. They nursed it to the trailhead, just to get to the shoot, finish the work, and deal with the engine later.
After three days of hiking and shooting, they hiked back to the trailhead and their wounded van, which at the time, was their home. The curtains were closed, and everything looked perfectly normal. “In the Sierra, you always approach your vehicle hoping all the windows are intact,” Dan says — bears often rip off car doors like they’re opening a tuna can to get to the food inside.
Dan saw a piece of fiberglass on the ground. Figuring a bear had shredded someone’s truck camper shell, he flipped it over with his foot. Then,
Oh no.
The fiberglass was a piece of their van’s roof, the skylight. They jumped up to see a crater in the top of the van. The bear had pried open the skylight, then crashed through the roof into the van. Dan opened the door to see their home destroyed. The bear had done what bears do, digging through everything to find every scrap of food.
They started the van and rolled back down to Bishop, hoping the engine would make it. The wind pulled anything loose out of the holes in the roof and sides of the van. Things were grim. No money, no engine, no roof. No home.
They took the van to a repair shop, and started to walk to a friend’s house down Main Street in Bishop. They had hit bottom. Then, a car pulled up to a stoplight, and Dan and Janine, sullen, both read a sticker on its bumper:
TOUGH TIMES DON’T LAST
TOUGH PEOPLE DO
They looked at each other and laughed.
And then, they lasted. They fixed the van, getting a new top for free from a guy who’d just hit a cow and totaled his Westfalia. Work started coming in, contracts from Marmot, MSR, and other companies. Things got better.
Then their work took off: Climbing, National Geographic, Adventure, Outside, Backpacker, Patagonia, Trail Runner, and other magazines. They recently moved from the Dolomites to Interlaken, Switzerland and spend most of their lives working in some of the world’s most beautiful places.
I don’t know what exactly is the right way to make big decisions — I supposed spreadsheets, lists of pros and cons, and maybe even math are helpful. But I like people who find the turning points in their lives with bumper stickers, song lyrics, single sentences from long talks with friends, and other “signs.” Something in the mail on the right day, a story in an airline magazine, a conversation with a stranger, bad weather, missed connections, what we sometimes call serendipity. Life is more poetic that way, isn’t it? ---
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Something Fun
This-- you will LOVE!
 | ||||
| Both teams: Deaf Jam and Flying Hands & Feet throwing our color powders to complete the event |
This is called THE COLOR RUN
They made a booming expansion across the United States this year-- attempting to establish one Color Run in every state. Portland hosted Color Run for the first time this year. I went ahead and established a team online so anybody could take advantage of the discount and be able to join in this colorful fun.
Not only that, it became a biggest sensation-- Portland hosted 20,000 participants! They declared it was the largest 5k event in the USA! Way to go Portlanders!
Not just that... but I hosted the biggest unofficial team for the Deaf community-- about 30 Deaf people had participated (some from Salem, some from Seattle).
MAX lines (Portland's electric public transport trains) were backed up for more than a hour carrying participants to the event.
IT WAS THAT POPULAR!!!
We didn't give a rat's butt! We still showed up regardless if we were late. People were still coming in and starting running and walking.
We rolled in the colors, we entered every kilometer stations with a different color tossed at us! COLOR US!!! We picked up every color we could! JUMPED! ROLLED! SPINNED!
It did not matter how we got to each station, we walked, ran, skipped, hopped.... we were having fun!
 | |
| Full of White before getting Colored! |
 |
| Colored! |
 | ||
| To Power of Color! |
If your town/state has already run the event-- please keep this in mind for next year. If it is still available and coming up soon-- try to catch it! (it usually raises fees as time approaches-- so if it's expensive-- try to catch the cheap fees next year). <3
Here's to fun adventures ahead of us!
Monday, October 1, 2012
Addiction
I started this philosophy last year-- that everybody needs a balance in their lives. Meaning what? That we all cannot be addicts to a particular event/activity in life. For instance, majority of addiction that takes up of our time is WORK. We all have American Dreams where we chase after bucks and lose our clear breaths over demeaning goals at workplace.
I did not mention addiction to any sort of drugs-- because drugs are a band-aid to a conflict. I had learned this when I decided to assist a friend who was recovering from Meth, he had asked me to drive him to AA meetings-- I had asked him why he is going to an Alcohol Anonymous when he is Meth addict, not a drinker. He explained "all the addictions are the same in one way: everybody has an issue that they are afraid to face, and has no courage to face it in order to overcome it in a healthy way." He then invited me to his meetings, I sat through those meetings listening to people proudly say "I have been clean for 2 months (or whenever)" then explain their goals.
What impressed me most about those recovery people-- they never speak of negative things, they focused on what they needed to overcome and move on to their dreams. The friend had decided to go out of state to participate into a more intense addiction program to figure himself out because he still had trouble figuring how to overcome his addiction. He returned 2 months later, told me "I realized I had anxiety. I did not understand that I could not make decisions or move onto a positive project by myself, I kept focusing on people judging me and telling me negative things about myself." then proceed to tell me, "I have to believe in myself. Believe in my strength, not in other's perspective of my failures. They are not failures. They are my lessons into how I can learn how to be stronger and be a good person."
I have to thank him for his continuous life lessons. I enjoy learning things from people's experiences. Since I do not suffer drug or substance abuse, I cannot pass judgement on others and because of my friend, I learned that most of abuse comes from not respecting or believing in one self's strength.
Drug Addiction is not an Addiction. It is feeding to your miserable disease where you are not confident in yourself and allowing negativity to feed on you.
Believe in yourself.
Now, this is proportional to people who abuse TIME in life. Watching TV, addicted to working, etc. I have few friends who are addicted to work. I have never seen them take up hobbies in life-- they had made their workplace a hobby. It's sort of sad because they have often come to me and sat with me, asking me ridiculous questions: "What do you think I should do?" "What is there to do?" "Can I watch TV?" "Why are you always biking?" "I should exercise, but... I just couldn't go there."
It's a lack of putting your creativity into place. To be honest, most of my ideas comes to me when I'm running, biking, or walking my dog. Creativity does not come from watching TV and working most of the day. It's called MEDIATION.
My biggest theory is that everybody needs at least 30 minutes or a hour of mediation DAILY. It gives them the downtime of their brains to develop everything and putting things into place, clearing up your thoughts, creating new ideas, etc. For some, mediation comes in when your body is functioning: exercising.
As well as that my pet peeve as a Deaf person is when a person tells me: "Oh, I wish I knew Sign Language." ARRRRGGGH!!! Most of those people are friends of my friends. I have bumped into them several times and they say the same things all over again. I often refrain myself from snapping at them "if you wish you knew Sign Language, why don't you just LEARN? Take a class, pick up some signs from me?" They often say it but never bothered to ask me to teach them basics. Do not say what you do not plan to do.
DO! If you "wish" or "would love to" take that challenge! Move forward and take it up! You goal should not be to say "I wish" again. If you wish, DOOOOOOOOOO!
I know, this post is not valid enough, but my point is to BELIEVE IN YOURSELF AND DO! Don't degrade yourself if you feel that you are good enough for "I wish." Believe that you have the ability to succeed, do not allow others to tell you that you are unable.
Break away from the daily life's addictions, learn how to mediate with yourself, find your strength within, find what pushes you forward, and allow that TIME for yourself. Balance it out. Don't let Work take it from you. Don't let TV take it from you. Don't let Negativity take it from you. Don't get addicted. Learn how to prioritize and allow that short time for yourself to feel in place.
Confide in You.
I did not mention addiction to any sort of drugs-- because drugs are a band-aid to a conflict. I had learned this when I decided to assist a friend who was recovering from Meth, he had asked me to drive him to AA meetings-- I had asked him why he is going to an Alcohol Anonymous when he is Meth addict, not a drinker. He explained "all the addictions are the same in one way: everybody has an issue that they are afraid to face, and has no courage to face it in order to overcome it in a healthy way." He then invited me to his meetings, I sat through those meetings listening to people proudly say "I have been clean for 2 months (or whenever)" then explain their goals.
What impressed me most about those recovery people-- they never speak of negative things, they focused on what they needed to overcome and move on to their dreams. The friend had decided to go out of state to participate into a more intense addiction program to figure himself out because he still had trouble figuring how to overcome his addiction. He returned 2 months later, told me "I realized I had anxiety. I did not understand that I could not make decisions or move onto a positive project by myself, I kept focusing on people judging me and telling me negative things about myself." then proceed to tell me, "I have to believe in myself. Believe in my strength, not in other's perspective of my failures. They are not failures. They are my lessons into how I can learn how to be stronger and be a good person."
I have to thank him for his continuous life lessons. I enjoy learning things from people's experiences. Since I do not suffer drug or substance abuse, I cannot pass judgement on others and because of my friend, I learned that most of abuse comes from not respecting or believing in one self's strength.
Drug Addiction is not an Addiction. It is feeding to your miserable disease where you are not confident in yourself and allowing negativity to feed on you.
Believe in yourself.
Now, this is proportional to people who abuse TIME in life. Watching TV, addicted to working, etc. I have few friends who are addicted to work. I have never seen them take up hobbies in life-- they had made their workplace a hobby. It's sort of sad because they have often come to me and sat with me, asking me ridiculous questions: "What do you think I should do?" "What is there to do?" "Can I watch TV?" "Why are you always biking?" "I should exercise, but... I just couldn't go there."
It's a lack of putting your creativity into place. To be honest, most of my ideas comes to me when I'm running, biking, or walking my dog. Creativity does not come from watching TV and working most of the day. It's called MEDIATION.
My biggest theory is that everybody needs at least 30 minutes or a hour of mediation DAILY. It gives them the downtime of their brains to develop everything and putting things into place, clearing up your thoughts, creating new ideas, etc. For some, mediation comes in when your body is functioning: exercising.
As well as that my pet peeve as a Deaf person is when a person tells me: "Oh, I wish I knew Sign Language." ARRRRGGGH!!! Most of those people are friends of my friends. I have bumped into them several times and they say the same things all over again. I often refrain myself from snapping at them "if you wish you knew Sign Language, why don't you just LEARN? Take a class, pick up some signs from me?" They often say it but never bothered to ask me to teach them basics. Do not say what you do not plan to do.
DO! If you "wish" or "would love to" take that challenge! Move forward and take it up! You goal should not be to say "I wish" again. If you wish, DOOOOOOOOOO!
I know, this post is not valid enough, but my point is to BELIEVE IN YOURSELF AND DO! Don't degrade yourself if you feel that you are good enough for "I wish." Believe that you have the ability to succeed, do not allow others to tell you that you are unable.
Break away from the daily life's addictions, learn how to mediate with yourself, find your strength within, find what pushes you forward, and allow that TIME for yourself. Balance it out. Don't let Work take it from you. Don't let TV take it from you. Don't let Negativity take it from you. Don't get addicted. Learn how to prioritize and allow that short time for yourself to feel in place.
Confide in You.
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