Balcony Time Is Back!

There is something uniquely satisfying about time spent outdoors observing the comings and goings of others. My balcony sits at the perfect angle and height above the sidewalk to really get close to passers-by while still keeping distant enough to avoid detection. OK, maybe that sounds like spying, not observing, so let me attempt to clarify.

I simply love people watching. The little things really stand out for me. Mainly items others might miss: the gaits with which people walk, the way people make eye contact with others they meet, or the degree to which people take in their surroundings as they stroll by. Sometimes I try to imagine where they might be going, what’s on their minds or perhaps some other small read of their lives during the few short seconds they occupy my gaze.

I’m not really sure why, but the trivia of life and people has always fascinated me. All the little things that make up a life, most of which we may not even realize as we experience them. In a way, it’s very much like seeing the trees, and the forest, all together and separately – yet simultaneously.

Sometimes when there aren’t a lot of pedestrians in view, I turn my attention to the passing cars on the street. In the same way, I look at the little things. Not at the cars themselves (although they surely tell their own stories) but rather at their occupants, drivers and passengers alike. Are they talking, listening to music, texting (horror!) or merely lost in their own thoughts? Pondering these seemingly microscopic details enthralls me, much as I suppose a photographer is captivated by a single flower or blade of grass, or perhaps in the way a painter agonizes over the tiniest brush stroke or element of colour.

It's at these times I realize I’m completely content being in the world, and yet separated from it in the same instant. Watching, listening but above all experiencing things in their own time and space. That’s life in “high definition” from where I sit. And in taking the time to read this, you have shared the experience with me in some small measure. So thanks very much for that!

All Hail Lord Stanley and Tim Thomas!

Another NHL season has come to a close with the awarding of the Stanley Cup to the Boston Bruins. I'm not one to bandwagon-hop, but seeing Tim Thomas skate the cup was pretty damned gratifying. As a fellow "senior citizen" goaltender, the no-nonsense manner in which Thomas carried himself (and his team) was something I could totally get behind.

Clearly Vancouver was the better team statistically, and though it pains me as a new Canadian to see the Cup stay on the south side of the 49th parallel for another year, I can't say I'm not pleased with the end result. When all was done, the Bruins had spent more time working their game, and less time working the referees, than the did Canucks. And TT polished off gem after gem for all of us to see.

I'll steer clear of the sport-as-metaphor-for-life angle, for it's way, way overdone in my view. Heck, for all I know Tim Thomas could be a total jerk. But I doubt it. Part of me wants desperately to believe in the triumph of will over skill that I think we all can relate to at a certain level. And deep down, I know that what we saw from Tim speaks volumes about his character. In my mind, he is the real deal.

As I myself look forward to another season of beer league hockey - knowing each year could be my last at this point - I'll keep Tim Thomas clearly in mind as my example. Work hard, play your guts out, have fun and let the results speak for themselves. And really, isn't that all any of us can aspire to...?

Summertime, and The Living is... well, Complicated

The way things have gone weather-wise in southern Alberta this year, it’s hard to call what we’re now experiencing summer. Yet the calendar says it’s June and, since we are undoubtedly in the northern hemisphere, summer must be what this is.  Ironically, after all the complaining this past winter brought, "this" does not feel (at least not yet) anywhere near worth all the trouble.

Still, as I sit on the balcony contemplating the meaning of things, I find myself drawn back in time to summers past and balconies present. Warm sun, cold drinks, insightful music and compelling conversation all add up to thoroughly satisfying times consumed in the pursuit of nothing consequential. Nothing, that is, save simply being in the here and now: no world-weary concerns or cares to serve as distractions.

Sometimes, merely watching the day go by is pursuit enough. Allowing for the passage of time above all else seems oddly purposeful and fulfilling, when taking in the true measure of things. Like the sound of a mellow jazz vibe enjoyed under the swaying branch of a wind-kissed tree, life is best savoured in the moment.

I was reminded again this week of the fragility of life. All things have an expiry date, whether a carton of milk, bottle of beer, ripe banana or the whole of human existence. And despite our bravado to the contrary, we humans are no less subject to the inevitability of nature than any of our fellow creatures. The simple fact is that if we fail to acknowledge our own mortality, all is for naught.

Which, in an albeit roundabout way, brings me full circle.  As I sit in the warm June sun and think of times past and wonder about times to come, I feel a sense of quiet contentment that things unfold the way they must. If, for no other reason, than to remind us of the very fact that we are unique among the denizens of this world. We alone recognize the concept of times past, present and future. All other species on Earth live exclusively in, and can only even conceive of, the now. Maybe, when considered in this light, we atop the food chain have something to learn our brethren below…