Playing in the face of defeat.

News Flash!

Vancouver's carbon footprint went through the roof this week when somebody torched the train bridge over the mighty Fraser river. You know, the bridge that feeds the Arbutus Corridor which I was railing on about the other day?

It's pretty convenient, don't you think, that opening the corridor to rail traffic is off the books for the foreseeable future?

For the record, I didn't do it, though it certainly is a victory for Vancouver's guerilla gardeners. I was no-where near that bridge at the time.  I was downtown, where an oblivious race official was smoked by a pace car. When that fire was set I was all set to watch the women's Gastown Grand Prix...

It was BC Superweek, and I did my best to support the girls at every turn. Superweek's organisers claimed that there would be pay parity for the women this time round, and while it's true that the podium winnings were equal, there sure was a discrepancy between the amount the women could win in a prime lap, and what the men made.  The girls had a few $200 laps sprinkled evenly throughout the race, and the men's race started out the same, but they had a lot more primes, and the men's laps paid better, with a few $500 primes and even one $1200 lap!

Still, it did my heart good to see the girls giving it their all like that.  It was great.  I spent a lot of time hanging out at the races,

dreaming of riding fast...

as everybody went whizzing past.

That was last week.  It was a pretty good time, all in all. It was happy, and it was fun. I spent a bit of time outdoors under the sun,

and some time indoors with friends, too. 

Then I heard that my dear, sweet Auntie Em is gravely ill.   We quickly made our way across the Rockies to spend some time with her in Edmonton while she has time to spend, and that's where we're at.   Horace Mann advised us to "Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity," and perhaps he was right.  I aspire to improve this world for sure, but perhaps I'd best take a page from Emily's book.  She lived a simple life. She served the greater good. Her kindness, her cheerfulness and her helpfulness made the lives of the people she touched much more beautiful for having known her.  That spells victory in my books.

“Life is to be lived, not controlled; and humanity is won by continuing to play in face of certain defeat.” 

― Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man 

Here's to the divinity in humanity, and to a life well lived.  Thanks for checking in.  Talk to you soon!