Monday 14 July 2014

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.” 

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



17 comments:

  1. So sorry to hear about your Aunt, I hope you have a memorable trip to see her.

    XOXO

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  2. Wow, what a BODY!
    ....LEGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! Now if only I can use them to mount the podium... :)

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  3. That you crossed the Rockies to be with her speaks volumes of the life she lived. A wise one said we shed our bodies like oxen shed the yoke.

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    1. I am pretty sure it's true, too. Six months after I pulled my apparently lifeless, blue six year old son off of the bottom of a swimming pool, he turned to me one day and said "mum, do you remember the day you were scared because I was drowning?"
      "Oh yes," I replied.
      "You shouldn't have been scared," he said. "I was ok. My soul didn't like deep water, so it went somewhere else, but I was ok."

      And this rings true with my near-death experiences. Everytime I have a seizure, it looks to others as if I am dead. It always feels as if I have crossed over, too, and that's the thing. I am not this mortal coil. My essence, that observer inside which is witness to all I think, feel, and do, is separate from my physical self.

      That understanding brings me peace and serenity at times like this.

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    2. ..."I am not what I think. I am not thought at all." Carry on Babble. Peace.

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  4. Wow! What a hot body.

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  5. ...hoping the best for aunt em, whatever that might be...i'm betting there's a shared understanding & a certain symbiosis between you two, ya ???...

    ...speaking of hoping, beauty, I hope for the sake of safety, you didn't "sharon stone / basic instinct - cross, uncross those legs" as those riders flew by...

    ...I mean, the fiery red dress, the "fuck me" shoes, the elegant hat capping wonderful, dark flashing eyes & a lovely smile, the shapely arms & those hot fucking gams all in that wanton posture is more than enough to distract so giving a flash of the yum-yum could bring down a whole peloton...

    ...ohhh, the humanity !!!...

    ...just sayin'...

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  6. Burning bridge? Can you say "accelerant" as they say in the Fire Department biz?
    Wow, killer red number with the gladiatorial gilded CFM heel goodness!!

    You have improved many living corners of this world Ms. Babble, even if just through some strategically placed kind words. I hope all goes as good as it can for your Aunt.

    Wet slippery metal in the road scares me,

    vsk

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    1. Thank you, sunshine. Tough week, but we're here to talk about it, so it's all good, right? xo xo

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    2. True !!

      vsk

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  7. @Bikesgonewild. Jealous by any chance? Lmao!

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    1. ...uhhh, that doesn't even really make sense, anon...

      ...babble & I get along quite well & we know each other & are supportive of each other as friends a bit more than this site reveals...

      ...that's all i'm sayin'...

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  8. What was the bridge made out of to make so much black smoke?
    Oil soaked railway sleepers maybe...
    Sorry about your Aunt.

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