where to reach me…

i don’t know that i’ll have cell phone coverage this weekend in nova scotia. in the event of an emergency situation, try my cell phone first. if you don’t hear back from me in a reasonable amount of time, try me at one of these known destinations:

saturday afternoon - cat ferry - yarmouth, nova scotia - 1:30pm (et) arrival - 902.742.6800

saturday night - englishtown ridge campground - englishtown, nova scotia - 902.929.2598

sunday night - woodhaven rv park - hammonds plain, nova scotia - 902.835.2271

monday afternoon - cat ferry - yarmouth, nova scotia - 3pm (et) departure - 902.742.6800

hopefully, no one will need these numbers.

enjoy the long weekend!

peace and love,
greg

the power to choose…

have you ever had a thought like this one? ‘i have to wait until this or that (something in the future) happens to know what’s right for me.’ have you ever been in this reactive place? i have. i was having one of those experiences very recently.

i’m waiting to have a talk with someone. it’s been nearly two weeks since we’ve spoken. i put a boundary in place that i have honored over this stretch of time. what i don’t want to tell you is that i’ve been giving WAY too much energy (thought) to the pending conversation.

i’ve been thinking about all of the possible scenarios and what could happen. it’s truly mental masturbation of the highest degree. ugh. i am tired of going to that place in my mind. i have no idea what’s going to happen. it could be any one of one million different outcomes.

i arrived at an epiphany last night on the phone with a good friend. i’ve been giving my power away to this future event. i’ve been waiting for this conversation to happen before i choose what i want for myself. that’s what i wasn’t seeing clearly…until last night.

i probably could have seen it for someone else, but i couldn’t see it for myself. i have the power to choose what i want right now. i don’t have to wait for the conversation to happen. i don’t have to hear what the other person has to say first.

i’ve grown by the largest measure when i take the time to get clear on what is right for me. there is the lesson for me…AGAIN. i’ve been presented with this lesson before and i needed to be hit with it again. i will learn it. it’s only a matter of when

luckily for me, i have a long weekend on the motorcycle to be with my thoughts and get clear. i’m off to nova scotia in the morning. some cool northern wind in my face is just what the doctor ordered for this kid.

i’m hopeful for me and excited for the trip. if i have decent cell service, i may check in via text message. if not, i’ll be back online late monday night or sometime tuesday.

be well, my friends!
greg

other nyc sightings…

i strolled past this waterfall and tunnel in the middle of downtown…

i might have met with an organization who created this large fowl…

i definitely walked by trump international hotel and tower…

i love chipotle…

when i’m in new york city, i usually eat chipotle at least one time. nyc is as close as I get to the yummy stuff.

one more today…on friendship…

from the prophet, kahlil gibran, chapter 19…

and a youth said, ’speak to us of friendship.’

your friend is your needs answered.

he is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.

and he is your board and your fireside.

for you come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for peace.

when your friend speaks his mind you fear not the ‘nay’ in your own mind, nor do you withhold the ‘ay.’

and when he is silent your heart ceases not to listen to his heart;

for without words, in friendship, all thoughts, all desires, all expectations are born and shared, with joy that is unacclaimed.

when you part from your friend, you grieve not;

for that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain.

and let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.

for love that seeks aught but the disclosure of its own mystery is not love but a net cast forth: and only the unprofitable is caught.

and let your best be for your friend.

if he must know the ebb of your tide, let him know its flood also.

for what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill?

seek him always with hours to live.

for it is his to fill your need, but not your emptiness.

and in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.

for in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.

booked…

it’s official. i’m going to nova scotia. WOOHOO!!

the trip looks different from what i had originally planned/estimated. apparently, nova scotia is bigger than i realized. it looks so small on the map don’t you think?

i’m taking the ferry from portland, maine to yarmouth, nova scotia on saturday morning. it leaves portland at 8am eastern time and arrives in yaromouth at 1:30pm atlantic time. i lose an hour due to atlantic time. c’est la vie.

from yarmouth, i plan on riding northwest-ish to the cabot trail area. i haven’t decided on a city yet, but will probably end up near englishtown. there’s a campground there on st. ann’s bay. sounds nice enough. i’ll stay the night up there.

in the morning, i’ll ride the cabot trail loop. i’ll take my time on the cabot trail as it is purported to be some of the best riding in north america. after the cabot trail, i’ll shoot over to halifax via the ceilidh trail. i’ll camp outside halifax that night.

the morning of the third day, i’ll explore halifax. that afternoon, i’ll head for yarmouth and the ferry. i’ll re-enter the u.s.a. through bar harbor, maine around 6pm eastern time. from there, it’s a 4 hour motorcycle ride home. whoa, it’s going to be a long day!

i have no idea how many miles i’m going to put on the bike. i’m guessing it will be well over 1,000 miles. that’s plenty of saddle time. i’m going to be sore.

i’m excited and a wee bit anxious…

peace,
greg

night rider…

nope. this isn’t a blog about the tv show (knight rider), david hasselhoff or kitt. now that i’m reminiscing, i realize this is the second 80’s tv show reference in as many blogs. hmmm.

anywho, i’m more interested in sharing a blissful night time habit of mine. i’ve made a habit of riding my motorcycle up/down route 1A (along the ocean) at night. i prefer the north to south trip as it gets any highway driving out of the way first. going south, i get to enjoy 1A and the backroads for a solid 30-40 minutes.

[for the nerds: the southbound preference reminded me of a line from the lord of the rings series. in the two towers, there's a character named treebeard. he's an ent, a mythical tree-like creature who can walk. one of his lines goes as follows, 'i like going south. somehow it feels like going downhill.' ok. i'm done in middle earth. back to reality.]

route 1A travels along the seacoast through maine, new hampshire and massachusetts (and maybe further). the stretch of 1A in new hampshire is one of my favorite roads in the u.s.a. i realize i haven’t travelled all too many scenic roads in the country, but that doesn’t diminish the beauty of my new hampshire seacoast indulgence.

1A winds along the atlantic ocean with amazing views of the ocean itself and the homes which line the road. the curves and bends in the road make for an outstanding motorcycle ride. i can do some nice leaning of the bike through the turns. it’s fantastic.

given that it’s night time, there’s little traffic. i have, however, noticed a fascinating phenomenon. apparently, 1A is the road for you if you want to drive in your car and smoke pot. nearly every time i’m over there, i smell the odor of marijuana coming from a car ahead of me. quick note to these potentially impaired motorists: (1) try that at home, and (2) let me pass

lots of digressions in this blog…

the darkness and the presence of a massive body of water make for a beautiful backdrop for a ride. on a clear night, the stars are innumerable. i will usually stop somewhere on the ride to sit and star gaze, just drinking it all in. it’s positively lovely.

last night, it was a full moon (or damn close). i can’t describe to you in words how beautiful the moon is here in new england. i have fallen in love with the moon in these two years. the skies are so clear here that the moon shines radiantly bright. it is gorgeous and magical.

maybe i didn’t stray out of the city enough in cincinnati. maybe i took the moon and stars for granted. maybe there was too much haze in the air in the river valley. any way you slice it, i didn’t see the beauty in the sky that i see today. i’m very glad to see it now. drinking in this beauty makes me feel more alive.

so…last night…i sat on a bench directly in front of the ocean. the moon was full and shining brightly. it was reflecting off of the ocean and seemed to be shining just for me. it was a spiritual experience. i felt more connected to everything and to me. ahhhhhhh.

what more can i say? find some beauty, my friends. it’s all around us.

enjoy this day,
greg

an evening paddle…

on my way home from a business appointment today, i swung through exeter and noticed a sign i usually pass by and ignore. the sign was for gilman park. i drove back the road that led to the park and noticed a boat put-in. basically, it’s a dirt road only good for kayaks and canoes.

this put-in caught my attention and my excitement. i jumped out of the car and checked it out. i liked what i saw and crafted a plan on the spot - go home, mow the lawn, go for an evening paddle on the exeter river. i love it when a plan comes together (that’s right a-team fans).

i came home, mowed the lawn, threw the thule rack on the car and strapped the kayak down for the 1 mile drive to gilman park i can’t remember being this excited to paddle before. i think it was the idea of paddling in the evening on unchartered (yet safe) water.

i jumped in the boat and paddled south-ish on the river. it was beautiful. trees line the river. it winds back and forth in a meandering path of secluded water. i only saw two other people on the river. ahhhh. peace.

the sun was going down, so i turned around 45 minutes into my paddle and headed back north-ish. the paddle back seemed to go quicker, so i kept heading north past the put-in at the park. this brought me past philips exeter academy and into downtown exeter.

i stopped just short of the ‘falls’ in downtown exeter. i didn’t want to go down the falls in my recreational boat. i’m not sure i would do it in any boat (for that matter). i paddled back to the park and pulled the boat from the river.

i’m enamored with the exeter river and can’t wait to paddle it again very soon. i look forward to having more time and exploring it further. i think it could be a couple hour paddle going south-ish from gilman park. another adventure!

this is one HUGE reason why i love new england. there is astounding natural beauty everywhere i go. this happens to be in my own backyard. the ocean is 15 minutes away. the moon is beautiful up here…i fall in love with the moon every month.

i’m rambling now, but in a good way

do something you love!
greg

no more lurking… (also known as ‘desperately seeking validation…’)

i’m interested to know if anyone is reading this diatribe. is it a soliloquy or is there a readership to this rant?

if you are reading this, i ask that you please post a comment. i’m curious to know who is at the window looking in.

you need not make it anything elaborate. simply comment with your first name and anything else you may have to add.

to leave a comment, go to the ‘# comments‘ link at the bottom right of this post. click there, then type in the box under ‘leave your comment.’

to add your name to a comment, click on the circle next to ‘other‘ under ‘choose an identity.’ type your chosen identity in the box by ‘name‘ and click the ‘publish your comment‘ link.

thanks in advance for making this interactive

peace,
g

do my actions match my words?

when i say i’m going to do something, it usually gets done. i have my moments. if i have good energy around something, i make sure it happens. when i don’t have ‘good’ energy around something, that’s where i falter in my life.

if i’m coming from a place of fear (knowing this can mean ‘false evidence appearing real’) or resistance or doubt, my actions may not match my words. i can procrastinate and make excuses and negotiate with myself to justify inaction or other action.

recently, i’ve found that i negotiate with myself over my own boundaries. i said that i don’t want to do x, but i negotiated with myself to make x okay as long as i don’t do y. then i cross that boundary by saying y is okay as long as i don’t do z. yikes.

none of this is really bad stuff, but i’m not holding my own boundaries. this definitely affects me and is likely to affect others if they are involved. with myself and others, i am becoming more conscious of the power of my words and actions being in alignment.

in the four agreements by don miguel ruiz, the first agreement is ‘be impeccable with your word. speak with integrity. say only what you mean.’ there are others facets to this impeccability, but ’say only what you mean’ is resonating with me.

when i make an agreement with myself or with another, do i really mean it? i may believe on an intellectual level that the agreement is possible, but do i REALLY mean it? am i being impeccable with my word? it’s a good question.

‘the word is not just a sound or a written symbol. the word is a force; it is the power you have to express and communicate, to think and thereby to create the events in your life. the word is the most powerful too you have as a human….’

am i being true to my word when i negotiate boundaries with myself? what message am i sending myself when i do this? what message am i sending others if i negotiate boundaries with them? do i trust myself? will others trust me? very good questions.

when i stay true to my word, boundaries and agreements with my words and actions, i feel good. i am in my power. i know this place. it is a place of being present to myself and those around me. it is true consciousness.

it can be hard. staying conscious and remaining present can be very difficult for me. i’m good at distracting myself and thinking about other people and their needs. it’s an easy place to hide out from myself and my power.

so, if you notice that something doesn’t match up between my words and my actions, let me know. i won’t take offense. i want to keep getting better and better. i want to be more present and be ‘in my power.’ calling me on my stuff will help me.

thank you for your ongoing support and love!

peace and love,
greg