Author: Paul (Chip) Harris

I travel to the airport with my best friend, Alan.  We talk on and off about the great work he, Glynis, and I have done over the past few days.  I express how thrilled I am that he had the opportunity to meet and work with Glynis, since I find her such an inspiration.  We talk about our life experiences and how the richness of our lives has helped us to see our work together from three very different and equally informed perspectives.  I feel blessed to have been able to work with two of my most cherished friends.  We form a strong team, each bringing out the wisdom in the other.

The sun is starting to set, weaving in and out of the clouds, casting a sundog down to the horizon.  The clouds shift slowly with a mood of winter loneliness and I try not to think of the months and days that will pass before I may see my friend again.  I’m surprised by my willingness and ability to be both centred and present in the moment.  Partly the pain of separating, and partly the joy of having been together.

We pass Didsbury and I realize that we are past half way.  I want time to slow down, to savour these last few hours before he is off to home.  In the airport we find a place to sit and drink sodas until the time comes for him to pass security.  One last embrace good bye. I stand and watch him wrestle with security.  The boots, the pat down, the reassembling.  Wave.

12 dollars to get out of the parkade.  I travel quietly down the highway on my way home, painfully aware of the hole in my heart.  I think of how lovely it will be to catch up with Terry after he is done with his Whisker Rescue Society meeting.  He’s just returned yesterday from a conference and Chicago and I haven’t seen him for four days.  The roads are calm and quiet. I call and chat with my friend Corinne on the phone about life and the directions each of us is taking.  I think about coming straight to the office and begin to sort my office for the week — to catch up on all that has been put aside as I worked with my consulting team.  I think about my friends and how blessed I am to have each of them in my life, no matter how far away they are or how often I get to see them.  I look forward to being at work tomorrow.

Terry texts me to say that the meeting is nearly over.  I go straight to the house, just in time for a cupcake, and to say hello to Stacey and Pete.  The four of us make plans to see one another this weekend, to drink wine and share stories.  I’m really happy to be home with Terry to enjoy our home, and one another’s company.  Again, I think about how blessed I am.

In the morning I begin to take hold of my work and my office.  I assemble shelves most of the day, in between I help the electrician sort out wiring for the new heating system we are installing in the building next door.  It’s boring stuff to do, but I know that it will be rewarding once it is done and paid for.  I wish January were a little busier.  Leslie M and I go buy paint for the store.  It is exciting to see the second floor transform with colour.  We stop for lunch and have some really good laughs.  It’s nice that she too is in my life.

Now and I sit and write this, I think of what this blog may become and hope that people will read it and enjoy it.  I hope that there are interesting things to say and insights that might make the world a better place.  Over the past couple of days I’ve felt close to so many people.  Friends, colleagues, clients, family.  I am reminded again tonight of the solitude that we all own by virtue of being alone with ourselves in our own bodies.  There is still, an incredible richness of company that can surround us if we stay present in the moment and appreciate that we all have an incredible diversity of fellow travellers in our lives that bring us great joy just by being associated — but only if we allow our hearts to be open.

It’s Sunday morning and I sit here in my sunroom looking out at the grey sky.  Last Sunday I was spending my last day in Japan and beginning my travels home.  Terry and I had a great time there.  I’d wanted to visit Japan since I was a teenager, and it has taken me this long.  Terry found tickets on a discount travel site and so for the two of us to go it was $1200 Canadian dollars return, taxes included.  How amazing is that?  Discoveries we made about travelling there.  First, buy yourself a first class Japan Rail pass.  You must do this outside of Japan.  You can’t buy them there.  Then you can travel on any train, anytime, to anywhere in Japan.  If you want to travel in the first class car you just have to book at the rail stations before the journey begins.  We travelled from Tokyo, to Akita, to Juniko, to Aomori, to Sendai, to Kyoto, and back to Tokyo.

The second money tip is that there are hotels everywhere and you should be able to get a small but nice room for no more that $70 Canadian.  The staff at the desk always show you the price before they go ahead and book it for you.  They’ll type the price into a calcuator or write it on a pad and then present it to you in the palms of their hands, like an offering.  It’s quite lovely and non threatening.  We were thrilled with the prices since the one we booked online for the first night was $168 Canadian.

Contrary to what you may have heard, English is NOT well spoken by many people in Japan.  I would say it would be similar to the amount of French that we speak in the Alberta.  You’ll find someone eventually, but most of the time you are on your own.  Since the Japanese use a writing system of ideograms, it is impossible to read without some studying before you.  You will see some things written out with abc’s, which may give you some clues.  Train stations are good that way.  We learned to recognize the symbols for cities we were visiting, which was helpful.

The people were warm and friendly and helpful. We were very careful to wear our Canadian flags prominently, so that we didn’t repeat the experience of being mistaken for Americans that we had when we first visited Europe in Spring of last year (pre Obama).  We met some wonderful people whom we would like to go back and visit and perhaps take friends to introduce.

Japan did not seem as ‘futuristic’ as we had thought it would be.  (Everyone we met had cellphone but few had emails — wouldn’t that be heaven.) It is just as modern as any developed country that we’ve visited but really no more so.  I was surprised but the absence of historical building.  It seems that almost everything has been replaced within the last 60 years and not much of it with really high quality.  I reminded me of what we’ve done here in western Canadian in the 60’s and 70’s.  We took down anything old and replaced it with stucco and vinyl.  The Japanese love plastic, everything was made of plastics.

The last day in Toyko we discovered a restoration taking place of the main train terminal.  The building is just over 100 years old and looks more European than Japanese, but still it quite significant to their history.  The restoration reminded me a lot of the work that is happening in London with the King’s Cross station (famous to us from Harry Potter, platfrom 9 1/2).  The Japanese have the added work of lifting the whole thing up and fitting it with a shock absorbing system that will help the building withstand earthquakes.  There was an earthquake one evening while we were in Aomori — we survived.

The wondrous thing about the Japanese is they way they have preserved their culture.  I recognize that I have no way of knowing how it may have changed but still it seemed to me that in the absence of heritage buildings they have managed to preserve their custom of respect for one another and visitors, through their actions and language.  They value things being tidy and organized.  “You can eat off the streets,” I heard so often. It was amazing.  I which we could keep Sunworks this tidy and clean. (I hear the Sunworkers groaning already).  We learned to bow and to be polite in our requests and our thanks.

I was reminded by this short Japan experience to never take anything or anyone for granted.  I should respect and honour not only the things that I have for a time, but the people in my life.  Connections and relationships are most important, everything else needs to be cared for, for others in the future to enjoy.

Today as I worked at the Sunworks on a variety of things, I appreciated the work that each of the staff was doing so much.  It’s the strongest group of people that we’ve ever had and they love and respect one another.  There are no hard feelings between anyone and the support they give one another is powerful.  It feels like we are finally getting into all of the corners, that the policies and procedures are in line with our philosophy of customer service. The store is clean and tidy and the inventory has increased significantly.  The bookstore looks like a bookstore and we are getting great comments from the customers on the selection.  Over time our literature section will increase.  Sunworks is becoming what we all imagined it could be.  This next year will see the final changes to the makeover of the building.  Max may finally get his cafe and coffee bar.

As we contemplate our next major expansion into music it is fun to watch as the new CDs come in and are well received.  Tomorrow we are meeting with the fixture designer to tweak the design they are doing for us.  It’s my goal that that section is well under way before Christmas. It’s going to be an amazing year for Sunworks.  Another record year and we continue to grow and become better at helping our community appreciate life.

Meanwhile, as things become better at Sunworks, Swerve Living is ramping up.  Soon we will have great housing to offer to people working in lower paid industry, or attending school. Condos are for sale and we are working toward beginning construction on the project within weeks.  The building permit has been issued and some of the condos are already sold.  It’s all about the banking now.  I’m so looking forward to the transformation that this will create on Gaetz Avenue.  18 months from now, the project will be done and occupied.  It’s been a long road but a good road.

Voltaire said “appreciation is a wonderful thing, it makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well. ”  Today is a day for appreciation.  I appreciate what we’ve co-created at Sunworks.  I appreciate the staff and the huge amount of talent they have.  I appreciate the customers and the positive things they offer.  I appreciate the way our street is changing and becoming a great part of the downtown.  I appreciate the faith that our community and friends have shown in us as we have worked for positive change.  Most of all I appreciate life and the happiness that comes through the offering of one’s gifts.

It’s been a long road but we are finally in building mode.  We hope to have the construction crews on site in a matter of weeks.  Swerve Living is an environmentally friendly condominium complex.  It’s designed for urban living in the downtown of Red Deer.  During this past week we’ve been setting up the sales office and showroom.   Right now we have condos available for sale;  some have sold in the first week.  This Saturday between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. we are hosting an open house at Sunworks.  You are invited to come down and have a close look at the complex, ask your questions, and catch the excitement we feel for this project.

Swerve Living has been in the planning and design stages for about three years.  With the help of officials, both elected and employed, of the City of Red Deer, we’ve been able to design a building that meets the new Alberta Building Code  and embodies high quality environmental standards. This is a  super insulated building which consumes no gas to operate.  It is designed for future solar integration and wind energy.   Our municipal Planning Commission and City Council has supported this project from the beginning.

Swerve Living is a traditional building in many ways. It however keeps in mind the aesthetics of our downtown and integrates well into our changing community as we imagine and plan for new residential living in downtown.

As a long term business resident of the downtown it is quite exciting for me to see the changes happening here.

Executive Place on the corner of Ross and 49th Avenue has nearly reached its maximum height.  They’ve started putting windows up and soon they’ll be solely working on the inside.  Once that project is complete the City will build Cenotaph Park which will create a vibrant cultural space downtown. The park will be directly in front of the building where the construction staging area is now.  Ross Street won’t return to four lanes of traffic; it’s great to see how Ross Street has changed, from a place that the strippers and drug lords hung out to the busiest and most vibrant street in Red Deer.  The merchants on this street have worked tirelessly to create something important for us all.

I believe that as Swerve Living progresses it will further the transformation of the downtown along Gaetz Avenue.  If you haven’t been downtown recently you really must visit us.  There is now a wide range of international restaurants, all independent and all great places to eat  — from Fijian to Thai, from Mexican to Lebanese.  The shopping is the best in the City and the increasing walkability of the downtown makes it a rich cultural experience. It’s a good reminder that our roots in Alberta are deeper than our oil and gas industries: we come from all over the world and we have a rich and diverse heritage.  Downtown is the place to be; it’s not for mall shoppers.  It’s for those that seek to connect with this place we call Red Deer in a much more substantial and rich way.

I’m sitting at home in my hallway office thinking about life and the changes of the past year, and also of the changes that are about to occur in the next year.  It is truly amazing what can happen if one thinks about one’s life in a long term perspective.  Reflexivity! as my best friend puts it.  By my definition it is the ‘power’ to create one’s own world by thinking about one’s present world.   By asking questions frequently about how I feel and what I think I need or want, I’ve begun to build up a praxis of my life and I think my future possibilities — even if it doesn’t involve slingshotting around the sun to go back in time and try again.

I find it absolutely amazing that most people don’t spend time thinking about their own lives and all that is happening to them, or rather all that is happening in which they play an part, as an actor. Just today, I was speaking with a smart colleague about this and it occurred to me that most people don’t think about their lives… or don’t think about what they are thinking about.  Strangely, the later is one definition of being sentient.

Earlier in this blog I proposed a few questions to think about daily.  As I have done this reflecting myself, the questions have changed for me. The act, or performance, of asking yourself these questions, (or any reflective question, I imagine), has the potential to help you align your dreams and your purpose in life.  I may be being too nebulous and intellectual here;  so instead I issue you a challenge.  Try this for three weeks…. as my mother said, for 21 days: the number of days it takes to create a habit…. take five minutes every morning and answer these questions in a journal (electronic or otherwise) or on a piece of paper that you can tape to the mirror.   See what happens with your thinking.  Think about how you would like to change the questions.  Think about your answers.  Think about what you know and don’t think you know.  Reflect on your life and your part in the world. You’ll think as part of your daily journey.  Most of all, enjoy yourself and be kind to yourself, as you travail.

Here are the questions, as I have written them.  Feel free to alter them as time goes by. As you ‘unpack’ the language in these questions (like the difference between need or want) you’ll see multiple ways of thinking. Don’t worry about the questions too much, just consider your answer.  Sometimes it is the first thing that comes to your soul.  There is no correct or absolute way to reflect… there is only to begin and continue — for yourself and no one else really.  I believe we should all remember that we are all solitary travellers on the earth.  It often reminds me of a film that I saw while I lived in Alabama titled. “A Company of Strangers.”     That’s another story.

What is the most important thing I need (or want) to be for myself today?

What is the most important thing that I need (or want) to do for myself today?

What is the most important thing for me to do for others today?

What is it that I most need from others today?

What are the most pressing items that need doing in the businesses today?

How curious do I feel?

Do these activities take me toward or away from my future vision?

I invite you, as I have done all along, to post comments and thoughts to this blog.  Share what you are learning for yourself and others who read and reflect.

I’m so pleased to let you know that we are having an reading at Sunworks on June 25, 2009, at 7:oo p.m. Here is a little information. I think it is going to be a great time and I encourage all of you that can come to join us for wine and cheese and a great evening.

FREEHAND BOOKS LAUNCHES STUART ROSS’S NEW COLLECTION OF FICTION IN RED DEER

Freehand Books will be celebrating the Red Deer launch of Stuart Ross’s critically acclaimed new collection of fiction, Buying Cigarettes for the Dog, on Thursday, June 25 at 7:00 p.m. at Sunworks (4924 Ross St). Stuart Ross will read from Buying Cigarettes for the Dog, and wine and cheese will be served. This is a free event and open to the public.

Buying Cigarettes for the Dog is the first book of fiction since 1997 from the consummately underground Ross, and this diverse collection has caught the attention of reviewers across the country. Patricia Robertson, writing in the Toronto Star, says “It’s as if Jane Austen and Franz Kafka collaborated on a short story collection while Albert Einstein acted as editor,” and Vue Weekly calls Ross “a challenging but unerringly entertaining writer.” Released less than two months ago, Buying Cigarettes for the Dog is already going into its second printing.

Stuart Ross is the co-founder of the Toronto Small Press Book Fair, Poetry Editor at Mansfield Press, and the Fiction & Poetry Editor at This Magazine. He has published two collaborative novels, a collection of stories, six poetry collections, and a collection of personal essays, and is the editor of the anthology Surreal Estate: 13 Canadian Poets Under the Influence. Ross has taught writing workshops across Canada, as well as in the U.S. and Chile. He lives in Southern Ontario.

For more information phone Paul at 403-341-3352.  I’m looking forward to seeing many of you there and enjoying this great writing together.

So this gallery hop has been growing over the past several months. Tomorrow, that’s Friday May 1, three openings happen at once. I hope that you’ll put on your snowshoes and trudge down for a glass of  wine and a good look. The Harris-Warke gallery has an interesting show with ceramics, which I totally love. The Velvet Olive has the photographs of a self-proclaimed “new artist in town” who explores the human body as a canvas. The Gallery IS in its new location on Alexander Way beside McBain Camera and features a series of portraits and constructs. Definitely worth a look.

Alleyscape Studio is open and it’s always worth it to drop in and see Paul Boutlbee and his work. That’s located opposite the Sunworks bookstore entrance near the Velvet Olive.

In the old Gallery IS location the francophone society is gearing up to participate in first Fridays as well, so that is something that you can look forward to.

Sunworks of course is open late that night and is always worth a good browse. The bookstore is in full swing featuring lots of new titles. The rest of the store is packed with great finds, with more ever on its way. What a great way to support our local economy and our local artists. In gloomy and uncertain times art really has a way to improve life.

Here is a little something that I wanted to call your attention to. Global Oneness Project
I’m not writing much about it, instead you can explore this on your own. I continue to believe that we are all connected in some way, if not only through the physical earth that we share.  These stories and thoughts are powerful and help to remind us of our fellow travellers. Although we alone can know our inside worlds, we are surrounded by people with similar challenges and experiences, joys and worries.

about the global oneness project

The Global Oneness Project is exploring how the radically simple notion of interconnectedness can be lived in our increasingly complex world. Since 2006, we’ve been traveling the globe gathering stories from creative and courageous people who base their lives and work on the understanding that we bear great responsibility for each other and our shared world.

Our living library of films is available for free from our website, through select broadcast outlets, and on DVD. Through events and educational materials we offer opportunities for people to deepen their experience with the different facets of oneness we are exploring.

We hope that by showing the diverse ways oneness is expressed—in the fields of sustainability, conflict resolution, spirituality, art, economics, indigenous culture, and social justice—others will be inspired to create solutions to personal and community challenges from their own lived understanding of oneness.

The Global Oneness Project is a special project of Kalliopeia Foundation, a private grant-making foundation in northern California committed to honoring the unity at the heart of life’s rich diversity.

Watch the trailer.

There are times in my life when it seems like I don’t have a clue about anything.  When nothing seems to make sense.  I’m in the middle of one of those times when I am reminded of the uncertainty of everything.  I get up a little bit early today.  It is raining again.  The flat I am staying in is a block off the Mediterranean Sea in the small resort town of Sitges. Most of the night I’ve listened to the sounds of the waves crashing against the shore, which although slightly distant now were very close as I walked  from the town’s centre last night.  From this corner near the church where I now sit,  have breakfast and think, I walked along the shore, the sand giving way under my boots. These thoughts of confusion began last night during this walk. The meaning of life, as clichéd as that sounds, omnipresent in my mind.  I question everything that I have done and what I am.  I question why I should do anything in the future.  I feel blank.  What is the importance of trying, of constant learning, of love?  I walk to the end of the rocky pier about half way back, the town’s lights far enough behind me so that I cast no shadow in the dark ocean.  I stare into the blackness of the sea alone on the edge of the world  and wonder what it might offer me, if there might be a message about my life.  Nothing is clear, there are no outlines, no shapes, only the constant sound of the water shifting against the rock.  Perhaps this represents my life. I feel contempt for myself and my efforts.

My sleep is restless, my thoughts no more clear when I wake.  I begin to be reminded why it is so easy for people to cling to structure and tradition.  Why people don’t travel far from home.  Why people worship an all powerful and knowing being, follow religion, visit the same cafe every morning, why obsessive compulsiveness or addictions form. So many ways we are in life seem to be a response to the great uncertainty of life, to create for ourselves meaning, or to mask and hide from the possibility that there is none at all.

I have a wonderful breakfast, of eggs, toast, tomato, and ham.  The rain falls harder.  It’s time for me to return to the flat and pack for the trip to Barcelona.  The only thing that I am certain of this morning is that there is me.  I’m alone in the world with other people who are alone in this world.   During my solo journey it is nice, even welcome, when another offers to help make sense of my experience.  It becomes less confusing and painful in the darker times and more joyous and clear in the bright times.  To hold my hand and to say that they see a similar thing is very comforting and helpful.  Perhaps this is my meaning, perhaps it is meaning we all share – to help those other solitary travelers be more comfortable in their journeys with the hope that they will offer us the same.

To do this work of travelling together we must learn to hear one another’s voices and develop connections among ourselves.  In this effort we must also learn to hear our own voices.  I believe we are strengthened by learning that we express ourselves in many ways, with many different voices, and as we do this we create connections with one another.