Surlendemain

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16eb72d681e90e4153ac5d761c6fc188Hey Kids,

The French have a word for the day after tomorrow, Surlendemain.

The Expression goes: “Never put off till tomorrow that which you can put off until the day after.”

It’s easy to think that there is so much time that it’s OK to put things off. And there is; unless it’s important stuff.

Two people I know have died recently. Both suddenly. Both shockingly. Neither by accidents. Both had people around them that had no idea the last time they spoke with their loved one would be the last time.

Don’t let time rob you of love. Don’t let it rob you of caring and sharing. Don’t let it rob you of company. Don’t let it rob you of doing the things you want to do.

Surlendemain is a perfect time to take out the trash, mow the lawn, or learn French. Today, give someone a hug and tell them you love them.

Day 66

Don’t Be These Guys

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Hey Kids,

I find that there are two kinds of people I find really annoying on Social Media: Dumb asses and Gurus.googletire

Dumb asses ask questions to the open forum about something they would know with a simple search and a little time on Google. “Where can I buy a motorcycle tire?” “What’s the difference between a ¾ helmet and a half helmet?” “How far is it from A to B?”

The Guru, or at least the self-proclaimed Gurus, are drawn out by the dumb asses. They are the ones that offer answers that obviously came from spending just a little time on Google and now wish to impart their wisdom for all to see.

Don’t be a dumb ass or Guru on social media. We, the real people, don’t like you.

 

Day 65

Photos in Time

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Hey Kids,

847ad190f743b0dd94ac14eabec9059e

Arapaho Boys 1882

It’s funny. I look at this picture and I see little boys. I just assume they’re still little boys. When in reality, these kids grew up a long ago, got older, had kids of their own, and died. Their kids have done the same. And then again. Some of that third generation might still be alive today, but their great grandchildren would most likely be the same age of the boys pictured.

It’s easy to believe that pictures freezes time and to forget that time and life continues on. Time changes everything. I know this isn’t genius level thinking, but the subjects of pictures are always older than their picture.

Don’t hold on to the photographs of your life and think that’s how it will always be. Don’t believe that time doesn’t matter. Love the ones around you today, and every day. Tomorrow, they may not be there and/or they may want to be loved differently. Never believe the past or present is an assurance for the same in the future.

That being said, pictures are all some of us have for the future. And I suggest clinging to them like your last struggled breath of oxygen.

 

Day 64

Writing the Future

mikemjensen Writing Tags: , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

To make a long story short, I needed to map out some writing goals today. I am now committed to 2017 and I’m not even sure if I can keep the pace. And I left out a major project and several stories I had hoped to do in the near future.writing-cycle

So I guess I’m actually booked to 2019 or 2020.

It’s a good thing. I’m excited about the projects ahead of me. I relish that it all seems impossible.

I love being a writer!

Now time to get to work.

 

Day 63

Finding Faith in Cosmos

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Hey Kids,

I tried watching the show Cosmos today. I tried, but I didn’t make it very far.Cosmos_spacetime_odyssey_titlecard

I like space and science shows but found this show a bit dramatic, trying too hard to impress me. I believe the universe is impressive in and of itself; no gilding of the Lilly is needed. But I did learn something.

The incredibly impressive cartoon (sarcasm) that occupied the better part of the small part I watched, told of some dude named “Bruno”. Bruno became caught up in the idea that the world was not the middle of the universe but just a planet going around a sun which was really just a star like all the other stars. This new insight landed him in religious jail and eventually death.

I haven’t really thought much about Bruno’s plight since changing the channel but the thought of the Religious Thought Police did get me thinking.

I do not believe religion and free thinking need to be mutually exclusive. Religion and Science do not need to be at odds. I love the idea that the Universe is as infinite and limitless as the God that created it. I find it hard to believe that we or any stated doctrine can fully comprehend God without thinking, pondering, studying, testing, praying, and challenging what we currently believe to be the truth of things. Think, test, accept or reject, adapt, challenge, re-test, etc., etc., etc. A belief system where questions cannot be openly asked is not much of a belief system.

Is there room for doubt within faith? Of course. What is faith without doubt? Doubt fuels faith. It create ways to grow faith. It allows faith to escape blind following. It makes it alive. I also believe science is just as valuable for faith as scripture. Keep in mind, I don’t think challenging means challenging authority. You might be wrong.

Cosmos may not have been as enlightening as I hoped it would have been. But it gave me some good reflection for this Sunday afternoon. And if for noting more, it reminded me how fortunate and lucky I am that I don’t live in an age where I can be burned at the stake for my different thinking.

Day 62

For Me, A Big Dog

mikemjensen Motorcycles, Vanity Tags: , , 2 Comments

Hey Kids,

I’m not a shopper. Never have been. Never will be.

But today I wandered through a number of motorcycle shops looking at lots of bikes I cannot afford and had no intentions of buying.

This is not shopping. It was looking. It was dreaming.

I’m quite happy with my bikes. A 50cid bike for cruising to work and daily commuting and a 113cid bike for the wide open rode (Or when I want to bring in the thunder). But it doesn’t mean I’m done with adding motorcycles to my “collection”.

Dreaming is just that, dreaming. You don’t have to torture yourself, thinking that you have to achieve something as simple as acquiring things. But a rainy Saturday afternoon is easily worth the value of enjoying imagining yourself enjoying life just a little bit more.10405481_758488357597620_6943304890260374792_n

Dream on people. Dream Shiny and Loud.

 

Day 61

 

Last Cast

mikemjensen Fishing, Worthless Observations Tags: , , , 1 Comment

Hey Kids,

Festival-Icon-web1-550x345Last night I attended a fly fishing film festival, IF4.

Independent film makers submit their films and IF4 chooses the best ones and shows them together in a parade of festivals or screenings for groups across the country. I missed the showing earlier last month and went fishing instead that night. Last night apparently was an unscheduled extra showing and I couldn’t pass on it twice.

The films were the typical fishing films. Slow motion shots of rivers, casting, and fish being held after being caught- held towards the camera, eye staring at camera, mouth yawning open and gills flaring. But as expected, I enjoyed many of the moments projected and even cheered for a few of them.

I wonder why I enjoy these films so much, despite the constant use of every cliché imagined. It’s not too complicated. I live through those scenes. I see myself catching those fish. I imagine and wish, the fishermen were me.

The final film took place in Mexico fishing the surf for Rooster Fish. They were fish I’ve never seen, in a place I’ve never been, following methods I’ve never used.

The piece documented the trials of two men pursuing these fish. They looked for a big Rooster. They had early almost-success but then experienced 12-13 days of failure. On their way back to the lodge, on the last day, accepting defeat, they spot a giant rooster in the surf. They cast to it, they hook it, and they land it.

The crowd in the theatre cheered. I clapped. And on that note, the film and the festival ended to smiles all around.

Why did I clap? Why did we cheer? It was a nice fish, yes, but we all recognized the last cast miracle.

No matter how many hours you have fished that day, a last cast catch is always you last hope. Usually “last cast” consists of at least 20 so declared casts. It’s the hope and dream of every caster to catch that monster fish on one of those last casts. Fight it, bring it in, admire it, let it go, and walk off victorious. Fulfilled.500520041_640

That last film, let me live it from the comfort of a theatre seat. It reminded me that it’s possible. It inspires me to get back out on the water.

And when I’m on the water, I’m happy. As happy as a man can be.

 

Day 59

When 70 Years Rolls Around

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Hey Kids,

Time leaves marks but we don’t seem to notice. We think we’re the same today as we were yesterday but when those yesterdays blur into yesteryears, we are shocked by the differences we see.IMG_20110725_085845

I found a marking on a tree while hiking. Other than the date left, 1945, I would have never been able to venture a guess at the age of it. And I would have never guessed 70 years. I wouldn’t have guessed the tree was that old. Shows how much I know.

I wonder if the authors are still around. Do they remember leaving it?

I’m not one who openly supports graffiti but in this case, I’m glad it happened.

And I wonder, what, if anything, will be left of me and my mark in 70 years?

 

Day 58

A Person First

mikemjensen Twain, Vanity, Writing Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

Today marks the 105th anniversary of the death of Mark Twain. Mark Twain was/is my writer.

My favorite of his works are “Life on the Mississippi” and “Roughing It”. I can pick up either book at any time and reread just a few parts to spark my creative juices. His story-telling helps me find my inspiration, my voice, and re-kindle the joy of writing, if lost.Mark-Twain-Quotes-5

I’ve been asked how a meeting with Twain and I would go, do I think we would have anything to talk about. Honestly, I can’t imagine I would have anything to offer to him, but I’m sure that a few questions of the Big River or of Virginia City would conjure stories from Twain that he never had time to write. I believe I would buy drinks for as long as he would speak and he would speak for as long as I bought drinks.

I do not know if there is another writer that I could say the same about.

Except for maybe Hemmingway, but that would most likely end up in a fight, which he would probably win, but we would end up in a fly fishing discussion.

I guess my writers were not just writers. They were people I would want to hang out with and hear their stories first hand.

I hope that I am can be the same type of writer.

 

 

Day 57