New Continent, New Job, New Language, New Mission
I am going to become fluent in Japanese in 1 year. Seriously. Hold me to it. That is my goal and I’m sticking to it! No more excuses, no more screwing around. I have now been in Japan for a total of four and a half months. I can speak some very basic Japanese, and I don’t have trouble getting by, but that is not nearly enough for my liking. I’ve decided to give myself a kick in the butt and start setting goals. The real kick in the butt comes from posting this for the world to see though! So anyway, before I get into some details, what do I mean by fluent? Well, I would like to be able to have conversations with friends and strangers alike about literally anything I’d like to, without having to pull out a dictionary or phrase book every...
Let’s Rule the World Together, But Without Those Who Disagree With Us
How far can we go? Civilization and capitalism made another huge stride on June 1st, 2011 and November 9th, 2011. The approval of the Belo Monte Dam project and beginning of construction proves that we can overcome any obstacle to increase the number in a computer which represents who we are and our value as “people” (“Corporations are people my friend!” – Mitt Romney). Our conscious was probably the biggest obstacle we had to overcome, but it was also the easiest considering we have none. Eradicating hundreds of species unique to the area, displacing over 20,000 native individuals from their life long homes, and destroying their livelihoods is a small price to pay for bigger numbers in computers. Well… They’re not actually much bigger,...
Running with the Bulls
I found a video of the day that I ran with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. If you look closely at 3:04 to 3:06 you see me and my grey leg bandanna, which I wore to identify myself at the suggestion at the hospitaleras at my albergue, at the back of the group to the right of the bulls as they round the corner. Quite the experience. I figured this would be appropriate since I just posted pictures from that day earlier. Enjoy!
This City Dreams
Lets run through these streets. The water is still fresh in the gutters, and the cobbled stones are glistening with the cities sweat, mirroring our bodies gliding over them. Only a dream could be this real. Sleep beckons but we both know we will never have this moment again. Lets slip through the alleyways, where truths untold and unwanted lie waiting, or hidden beauty beckons undiscovered. I know this has to end, but it doesn’t have to end just yet. Lets find the city’s dreams, they can’t be far. I can feel them steaming up through the grates. I can smell them on the air. We can find them, and make them our dreams. Secret dreams that only we will ever know, for who else could believe that this city dreams, or of what it longs for. Empty streets...
The Story of Thyme
This is a true story, for whatever that kind of thing is worth. The heat of the sun is unhindered by clouds, and the ground looks as if the last time water has graced its surface was in a time forgotten by man. Or perhaps that is simply the way I am imagining things as I drag my feet for the last few kilometers into the town half way between Zamora and Riego del Camino (Spain), which is our stopping point for the night. I buy myself a coffee and a coke at the only open bar (can’t have to much caffeine on these journeys) and stumble back to the table where I remove my shoes and proceed to massage my ruined feet. I debate in my mind whether I should just call it quits for the day and stay in this town, but when I’m asked if I’m “OK” and can...
My Pilgrimage Song
I’m starting a new series of posts here at The Mindful Pilgrim based around songs which were important to me while traveling and WHY they were important to me. Some songs I will post along with a story, some with an explanation of what they mean to me. To get the ball rolling here is a band from New Jersey called Saves The Day with This is Not an Exit Every single day I felt as if the plugs were coming out of my dam. I welcomed the undertow grabbing at my heels. I urged those plugs loose. I was perpetually letting go. As I walked across the landscapes of Spain, I breathed in the air, let the past be flushed away and simply flowed with the river of experience through ups and downs. Every step led on, and I often felt like I was caught in a river, but I loved...
A Journey by Photograph
The images from my travels over the past 6 months have been a long time coming. I’ve been promising that they would become available to you week after week. Only now am I able to actually deliver on those promises! I have decided that I will be releasing a small batch of photos every single day for the next few weeks. For starters, I will be releasing 3 stages of The Via de la Plata each day. So keep checking that page for more and more pictures! Please note that I took over 4000 pictures, and not ALL of them will be making it to the internet, but many will! Also, please subscribe to The Mindful Pilgrim by entering your email address on the right, or through your RSS reader. If more and more people subscribe to the blog I will begin releasing more pictures...
