penny for your thoughts...my 2 cents.

green.tea.latte, originally uploaded by impactmatt.

I have realized that I am a consumer. For the longest while I tried to resist the title. I have problems with a consumer/capitalist society/mindset. I don't want to be ruled by the almighty dollar, euro, yen, pound, or peso! But when I look at how I live my life I see a trail of dollar sign bread crumbs leading me to my gingerbread house and my eventual demise.

I think I consume because there is something missing in my life. This is tough for me to admit because I feel like my life is pretty filled up and going well (all things considered). But I have to admit that there is a certain joy I get at looking at sparkly and shiny things. The bright lights and colors pull me in. There is a greater joy in getting that thing... whatever it may be... and it makes me feel whole.

I just don't think its a wise use of my money. I have things... lots of things. I have my health, happiness, home(kind of), and the heart of my wife. I have relationships with people I consider close and important. I know that there is a God and He loves me and that changes my life and makes me rethink my life and change course when it is needed (hence this blog post!) How much more wise would it be to help others who have little or nothing rather than add to the wealth I already have?

The picture way above of this tea is a good example and makes my mind think of a great way to change my perception and all our perceptions. This was the greatest tea latte I ever had. It also cost upwards of $6. Not that much right? However, buy this drink five times a month and you would have the equivalent of what it takes to feed, teach, provide water and medicine to a child in an impoverished country. Maybe there is some way for us to sacrifice our luxuries so that we do with out so that those who don't have can do with...

Thoughts? Comments? Is this something you could do? Even if you buy just a regular Tim Hortons or Dunkin Doughnuts coffee daily, that two bucks could add up to a lot for someone.

Look at me... I see something that needs fixing in my life and I pick on everyone else! Yesssss! Avoidance at its best! I really do want to work on it! I will, I promise!

the end of religion? Good!

light.cross, originally uploaded by impactmatt.

Just a quick story... mainly cause it was interesting and at the same time I need to update this thing because all three of you are dying for the latest update! My loyal fans... yeah I'm funny.

So... I was in the cafeteria warming up my microwavable Kraft Dinner... i am so embarrassed that was my lunch... and I bump into one of my coworkers and we are just chatting away and he notices the book I am reading. I have mentioned it before, "The End of Religion... He reads the title and gives a little "hmmmmm..." and follows through with a "We definitely need more of that!"

Now the book is actually very spiritual and emphasizes how man has tried to put God and his supernatural awesomeness in an ugly little box called religion. My friend is coming at from a totally different angle and is just really upset at what religion (also known as Christianity, Jesus, God in his eyes) has treated him.

I agree with both sides of the story. I don't even need to know his story but it is not a very big stretch that religion has hurt him and left a sour taste in his mouth to boot. The back cover of the book sums up our feelings: "Sick of religion? So was Jesus." Let me take it further and say... So is Jesus.

My TEN COMMANDMENTS (up to six!!!)

My ten commandments.... in response to my other friends with their own! Its a work in progress... come back for future updates!

Thou shall....

1. Wait before entering!!!

-I cannot stress this enough. Under no circumstances should you get on an elevator, bus, metro, subway, train, plane before people have finished getting off. This is the most important commandment. If you are an old granny, judge, Governor Shwarznegger.... I will kick you in the face for your impoliteness.


2. Jaywalk respectfully...

- I admire jaywalkers... I really do. You live life on the edge and you have places to be. I respect that. But as you cross please do it will some kind of urgency. I am in a car coming at you. I think I will survive the head on collision. So when I give you a "friendly" honk to motivate your illegal crossing... don't... do not... under any circumstance flick me off!!!


3. Shall not think you are better than anyone else

- I don't care about your status, ethnicity, experiences, economics, religion, sex or how many times you have had sex (you pornstar you)... you are not better than anyone else. Please keep that in mind... unless you like the Leafs and then everyone is better than you! Ouch! Burn! Just kidding... kind of.


4. Shall not claim Celine Dion as Canadian or Quebecer

- Its done... over... buh-bye. Why is she still on the radio?


5. Shall not make small talk about the weather

- If its minus 40 outside and the penguins are getting the hell out of dodge, don't ask "Cold out, eh?" Likewise if I am drenched in sweat and if my face is flushed redder than the pits of hell (whether or not you believe hell exists is a theological question that I wont answer here... I am merely using it as symbolism) do not ask "Warm out, isn't it?" Small talk is bearable only when it is interesting... Challenge my brain instead of just nodding and saying "Yeah it is hot out there.. Phew!"

6. Shall not feel the need to say hi multiple times in the same day in the same office

- Politeness is nice... I appreciate it, but I find it really awkward to have to say hi multiple times to same people in the space of one day. The first time I see you a "Hi! How you doing?" is very appropriate and I would love to converse. And subsequent meeting only requires a head nod, smile, small wave... something just to acknowledge that we know each other. There is no need to say hi again... we saw each other an hour ago and covered that. The main reason for this is that I want to speak about something a little more deeper about how I am and then I feel like I have to make assinine comments about the weather (see commandment 5). One also must remember that as the meetings increase the more awkward this becomes!!!

Here comes the son!

Ok, so I am not going to gush too much right now. But I have to say the other night my wife and I were lying in bed... don't get any naughty ideas now! And even if you did, we're allowed ok... for all you conservative folk who think that married people sleep in different beds a la Flinstones. If your parents do sleep in different beds for other reasons... I apologize for being insensitive to our society's present family situations. I do mean that.

But we were up and watching my wife's belly...she has put on some pounds... because she is pregnant!!! And even if she did get fat I would stil love her. Although I told her my cut off would be 300pounds... Ha! But we were watching my future boy kick and move in her stomach. What is going on in there I will never know. The kicks were so intense and he almost responded when I would gently tap back. I am in complete amazement at where life comes from and how it can come from such a "weird" source. Who would have thought of carrying a child in a woman's stomach for nine months only to have him pop out all slimey and crying? However, this is where life comes from and it is amazing. My son is coming soon and he is quite the active little monkey!!!!!

It also got me thinking about where else life comes from and how weird and amazing it may be. Think about how a simple breath can bring life to someone who is missing it. Imagine how a word of encouragement and compassion can give life to someone who is contemplating theirs. Just watching my future progeny (am i using that word properly?) kick and squirm made me hope that I will be able to teach him as much as he is already teaching me.

let it snow!!

snow beetle, originally uploaded by impactmatt.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!!

...and snow it did! This past weekend Montreal got dumped on for our 7th or 8th snowstorm of the year. We have had record snowfalls and we have so much snow, we dont know where to put it! You would think that it just melts, but nope... it sticks around to bury everything. Its quite nice... if you're not shovelling it.

Anyhow, so Saturday we got around half a meter and ridiculously strong winds. Mother Nature was whipping around snow pellets. They stung and actually cut and there was nowhere one could duck for cover. Polar bears who had come down south for their March Break cursed their bad fortune and immediately climbed back on their dog sleds and headed back to the north pole! Regardless, even in the middle of the world's largest freezer miracles happen.

With the winds and ice it was impossible to make it up any kind of hills without a ski lift. Cars couldn't move. Traffic was complete chaos... it was armageddon if Jack Frost was the anti-christ. My car was buried in a snow bank and after an exhausting day I had to try and push it out. I couldn't... yes I know... even with all my rippling fat... i mean muscles I couldn't push it out. Until two random university students all of a sudden were next to me helping push the car out. I thanked them profusely and they were happy to help. Although they looked pretty numb by the end of it.

So I kept pushing the car up the hill as my wife drove. I could see other cars slipping and not making it anywhere. But these random acts of kindness continued. People from everywhere were getting out and pushing cars up that hill. People in other cars would climb out and push the cars ahead of them. And then once those cars got to the top of the hill, they would get out and return to help the cars lower on the hill!

To see people sacrificing their time, energy, and exposed skin was more than special. No one did it grudginly, no one had to ask for help. People just understood the situation and dove in with winter-parka-covered-hearts!

(the picture above was from a smaller snow storm 2 years ago... nowhere near last Saturday!!!)

the rethink tank...

Eyeball, originally uploaded by impactmatt.

The Montreal Gazette (the main anglophone newspaper in Montreal) has had an ad (has had an ad... thats sounds fun) running for the last little while about how "words matter." For example...

John can't wait to play with his kids.

you take away "with his kids" and all of a sudden John could sound like a problem gambler.

So I thought about words in my life and how I need to look at them differently and not take them for granted. How we interpret words gives so much meaning and power to them. English swear words are crazy powerful in English, but drop the f-bomb and Quebec and most people won't blink an eye...especially if you conjugate it... its quite colorful actually.

One word that I have had a hang up about for many months now is "repent." You say this word and automatically visions of some Medieval version of God pop into my head who is all about punishment and retribution for the evil things that you have done. It conjures an image of a dog with his tail tucked between his legs and a flick of fresh crap on his nose as payment for defiling the floor. I hate that the word repent has been turned into a bad word, a scary word, a fighting word...

For those of you who have a background in French, Spanish, Italian, Latin... whichever... the word actually based around the concept of thinking. The french word in penser, which means to think.

"REPENT!!!!!"

rethink... rethink what you are doing. What in your brain is making you do this? Do not think the same way that you have before, but change your thoughts. Make change happen from the inside so that the outside will reflect the transformation. Become a new creature. The old will be gone and only the new will remain. (Where have I heard that before?)