#sidewalkghosts

“My wife and I just want to help people. We are all capable of amazing things if we stop judging and lashing out and learn to trust each other.” A killer quote from a very interesting and word frenzied artist, Charles, friend of day 222.

“I was born in 1980 and other than being a bit Bi-polar, and I lived in a pretty normal suburban neighborhood.

My dad was a roofer and a reserve cop, and he taught me the importance of a good work ethic.

I never finished high school, but I read a lot, authors like Tolstoy and Nietzsche, and I guess reading in what educated me.

After that I moved around country, music, construction jobs even time in San Francisco doing data work. I’ve seen a lot of things and dealt with many different kinds of people. And I’ve come to the conclusion that too many people are caught up in the distractions of the world and we all have our own vices.”

Charles talks intuition, “We all have a 6^th sense that we all feel and we need to learn to express it or at least recognize it.”

Now looking at Charles, one might jump to conclusions as to his intent. He is radically tattooed, carries himself in a sunglass guarded strut and the instant sight of him screams a subtle voice of intimidation. Yet, as I converse with him I come to know a man who has the purest of dreams for the world around him.

“The world is full of greed and people looking for self-gratification. That is why my wife and I recently left our jobs in the corporate world. The company that we worked for said it was all about people and helping the environment, but on the inside it was the complete opposite. It treated it staff terribly and the only environmental good it did was based on what would give the greatest visibility for it profit line. It was all a lie and it took it toll on us.”

That toll? Per Charles, “’When we worked there the stress led us to the abuse of OxyContin and the use of Heroin, that was our vice and our escape, but now that we have left that world we are clean.

It crazy, my wife has a degree in economics and is very smart, and even with that she corporate world almost wrecked her. She says, ‘I left corporate because did not want to contribute to the degradation of society.’”

Charles is an artist through and through and with the support of his wife has managed to find a release of his admitted Bi-Polar energy in his art, words and music.

“I just finished writing a book, it is a set of inspirations based on my life. It’s really more of an art piece. I bought this old typewriter and have hand typed the whole thing on paper. I think I’m going to copy it and incorporate its pages into an art installation.” Charles describes his latest project with an energy that is infectious.

I manage to get a few quotes from the book.

“Everyone needs to look at their life and either change the things that they don’t like or start appreciating the things that they have.”

“And here I sit again, human… all too human. I’m worried. I don’t work for urban anymore. I have spent months complaining about how much I hated it and how it was killing me, draining me of life and creativity. I hated it.”

“We are the only ones ourselves back from this peaceful place on earth. Our actions, our words. And on an extremely personal and individual way and thus unto a planetary scale.”

“I never thought I could live, and now I can’t imagine dying.”

We talk about the future for some time, too many points to clearly articulate, but all points that we have covered throughout 365. And right in the middle of our conversation Charles throws an amazing one liner, “Can’t we all behave until that point!”

It’s late now, 12:00am to be exact, my eyes are drooping as I conclude this entry and I hope that I have been able to convey the energy and artistic wonder of Charles.

And in tribute to him, I’ll conclude with one more thought from his memoirs, simply this, “Make it today…”

“Appreciate all that we have because we never know what is going to happen tomorrow.” – Stranger turned Friend, News Broadcast Producer, Susana.

As affirmative as an appreciation can be, and to be perfectly blunt, I will be the first to confess that at some of the darkest times of my life, appreciation was the last concept in my mind.

I suppose that is part of human nature and a fact of life. At times I tell a joke, “Remember it is always darkest before it turns… Pitch Black!”

Absolutely… I mean my one liner in jest; after all, I am a hopeless optimist.

Yet, why is it that we come across so many times that this mantra of positive outlook is an overwhelming proposition, and how does such a select few manage to master it’s practice in living life to the fullest?

What is their secret optimism? How do they navigate through the deepest depths of life gone wrong? And where do we find these empowered citizens of Planet Earth?

In searching this question, might I suggest a perspective that departs from whatever our beliefs are of higher power, although I can’t ignore the significance of it’s existence in holding us through this journey life.

But, what of human perspective? Could the simplest of mind views have any impact on the literal healing a life slap in the face?

My take, “Without a doubt!”

Meet Susana… Cancer survivor… empowered Earth Citizen… and advocate for the strength of looking forward.

“I found out that I had Breast Cancer in August 2011. My doctor contacted me while I was on vacation in South Beach, Miami. Life was perfect. I was having a great time with my girlfriends, work was good and in two weeks I was going to Greece and Germany.”

Talk about a pitch-black moment. In Susana’s words, “The world trembles when you hear you have cancer.”

We never think Cancer can happen to us, even in Susana’s case, it was the furthest from her mind. “I had hair to my waist, and a few months prior to my diagnosis I cut it and donated it to Cancer treatment. Who would have known that I would soon be loosing all my hair from the Chemotherapy treatments?”

“It was surreal, but I feel better than ever for having gone through it,” says Susana.

Even the way she was diagnosed, came as a blindside, “I went to the doctor with a pain in my right breast. He could not detect any problems in his office examination, and as a precaution he subscribed a Mammograms.

They found nothing wrong with my right breast, but the results detected very advanced Cancer in my left. I was shocked; I did not even feel it. I was told that if I would have been diagnosed only a few weeks later I would have died…

…And I almost did, not from the Cancer, but from other complications related to it. Never would I have ever thought that I would be so close to death when life was going so well.”

Susana talks of her fight with affection. That’s right… I said affection.

“It changed my life…” Susana shares her experience not only for herself, but also for the unity of all women who are either survivors or in the midst of the fight. “…You learn to see things differently, we all have family, friends and jobs that we take for granted.

When you beat Cancer life get’s better than you ever imagined it could be. You start to appreciate what really matters.

I know it is hard to see the forest while you are going through it; I’ve been there. I remember the flowers that my friends filled my room with when I was fighting the disease. That gave me strength in knowing that people really cared. That was enough to give me courage when I was so close to death, and that was what I used to stay focused on the fight, knowing that the rest of life will come later.

You just have to stay positive!”

We shift conversation towards the world to come and in doing so the topic changes.

“I’m not sure if the technology is helping or hurting us,” Susana questions.

“Twitter, Facebook, how fast it is growing, and everyone has iPads, iPhones, or other devices.” She begins.

We both laugh as we admit to a united observation. I’ll call it the “Words with Friends phenomena.” Stated as a question, “Why is it that we can sit in the same room with family, and with no shared words, or animated bodies, dig into hours of isolated iPad competition?” Holly heck! I’m sobered, time to dust of the old scrabble game, we’re going eye to eye!

And true to her post Cancer life change, Susana links her council to the issues facing the oncoming society of technology users. “We need to focus on what is important, family, values, friends and finding something that we are passionate about.”

We stray from the communication side of the tech revolution, “Jobs are disappearing… I saw it at work ten years when a lot of people got laid off. We are all now doing the jobs of four people.”

Here is the really cool take on this concern, it is not a complaint on corporate downsizing; rather it is a call to respecting the value of the individual.

I think we all have to accept that the planet is shrinking, and that the pace of life is absurdly speeding up. Sorry to say so… but the train is steaming ahead. And sadly… in this ramp up, one of the major side effects is the disappearance of the person in the workplace.

I’ll not be naive in ignoring the economic and political reasons for downsize, but for the sake of this entry, I’ll stay on one point in tying to the temp the corporate culture to realize their responsibility as they downsize or restructure. That responsibility, “Look ahead in adapting new technology, linking it to the worth of the people who the cyber employee is replacing.”

Perhaps, train before the re-hire could be one consideration. Or, in adapting technology that will be profitable to the bottom line, to wholefully consider the HR impact of said decision, putting the value of the employees length of employment, commitment and even personal situations to the equations in their spread sheets.

I’ll step off my soapbox; I promised to stay positive…

Now Cancer free for one year and one month, Susana is no longer trembling and is again at the top of her game.

“People think of Cancer as death, but when it comes your way… you find strength… I’ll never look at the world the same again… I’m happier than ever.” Susana smiles with the joy of a woman reborn.

Oh, and what about her travels… “I’m going to Greece in two months.”

Happy travels my friend, keep sharing your story… We are all better for hearing it.

Here we go with today’s 365 entry, journal style.

Hanging out at the park with today’s stranger turned new friend MC, whom I run into while sharing in the fathers ritual of, “my kids are playing on the jungle gym, time to chill for a minute.”

With one eye guarding his playing child and the other leading in our conversation, MC expresses a few thoughts of advice, observations and concerns.

In no particular order:

“The world is a difficult place right now and I am concerned about the future that my kid will grow up in.”

“We need to keep our eyes on what is going on between Iran and Israel, the tension is so high. If there is going to be a world war… it is going to start there.”

“Live more… laugh more… love more… Would make the world a much better place.”

“To the Middle East… Take some of the clothes off the women. Everyone would be a lot happier.”

“I see a lot more sickness because of the chemicals we take into our bodies as the norm.”

“Because of technology and new medical advancements, many unhealthy lifestyle issues will be masked and fixed. Problems that could be fixed much easier by people just eating and living healthier… But there is too much big business and special interest profit at stake for corporations to change things.

People will continue to eat fast food, and take a pill to fix obesity. They will probably even eventually make a pill that will burn fat.”

“I’m very concerned about the way people are starting to look at each other; the profiling and hatred that is marked towards each other is becoming epidemic.”

“Our vote does count.”

“We should not prepare for the worst, but prepare for what we can do.”

“I don’t walk around worrying, I’m just concerned.”

MC, fun hanging with you this end of day… great wisdoms, but as all good father must do, it’s time for us to play with our kids.

Readers… until tomorrow.

I’ll call no shame in stopping at Starbuck’s again. But tonight the tone of the establishment turns dismissive when one of the employees exits as I am photographing my group of friends this evening. “You can’t take pictures on our property,” we are told.

No big deal. Five feet to the left of us is neutral sidewalk; we happily shift our little meeting to the safer seas of paved asphalt.

Now I said, “Group of friends…” didn’t I?

Exactly right.  Group is correct.

Introducing center stage… for one night only… Give it up for the Michael Olivieri Band and their new release, “Broken Glass.”

I had no idea of the depth of individual personalities I would be meeting when I rolled in for my end-of-day search. And not wanting to keep revisiting the same demographic, I even told myself that I would probably not approach anyone at this frequently visited haunt of mine.

And as a regular, it adds a bit of insult to injury in being thrown off the patio.

Perhaps it was the judgment of the counter workers, thinking that we were an aggressive bunch, and if true, an assessment that was far from the truth. I’ll let go of it at that, for to harp on being tossed-off an empty rain wet patio would make me a bit of a hypocrite to my views of getting along.

Wow, I’m trying to suppress my emotion and I am fully surprised that this point has stuck in my mind as I am writing this entry.  Maybe it is the fatigue of my now 20^th hour with no sleep, or perhaps the cold drink I did not get to finish, but what I really think has gotten under my skin is the thought that perhaps myself and my new gang of friends have been typecast in some way.

Oh look out! There is a rowdy group of rockers outside! let’s not let them become a distraction! A distraction we are not, as you will now see.

Let’s start with Michael, the lead singer and founder of the band. His first advice, with smile on face, “Run…! But be happy while you do it. And love your neighbors on the way.”

For the future, “People will still be all about themselves – we need to spread love!”

K.K goes next in his council to us, “Forgive, hope, love, live and be good to each other.”

In looking ahead he gives this, “We can choose, and I believe that if we can do that, it will be a better world.”

Paul kicks in, “Just love each other and help when you see that you can.

“We are heading towards a change in the world that we can dictate the outcome of, if we love each other, that’s all we need to do… the rest will follow.”

Now here is what is amazing. I do not individually interview these guys; time is way too short for that. You see the band has met here to grab a few guerrilla street pick-up shots with their videographer, Anjani (who, by the way is the first person I speak to in approaching the group).

And not wanting to distract too greatly from their production schedule, I challenge each band member to privately write their responses to the 365 questions. I have not guided or edited their words, and what is striking to me is the unity of perspective these guys have with one another in their outlook for a better future and the lack of focus they put on themselves. They are really cool dudes, as well as highly talented and established musical artists.

Buzzy goes for it, a little on the darker side, but relevant, “Stop having kids.

“I believe some of our greatest problems are due to the lack of birth control. The starving kids on TV… we’ll see their kids on the same network. Crack whores, criminals, poverty-stricken should not have kids.”

Sounds harsh, I know…but the more I think about Buzzy’s written responses to my questions, I have to acknowledge the reference he is making. A through line that leans to the responsibility of anyone engaging in unprotected sex. I can’t say that I fully agree with Buzzy’s tact, but as a parent, I do appreciate his perspective.

My wife and I have only one child, but in growing our family we are realizing that there are a lot of abandoned children in the world, children that we are considering looking towards to adopt. Some come from tragedies that have left them alone, others are a result of broken marriages… while sadly, an overwhelming amount are born due to lack of responsible birth control and of simple forethought.

This fact bewilders me… and to see the loneliness and resulting unstable juggling of orphaned kids is something that I find rather upsetting.

Dan is last to complete his questionnaire, well sort of.

“Words of advice…?”

“Looking towards the future…?”

“This is too funny,” his final words.

I see through it though. Dan was one of the first in the group to react positively to what I share of 365. Perhaps he is overwhelmed at the pressure of responding in the moment. Literally, within 10 minutes of chat we move on to taking photos. The whole meeting, written words and photos, goes down in under twenty minutes. That alone is a thought-stopping proposition. No worries Dan.

We wrap our shoot and as we do one final band member approaches.

Last, but certainly not lease, meet bassists, Tom. Wish I could write a few more words about Tom, but Tom didn’t have time to send me his answers before the deadline for today’s blog.  Hey Tom, that’s OK — They say a picture is worth a thousand words and my wife thinks your photo says just that.

Hey guys, great meeting you!

Until tomorrow…

It’s been another nomadic night of auto travel. Twenty-miles up Ventura Blvd. Several stops and double digits of rejections are behind me. 9pm is approaching and hampered by the pending onset of rain from a blackening sky, the streets are clearing.

To continue in my in car-stalking of the area is transforming my presence to that of Creepy Abductor, and not wanting to bear that title, I submit to my now becoming regular fall-back plan, The nearest Starbuck’s Coffee house.

“Hey Starbuck’s, you owe us a few for the exposure you’re getting!”

And readers “I promise that I am not trying to do any product placement on a regular basis. Just an easy stop for WiFi, hot beverage and a place where there are friends to meet.”

The rain is starting to drizzle, and as expected, the store is filled with people. I order my drink and standing back from the counter to wait I take in the culture of the room.

Against the south wall, three senior citizens are engrossed in a mini backgammon tournament, through the window to the north the last of the weather-fighters sits at a table applying polish to her fingernails, and to the west corner are the couches of leisure, filled to capacity with a diverse cross-section of society.

Even though there are a few open tables to sit at, and tens of strangers to approach, I find myself stupored in thought. My brain waves are blurred and the depth of the diversity has merged into one big mass of indecision as to whom to approach.

I stand vagrant in the center of the establishment, again beginning to feel like a stalker. I relax my thinking for an instant, “Perhaps I am trying too hard and have put myself in a state of profiling my potential friends.”

“Time to let go Richard,” overpowers the radio like static that has captured me and as it does, one gentleman, buried in study, comes into complete focus.

“Great! Thanks brain…! You’re pointing me to the most-engrossed-in-study person in the room. He’s gonna brush me off for sure.”

This subconscious finger of direction has been very active this week and I’ve learned by the school of hard knocks that when it points, I must listen… without pause and unconditionally.

It has proven to me that whether dark circumstance to the easiest of meetings, it has never been off-base. And to ignore the blend of powerful presence and peaceful countenance that my un-introduced stranger is radiating would be a sin to 365’s mission of extending a welcoming handshake to all, even no’s as well as the yes’s.

“OK risk it, so what if he turns the offer of 365 down, you at least followed the prompting you felt,” I conclude.

“Please forgive me from interrupting you, I was standing in the center of the room and a feeling told me that I must introduce myself to you.” My still unknown friend listens to me babble.

“214 days ago I embarked on a project to meet the world around me, and to blog the stories of those I meet. It has been an amazing journey and I am learning that we are all really in this thing together.” He begins to break a smile, and I am unsure if it is a smile of skepticism or acceptance.

Yet, he listens on, “The premise of it is, we are in this thing together and should put our feet in the shoes of the people around us in passing on any goodwill we can. Would you be interested in contributing? It will take us only about five to ten minutes?”

“Sure, you can interview me. And you promise it will only take five-minutes? I’m busy studying,” my new friend comments.

Brent is his name, and shortly into our conversation I am brought up to speed as to the magnetic aura that first drew him into focus. Brent is a man of God, and his study… the Bible.

By no means let me misdirect you in thinking that he is clergy; just a fellow human, doing his best in doing his part to reach out to the world with his words of faith and conviction; a shining example of a person following his belief in a loving God throughout all that he does in profession, family and personal life. And a man courageous enough to not hide his spiritual views under a bushel.

“My advice,” Brent shares, “is that we seek God.

“We are precious to God in that he created us, He knows us down to the number of hairs on our head, and He desires an active relationship with us.

“I believe that we are called to care for his creation, with special emphasis on caring for each other, the creations God loves the most.

“We are insignificant in that God’s plan will be done, his will will be exercised, with or without our individual participation. His desire is that we take part in his good work, and that we are reconciled to him, but we are free to focus elsewhere. Indeed, many fall away. Following God requires sacrifice and may not be easy. However, ‘Easy is the road, and wide is the path that leads to destruction… Narrow is the gate that leads to life.’ (Mat 7:13)

“My pastor answers the question of whether things will get better or worse for mankind with the answer, ‘Yes.’ In this he means the world’s troubles and bad human behavior will increase just as God’s church grows in number and in good deed. Ultimately, our good God is sovereign and we are encouraged to take strength in that fact.”

The brain static that began tonight has departed, and Brent, thank you for the spirit you emit. May your example grow forward.

To “the gate that leads to life…” however we choose to follow. And to paraphrase the thoughts of Brent, “May we choose to care for each other and embrace a loving God.”

“’Let me give you an analogy from the documentary. ‘See the world as one big house, and each country, or city, is just another room in the house.’”
—Bruce

“Bikes are people too,” at least that is my belief. I figure if we talk to our plants, cars and lucky charms, it is fair game for me treat my bike, or should I say, bikes, with a humanistic slant.

Let me tell you a little more about my compulsion, 4 bikes I have, that is not including the three that belong to my wife, my daughters one and the tandem that she and I share rides on. Yep that’s right… We are quite a peddling family.

And as the team captain of our bicycling trio, it is embarrassingly shameful to know that I have neglected my two-wheeled family members for far too long. A point that becomes horribly apparent as I take note of the dust and grime that has formed on my favorite cross-country racing rig.

Dirt that in years past I would have painstakingly removed with gentle strokes of chamois and brush. So as I walk past my memory-sharing friend, the decision is obvious. Like a neglected relationship, it looks at me on this fine spring day, pleading, “I’ve been cooped up for way to long, set me free!”

Accepting my role in ignoring a loved one, into my peddling spandex I change. “Ouch! Richard! Did you have to put that vision in our minds!”

Hey, if you are a cyclist… you understand… If not, now you have some harass Richard material, “Spandex man to the rescue!”

I quickly get a reminder as to why I teach spinning when I hit the trail with an addition to my usual riding kit. That addition, forty pound of camera gear, 365 is never left at home.

Up hill one my firm seated friend carries me. Stroke by stroke I conquer warm up climb one, the adrenalin is beginning to flow and I’m joyfully entering what I loving refer to as cyclist nirvana. A place where time stands still and all you can hear is the pace of your breath entering and exiting your lungs. It’s a state of connection with powers above myself, and in a strange way, connected to mother earth. If you have never mountain biked, I encourage you to at least try it a few times.

Over the summit I emerge, and hitting the pedals hard, I enter into a downhill sprint. The exhilaration is empowering, wind in my face, speed opening up, 12mph…15mph…20mph…25mph… I’m in the moment.

Now there is one very important factor to riding off-road, especially when descending with momentum… “At all times… LOOK AHEAD…! WAY AHEAD!”

It’s a kind of cover your butt situational awareness; eyes scanning the trail and horizon while mentally logging all you see, constantly acknowledging it will be in your face sooner than you know it.

There is nothing more miserable than performing a handlebar vault over an ignored log, rut, rock or worse yet, and very rude, a human. Not all that promising for trail moral, I assure you.

Towards a favorite banked turn I rocket, a two-wheeled grove is raging throughout my body and mind. Nothing can stop me… Well… Almost nothing.

No I don’t wipe out (Sorry gore fans), literally as I pick my line in entering my approach path to a ripping right hand turn, I am distracted.

Emerging in stride down a slope to the South I spot the figure of a mountain trail runner. He is small and distant. At first my selfishness sets in, “Keep riding… this is your time… your going to kill that banked turn… you’ll meet a 365 friend later… pass on this gentleman.”

It’s crazy how much can go through your mind in a nanosecond and I nearly buy into this subconscious diversion. I engage in the intensity of my eye-line, yet it is impossible to escape the small voice of my sub thought, “Stop and wait, this unknown hiker has something to say.”

Ultimately, I listen in bringing my descent to a halt at the apex of my much-anticipated corner.

A couple of minutes pass before the man on the hill crosses my path, “Pardon me, I’m a photographer. I apologize if I am disruption your hike, but 214 days ago I started on a challenge. That challenge…” I explain the purpose and why’s of what we are doing in the 365 journey.

Bruce accepts the collaboration and again the voice has led me in the right way.

He begins with a point that we are hearing a lot lately, “This may sound cliché,” Bruce starts up, “The Golden Rule.”

“Not at all,” I assure, “‘we’ve heard it often, but with every offering of it, we always receive a different spin on its application or explanation. No two people are alike and that is what is so amazing about this project and the words so many have shared with us. So let me ask you this, ‘Why The Golden Rule?’”

Bruce replies with the grace of British valor (Oh, I forget to tell you, Bruce hails from the UK… place of my birth), “Because at the core we all have values, desires to be respected and desires for our voice to be heard.

And we all have dreams and hopes. None of these can be achieved on our own.”

Bruce is a committed advocate for a united society, so much so that he has put his money, time and talents behind doing something to get his message out.

First, I must inform you that Bruce is a little bit of a celebrity, an extremely recognized entertainment correspondent. I had no idea. There is no air about him, just another humble guy on the trail.

Bruce has traveled much, commuting often from the UK and America as well as many other stops in between.

I’m positive that he has experienced a vast range of cultures and individuals; an observation that I am comfortable to assume by his considerate outlook towards humanity and worry for the future.

“We all should become more conscious of the violence in the world, and the frustrations of the people towards the warnings around us.

Genetically Modified Foods, the conflicts between the haves and have nots.

What is encouraging though, is that I am noticing that the values of the younger generation is more aware… for sure.”

“’All good council, but Richard, you quoted, ‘Bruce is a committed advocate for a united society, so much so that he has put his money, time and talents behind doing something to get his message out.’”

To respond, and I know this is why I have been directed to Bruce this day, I summarize in the opening line from a documentary that he is producing and directing. Its title “Equation Of Change.”

That line, really more of a question that sets the stage for his life statement, “Could a slight change of how we live our lives day-to-day impact the world?”

The magnet that pulled me towards this stranger turned friend, and even co-advocate for a better world, has been revealed. He is an ambassador for bettering the planet. You’ll see what I mean if you view the trailer.

“’Let me give you an analogy from the documentary. ‘See the world as one big house, and each country, or city, is just another room in the house.’” Bruce expounds.

And with that he encourages, “It’s there for us to explore and even more, to take care of.”

Bruce, Thanks for the trail time, Time for me to sprint home.