Stop

Happy spine - happy human.

The diagnosis? Herniated disk in the fifth lumbar vertebra.

Doctor's advice? Stop.

So for now, Linda and I are living in beautiful Nelson, BC Canada with my mother (who is one year shy of her 80th birthday). As far as being stranded somewhere along our route, this is the ideal scenario.

After the 'Angels in a Blue Bus' incident, in which the universe delivered an accessible van to our front door while simultaneously taking our truck away, it is hard to believe what has been delivered to us this time.

Best of all is I get to have an extended visit with my mom. While she was the first official stop that we planned, we weren't sure how long we would stay. Now it looks like mom will get to take care of her boy longer than expected. I am fine with that. These are precious moments.

My dear mom Margaret is being very generous, and when I apologize for invading her life with our chaos she says that our need gives her life meaning and purpose. She is caring for the caregiver, enabling me to take it easy so I can continue to take care of Linda.

So I get to spend day after glorious day sitting with Margaret and Linda, my two favourite women on the planet, conversing, laughing, crying, eating, and enjoying each other's company.

Another of my favourite women, my sister Kathy, also lives near Nelson. Her and her partner live the kind of life I aspire to live one day. Perhaps not as soon as I expected, but some day I would also like to live in a beautiful home surrounded by nature and powered by solar panels.

It is wonderful to see them, their chickens, huge garden, and their 4 gentle, intelligent and unique children who were raised on 'the mountain'.

Grandma lives in a suite in a small house in downtown Nelson. And who of all people should occupy the space on the main floor of the house?

A doctor. A doctor who is a back specialist. Just what I need - someone to help me make my back happy again. And all I have to do is go upstairs and rest a while on the decompression table.

In the meantime the blue bus is resting happily in mom's back yard. We are resting happily inside the house in mom's warm, loving embrace.

We are stopping. For now.

"Where's the fire? What's the hurry about?

You better cool it off before you burn it out.

You got so much to do and so many hours in a day."

- Vienna, Billy Joel

Simple Morality

What is the right thing to do?

Morality is simple. Virtually every major religion can be boiled down to one easy to understand concept. Don't be an asshole.

No one automatically deserves to be happy just because they are alive. You have to work at achieving happiness. How?

By not being an asshole. Some people find this easier to do than others.

Immanuel Kant once wrote, "Morality is not properly the doctrine of how we may make ourselves happy, but how we may make ourselves worthy of happiness."

Every religious text has the same advice for becoming worthy of having happiness flow into your life. They just don't state the Golden Rule in quite the same way I do.

You will find no mentions of assholes here, but you will certainly learn how to avoid becoming one.

It's simple.


Taoism

"Regard your neighbour's gain as your gain, and your neighbour's loss as your own loss."

- Tai Shang Kan Ying Pien, 213-218

Christianity

"In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you."

- Jesus Matthew 7:12

Sikhism

"I am a stranger to no one; and no one is a stranger to me. Indeed, I am a friend to all."

- Guru Granth Sahib, pg 1299

Unitarianism

"We affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

- Unitarian principle

Native Spirituality

"We are as much alive as we keep the earth alive."

- Chief Dan George

Zoroastrianism

"Do not do unto others what is injurious to yourself."

- Shayast-na-Shayast 13.29

Jainism

"One should treat all creatures of the world as one would like to be treated."

- Mahavira, Sutrakritanga

Note: I do not think that any of you are assholes. However, you probably know one or two, in which case you might kindly refer them to this post. If reading this rehabilitates even one A-hole, I will consider it to be a worthwhile effort.

Thank you.