Boston

Boston was brilliant! I stayed with Okob in Cambridge and experienced the whole Harvard atmosphere. I wandered the undergrad campus, the law school, the school of ed, the business school (we had lunch at their "cafeteria" and was it gorgeous-the food and building), three of Harvard's museums, and the little surrounding neighborhoods. For Halloween we went to the Ivy League Halloween Masquerade Ball; I must admit I felt pretty darn neat to attend something like this. We went to Doc's friends' house before for some drinks and met quite a few very nice people.

I also walked a good chunk of Boston proper. Sunday I must have walked over 10 miles (the Freedom Trail, Newbury Street to Fenway, and numerous other little detours). I really enjoyed the architecture, friendliness, and cleanliness of Boston. I even stopped at Union Bar and enjoyed some oysters and clam chowder at the Oyster Bar. I spoke with a family from Bermuda. Their son had never had oysters before so we were all encouraging him to try. When Dad said he could have something from the gift shop, the oyster went straight down! Well done!

The colors were about three weeks behind so quite a few trees had shocking displays. The weather was lovely the entire time except for Saturday morning. We opted for a lazy morning and did not do too much.

I also must note I was in Boston when the Red Sox won the World Series. I went to the Fenway neighborhood to a bar for Game 4. While waiting for Sox, I walked around to see the area and the stadium, was it crazy. Loads of fans and even more riot police. Clubs, shields, and bike troops were out in full force. They even had police officers mounted on roof tops. The place was so busy that nearly every bar was over crowded and they were not allowing anyone else in. Fortunately Sox and I were admitted and we spent the first two innings try to get a beer and food. We finally received the order (although they refused to allow me to order any food for some reason?) and sat on the floor in front of a TV. We stayed until the end of the 6th inning as I had to catch a train home (they would have been closed before the game was over) and Sox had to work the next morning (as did I in addition to catching an early flight home). No riots for us!

All in all, I enjoyed my friends and the city of Boston.

Motivation

So tonight I was at the gym and did hardly anything. Why is it that sometimes I can go to the gym and be SO motivated and other times I am a lazy pile? On a really good day, I can get through my workout in about 45 minutes where as today I did about 1/3 of my routine in that time and just decided to leave. I knew I only had 45 minutes to work out and had decided against my normal routine (as I went to the gym yesterday and lifted). I was going to try some new equipment and focus primarily on my abs. Well, this decision left a window of uncertainty, what machines should I do? how many reps? how much weight? and the laziness took over! Usually when I am lazy I can get myself around it, but not tonight!

Does it have to do with what I ate during the day? How much sleep I had the night before? My emotional/mental level/stage/mood? How busy the gym is? I wish they sold a motivation pill...not that I would take it...I am not much into pills. Also, I usually am quite motivated which sometimes gives me an edge on other people, so I am quite content with no motivational pill existing.

The rambles...

Off to Boston tomorrow! Should be a great time and another American city/state I have yet to be. Have to love domestic travel!

Brand New Socks

Today I put on a brand new pair of white socks. I have forgotten how much I enjoy wearing new socks. First the snug fit. The elastic is still tight and the cotton tightly woven. Your feet feel nice and secure. Secondly, the brilliant whiteness. I felt whole and presentable again. I could not wait to take off my shoes and walk around a friend's house with my brand new socks; they add some sort of self-confidence (although I did not walk around any one's house beside my own today, I wish I would have. And I took off my socks before I walked around my own house to preserve the integrity of my new socks).

I wish I could wear new socks every day.

Learning to be honest

I mean this on a deeper level, not surface level. I do not have problems with being honest about things...I did borrow your milk, those were my dirty dishes, et cetera. What I mean by "Learning to be honest" is much more personal. Honest with myself and honest with my friends and family.

Obviously you cannot be honest with friends and family if you are not honest with yourself. This is something I am working on. I must admit that I think I have been doing an excellent job. I have learned though that once you begin admitting things to yourself, a torrent of falsehoods rear their ugly faces (although some do turn into beautiful faces and for the most part I have not had many ugly faces to deal with). Things from the past creep up. At times you wish the flood gates would shut and at other times the flood gates are refreshing.

What I have learned though is it is all for the best. Open the flood gates and watch the water rush by. Empty the lake into the manageable stream it should be.

my feet is tired but my soul is rested

I write this today from a coffee shop in East St. Paul, the old fashioned way, pen and paper. Today I am working as an election judge and we have an hour and a half before we go to our next polling place...

I am currently reading a compilation of Martin Luther King Jr's speeches and articles and just finished "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" and "I have a Dream." Are they powerful! The previous book I read was a 500 page detailed history of the civil rights movement (1954-1968) focusing on MLKJr and his role. I never knew so much about MLKJr and I am sorry for this. MLKJr acted amazingly and his legacy will last forever. My favorite attribute of MLKJr was his belief in empowerment. He did not try to carry this revolt of oppression on his own shoulders. At times he was forced to; other times he pulled the civil rights wagon, even more so he pushed the stubborn civil rights wagon from the behind, yelling encouragements to everyone in front of him. From PhDs to share croppers, everyone had as much right to freedom as much responsibility to freedom, and as much ability to act in the name of freedom in MLKJr's eyes.

Another aspect of MLKJr I really appreciate (because it demonstrated how human he was) and is usually rarely discussed (rightfully so) was how inadequate MLKJr felt. During his Nobel Peace Prize speech, MLKJr was incredibly depressed and felt he was not leading his followers properly and effectively. Are you JOKING? Peace prize in hand and still the doubts? MLKJr was a normal man with an intense love for justice. He could not handle his people being oppressed and abused any longer. He harnessed the energy of a dynamic, skillful, persevered, oppressed society. No more would they sit back and listen to people dehumanize them! Gandhi and his nonviolent movement inspired Americans; boycotts, sit-ins, freedom rides, and the soul movement gained momentum.

The really surprising thing for me in the civil rights movement is the role religion played...on both sides. White Christians and Jews argued in segregation's favor: that "Negros" were subhuman and it was this group's responsibility to rule the Negros. Slavery was somehow acceptable in Christian terms. Southern Christianity at that time endorsed Jim Crow and the injustice it was. Members of the Ku Klux Klan were usually prominent men in their local churches...how could this be?

On the other side, MLKJr and the civil rights movement was grounded, inspired, and literally relied on spirituality and faith. MLKJr was a preacher in a long line of preachers (his Dad, Grandfather, and Great-Grandfather) and was deeply religious. At times he questioned organized religion, how members could sit back/promote these injustices, but he never lost faith in his God. The Negro churches of America were the heart of the civil rights movement. People sang hymns as they walked 10 miles to work each day for 381 days during the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott (originally planned for one day). They sang hymns while being intimidated, tear-gassed, fire hosed, and beaten by the police. They sang hymns while imprisoned for endless days. Congregations organized and empowered the people- served as anything and everything the movement needed. Civil rights were love and the fight for justice: "We hold these truths to be self-evident that ALL men are created equal."

How could one religion inspire so much hatred and love? Are there groups in America today that face similar injustices because of religious motivations? How can we be sure that religious movements are just and loving? Has our religious society learned from the slavery/Jim Crow mistakes (atrocities)? How do we ensure similar mistakes never happen again?

Let me end on this inspiring act- During the movement in Montgomery, Alabama, the KKK was very agitated and decided to hold a mass "parade." They hopped in their cars, threw on their white hoods, and drove 70 cars through a black neighborhood. In the past, most blacks retreated indoors, closed and locked doors, shut the shades, and turned off their lights. They did this for good reason: fear for their safety. Beatings and murders were common place and courts notoriously acquitted the guilty...a no win situation.

However, on this fateful night, the blacks were inspired. The parade entered their neighborhood and people did the exact opposite of what any normal black would do. Families walked outside, every house emptied into front yards. Little kids and grown men waved at the Klan. People smiled and sang hymns together. They would not be intimidated anymore. The Klan had no idea how to react; this was totally new and deprived them of their power: fear. The parade went down two streets and immediately disbanded. Love, justice, and the thought of equality was lighting the lives of the oppressed.

A digestive walk

This blog has been inactive for a bit too long. I do not plan on taking over the blogging world, but I will try to add a post here and there.

Tonight I had Mexican...too much of it! Upon arriving home there was no way I could sit and read or do anything for that matter, so I unloaded my wallet and cash, grabbed my ID and I-Pod and hit the road. I planned on walking the brick out of my stomach. I threw on an extra sweatshirt (making two on me) and put a smile on my face.

I had a couple of voicemails from dinner and decided to check them. They both were from friends out of town and I could not help but smile hearing their voices. The friends we make while traveling tend to be such amazing people (the ones you keep in contact with for this long) that you wish you could snap your finger and be with them or back in the setting you both shared.

I left a voicemail and decided to call another. We discussed life and the news, bringing each other up to speed and passing friendly compliments back and forth. We reminisced on our Outback trip and the fond memories.

After hanging up, I took out the I-Pod. I was walking down a dark street with leaves crunching under my feet and really nothing else to be heard. I stopped and smiled in the dark silence. I returned my I-Pod and headphones back into my pocket and continued walking with a new found peace. It dawned on me something that has been missing since my return home from OZ: late night walks. In all my travels, I put hundreds of miles on with late night walks. Some were with friends, but most were solo. Walking at night is one of my favorite activities. The streets tend to be deserted and encourage reflection and calm pondering of issues that tend to way us down when piled up in the everyday rush.

The weather was perfect, a nice fall scent lingering, and a smile was what I walked with. I need to have more digestive walks! They keep me sane.

Fiji Time

Tonight is my last night in Sydney and Australia (this time around). All I can really say is I have been EXTREMELY LUCKY and SO HAPPY to have had the last 5.5 months and really the last two years happen. I do not think I would change a thing.

For the next five days I will be in Fiji on Fiji time (no time really) and will be on the beach without access to internet. I apologize but I will be relaxing, snorkeling, and living the life. I will be thinking about you but not emailing any of you. The next time we will chat will be on US soil (if this is where you are reading my blog).

Until the 14th.