Hey!! It Smells Like Patchouli In Here!!

Unless you've been living under a rock all your life, you know that today is the 25th anniversary of John Lennon's death. The radio, television and all other media outlets have been jam-packed with nostalgic look-backs on his life and times, reminding us of his music, his writing and his vision of world peace. I must admit, I'm a huge John Lennon fan, and while listening to the tributes to him on community radio station this morning, I did have a few tears in my eyes. But not because I miss him, hell I was only a wee babe when he was killed. I just got to thinking, about what he would say about the state of the world as it is now, if he was still around.

Would he still be a champion of peace and love? Would he be the leader of the Bono/Alicia Keys/Bob Geldof pack of nouveau-hippies? Would he agree with me that Bob Geldof, is deep down, just a fucking wanker who doesn't think before he speaks? Would he have joined forces with Bono,to put his nose in our countries politics? Would we love him as much as we do now, or would he have faded into the background, had he lived a longer life? So many questions. No answers though.

It really makes me think, about how John, and his entire generation, fought so hard against "the man", against war......and how they truly believed that they were making a difference. Which in my heart, I truly believe they did. Unfortunatly, the world is still ripe with pointless violence, warfare, racism, and all the rest....the original hippies and those who came before them, couldn't get rid of that. Humans are human. We will always have political and religious strife. But, these people, who believed what John Lennon believed, and wanted what John Lennon wanted, they raised us to think for ourselves, question authority, feel empathy for those less fortunate, to fight for what we believe in, and be kind to our neighbors. That is the difference they made, and those are great things that we will hopefully keep passing on to all future generations. Rather, we need to pass those beliefs onto future generations.

Although we will most likely never have the peaceful, war-free global village that we all have envisioned at some point in our life, John Lennon will always be a reminder to all of us, that we need to keep fighting for it anyways, because we fucking deserve it.

So, I challenge you all, take a moment today, to go and do something good. Make someone happy. Write a letter to a politician. Stand up for yourself.

And while you're at it, you might as well put on some classic music. For today, I choose to honor all the Beatles, and I'm gonna make some tea, light some sweetgrass incense and groove to The White Album.

Peace.

By complete accident, this entry was posted at 10:50pm...which eerily was the moment that John Lennon was shot.Creepy.

The Recent Adventures of Abigail (part three)

One night, as I was trying to sleep in Toronto's Union Station, being harassed by mice,wishing that I had more than snack food to eat, and wishing that I hadn't read all my books already, I got to thinking. And writing. So here are my realizations from the road.

Realization #1 - Even though I have the ability to sleep anywhere, no matter how loud or uncomfortable, there is no longer a need to take it to extremes. After this trip is over, I vow never to sleep on a metal bench, the floor of a public transit facility, a creaky hostel bunk bed, ever again. From now on it's first class, sleeper cars, and comfy hotels all the way.

Realization #2 - Realization #1 is a total lie. Although I would love to go first class all the way on future travels, I won't, because I can't afford it, and I have always done things the hard way, for no particular reason. Knowing me, I will spend a good chunk of the rest of my days, sleeping on dirty airport floors and on cold metal benches that give me bruises all along my spine.

Realization #3 - Drinking a gallon of orange juice, does not make up for the fact that I ate an egg McMuffin and 2 greasy, salty hashbrowns. I knew the McDonald's would make me sick, but when faced with my other dining options in Union Station, I had to make a rash decision and hope for the best.

Realization #4 - The last time I washed my hair and did the whole sponge-bath thing in a public washroom, was in 1998, on my way home from BC, after 2 days on the bus. I now recall why I never did that again. It's messy and uncomfortable, and the water never runs warm. Also, after you have used your towel to dry your head, you are forced to pack your now wet towel, back into your pack. Yuck.

Realization #5 - If any of my relatives from Winnipeg or Toronto find out that I have been through town, not once, but twice, and didn't call them, I will be in for some grand lectures. But in my defense, both layovers in Winnipeg totalled about 3-4 hours, and I arrived in Toronto quite late into the night both times as well, and just didn't want to be a bother.

Realization #6 - I should have looked harder for a locker to keep my backpack in for the night. It's ridiculously heavy, and my back is killing me. Plus, it's a pain in the arse to carry it around all over town, when really I just want to run for a coffee or outside for a cigarette.

Realization #7 - This is the first time that I have travelled alone, that I wasn't scared, or nervous, or weary of anything. It is also the first time (well second I guess, if I include Churchill), that my travelling didn't coincide with running away from some issue I didn't feel like dealing with at home.

OK, so I didn't figure out all the secrets of the universe or anything, but at least I learned a little something about myself. And hey, what more could a girl who makes rash decisions ask for?