THOUGHTS/CHRONICLES: Demons

This past weekend, my wife and I relocated Schleicher Pad North to an adjacent flat across the driveway from the former location. The new digs has a little less room but a much friendlier floor plan, a washer and dryer, and a great, usable room for Malcolm (with a queen bed, so guests are now more welcome than ever). Financial constraints aside, this new place is incredible, and, should we survive the impact of the move, this will be much better for the family.

The young ladies at Green Coffee Bean have named the new BattleWagon "Big Red Juicy Fruit", but I just can't accept that. It's going to be the nickname for a while, until I can think of the name of the Loony Toons character Chuck Jones made that's big and red and only wears sneakers...

Lots of thoughts lately about the viability of an Eco-Village here in southeast Alaska. My dream has recently become an infatuation with what used to be called Bell Island Hot Springs. The place is ideal for creating a treehouse village and resort, a place for creative people to hide out and salt of the earth people to live off that earth. The property was owned by a geologist in Texas who passed away less than a month ago. I'm hesitant to contact his widow and see what is to be done with the property, but it is a wonderful place.

The whole idea of not just living my dream at all costs it's starting to really scare me. For years, I've been quietly accepting that I've done just enough of my passion to satisfy my own goals, but not nearly enough to realize them fully. Working an 8-5, not doing much of anything else, except spending time with one hell of an awesome two year old.. It's great, but it's not setting the example I'd like to set for him. I don't want him to settle and stagnate like his parents have lately. There is not nearly enough time to do everything, and I sincerely hope the Boy realizes that at a young age. I hope to inspire that somehow, and maybe that's the motivation I need.

THOUGHTS: Who and Why

I think of those two questions often in regards to myself, and it often seems I don't consider those questions nearly often enough. What, when, and where, in regards to a person seem pretty irrelevant, easily answered by who and why. Who are you? Why are you here? If you can answer that, then it explains what you're doing where and when.

The easy answer for me: I'm Russ. But I am strugglimg to really answer that without answering where and when. Now I'm in Ketchikan, and I'm trying to supper a family with a lower-middle class income that allows us to make it from paycheck to paycheck, barely. But even then, I don't really answer the who, and definitely not the why.

Look at a climber, someone who ways top ramen for months so they can eat top ramen for another few weeks at 20,000 feet. Who is he? He's a climber. This is what he does. Why? Regardless of what you may understand, it's in his bones, his soul, to push the envelope of what normal people accept as their limits. He believes in it. It's his faith, his driving force, his reason for being. Same goes for the mother, the test pilot, the space jumper, and, far too infrequently unfortunately, the political or the business owner.

So who are you, and why? The challenge for what may likely be another month without a blog are to try to answer these questions, and if you can't, then take a look at your life and see what you're missing. Feel free to share your stories on here with me and our readers.