Goodness52

"Never knew before what eternity was made for. It is to give some of us a chance to learn German." Thanks to Mark Twain, I now know exactly how I'll be spending my time in the great beyond. If my week spent trying to get a small handle on the language is any indication, it might even take several eternities. So, why German? My own history with the language dates back to when I was living in Germany from the ages of 1 through 5. From what I gather, I was quite the little German chatterbox by the time my dad left his RCMP post in Hamburg. So I thought maybe there might be some residual language skills hiding out in the dormant hinterland of my brain. But nein! 4-year old version of me in Germany Maybe the larger question is why attempt to learn a language at all? I won't bore you with the blindingly practical reasons like being able to order a currywurst sausage in Berlin. There are actually better, deeper reasons, like the fact that scientists have discove...

"And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul." We have always been drawn to forests in the way described by Scottish-American John Muir, the "Father of the National Parks." And never more than now, with the Japanese phenomenon of shinrin-yoku spreading across the globe. This week, I spent many a contemplative moment searching for my soul during an activity that raises a lot of eyebrows when you tell people you're going "forest bathing." Once I explained that the activity involves no nudity or even water, I saw some slow nods of understanding. This zen-like bathing is simplicity itself – you are merely soaking in the natural environment and communing with the elemental forces of nature. I decided for a DIY approach to forest bathing, even though a quick scan of Vancouver Island therapist listings reveals that there are several qualified practitioners of shinrin-yoku who would be happy to share their insights with me for a pretty...

"I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike. I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride it where I like." It's maybe the silliest Queen song ever, but there's a reason Bicycle Race still strikes a chord with us 40 years after it was recorded. There's just something so charmingly simple about getting around on two wheels, and so liberating. So, during Victoria's Bike to Work Week , I did the obvious thing and went everywhere by bike. Getting to work and back was the easy part. For me, it's only a 5 kilometre round trip. Still, it felt great being part of the movement that saw almost half a million kilometres covered by Victoria cyclists that week. Clearly, biking to work is a big deal. Commuting on two wheels is getting more and more popular, and not just in temperate climates like Victoria. I commuted by bike for nearly 20 years in Calgary, and that city now has dedicated bike lanes because the demand is so high. In my new home town, I'...

"I derive genuine pleasure from touching great works of art. As my fingertips trace line and curve, they discover the thought and emotion which the artist has portrayed." If a blind person like Helen Keller can find value in visiting a gallery or museum, who in the world cannot? Maybe even me! So, rather than wait 'til my next European vacation for some cultural exploration, I spent the week touring some of the countless museums and galleries in Victoria. By the end, I too felt like I'd connected with some thoughts and emotions. I started with a family trip to the BC Provincial Museum, which included the museum itself and a pretty fantastic IMAX film called The Great Bear Rain Forest . Stunning stuff. Next day it was the Robert Bateman Centre, home to the ultra-realistic nature artist's finest works housed in Victoria's old steamship terminal. On the third day, I was off to the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, which is attached to the beautiful Spencer ...

"I see litter as part of a long continuum of anti-social behaviour." Besides being one of the finest non-fiction writers in the English language, Bill Bryson is a committed environmentalist who has a lot to say about the modern way of things. And one of those things, unfortunately, is litter. In a week that saw an explorer uncover garbage in the deepest depths of the world (the Mariana Trench) and a team remove tons of garbage on the world's tallest mountain , I made a miniscule contribution to the effort by picking up trash every time I went out the door. I know I looked ridiculous with a plastic bag (compostable!) attached to my waist and work gloves on as I walked down the sidewalk, but I was nonetheless pretty gob-smacked with how much litter I picked up on each journey. In my 15-minute walk to work, and this is in one of Canada's "cleanest" cities, I always collected at least half a pound of stuff people had thoughtlessly tossed aside. The Pep...

"Uh, Earth to Matilda. I was at a day spa. Day. D-A-I-Y-E. Okay?" Derek Zoolander pretty much set the standard for non-manly men, but he sure knew how to pamper himself. As a big hairy ape-man, I decided I would do the same for a week, pretty much following Derek's lead and starting with the spa. Manscape Spa in downtown Victoria Manscape is the only all-male spa west of Toronto and north of San Francisco. Owner-operator Doug Janczyn is an ex-investment broker who's been offering manicures, pedicures and more for 10 years, and he's just an overall great guy. He took one look at my fingernails, which I had clipped way too short and decided he could not give me good value on a manicure. So he suggested a few other pampering procedures: an eyebrow sculpt and a pedicure. Now, why would a dude want that kind of stuff? Doug explained that the sculpting would give me the appearance of being more alert, and there are all kinds of health benefits to a p...

"As long as the roots are not severed, all is well. And all will be well in the garden." Anyone who has seen Peter Sellers in Being There knows all about the seemingly profound statements delivered by Chauncey Gardner. But the fact is, Chauncey was right. All will be well in the garden. I spent the past 7 days puttering in the garden and planting a bunch of herbs. There's something about getting soil under your fingernails, and about setting those plants in a tidy row that strikes an elemental chord in all of us. It's earthy, and it's real. Gardening is enjoying a re-birth these days, thanks to the millennial foodies and environmentalists who see all kinds of goodness sprouting from the ground beneath their feet. I've made some half-hearted attempts in the past, so the first thing I had to ask myself was what kind of garden I wanted. For me, it has to be herbs. Flowers are just kinda showy, and vegetables seem like more effort than they're worth....