What It's All About

So the last few days (maybe even a week now) I've started to feel blue about the upcoming holiday and not being around my family for the first Christmas EVER. I've been trying to live in the moment here in Japan and not forget about the past but not take the present for granted either. It's been working for the most part (it's helped me in those very sad seconds when I think of my cats and remember that unconditional love that was waiting for me everyday when I came home). Today I had a break through on what I can do to beat this onset of depression into submission. As some of you may know I'm going through a transformation while in Japan. I'm changing (or baking) into the best version of myself. I have the book "The Four Agreements" to guide me down this road of self discovery and it's liberating it feel the false misguided beliefs I once held onto so dearly crumble away. It's important to understand this about me because it will give light to what I'm about to say.

Today at work we had to put on a U2 concert video because the movie I rented (Gremlins, the perfect Christmas movie) was all scratched and not watchable. Sometimes I forget how much I like U2 because I don't listen to them often but I love that their music is about love, spirituality, politics, and changing the world for the better. I enjoyed listening to them so much at work I decided to pull up Joshua Tree on my iPod and listen to them on the bike ride home. I started to think about my journey to Japan and all the people and places I've seen along the way and that's when the epiphany or inspiration hit me.

(Hold on people...we're gonna go down a slight detour but it will make sense it the end. Please bare with me...) Vancouver has a serious homeless problem. People have always told me how beauty the city is (and it really is quite breathtaking) but it also has a serious homeless problem no one seems to talk about. It's so bad that people where telling me about how the city officials plan to ship off the homeless to Victoria when the Winter Olympics arrive. I wouldn't be too surprised if this is true because countries go CRAZY when the Olympics come. Look at Beijing. Anyway...when I was there for training, every night I saw an overwhelming amount of people sleeping on the cold streets and the distance I had to travel on a typical night was only about a 1.5-2 miles. Many of the homeless people would work "jobs" for money (like holding the door open for you when you walked into the 7-11) and they did it with a smile on their face, kindness in their eyes, and would still wish you a good evening even if you gave them nothing. Now I'm not naive by any means. I understand some people are homeless because they have a drug problem (that was another surprising element to Vancouver, the amount of drug addicts) while others are homeless because of mental illness (undiagnoised mental illness is a major contributor to the homeless problem in America, especially in NYC). But even if we understand the reason it doesn't excuse us from not creating a solution to the problem.

The reason I bring up Vancouver, and my eye opening experience to their homeless problem, is there is something we can do about it this Christmas season (and more importantly ever day of our lives). To all my family and friends, who I love and miss dearly, for the time and money you would have spend on or with me if I was home for the holidays, I humbly ask of you to spend it on those in need. Don't send me any presents or cards. Instead please spend it on a charity. There are so many big and small organizations that could use all the help they can get. If you don't have any money than give your time. Give the time you would have spend hanging out with me on collecting donations or handing out food to the homeless. If you live in Minnesota I can tell you the names of the places I liked to volunteer for if you don't know where to go. Many of you know I've never had much money but I always thought I was doing something worthwhile with my life when I volunteered (even if it was just 2 hours spent on making safe sex kits for the Minnesota AIDS Projecct and talking about how a chocolate flavored condom would go well with a vanilla flavored lube!)

And for my part I'm gonna spend the time and energy I would have spent on being sad because I can't see you for Christmas on finding a charity I can volunteer and donate to here in Japan. They don't have a Toys for Tots and since they don't seem to be a very gay friendly country I doubt I'll find an AIDS organization to work with but I'll ask my JET tomorrow about local charities and see if he can help me in this mission. I know I live in a small town but there has got to be something somewhere. Finally thank you for taking the time to read this. I know it's not the shortest of blogs (and probably my most impassioned) but I've never been one to shy away from emotionally going where a lot of people may not want to go.

Oh and before I forget...thank you Sarah G for suggesting I donate my old mittens to that homeless man in Vancouver. Where others ignored them you saw them as nothing but human. Liz...I wish I could be there on the streets with you donating your time to bring awareness to the homeless in MN. Don't worry I'm still gonna pay your good deeds forward. And for all the others, who do good things everyday but never tell a soul, I admire you and one day hope to have a soul as beautiful as yours. Take care of each other. We're all we've got!