Depth Perception

This post has been a long time coming.

I’ve had some serious challenges lately:




Mysterious cluster headaches
Financial burdens
A break-up

I’ve been affected emotionally by all three, headache, doughache and heartache. Battling my own demons and my own form of depression. I’m getting help from friends, family, counselors, practitioners, etc.

But far too often I feel like I am completely alone.



Then reality hits and you realize that as vital and important as your own issues are, that everyone struggles with things and that my issues are actually transitional. To give some perspective:

The recent suicides of bullied students. “It gets better” is true. It makes me so sad and very reflective to hear about things like this. I am powerless to stop others’ pain, but I will not be powerless to stop or prevent my own.

The death of Maurice Lucas. Just listening to people tell stories of their interactions with this great, great man illustrates how much we CAN affect people by always treating them with grace and respect and by giving of ourselves. Listen to the eulogies at www.955thegame.com for an illustration of what I mean.



A friend’s recent health issues. He was diagnosed with kidney cancer a year ago. Had surgery and treatment and has recovered. Then, recently, a tumor was found in his eye and his eye had to be removed. Different cancer entirely, which seems scary, but is actually a good thing. His resiliency in the face of this inspires me. He has a young daughter and he wraps every setback in terms of making sure he does what he must to be around for her. Unconditional love in the face of adversity.

I guess what I’m just trying to do is remind myself that I do have value. I have gifts to offer. I am worthy of love and affection. As much pain and confusion as exists for me I have tools to conquer it. And there are people who care and who help.

I am not alone.

It gets better.

Bruce!

Bike and Max

Well,

It's been a very long process to get here but today I finally commuted to work via bike and Max.

For those of you following the early entries on this blog, you'll recall that I planned to do that two summers ago. Well, one thing led to another and I chickened out.

But this morning, helmet on head, reflective vest on torso, lights blinking I took to the streets. My bike needs a few items tightened and adjusted but she did well and it was a rather exhilirating feeling to get in tune with her gears and such.

Yay for me!

Creativity

Creativity.

It’s amazing how therapeutic making something from just an idea can be. I recently resumed painting for the first time in decades. And this past week I arranged some music recording with some friends.

The results are not quite studio quality gems, but the process is so fulfilling and rewarding. Arranging, layering and nuance all add to the finished project. Outtakes are hilarious. And sometimes you find your voice when you thought it was lost.

And now I may get a chance to get on stage and perform.

The Clothes Make The Man

I’ve always loved sports. Playing. Spectating. Reading of. Writing about. I’ve also always been fascinated by uniforms. The identity of a team. The pride that comes from wearing a shirt that says ‘Portland’ or ‘Boston’ or Catlin Gabel’ or ‘Jefferson’.

I currently live in the Jefferson district in Portland. Several blocks straight down the street. I also belong to an organization called the 107 Independent Supporter’s Trust (107ist). This organization is the machine behind the Timbers Army here in Portland. They represent the interests of the fans at large, plan events, build community trust and make the match-day experience that much better.

They also do a whole lot of good in the community.

Jefferson High needed some help and the 107ist got word of it. Over the past month the 107ist has worked to generate funds for equipment, uniforms, practice gear, etc for Jefferson’s neglected soccer program.

Uniforms.

My fascination with uniforms has led to a sort of hobby/business for me. I have equipment to stitch or heat press logos, letters, numbers, etc. onto shirts. Professional quality. I’ve produced uniforms for a growing number of adult soccer teams, but this was my first opportunity to help my local school. I couldn’t say no.

As of now the uniforms are half complete. Numbers adorn the bright blue backs of the clean Nike uniforms we are providing. I am still waiting on the graphic ‘JEFFERSON’ to put on the front. I remember what it was like in high school to get that brand new uniform to represent the team. I always loved wearing them. I still do. Funny thing this uniform obsession.

I am looking forward to seeing the Jefferson kids take pride in their school and community when they don these shirts for the first time. Those are special moments. I am thankful to be a part of it.

Where Have I been?

I apparently fell off the face of the earth.

Now it may be time for me to reappear. I've got a lot of thinking to do and that may come with some new writing. We'll see. I've also been taking a lot of pictures so check out my flickr page when you get a chance.

Hope

Pete Seeger, the father of American Folk Music, has played before on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. In protest.

What a wonderful thing to see him singing this song with his grandson and with Bruce Springsteen and with a rousing chorus full of joy and hope, the great anthem of America, Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land".

Seeger has strived all his life for justice for all humanity. He is a treasure of America. An America that at one time disowned him. Through it all he's led a life of service and dignity and hope. I am so thankful that he was included at Sunday's concert and that he, at 89, showed us all the unifying power of song.

Great moments are born of great opportunity. That is the message of these days. We can do better because we must do better. We must do better. We must.

The King And I

Roy Hobbs was The Natural.

Roi is the French word for King.

Brandon Roy is often referred to with the title, The Natural, and he just took his place in Blazers Royalty with a 52-point performance on Thursday night against the Phoenix Suns.

Roy is a gifted basketball player. He can score, shoot, pass, defend, handle the ball, penetrate and create his own shot. He has no weakness. He doesn’t make many mistakes and the ones he does are minor. He has a superior basketball mind and is tough mentally to take over games.

I’ve been surprised by Roy at every turn. Coming out of the University of Washington (I hate UW) he had some promise but most of us didn’t know much about him. His teams at UW were very good his last two years and he was an All-American. He stayed in school for all four years and it showed when he reached the pros.

His rookie year he looked like a very solid, but unspectacular player. He did a lot of good things on the court, but I figured this was what he was. 17 points per game, decent shooting, 4 rebounds, 4 assists. Good numbers for the #2 guy on a team, which is what I figured he would be.

His second season, they turned the team over to him and almost all of his numbers improved. He made the All-Star team. Again, I said to myself that this was the best we’d see from Roy. He’d be just less than 20 points per game and just fewer than 5 rebounds and 5 boards. But he still wasn’t displaying the athleticism that most game-changing players provide.

I was so wrong about him.

This season he is taking the burden of this entire franchise on his back and he is thriving. 23.4 points per game, leadership, game changing performances night in and night out and he’s currently having the best stretch of any Blazers player since Clyde Drexler in the early 90’s. Maybe the best stretch ever. I didn’t think he had another level to go to and he clearly does. I’m trying to find a single player to compare him to and am failing. There may not be a direct comparison available. He’s part Larry Bird, part Terry Porter, part Gary Payton, part Reggie Miller.

It’s so fun being a Blazers fan these days.