Brave Heart

16 Apr
A Boston Marathon official helps a runner thrown to the ground. Photo by John Tlumacki, Boston Globe

A Boston Marathon official helps a runner thrown to the ground by the first blast.                                                     Photo by John Tlumacki, Boston Globe

“Train hard, fight easy.”

Banner hanging in Special Air Services Mess, Chelsea Barracks

Yesterday’s events in Boston have yet again brought into sharp focus the issue of bravery. Why is it that some display near-instant courage in the face of challenge or danger, while others, well… do not? Is it possible to practice being courageous? Could it be that by focusing on overcoming the inner obstacles we all face on a daily basis — the challenges Steven Pressfield in the War of Art calls, quite simply, Resistance — we can in fact become courageous?

Here are some thoughts on the subject. While I’m specifically addressing men in this video, the thoughts obviously apply equally to women.

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Northern Exposure, Kaslo-style

8 Dec

 

A wonderful new electronic magazine is coming soon to a tablet, mobile device, or computer near you!

A wonderful new electronic magazine is coming soon to a tablet, mobile device, or computer near you!

 

Back in the early 1990s, a fantastic TV series called Northern Exposure captured the hearts and imaginations of millions of folks around the world. Once a week viewers were transported to the mythical small town of Cicely, Alaska, a place where moose wandered down the main drag, a village populated by a compelling cast of characters who shared one thing in common: a desire to live on the very edge of civilization, as far away from the worries and stress of big city life as possible.

The popularity of Northern Exposure revealed a commonly-held longing among the Seekers among us — you know, the folks who love books like Lost Horizons and Treasure Island, people who ache for adventure, who pine to live in a place where they can find themselves, a place where they can both rediscover their place in the natural world, and enjoy the simple, meaningful things in life.

Well, there are places like that left in the world.

I’ve found one. It’s called Kaslo. And I’m happy to report, I live there.

Screen shot 2012-12-07 at 1.16.18 PM

 

Rather than create a new TV series, I’ve decided to create an interactive, electronic magazine, an “e-mag” that does for Kaslo and its denizens what Northern Exposure did for the fictional town of Cicely and its inhabitants.

Once a month, for a measly $1.99 an issue (or $19.99 for a 12-month subscription), you’ll get a hit of what it’s like to live in a place like this, through lively articles, spectacular art & photography, outstanding original fiction & non-fiction, poetry, music, and video. All served up in a gorgeous, interactive package. You may never pull off the Big Move out of the urban/suburban rat race that is your current reality: but at least you’ll be able to do so vicariously, once a month, thanks to KASLO – The Nirvana Chronicles!

If you can carve 12 minutes out of your busy day, dim the lights, pour yourself a nice glass of wine, get comfy and enjoy these suitably dark and wintry — but ultimately uplifting — outtakes from Northern Exposure.

And for those of you interested in a subscription, or would like to have me send a festive Christmas e-gift card to someone you know would love one, just drop me a line, at randy@netidea.com.

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For those who long for a better life…

19 Sep

 

The Nirvana Chronicles – a new electronic magazine for folks who long for a better life!

There’s not a lot of good news out there these days. From global economic woes to Middle East meltdown, it’s easy to reach the conclusion we’re all headed for hell in a handbasket.

Ah, but wait a minute. Luckily, all is not gloom & doom. There’s plenty to celebrate in this life, too, from a granddaughter’s birthday to a mountain sunset; from a fabulous meal with good friends, to the gentle touch of a lover. The list is a long one, a fact often forgotten by most of us as we trudge glumly through another day of toil and trouble.

Enter The Nirvana Chronicles. A new electronic magazine, slated soon for launch for all those folks with iPads, iPhones, Kindles, and Android devices who are hungry for some uplifting, inspirational, silly, motivational, happy news for a change!

Help me spread a little joy!

OK, that’s nice. But why am I telling you this now, when the first issue isn’t ready yet? Because I’m looking for contributors. I’m looking for written submissions (you don’t have to be a pro, you just need to have something compelling/moving/fun/witty/inspirational to say), as well as terrific photos, videos, and audio (spoken word or music) for possible inclusion in Nirvana. Your content can range from the deeply personal to the sweepingly general. It could consist of a short poem or  a long article, a single snapshot or a photo essay, a 30-second video clip or a movie-length blockbuster, a live narration of you scaling your first mountain, or a version of you & your family sitting around a campfire singing Michael Row Your Boat Ashore!

The idea here is to create an online publication that people will flock to – because it’ll be intriguing, uplifting, informative, fun, and beautiful. The perfect antidote for the avalanche of grimness we’re constantly subjected to by “normal” media.

It’ll also be cheap – we haven’t fixed the monthly subscription price yet, but it will be less than $5.

So here’s your chance to be published, and to help make the world a slightly better place at the same time. What a great combo, right? Participating won’t make you rich – I can’t pay anyone for their submission – but it could help you out on the fame front! Seriously. One of the cool things about Nirvana is that its format will allow us to link to and/or promote you, your cause, your business, your latest project, whatever, tastefully embedded in your article/essay/caption. One more terrific way to let the world know what you’re up to.

Imagine you here.

Interested? Then all you have to do is drop me a line and say so. You can email me directly, at: randy@netidea.com. Or if you prefer to chat, give me a call, at (503) 545-8930. If you have an idea for a contribution, tell me about it. If you have some questions, fire away.

This is about as simple an opportunity as is ever likely to come your way to see yourself published in a well-designed, professionally published magazine, 21st century style. Just do it! And while you’re at it, spread the news to all your friends & family. Happiness does, after all, as Donavan reminded us back in the Sixties, tun in a circular motion. Together we can make The Nirvana Chronicles rock our world, and spread a little joy & hope in the process.

I look forward t hearing from you!

 

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Good Health — here’s to yours!

17 May

According to the ancient Tibetan/Chinese philosophy of Feng Shui, health is at the center of, well, everything. Unfortunately, many of us behave as if we just don’t get this. I’m sure any of you who are health care professionals are nodding in resigned agreement. If health interests you and you’re ready for a chuckle or two, check out this video from a recent live performance at British Columbia’s historic Langham Theatre — and here’s to your good health!

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LIFE! 9 Lessons, 2 Points of View

25 Apr

Ever wonder what life’s all about?

There are three great mysteries in life:

(1) What do women talk about when there are no men around?

(2) What do men say to one another when there are no women in sight?

(3) How on earth did George W. Bush win, not once, but twice?

Applying the ancient Chinese/Tibetan practice of Feng Shui to these and other pressing questions facing an anxious humanity, Mayfield & Morse touch upon subjects ranging from careers (you do have one, don’t you?) to relationships (you do have one, don’t you?). From family & ancestors (does it really matter that your aunt Dorothy was Dwight D. Eisenhower’s second cousin’s great-niece?) to fame (you do have some, don’t you?).

While they may not agree on every tiny teensy little detail of how to lead a relatively happy life (one of them is, after all a woman, the other happens to be a man; even more ominously, they’re married), between the two of them there’s more than enough wit and wisdom to go around.

Candidly drawing on their personal experiences, including a collective 64 years of married life, countless affairs (often with strange and exotic people), countless jobs (often in strange and exotic locales), the experience of raising three children, spoiling two grandchildren, and moving to and surviving in a village of 1,000 souls, Mayfield & Morse will leave you laughing and wondering where the 90 minutes went.

That’s LIFE!

Janet Mayfield is a Kaslo-based Feng Shui consultant, and a professional organizer. A former Edmonton Female Entrepreneur of the Year award-winner, Mayfield has wowed crowds across Western Canada with her often blunt, disarmingly honest and open speaking style. She is currently working on Do One Brave Thing a Day, her first book. For more on Mayfield, visit www.janetlynnmayfield.com.

Randy Morse is a publisher, artist, songwriter, and author (his seventh book, Man Up in Ten Lessons, officially launches in May 2012). Morse has lived and worked in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Latin America, and China. The recipient of numerous awards, scholarships and fellowships, he has performed before intimate gatherings and thousands of spectators. For more on Morse, visit www.rgmorse.com.

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To the mountains

24 Mar

So, I started working on a novel last year, called Dodge, based on the whacky premise that developers would come into this part of the world with plans to destroy astonishingly beautiful and environmentally crucial creeks and rivers for profit (theirs, of course), and, even whackier, to build a crazy-ass ski resort on a rapidly receding glacier in the very heart of a pristine alpine wilderness, cradling crucial grizzly and mountain caribou habitat in its high altitude embrace. The book focuses on this admittedly far-fetched premise, and how an odd assortment of interesting characters who are drawn to live in such remote areas might respond.

I have such a vivid imagination.

Then along comes that wild & crazy gang of guys and gals, the British Columbia government, with their announcement that — wait for it — developers are to be allowed to build a fancy destination ski resort, smack-dab in the middle of the pristine alpine terrain you see in the photos above and below. Life, once again, imitating art.

I’m not quite sure why I’ve had such a passionate attachment to high places for most of my life, but it started at an early age. I still have a yellowed newspaper clipping, describing how a junior high school student (that would be me) organized a petition that persuaded the Oregon legislature to create a buffer zone around the fragile Mount Jefferson Wilderness Area, an amazingly beautiful chunk of the central Cascades, back in the mid-’60s.

I went on to climb all over the world, and have written several books on alpine themes, including The Mountains of Canada, Canada the Mountains, and The Naked Mountain. My wife, Janet, and I moved to British Columbia’s West Kootenays specifically to live in an area surrounded by spectacular mountain terrain. So when the chuckleheads in Victoria made their boneheaded announcement this past week, I was less than amused.

I suspect they’re going to be surprised at the vehemence of the public reaction. For my part, I’m pulling out the ol’ laptop, and together with the talented and driven Keith Liggett, who’s based on the other side of the Purcells in Fernie, what we hope will be a gorgeous and moving new book on the Jumbo Pass area is in the works. Intended as both a fundraiser for groups opposed to this crazed decision to allow the construction of a Euro-style resort in one of the most wonderful alpine areas left in “southern” North America, and a tangible reminder of the importance of wilderness in our lives, regardless of where we live, we hope to have the book (and a multimedia ebook) ready as soon as possible. So stay tuned.

In the meantime, here’s a brief video clip from an area adjacent to the Jumbo area, called Monica Meadows. It’s a nice reminder that joy and fun are to be found everywhere, certainly in the world’s high places. It also serves to give those of you who have never been here/there a taste of what you’re missing — and what is about to be paved, unless we do something about it. This clips stars the captivating Janet Mayfield, channeling Julie Andreas, and Scout the Wonder Dog. Make sure you really crank up the volume for this, the audio’s a bit weak (but the singing’s magnificent!)…

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Let’s keep Jumbo wild!

22 Mar

Look at all the room for some swell condos here!

Good grief.

Here comes another display of astonishing political short-sightedness. In the face of overwhelming local opposition — including everyone from residents to regional businesses to the Ktunaxa First Nation — a government, this time the benighted, anti-science, anti-environment, anti-people (hmmm... who’s left, I wonder?) government of British Columbia, has decided to allow yet another chunk of paradise to be paved.

This time it’s an area of unsurpassed alpine beauty nestled high in the Purcell Mountains, near and on the Jumbo Glacier, scheduled to be turned into a Euro-style destination alpine resort, with all the bells & whistles. Just like those swishy places in the Alps — you know, the rugged, mountainous core of central Europe, where the only remaining wildlife is the odd gaggle of drunken Brits on a cheap skiing holiday.

In its infinite wisdom, British Columbia’s government has given the go-ahead for the construction of a resort that will create precious few long term, high-paying jobs for British Columbians. Bored 18-year-old Aussies & Kiwis eager to get out and see the world on the cheap, keep your eyes peeled — those less-than-minimum-wage housekeeping, bartending, and lift operating jobs will be yours for the taking.

This development is so monumentally stupid, so astonishingly, breathtakingly ignorant, I scarcely know where to begin. Once I’ve calmed down a bit, I’ll craft another, more helpful post, with tips on how you can do something about this travesty, assuming you give a rat’s rear-end about namby-pamby things like, oh, say, the fate of the planet and the future of all living things on it.

 

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