the leftovers from a thanksgiving conversation

Right now I want to be in Regina with friends and family and I also really want to be in Edmonton with my sweety!  On one hand I have spent most of my life in Regina and have many ties, connections, family, friends, a great job and a ridiculous amount of fun here.  On the other hand I realize you only live once and there is a great big world to explore with many many wonderful people and places to learn from, grow and develop.  I want to see the world and at the same time I recognize the carbon costs associated with seeing world (climate change, energy peaking).  Thinking about living away from your family or your sweetheart brings 'love miles' into the equation which George Monbiot talks about here.

If its about being happy and you are happy how can you tell if you are ready for a change?  How do you know if you will be more happy somewhere else?  How to balance family, friends and your novia (sweetheart)?  Ask yourself will I have any regrets if I spend all my days in one spot?  will I be truly content?  Recent research summarized here, on the people that live the longest in the world indicates that they tend to stay with their family and friends in one spot their entire lives...

What is your story, what are your thoughts on home, living once and making the most of it, balancing love miles and environmental concerns...

To care or not to care that is my question

I drove by someone on the corner of 9th ave north and lewvan today (coming home smiling from amazing kitesurfing session at last mountain lake).  They had a sign that read something to the tune of "travelling hungry can you spare some change", I didn't get the exact words,I wish I had.  My initial reaction, which embarrasses me and makes me feel some sort of shame inside, was not to reach out of the window and give money (even though I am sooo privileged, I had just enjoyed a wonderful day and continue to joy an amazingly wonderful life), no I did like everyone else and waited for the light to turn green before leaving the scene, but the scene hasn't left me.  I am still thinking about that person, where are they sleeping, where are they going, are they cold, sick, tired, hungry.  But, talk is cheap, and here I sit plunking on the keyboard...

Are we conditioned to care or not care by our parents, friends and culture in North America, is it one of these more than another (ie parents)?  Are other cultures, more communal cultures different in their responses to this situation?  Is a toonie or a five dollar bill really a solution or just offering a fish to a bigger problem?  Michale Franti sings "there are 7 billion people on this Earth can you tell me what every single life is worth?"  Considering this how does evolution, survival of the fittest mentality factor in to this?  

Do you care?  How do you react when confronted with a situation like this?  How does it make you feel?

What will I do next time...