The Show Must Go On!

Several months ago, I received an invitation to participate in a new community festival. The event was called ‘L.O.O.K. It’s A Party!’ Local artisans and environmental organizations had joined together so that we could share our Locally Organized Organic Knowledge. Ha! This acronym still cracks me up!!!

Of course, I said that I would love to participate in this event!

It was Saturday morning on October 02 – just two weekends ago – and when I had arrived (around 8:30am) the rain was still coming down.

There was lots of activity, at this time, as everyone was setting up their tents and displays.

Like this one!

This is an artisan who creates chairs, tables, lamps and other interesting things out of old bikes. Really cool stuff!

Ha! I just love these tiny ornamental animals that were created using bicycle chains!

As well as artisan and environmental displays, people were also occupied with getting the equipment in place for all the musical performances that were another part of this day’s events. These guys are setting up a small tent to cover all the sound equipment that will be needed.

Since I didn’t have a professional tent covering, like everyone else, I had to use a little imagination. I had brought my camping tent to shelter me from the rain and my art displays were set up inside. I moved a picnic table over and I taped my beach umbrella to it to keep the rain from leaking into my tent.

Inside, I had layered the floor of the tent with some colourful Mexican blankets to create a warm inviting feeling as people checked out my Stik-ers…

… box of prints for sale and a few original paintings. The rain never let up on this day and a few hours later I had to zip my tent shut as rain was leaking in. I was a bit sad that no one had a chance to see any of my art – it was a bit of a wasted effort and all I got out of it was a pile of wet blankets and a small head cold.

I decided to focus my attention on other aspects of this festival – namely the music!

I spent a good part of the morning helping out with setting up a couple of tents that would be needed for all the musicians – myself included – who would soon be taking the stage.

The tents were needed to keep this funky looking machine – and all of its riders – dry. I’m not sure what this machine is called but its purpose was to create all the electricity that would be needed by the musicians. People would volunteer their time to sit in the chairs and pedal with their feet. There were eight seats available. As everyone pedaled, energy would be created and this energy would be converted into electrical currents that would power all the guitars, microphones, speakers and soundboards.

This was a great idea – meant to inspire people to realize that we can find more environmentally friendly ways to create the energy that our societies need. And after pedaling for a while, people came to appreciate the effort that is needed to create electricity!

There was just one problem… The sponsors who were to donate a special kind of battery that would be needed to store our energy until it was needed, backed out at the last minute. Unfortunately, we had to plug the stage and equipment into London Hydro for this event.

But… we still wanted to show the people who came to our event – and this number never exceeded 30 – that we could do something with the energy we did create. Someone came up with the idea that we could plug in a beverage warmer and fill it with apple cider!!! We all thought that this was a great idea!

I spent a bit of time on ‘the bike’ to keep warm and the other times I was hanging out on the stage, keeping the rain off my head. I was a bit surprised when the Mayor of London, Anne Marie deCicco-Best, appeared on stage to join us. I introduced myself to her, shook her hand and – of course – gave her a few of my peace Stik-ers!

The mayor was there to make the opening announcement for the event.

And as you can see the audience was all ears! Wait – that’s not the audience… it’s one of the band’s photographers.

Ahhh yes – this is a better shot of all the millions of people who attended!

Well, the show had to go on… and it did! This is a band from St. Thomas and they helped to lift everyone’s spirit with some good ‘ol Rock’N’Roll!!!

I was scheduled to take the stage after this band, and I was freezing, so I decided to hop back onto one of the bikes to warm up. The bike helped to get my blood moving again…

… and this warm apple cider helped to warm my insides!

Delicious!!!

Later, I was inspired to write this poem in honour of all the people who came out to make this day possible and in honour of my latest ‘peace poem’ efforts (see last 2 blog stories).

Now that I was warmed up, I was ready to share a few of my songs with all of the other artisans and bike pedalers!!!

I sang two songs while playing my guitar and then I decided to do something in honour of our attempts to create enjoyment without the aid of electricity, since we couldn’t make our own. I put down the microphone and stood at the edge of the stage, in the rain, and with everyone’s help…

… we were able to fill the air with song, spirit and wishes for a better future!!!

It would have been nice to have had a beautiful day for this event, but we didn’t. It would have been nice to have had the support of all our sponsors, but we didn’t. It would have been nice to share our art and our talents with the community, but no one showed up.

We did the best we could with what we had. We persevered through the rain and cold by using our imaginations. We joked, we laughed and our small communion embraced in honour of what brought us together – our attempts to inspire a brighter future for the world.

In a funny sort of way, it was better this way! We were there to show the world that we love her and I know that she was there, listening and smiling!

Jim

Peace is… (Definitions From Around The World) – Story II

A smile has been growing on my face, lately, every time I log on to Facebook or my Hotmail account. The reason is simple – more and more people have been sending me their definitions of ‘PEACE’ for my second global art attack! So far, so great!!!

Many of you – my readers – have come to know that from time to time I like to share my art and poetry in fun and interesting ways and just the other day I had another cool idea…

Remember how, this spring, a friend of mine (Toby) wrote to me telling me that she wanted to create buttons for the students who rode The Peacebus? And how I created another art competition so that the students had a chance to create their own designs for these buttons? Story – http://bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.com/2010/07/buttons-for-bus.html

Well… during the summer, Toby sent me another batch of Peacebus buttons for me to share with my newest students, this school year. Since The Peacebus is now retired cuz I’m working at another job, I’ve been wondering what I should do with these buttons. I’m wondering no longer!

I’ve decided to send one button to each participant in this global art/poetry attack. That’s right!!! One free Peacebus button to any person who writes a definition/poem for the word ‘Peace’… plus a few other surprises!

Since many of my participants have been enjoying all the artwork that has been created by the students of The Peacebus, over the last year, I thought that it would be appropriate to share these small souvenirs with the people who knew The Peacebus and what it represented!

This part of my global art attack has been kept a secret… until just now!

So far, everyone has been delighted to learn that I had this surprise waiting for them and I’m just about ready to mail off the first batch of buttons to friends from across Ontario and parts of the U.S. I’m hoping that some of my Facebook friends from China, Brazil, Australia and South Africa will send me their definitions so that I can also send them a collectable Peacebus button!

Here are the latest three poetic definitions for the word PEACE…

THANKS EVERYONE!!! I think that all of these expressions are really great!

Last weekend, I participated in a special environmental outreach event. I’ll be sharing that whole story in my next blog, but for today I just want to share my latest ‘Peace’ poem that was inspired by events from that day…

As you can see, we are all sheltering from the cold rain underneath a couple of tents and the warm apple cider sure helped to keep our spirits heated throughout this day. But, like I said, that’s my next story…

Jim

PS – If you would like to create a definition/poem for the word ‘PEACE’ for my growing collection… AND… have a special Peacebus button sent to you for your efforts and inspiration, simply send me an email – peacefulwarrior333@hotmail.com !

Peace is… (Definitions From Around The World) – Story I

In 2008 I asked my Facebook friends to help me create chalk drawings of peaceflower symbols in the places where they live. The response was amazing!!! THANKS! I received over 50 peace chalk art designs, created by more than 100 people, from over 20 countries around the world!

I wrote a few stories throughout this – my first ever global art attack!!!

http://bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.com/2009/06/graffiti-revolution.html

http://bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.com/2009/06/peaceflowers-from-around-world.html

http://bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.com/2009/07/peaceflowers-from-around-world-story.html

It amazes me that things like ‘global art attacks’ can actually happen… for the first time in our history!!!

You can hear many people say that ‘Peace on Earth’ will never happen cuz it’s never happened before! But if you think about it… it could never have happened before cuz we’ve never had a globally connected civilization before – until just now!!! We’ve never had Peace on Earth cuz we’ve never had the opportunity – until just now!!!

And I never realized how significant a simple thing like… drawing a peaceflower, could be – until just now!

And this new insight about bringing people into action – from (seriously) all around the world – to focus their thinking and actions towards a common goal – has inspired me to begin a second… yes second global art attack!

This time… I’m collecting poetic definitions for the word ‘Peace’. It’s that simple! I’ll be sharing these expressions here on this blog as well as on Facebook – where I’ll be building a new album for show’n’tell!

I would like all of you – my readers - to send me in definitions, as well: peacefulwarrior333@hotmail.com! Here are a few… to inspire you!

One of my former Peacebus students wrote this poem for me and it has always inspired me to want to find a fun way to share it with the world. I decided to honour this young girl’s poem by making it my Facebook album cover and the first poem in the album.

I needed to create a few other expressions – to get people “into” the variety of ways that words can be used to define the word ‘Peace’.

After my first day, I had received my first peace poem! I really enjoyed searching for an image to compliment the words that were sent to me and Danielle was happy with my choice.

I was enjoying thinking about all the definitions/poems that will be sent to me and my mind burst out with another simple poem, in the same style as my former Peacebus student!!!

The next day, I received another acrostic peace poem…

…from my Guerrilla Gardening partner!

Later, that afternoon, I was heading off to work and I left a note for my wife asking her to create a poem for me. When I came home, just before midnight, I found the note that Joanne had left for me, in response.

She told me that she had had a very non-peaceful day at work and that she was sorry that her poem was not filled with inspiration.

I couldn’t stop laughing after I had read her poem! It was hilarious!! It reflected emotions that we’ve all felt, at our workplaces, and I’m thinking that the process used to create this poem actually helped bring peace into Jo’s mind. She told me that she felt much better after releasing her frustrations in this verse! This poem is my favourite one to date!!!

The very next day, three peace poems were waiting for me on my Facebook wall. The first one was from a girl I went to high school with.

Angie also sent me this great picture, earlier this spring. She had removed a pool from her backyard and found a circle of dead grass underneath. She told me that when she saw this circle that she thought of me and my peace efforts and she became inspired to create this peace symbol.

The next poem was also from a friend from high school. Thanks Rob!

This poem was sent to me, by a fellow Londoner. We haven’t met yet, but living in the same city may one day give us that opportunity.

I spend a bit of time finding images that I think will compliment the poems that are written for me… and the world, and I thought that this photograph of people all wearing red outfits, standing in a peace symbol formation on the side of a mountain was perfect for my friend Carolyn’s poem.

Carolyn and I also met this spring and she was a great help in my Guerrilla Gardening adventures.

All of these poems were created by people in Southern Ontario - from London, Burlington, Barrie, Toronto and Clinton. And this is all good, but I’m striving for input and participation from ALL AROUND THE WORLD!

I started witnessing my sought after expansion of geographical locations when this poem came in from Sault Ste, Marie – from Northern Ontario…

… and this poem from Massachusetts, USA. Judith has a company that is motivated to inspire people to act peacefully towards each other and the Earth. You can learn more about her and her work by visiting www.planetpals.com. Not only did Judith create a peace poem for my collection, she also designed this image to compliment her words!

Later, that same afternoon, another poem was sent to me from a person living in the state of Massachusetts. It took me a long while to find peace with my selection of this image for Laura’s statement. After a small debate in my mind I decided that while I’m promoting all of these peaceful thoughts/definitions/sayings/poems that it is perfectly all right to take the occasional opportunity to show why peace is important for our present time. And this picture surely shows us why peace is important for our world!

I’m very pleased with how this global art attack has begun. Within my first week I’ve received 11 poems from 8 cities/towns in 2 countries. I’m very excited to see how this global art attack will expand and grow as the next few months unfold!!!

Thank you – to all of my first participants!

Thanks in advance – to all of you who are now inspired to make your contributions by sending me your own unique definitions for ‘peace’ to peacefulwarrior333@hotmail.com.

Jim

A Life Of Illusions…

Everyone has an opinion about how real our inherent reality is. For the majority of our lives we all act in accordance with these opinions… but everyone has, from time to time, found themselves living withinside the movies that we create in our minds. This is one of my ‘living a dream’ stories…


It was March 19, 2003 and the time was nearing 9:34pm Eastern Standard, and the world was moments away from witnessing the initial assaults of War as the United States began their campaigns against Iraq in their ‘Fight Against Terrorism’!


Joanne and I were living in Kentville, Nova Scotia and I was working a shift at the Roxy Nightclub as a DJ. There were few patrons in the bar on this evening – everyone was at home getting scared, watching the evening news programs. My boss happened by and began chatting with the brother and sister seated at the bar and the bartender – the only people in the place… and me… behind the microphone. All night my mind kept getting more and more upset with the thoughts of the multitudes of sorrow that the world will soon be seeing. I had to do something…


It was 3 ½ minutes until The War was to start. I can’t remember how I introduced the song, but moments later Serenade by The Steve Miller Band was playing…

Wake up! Wake up!
Wake up and look around you…
We’re lost in space
And the Earth is our home.


As this song continued I started to feel a swelling to burst building inside of me. I got lost in the delusion that life had to be a dream – none of this was real – cuz thousands with continued thousands couldn’t possibly be on the brink of disaster. I was getting angry cuz I couldn’t do anything about all of this planned madness and I had to unleash all of these biting emotions!


Thank humanity’s creativity for Rock’N’Roll! I was glad I was a DJ at that moment. As Serenade was fading off, I shared some insightful thoughts about War and the pain that it brings and then I talked about Rock’N’Roll!!! I talked about how songs are important in our lives as they help us to unleash ourselves in a frenzy of dance as we find pounding beats to move our feet!!! “Music can bring an end to suffering, to madness… to war. When the world is ready to hear its own voice. And ladies and gentlemen”, I chime in a bit louder, “that voice is the voice of the people! That voice is Rock’N’Roll!!!!” and then I deftly leaned over and pressed the play button for Like A Song by U2 from there 1983 War album.

The song began with a soft chorus of pounding drums – is that even possible? – and as it built up I began to slip into the song to find my release from the pain for those about to feel the strikes of the bombs. The song builds up quickly and fiercely and then Bono is singing…

Like a song I have to sing,
I sing it for you.
Like the words I have to bring,
I bring them to you.

And I start wondering… What if???? What if, out of all the millions of U2 fans, that even just a few thousand might be playing this same album or song on this very evening, during this very time, for this very reason.

And in leather, lace or chains,
We stake our claims,
Revolution once again.

And then I started thinking about all the other great ‘Rebel’, ‘Freedom’, ‘Courage’ songs that exist and thinking about each song having similar experiences with people from around the world, in response to this war of propaganda, filled with lies.

But I won’t,
I won’t wear it on my sleeve.
I can see through this expression
And you know I don’t believe.

I thought of all the combined mental energies in pursuits of these peaceful actions and then I started pretending that I was bringing them together… here in the bar.

I’m to old to be told,
Exactly who are you?
Tonight, tomorrow’s too late.

Then Larry gives the cymbals a thousand sweet kisses and Bono catches his breath to unleash…

And we love to wear a badge, a uniform,
And we love to fly a flag.

And I leave the DJ booth and walk passed the four other people in the bar, to address my newly arrived guests… with a smile and with a song. As Bono sings I bring my voice to life to ride the wave that he created…

But I won’t let others live in hell,
As we divide against each other,
And we fight amongst ourselves.

I grab the microphone, looking back to make sure that I have enough cord, and with a giant leap from the small staircase – ha! – I land in time to continue singing (with strength and purpose)…

Too set in our ways to try to rearrange,
Too right to be wrong, in this rebel song.

And then I let Bono go solo…

Let the bells ring out.

And then I leaned way far back, tilting my head to emotionally burst out, “Ahhhhhhh! Ahhhhh – ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” as this lyric rises and falls in keys.

Then Bono continues with…

Is there nothing left?

And then I fell back into place for the next…

Is there nothing…
Is there nothing left?

And instead of singing, ‘Is honesty what you want?”, I took a step back, waved my hands in a sweeping gesture to include my imaginary dancin’ and rockin’ family and yelled without the aid of the microphone, “Is War what you really want?!!!!” And then it was time to dance and play a little air-guitar!

As the song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_wMNNySCZk) neared it’s end, I brought myself back to the world that most people are used to and I climbed back into my booth to play the next tune. As I was leaving the dance floor I could hear some of the comments coming from the four at the bar. They had obviously enjoyed my little impromptu show and dance, cuz they were all smiling and the female customer says to my boss, “He thinks this bar is full of people!?” My boss replies, “With Jimi, it probably is!!!!!!”

Jim