Writings

Personal Writing

Below are some past writings by Wil that may be of interest. They're mostly of a philosophical quality but threads of nature unsurprisingly are woven throughout.

Calm / Remember and Forget

There's a Forest in Your Mind

Last night I was pondering lessons or insights from science (our surroundings) and lessons or insights from art (ourselves and each other). I've come to believe these learnings occur to help each one of us deeply learn more about ourselves and the realities we find ourselves in. Today I, seemingly randomly, thought of vacations or those special places that lets one feel unraveled from the day to day and more honed in to one's true selves. I came up with the idea that what these vacation or relaxation spots really produce, is a state of mind, an inner peace at times difficult to find during regular routines. Unless something's really got your goat, it's hard to be stressed or missing something while lying on a sun-soaked beach or perched upon a scenic look-off.

As I've shared in previous writings, I believe, although it can at times be tough, one does have the ability to bring a state of mind to that beautiful and relaxing place and feel peaceful and content. I instantly thought of the metaphor of a forest existing in one's mind; a functioning system that one can be immersed in and connected with. As if the state of a forest's health could be akin to mental and spiritual health. Both are alive, unique, and connected environments that can significantly impact ones attitudes and behaviours. Through varying levels of awareness, one can often manipulate and guide these functions and processes, getting different results.

The trick is to become more aware. I recently learned our brains are like soil, fertile for both positive and negative seeds. Once we become more aware of our 'mind management', we can choose to prepare our soil as we wish. Another lovely lesson from nature, helping us along the way.

Remember

I imagine lots of people struggle at different times with different aspects of life and can experience difficulty seeing their way out of tough situations or moods. I've been swinging back and forth in my attitude recently and have really felt the low points. I think it can sometimes seem so harsh because I know how great the highs feel. I wouldn't try and diagnose myself as being bipolar but perhaps there's a gradient of feeling extremes. Last night was particularly tough but I was able to remember that these feelings are temporary and I was motivated to document strategies for seeing dark nights through.

My Inertia

As I've stated at the top of the page, I've recently been doing a lot of 'me work', focusing much of my resources aligning my daily life and perspective with what truly excites me and makes me happy. It's meant I've had to sternly evaluate which activities and tendencies support and hinder the process and nourish the idea of the life I'd like to live. It's been liberating and enlightening and at the very same time restricting and dreary. I'm striving to be patient and easy on myself, a difficult process when I feel I'm both flying towards a new way of life and painfully stuck in familiar and mundane habits. I've come to believe there's a common thread and connectivity with all things, a state where time is absent and all things rest in an eventual, preferred and blissful state. I believe I've just picked up its scent and found its groove.

I believe this work is similar to other types of personal growth or just simply being aware of one's actions and attitudes. One can go from feeling lost and out of control to being on top of the world with firm hands on the wheel. Experiencing that sweet spot and happy place can let down our guard, disable our ego and let our soul sing. But as the saying goes, its most certainly not about the destination but the journey and finding our feet may be just as or more fun than starting to use them. For all those interested in or along a similar adventure - I'm with you and I wish you the best of times. Please feel free to connect and share!

The Boat and The Storm

I was very lucky to spend the summer and fall of 2008 in Alma, New Brunswick along the Bay of Fundy and the eastern border of Fundy National Park. It became my introduction to living in the maritimes and living far away from home. Mixed in with marveling at breathtaking scenery, new friends and culture were feelings of isolation and intimidation while I grew as a person. It profoundly represented a several year long struggle with "the storm" - the world outside my mind that sometimes seems to be chaotic, cold and tragic. A few years later, I took a bus ride from Halifax to Herring Cove, Nova Scotia to check out the scenery and grab some fried clams and chips. I saw this home's sign and it struck a chord. I hope the owners didn't mind me taking this photo!

Fast forward to 2015-2016 and an important book I'm reading for the second time, Know Your Soul by Elisa Romeo, just happens to perfectly touch on this theme. Elisa references the idea of 'being obsessed with the storm' and that connecting deep down to our souls or our true selves allows us to switch our perspective from being a helpless boat in the sea to the creators of the storm itself. It represents our ability to facilitate and interpret our experience, to bring bad or calm weather. I'm still working on quelling the storm but clear skies seem to be more common.

White Light on Darker Water

After pulling out the 'white light on darker water' idea from another piece of writing, I got inspired by the idea of duality: light and dark, struggle and success, etc. I believe that although life may strongly present polarizing ideas or feelings, both poles likely exist at once, in harmony, and we can often sense both. And just as focusing on a single star seems to minimize the surrounding blackness, we can choose to let the light in and guide the way. Even if the seemingly empty void of space seems insurmountable, just a flicker is enough light to see.

Thanks to the file details, this photo was taken on January 7th, 2009 at 11:47pm. I remember I was on the deck of my parents house in Port Sydney, ON with my camera and tripod wanting to capture the moon. I believe it was a crisp winter night where I needed gloves to operate and the deck popped under foot; another duality from warm memories of cold temperatures.