Wanderlust: joy

Showing posts with label joy. Show all posts

Saturday, May 7, 2011

My Third Favorite Holiday: Free Comic Book Day

Today, all across America, Comic Book Stores gave away thousands of free comic books. They've been doing this on the First Saturday of every May for ten years!

Celebrating Free Comic Book Day 2011

Yes, that is a Delorean in the Background

I was the manager of a comic book store when I lived in Tucson, so this day always brings me joy and fond memories. I love watching the smiles that free stories of adventure and triumph bring, seeing children hug Darth Vader and Storm Troopers pose for photos, and having a chance to share something I am so passionate about with so many people. Not every store will have people in costume, but many have partnered with their local 501st Legion, a group of people who make & wear professional quality Star Wars costumes in order to raise money for charity. If you have a chance, please find your local comic book store and enjoy some free stories either this year or next.

This year I stopped by my local store to find a Delorean (which had a flux capacitor inside!), Batman, Green Lantern, and R2-D2 excitedly greeting people outside. Once inside, I found a table full of free comics, toys and posters and helped myself to a dozen or so books which I read over lunch. It was a wonderful way to celebrate something that has been so influential and life affirming to me, the stories that have inspired and challenged me through the medium of comics.

All photos Copyright Jeff Howick 2011

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Bucket List Accomplishment: Ohanami

Friday was one of the best days I've ever had. I spent the morning with my wife cooking in the kitchen. I love cooking with someone else, it's like a wonderful dance that ends in a delicious meal. This time we tried out two new creations that were both very successful, wasabi deviled eggs and beef gyros. I grew up in the south, so deviled eggs always bring me back to my childhood. And of course the wasabi gave my comfort food a spicy punch.

Wasabi Deviled Eggs

Beef Gyros

After our morning of culinary jazz we packed up our food and headed off on a picnic. We drove to a park and sat below some gorgeous blooming cherry blossom trees next to a river. We filled our afternoon by devouring our food, reading poems to each other and watching the world drift by. Somewhere between my fifth and sixth deviled egg, my wife read to me my favorite new Shel Silverstein poem:

Listen to the MUSTN'TS, child,
Listen to the DON'TS
Listen to the SHOULDN'TS
The IMPOSSIBLES, the WON'TS
Listen to the NEVER HAVES
Then listen close to me--
Anything can happen, child,
ANYTHING can be.

After I finished consuming food and poetry, I watched so many people wander around the park. It was wonderful to see so many people out with their loved ones taking pictures. I especially loved watching them take photos, because people stop to capture a picture are saying, 'this moment is so beautiful or wonderful that I want to return to it again and again every time I look at this photo.' They are so in love with the moment that they want to hold on to it as long as they can and share it with others.

Reading my favorite poet: Anne Morrow Lindbergh

After our picnic, I walked through the park and eventually ended up exploring the nation's fifth largest Cathedral. The Cathedral was breathtaking and beautiful, but it was a completely opposite sort of beauty than the simplicity of fresh spring flowers.

After we returned home I checked my e-mail to discover news that I've been waiting much of my life to hear: I had been accepted into the JET Program to teach English in Japan! I can't describe my excitement other than to say it was too much to feel all at once. It was a bit like graduating high school and a bit like winning the lottery. (or I imagine it's like that, I've never actually won the lottery) I've been working towards this goal for a long time, and now that it's finally here I'm relieved, shocked, excited, nervous but mostly full of joy. It was about as close to perfect as a day can get.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

The Chronicles of Our Beach

Living in a small, simple town by the shore has forever changed my relationship with the beach. Before living here, the beach was always a busy, crowded place that tried to burn my skin, put salt in my mouth and leave sand in my pants. But living at the beach, I've been able to see that the beach has many different moods. The beach, like all things famous, gets stereotyped. And there is certainly a bit of truth to most people's expectations of my beach, but like most stereotypes, there is also so much more.

Welcome to my Beach

The beach, like everywhere, changes drastically with each season. In the summer, great crowds of frolickers come to play in the sand and sun and sea. They bring their umbrellas and their beach towels and they decorate the beach with their excitement and joy. The people find so many things to do on the beach: swim, surf, read, build castles, search for buried treasure, play sports, take naps, I even saw someone film a TV show. It seems everyone loves to do something different at the beach. Quite solitude is very hard to come by during the summer. But it can be found, especially after the sun goes down when, like most of the world, the beach gets much quieter.

The Beach decorated with People

Filming something for HBO

Children Playing

Searching for Treasure

In the fall and spring, the crowds mostly leave and the fishermen come out to play. They are most present during the twilight hours, I think because that's when the fish are hungriest. Some of them have great big poles the size of two men. They throw their lines out beyond the waves, shove their poles into the sand and wait for animals of the sea to bite. Others have simple fishing poles and stand on the edges of piers and jetties dodging waves and searching for fish.

People fishing at daybreak

Giant Poles

Exciting Discovery

Winter is certainly the quietest time at the beach, but people still try to surf in stormy waves or plunge into the freezing water for charity. But mostly people seem to take peaceful walks along the beach during winter, especially with their dogs. Dogs aren't allowed on the beach during summer, I guess because tourists and dog poo don't mix very well. If you want to be alone with the beach, winter is the best time to do it.

Solitude at the Beach

I've seen the beach change more than just moods while I've been here as well. It seems the constant assault of waves is carrying the sand from our beach away to some unknown adventure. To keep the beach from washing away, the government trucks in several tons of sand. But instead of dumping the sand evenly all over the beach, they built a 10 foot mountain of sand. Perhaps it was to help shield the town during the stormy season, but it also makes a great new vista point. I love walking along this new mini-mountain range and soaking in the beautiful view.

Erosion of our Beach

It seems there is always something new at the beach. Nothing ever stays the same, even somewhere as simple and enduring as the beach. I'm so grateful for the chance we were given to spend a year living on this beach. I have learned a lot about the place I once disliked and I have come to love the beach. I never know what I'll see or find next at the beach, which is all I really want from life anyway.

New York City as seen from our Beach

Some Locals at the Beach

My Wife's Footprints

Strange Object Found at the Beach

Monday, April 4, 2011

Two Pieces of Wisdom

Last week I went to a prayer group that my wife organized and for one of the activities we had to draw pictures of whatever images flashed through our minds. The first picture that I drew was actually the second image to whisper through my mind, me and my imaginary future family. I'm not sure why I drew a family, I'm not even certain I want children. I may never be completely certain. But I guess family has been on my mind a lot recently and I felt guilty drawing a future with no kids, so this is what I drew:

I'm pretty sure Misty and I can't conceive black haired Asian, black haired African or blonde haired Caucasian kids, so it looks like we adopted in this imaginary future. I don't think I'd be comfortable choosing a child to adopt (or making any decision) based solely on skin color in the real world*, but when you draw a pretend family on paper you've got to pick. Every crayon is a conscience choice and I'm almost always in favor of more diversity rather than less. Areas where I think diversity is most important: food you try, weather, ideas you listen to, hobbies, who you give love to and the cultures you try to understand.

Would I like to pass my genetic code on to the next generation? Sure, I think most people have a biological and emotional desire to do that, and it's entirely possible that I will do that one day. But I also have a desire not to over-burden our already-low-on-resources world. I think adoption is a wonderful way to help children in need while also passing my wisdom on to the next generation. Currently, I think the two most important pieces of wisdom I've acquired are 1. Love everyone equally (regardless of their religion or what their eye/skin/hair color is... and even if they hate 'Star Trek'.) and 2. Find and then Follow your Bliss/Dreams/Passion. And from my experience if you want your kids to learn something, you have to show it and live it. You can't just talk about it, kids will follow your actions not your words. Which is why my bathroom is so messy? Anyway, what better way to show my children that all people are equally deserving of love than to grow up in a loving household surrounded by brothers and sisters of different ethnicities?

My second picture is much simpler I think. It is the Japanese flag with my heart at the center. This was the first image to flicker through my mind and the second one I drew because I don't want it to look like I've only got one track in my mind, thinking of Japan 24/7.

I recently had a long-time friend ask me about the spark that ignited my love of Japan. Where did it all begin? As long as I can remember, I've been interested in Japan. As a kid I remember watching anime and the Nagano Winter Olympics and wanting to know more about the culture and the place. I think Japan is the first culture I encountered meaningfully other than my own. But my love of Japan really began in college. I had just lost a girl I was madly in love with and I had no idea what I wanted to do with my future. Because of these two things my grades were floundering and I was in a general state of depression. But a new semester was starting regardless of my feelings, so I signed up for Japanese 101 to meet a language requirement.

Studying Japanese carried me far away from my problems to another place, another culture where the language was beautiful and I didn't even know the word for heartbreak, literally. I was a happier Jeff in Japanese class. Japanese gave me a feeling of joy. Maybe it was because I was getting closer to my dreams; dreams that weren't even a thought yet, they were only a feeling. Don't all dreams start with a feeling of joy? There's a song from the movie, 'The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian' called 'The Call' that I feel captures my love of and journey to Japan. In it, Regina Spektor sings, "It started out as a feeling, which then grew into a hope, which then turned into a quiet thought, which then turned into a quiet word. And then that word grew louder and louder, until it was a battle cry!" You should really just listen to it below, it's better that way. Why do we really love the things we love? I don't know, but Japan has always and will always hold a very strong and very special place in my heart. So it's no wonder this image burst into my mind.

The Call by Regina Spektor

Other lyrics I like from this song: "Just because everything's changing doesn't mean it's never been this way before." and "Just because they can't feel it too, doesn't mean that you have to forget. Let your memories grow stronger and stronger until they're before your eyes." Although I wish she would replace 'memories' with 'dreams'.

I think it's interesting that my two pictures relate to the two greatest pieces of wisdom I currently believe to have found, love everyone and follow your heart/dreams/bliss. I didn't even realize this until I finished writing this blog. Until now I had no idea what the title of this post should be, but it seems clear now. If you had to draw a picture of whatever was on your mind, what would you draw right now?

*Is it possible to adopt a child without discussing race? Can you just ask, "Dear Adoption Agency, please send me 1 child between the ages of 0-7 that is most in need of a loving family." or do they show you pictures and profiles and you pick someone that looks like a good fit? And how do you decide on an adoption agency in the first place? Do you pick one from a country where the children are most at risk of turmoil? Do you look at your finances and find one in your budget range? The act of offering a child stability and love seems so life affirming, but the process itself seems very bizarre.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Lunch with the Birds

The other day, while walking along the beach, I came across a group of birds during lunch time. The birds at my beach (which I think are seagulls, but all I really know is they're not penguins) don't usually like getting too close to strangers and seem mildly uncomfortable when I try to take their picture. In those two ways, they are like my wife. But on this particular day, the birds were mostly too busy with the work of catching their lunch and gulping it down to pay too much attention to me. So I got to play and take their pictures while they feasted and it was one of the best things I did all week.

Hunting for food

Seagulls eat Clams

Seagulls eat Muscles

Seagulls eat Starfish

I had no idea seagulls ate so many different kinds of food! I think I also saw one eating a crab, but I didn't get a picture of that. So apparently seagulls eat pretty much anything that moves and is smaller than they are on the beach. (Clams and muscles technically do move right?) I had so much fun watching the birds eat and play that I almost felt like one myself.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

The Beach

It's tough for me to admit when I'm wrong, but I do my best to be honest. So I'm just gonna say it: I went to the beach last weekend and had a great time. I know this seems like a simple admission, not deserving of the angst it has caused me. But I've been committed to disliking the beach for several years now, it's become part of my identity and enjoying the beach means changing who I am.

I have plenty of reasons to dislike the beach. I'm pale and don't get along with Ultra Violet rays, I had an unfortunate incident involving a jellyfish stinger and my crotch, I drank some salt water once and threw up, and like everyone else when I visit the beach sand gets stuck everywhere.

Despite my past misadventures at the beach, I had a great day Saturday. The combination of pleasures was nearly perfect: Friends, food, and childlike play surrounded by scenic beauty and joyful crowds. I went swimming, became one with nature when I buried myself in the sand, and had some amazing seafood from a nearby seafood festival. It opened a new chapter in my life; a new love affair has begun. I'm looking forward to my next trip to the Jersey shore where I'm sure to discover more joy.

making amends with the beach

Friday, May 29, 2009

Remembering my childhood

Do you remember how much fun it was to stomp in the mud? I caught a glimpse of young boy playing in a mud puddle today, and memories of joy from my childhood came rushing back. For a brief moment I remembered what life was like when everything was simple and mud was fun. And then I remembered how, minutes earlier, I had taken extra special care to avoid stepping in a mud puddle as I exited my car, how funny.

I'm a strong advocate of staying in touch with your inner child, but it's also appropriate to approach some situations differently than you would have as a kid. It's ok to avoid getting your nice shoes muddy, but I do think we should all play in the mud occasionally. Not as an attempt to recreate the fun we had as kids, but as a chance to remember our old selves. Playing in the mud doesn't feel the same as an adult. As a child dancing in the mud felt like I was exploring the world and having fun. But as an adult I felt like I was exploring my past and reaching out for a sentimental connection with my childhood. Playing in the mud hasn't lost meaning, it has merely changed meaning.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Life's simple pleasures

Every so often I find a new reason to fall in love with my wife. Recently she has been filling the house with sounds of pure joy. Her new found source of laughter and joy? Videos of other people's cats. Yes, apparently thousands of people record their cats doing crazy, silly, cute activities for millions of people to marvel, laugh, and thrill to on Youtube.

She seems to have been captivated in particular by the adventures of a Japanese cat named Maru. My wife's love of life's most simple pleasures, like the silliness of cats, assures me that our life will never be boring. I adore my wife's childlike joy as she watches other people's cats. The world is FULL of beauty if we just look around us, especially at cats. I've attached a link to a video of Maru in case you want to join my wife in her fun.

Wanderlust

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