Cycling my way into beautiful people.

Hello from Campbell River. I write to you again, as my 14 other team mates are mostly asleep in thier bags on the school gym floor, and I somehow find myself still awake and not quite exhausted - yet. We had a lovely (but early) day today, up at 5:45 to catch the 7am ferry over to Vancouver Island, after spending the last number of days in Coastal Powell River. Then, we cycled, along the ocean side, beside farms, and the sun was shining, the air super crisp. After my bike buddie blew a pretty good flat and we finally got her bicycle going again, we stopped for a marvelous lunch at Oyster Bay. Stunning scenery of blue mountains looming on other islands in the distance, with clouds no where in the sky except around those seemingly distant mountains. When we hit the road for the last 20km of the day, my bike buddie promptly had another flat, so we unpacked her bike again, patched the tube once more, and realized her whole tire was in need of replacement! Since this isn't something we carry on ourselves, we did the $5 bill trick, where you slip it in the tire before the tube (credit to the cyclist passin' by).

Needless to say, we eventually got here, and our team mates already had some yummy supper on the stove, and the angel of a custodian was fixing us up with anything and everything that we might need to make the school cozy for us. Whew. People are just. so. great. Over and over again we are meeting people who are open and willing to help out. Like the couple with the beautiful garden yesterday, whose door I promptly knocked on when I saw they had a composter, and I stood with near dripping food waste bags, asking if we could deposit our food scraps on their land. As my two bike buddies for the day curiously looked on, we got nothing but a jolly response from the man in who answered the door, as he told me stories of their fig tree, their hazelnut tree, and their bay leaf bush! my oh my...

I also keep bumping into this woman who is just sweet to talk to, saw her on our ferry ride to Saltry Bay, again at the Powell River Fall fair, and then again today on the ferry to Comox! She was just so curious and interested in what we were doing, so genuine. And when she shared what she is doing, volunteering with a group of youth advocating against drug and alcohol abuse, I was so excited that she was excited about her work. Inspiring she was...

I can't wait until tomorrow - when I might meet another curious soul, inspiring soul, helpful soul.

Goodnight my dear loved ones.

Patience and Tolerance

Patience. A most necessary attribute that you need to fully submit and live as a collective group. I am constantly reminded that I have plenty more work to do in this area, that I have heaps more growing and learning to do to become a more patient person. Whether this means being patient at the beginning of a group meeting, being present and aware of your surroundings, or whether patience means cheering on your cycling buddie as they slowly creep to the top of the hill, but all you want to do is cycle fassssst. Patience is listening to each persons thoughts, opinions and comments, and actively, presently absorbing what they are saying, and taking it into consideration. Patience is recognizing that every task, when being done by or with a group of 15 will take heaps of time, but that same task probably couldn't be done on your own either.

Tolerance. This is another attribute that I am finding really important during an intense group living experience. You need to recognize that everyone is coming from entirely different life experiences, and each with their own strengths and weaknesses. These things have to be accepted and tolerated.

<br I'm writing from the dark corner of the basement of the Rockwood centre in Sechelt, BC. Were staying in a church youth space. My team has settled down for the evening, and the lights are out, but the glow from this computer in the corner may be bright enough to disrupt. We had a hilly but pleasant ride today, it was sunny,and the air was fresh beside the sea. The three trailers that the team is pulling are proving to be quite challenging. There are certainly some stronger and some weaker cyclists that are on our team, so we are trying to equitably spread out the work of carrying the trailers, and not necessarily have equal sharing of them. But my, I've done alot of cycle touring in the past, and these trailers are heavy up these sunshine coast hills! So heavy that sometimes my touring baby, Poppy, can't make it to the top unless I stand and pedal real hard. I'm afraid my back is tiring, but my overall energy levels certainly aren't. The place we are staying right now has showers - though i still feel like I could do okay for a few more days, I am welcoming of this shower I will take right now - but you can count on the fact that I will be staggering it (google it if you're not sure what I mean :)

Thinking of all of you and sending big hugs from afar.

Vancouver days

Performing is the name of our Otesha tour at this point in time. We've already performed our play to a number of students here in Vancouver, and though it's been well received, we are dying for some down time to spend tweaking it, honing it, and making it our own. Were excited to make it more comedic and more hopeful, as all too often students are inundated with negative facts and scenarios in their education. Otesha has prided itself in the past on being this hopeful inspiration for youth, and I'm stoked to continue to carry on this fun, hopeful message... Life on tour is, well, busy. If your really curious about a play by play, here goes...wake up song sung by the time wolf at 6am. If it's your cooking squad's turn to craft up a delicious breakfast, you get into the kitchen, or light up those camps stoves asap. Sizzling Sockies (my cooking crew!) was up this morning, so we made two pots of hot cereal, both with some rescued apples added in. Top that with some local honey, and all 15 bellies are full. Pack up the kitchen things after everyone has packed up their lunches (crafted the night before) and get ready to rock and roll, cause you have to be outta the school gym that you cozily slept in by 8am. Head on over by bike to a learning opportunity at the local bicycle co-op (Our Community Bikes, and PEDAL) and do some tweaking on your bike after learning about this community driven organization that enables folks from all walks of life to feel good about their ride. Then, cycle on towards North Vancouver, 25km over the bridge, along some hilly roads, and arrive at your performance venue for 1pm. Eat your lunch when you arrive, and then jump around on stage for a while. Discuss with students and teachers important issues during the Q and A period, and then breath out. Connect with a few really excited students one on one, and feel yourself getting inspired by them simply, caring. It's time to head back and get supper on! And then, time for the evening meeting! Maybe we'll do a play rehearsal? Or maybe talk more about refining the groups food mandate? We'll definitely go over the day's logistics for tomorrow, and refresh everyones mind about what role they are (vibe watcher, host friend, compost crusader, performance set up, navigator etc, etc....) Maybe a silly game or two fits its way in there, and maybe an emotional check in too...whew...roll out your sleeping bag, and crawl in...it'll feel oh so great. Goodnight.

Like Roots

I love living with Otesha folks. Giant tasks seem mundane, delicious nutritious vegan food gets created in massive pots over camp stoves, love is spread in a hurry, hugs and tears and anger and rawness are expressed so openly and honestly, as a safe space is created for these emotions to be heard.

It's so interesting, embarking for a second time on an Otesha cycling and performing tour. It's an experience that already is and will continue to be entirely different then my last, though there is one similarity. The intentions of folks who show up are generally the same.

People who sign up for Otesha are interested in experimenting in group living, in dedicating endless hours towards living in harmony, in riding their bikes for 8 hours at a time, in compromising and consenting to try new diets, to live in weird places, push their comfort boundaries, reach out to youth, and be totally silly. It's wonderful to see all of these characters come together, and, not knowing one another, determine how we are going to live, day in, day out with one another, how we'll do all the work that needs to be done, while, at the same time performing a play day in day out to hundreds of students, experimenting with our sustainable mobile community.

But were not necessarily a unique breed. Anyone can do these things, and there are hundreds others that are. One quality such people do share is that we all have intention. We all have desire.

As I go forward into this journey, I do so with some nervousness about what these next months will hold. But mostly, after just one week with my new wee family, I go forward with the knowledge that no matter what comes up for us over the next months, I am surrounded by loving support structures, like roots, that run deep deep into the ground.

We have a few more days here in Vancouver, when we'll put on our first few performances, see our audiences reactions, engage in some dialogue with them, and get to know exactly how this is all going to work. Then onwards towards Gibsons, Roberts Creek, and Sechelt. I hope you all are doing well, I think about each of you heaps, wishing that each of you feel the same level of love and support that I find myself feeling in this small Otesha community, forming here in Vancouver. I send some of this positive loving support your way...wherever you are.