Song of the Week - Perfect Day by Lou Reed
Did you know that Lou Reed's final album was a meditation soundtrack?! We had no idea that the man who growled "heroin, it's my wife and it's my life" turned to tai chi, body work, and meditation in his later years. This must have been an early glimpse at his capacity for introspection. What makes a perfect day? Spending it with you.
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The Long Form - How to Take a Break
You're dreaming, you're scheming. You're planning, purchasing, and preparing. You're about to blow out the last two weeks of this month: hosting friends, finding the perfect gifts, finding the perfect outfit for that holiday party, making the perfect plans for New Year's Eve. Perfect, perfect, perfect.... or bust?
In our experience, there's usually a bust at some point: no one complimented you on your outfit that you fretted over; your dish wasn't eaten at the potluck; the present that you thought really hard about got a lukewarm response. As we get terribly wrapped up in the details, we tend to lose sight of the big picture: it's a time to relax with people who make you happy, and enjoy their company.
We all know weed is great for gathering a circle of friends together under the same shared present moment. In Canadian winters, we often stand in a buffalo stance on a deck or in a backyard, circled up to block the wind and keep warm. On your own though, amidst several holiday preparation tasks, minding dinner in the oven, and generally doing a million things... stopping for a joint isn't always the most productive thing for everyone, every time.
Why doesn't cannabis work the way we want it to all the time? Why am I super high and knocking over all the ingredients for the cinnamon buns instead of having a zen time kneading the dough, like I planned? It's because we often fail to consider all the other factors affecting us at any given moment. If Aunt Sharon could just stop staring at me! External pressures can downright ruin the moment. Set and setting are a factor in cannabis, just like psychedelics.
So what do you do if one of your coping tools isn't working for you on any given day? It's important to have a few tools up your sleeve. For us, it's a meditation practice. Shhhh, we can hear you groaning. You're going to lose this argument though, because science says meditation is almost as effective as anxiety medication, and is also effective for depression.
Pretty much everyone we talk to about meditation says the same thing: "It's really hard for me." If you feel this way too, we've got great news, it's hard for everyone. You're retraining your brain to process information differently, of course it ain't easy, mate.
The best news is that your meditation practice is equally effective whether you found it difficult or a breeze. The key to benefitting from this tool is simply to use it. It will be hard to focus, it will be hard to sit still, it will probably hurt physically to be still for any length of time, but if you keep it up, like anything else, you will find it gets easier. It will help you avoid that break down moment, because instead of getting worked up and reacting to what's happening around you, you'll find yourself slowing down and observing your reaction internally before you act.
The other best part is that people react much more positively to 'I'm going to go sit for my mediation now" than they do to "You're really stressing me out, I'm going to be alone in a dark room for a bit." That's how you take a break.
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The News: Teens break into Colorado weed shop and steal oregano instead of pot
This an oldie but a doozy. Have you ever planned an elaborate heist without casing the joint first? Yeah, us neither. To be fair, we've never even planned a heist, and as I understand from Ocean's Eleven and Baby Driver, they're fairly complicated affairs and often someone forgets at least one little detail...
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The Social Calendar
- Toronto, ON: Guided Meditation and Sound Bath by Adayna Janelle at Oblong Yoga House on Monday, December 16th from 6:30 - 8:00pm
- Montréal, QC: Cannabis Legalization: How to Change a Policy in Only 50 Years by Max Bell School of Public Policy at McGill University on Thursday, January 30th, 2020 from 4 - 5:30pm
- Vancouver, BC: Stitch, Pause, Slow the Eff Down by Hey Shauna Art Therapy on Tuesday, December 10th, 2019 from 7 - 9:00pm
- Calgary, AB: Authentically Indigenous Craft Market at the Grey Eagle Hotel on Sunday, December 8th, 2019 from 10:00am - 5:00pm
- Halifax, NS: Ikebana by LAB Event Series at the Halifax Central Library on Saturday, December 7th, 2019 from 10:00am - 11:00am
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High Art: Enjoy a little daydream fodder...
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Noah Becker On The Death Of The Artist-Bohemian
"Someday all artists will gather and recall this long-gone era of Trump and vaping and shiny studios whilst wheeling around in the popcorn-lung ward of some hospital in middle America."
Take the Bait
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'Our Colour' by Liz West
What's it like to walk inside a rainbow?
Take the Bait
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CoolHunting: David Sena
A video about firework art. Need we say more?
Take the Bait
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Keep your stick on the ice!
- Emma & Carol
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