See Saw

…or a box of chocolates, or a journey, or any other metaphor that aptly conveys the vagaries of life.  It’s up and down, you never know what you’re going to get, and you’re not given any warning of what lies around the next bend. 

The last couple of weeks have been difficult, both personally and financially.  A change in our employment picture has thrown a wrench in our spokes, and truthfully, as we paused in our journey to consider everything, we almost abandoned this project.  It has been a time of real soul-searching. 

But Guerrilla Giving is an adventure and education in trust.  Trusting in the benevolence of Life.  Trusting that as we give a gift, it will be found by the right person, at the right time, and for the right reason.  Trusting that our call to help others is helping us as well.  Your emails and comments, and our own experience have affirmed these values.

Having said that, trusting that all will be well with us personally and as a family, is certainly easier when things are going relatively smoothly financially.    We’re currently in a new leg of the journey, a time when trust is more than an abstract idea or spiritual ideal.   It is, and will be, an active ingredient in our daily life.  There will be more ups and downs, but as long as the spirit of life continues to partner with us, the see-saw we find ourselves on will be more than a little exhilarating.  We’re holding on for the ride.  We’re back, and blessed to be so.

If you found this Guerrilla Gift, may your day be more up than down, but more importantly, may you feel blessed in all that life brings your way.

Green Streets

Love or loathe them, there’s no denying the effectiveness of traffic calming devices like this traffic circle.  As cyclists we appreciate how traffic circles, speed humps, bulges etc., slow traffic for us non-motorized (and mostly unprotected) folk. 

That said, there’s seemingly some confusion about roundabout rules.  Which way do you go when turning?  Who’s got the right of way? 

It’s actually quite simple.  Stay on the right of the circle at all times until you’re ready to exit in your desired direction.  As for who goes and who waits—it comes down to who is in the circle first.  If you both enter at the same time, the person entering from the right has the right of way.  Easy enough?  Hope so.  If not, have a look at this video to see it all in action.

Apart from the calming benefits of traffic circles, many of them are also aesthetically pleasing.  Since 1994, the City of Vancouver’s Green Streets program has encouraged citizens to adopt a traffic circle or bulge and turn it into a garden of your own.

If you found this Guerrilla Gift, we hope above all else, that you made it out of the intersection safely, and that maybe you felt inspired to sign up for a green street plot for yourself.  Spring is just around the corner isn’t it?  Well…

The Regional Assembly of Text

We don’t write letters much anymore.  Which is a shame.  Which is about to change. 

One of the coolest things (and there are many) about The Regional Assembly of Text is their monthly letter writing club.  Since 2005, the first Thursday of the month has seen lovers of letter writing gather in this small stationery store/studio/reading room to pound out correspondence on old typewriters.  The gathering and supplies are absolutely free and everyone is welcome.  The next letter writing club meeting is December 3rd at 7 p.m.  Just in time to write all your holiday greetings—the old-fashioned way .

Another favourite thing about the shop, is the teeny lowercase reading room—an old storage closet turned into the city’s best place to cozy up with independent self-published books and zines.  Magical!  You’ll lose yourself in there. 

If you found this Guerrilla Gift, may your day share the characteristics of a well written letter—genuine, heart-felt, human.  Blessings to you.

Tree Fort View

Every kid should have a treehouse, don’t you think?  Well, as one Vancouver couple discovered a while back, it’s not so easy to build one in our fair city.  Yesterday, we took the boys to this tree fort overlooking False Creek.  What gorgeous views!   We really do live in a beautiful part of the world. 

Some people actually build their home in the treetops.  Check out these 10 amazing treehouses.  And if you want to build your own treehouse, have a look here for everything you need to build your palace in the sky . 

If you climbed up to the top of this tree fort, we’re glad you did.  Hope you enjoyed finding this Guerrilla Gift.  Have a great day!

Keep the red light to starboard and you’ll safely miss the rocks on your return to harbour.  

There are many such aids to navigation for the mariner.  As there are in life.  Placing this Guerrilla Gift got us thinking about all of the beacons that help us through life—particularly when the clouds and/or night descends and the way forward gets wrapped in fog. 

We all chart a different course in life but none of us travel completely on our own.  We are helped by the usual beacons, markers and signposts of life—experience, friends, family, faith, wisdom, tradition.   

If you found this Guerrilla Gift, we hope that all of your adventures bring joy, meaning, and, at journey’s end—a safe return.

M.C.C. Thrift Store

How great are thrift shops? 

We love ‘em, not only for the great finds, but also for the anticipation of great finds.  Thrifting is the equivalent of a treasure hunt, and Vancouver has no shortage of buried treasure. 

Many thrift shops are also supporters of great causes.  One of our favourites is the Mennonite Central Committee (M.C.C.) Thrift Shop .   

The MCC website makes a solid case for thrifting.  It respects the environment (less clothes in landfills), respects the wallet (fraction of the cost of new), and supports our world (profits are used for relief, peace, and justice projects). 

If you found today’s Guerrilla Gift, maybe you can use it to buy a hipster tie, or a fedora hat, or an old Jane Fonda workout video  .   Blessings to you.

Lawn Bowling Club

We’ve bowled, but never on grass.  We haven’t even tried our hand at Bocci.  But that’s going to change.  Maybe not this year—the season is over—maybe not even next year, but definitely before our bucket list meets the paper shredder! 

Lawn bowling looks like a lot of fun.  It would also give us an excuse to dress up like Mr. Clean. 

For more information about lawn bowling check out Bowls BC. 

If you found today’s Guerrilla Gift—blessings to you.  Perhaps you can put the gift toward a lawn bowling membership—or not

Neither Snow, Nor Rain, Nor Heat...

2,500 years ago, the Greek historian Herodotus said—

“Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these courageous couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds”

He spoke this adage during the war between the Greeks and Persians in reference to the mounted postal couriers whom he observed and held in high esteem.

Today’s postal service may not cross battle lines between warring countries, but they do battle threatening dogs, aches and pains, and of course, the elements. 

Today’s tap has been off and on but the next hours and days are forecasted to be windy with a whole lot of rain. 

So, as we stand on the threshold of Vancouver’s gloomy season, we salute all postal workers.  Thank-you for your commitment to deliver the mail—yes, even the bills .    

If you found today’s gift, we hope you can get out of the elements to enjoy a hot chocolate or warm latte before getting back to your important work—upholding the ancient postal oath.

Nitobe Memorial Gardens

Apparently the Crown Prince of Japan (now Emperor) was so enamored by UBC’s Nitobe Memorial Gardens that he felt he was walking in his homeland. 

If you haven’t spent time in these exquisite gardens, do yourself the favour.  A meditative walk along Nitobe’s tranquil garden path does more to rejuvenate mind/body/soul than any expensive spa ever could.  

North America’s best Japanese garden is serene, quiet and perfectly aligned—each tree, stone and shrub is deliberately placed. 

“Everything is carefully maintained to reflect an idealized conception and symbolic representation of nature.  There is harmony among natural forms – waterfalls, rivers, forests, islands and seas – and a balance of masculine and feminine forces traditionally attributed to natural elements.”

Today’s Guerrilla Gift, like this beautiful garden, honours Inazo Nitobe (1862-1933) whose goal was “to become a bridge across the Pacific.”   Vancouverites are certainly positioned to do just that.  To learn more about Japan, its amazing art, culture and people, one could do worse than start at Nitobe Memorial Gardens.  

You may even find yourself echoing the Crown Prince’s words—”I am in Japan.” 

Arbutus Corridor

We love trains!  Via, Amtrak, Sky-train, Streetcars, anything that rolls on rails.  

So, we got pretty excited upon hearing the news that two modern streetcars from Brussels are on their way to Vancouver.  The Bombardier made Flexity trams will run on the Olympic demonstration line between the Athletes Village and Granville Island from January 21st to March 21st.  Did we mention that it will be free to ride the line? 

The real question is whether this is the beginning of something bigger and better—a comprehensive downtown streetcar system to connect Granville Island with Chinatown, Waterfront Station and Stanley Park.  Maybe another line from downtown along the Arbutus corridor to Marpole. 

The city’s been sitting on this vision for years.  Hopefully the demonstration line will whet people’s appetite for this sustainable, convenient and fun means of transportation.  If you’ve ever taken a streetcar/tram trip in Portland, Toronto or Europe for example, you know what joy it is to go by train. 

If you found today’s Guerrilla Gift along the old Arbutus Corridor train tracks, we hope you enjoyed your walk, bike ride or jog.  Maybe, just maybe you heard the faint sound of a train whistle calling from the past, or drawing us into the future. 

BTW, have a look at this great post called “A Streetcar Named…Revival” at Planning Pool–especially the neat video about the history of Vancouver streetcars and their possible revival in the future.