#17: On generosity, the worst years and sunny days again
Last week, I mentioned having little motivation, and this week I find I have little energy as I'm scrambling to finish everything I need to get done. I'm a bit drained of attention, emotional energy and time. On a personal level, I've had a decent 2016 but many of the people around me are going through some heavy stuff, so I've been trying to support them to the best of my ability. On top of that, what's happening in the world lately has taken a toll. There's always some big world event or catastrophe around the holidays and 2016 has been no different with this week already full of tragic news from around the globe. In an effort to not be completely be consumed by grief or immobilized by fear (and to avoid throwing more fuel into the dumpster fire of 2016), I've been reminding myself that this year is not the worst ever. No year is the worst ever. Worse things have happened and even more atrocious things have yet to come. We also have plenty to celebrate and be grateful for. Humans have a tendency to ruminate more on negative events, and bad impressions leave more of an impact than positive ones, so it's no wonder that we seem to only remember the bombings, shootings, attacks and deaths of the year. I came across this piece by Jia Tolentino about how this year was the worst ever, that is until next year rolls around. She writes, "Perhaps 2016 feels so terrible partly because so many of us felt like we'd come so far." She worries about how news is delivered through social media, channels that are supposed to connect us but have instead spawned fear and alienation through the relentless emotional bombardment. That kind of aggressive and intimate delivery is bound to be taxing on us. She continues that, "Hope is elusive, but it will return eventually," and I'd like to cling to that sentiment heading into 2017. This is the last newsletter of the year, and I have some changes planned for next year, so stay tuned. Until then, I'm delighted to end on a cheery note. We're about to nosedive into winter, but it also means that after tomorrow's solstice, the days will slowly get longer again! This month's interview is courtesy of entrepreneur, father and all-around-good-vibes dude, Adrian Fenty, who has one of the warmest smiles around. Born and raised in Toronto, the 35-year-old recently completed Run for Change, a cross-province run designed to spark "collective conversation around creating positive movements" in response to challenges people face. Starting off in at Toronto's City Hall, Adrian ran to Parliament Hill in Ottawa over nine days, encouraging others to join him for stretches along the way. Run for Change isn't about a single issue and Adrian was motivated to create awareness around cancer as well as to speak up about the social injustices and violence that has happened in the U.S. as well as Toronto this year. "Run for Change can stand for whatever you want it to be," he says. [It's about] improving yourself so each day you can get up and try to do better than yesterday." Adrian got into running about six years ago, through the encouragement of a friend who was a marathoner. He grew up playing basketball but after losing his father to cancer, he decided to try running and found it was a good outlet for his grief. "I started doing 1k, and I remember how it was such a struggle." But he kept at it and eventually signed up for a 10k race in Yorkville (an area in Toronto). "After that race, I caught a bug and continued", running his first marathon in 2013 in New York. He cites Terry Fox (and even mentions Forrest Gump!) as inspiration for Run the Change. "I saw the action of someone taking the courageous step to sacrifice their body and time to get people involved and aware." He wants to move others to make positive change and to get others to consider that normal everyday folks can make a difference as much as a celebrity. "You don't have to be a superstar or athlete or artist. Everyone always thinks those are the only ways you can change the world but a normal individual like myself can take it upon [themselves to create change]." Toronto to Ottawa is over 450 kilometres and he worked with a coach to get ready. His training regimen had him running morning distances of 20-25km, then after a full day at work, he would come home and do another 15-25km run. "I knew it was going to be nine days in a row of 50-plus kilometres, so it was really intense--it's crazy what the body can do once it gets accustomed to all the training," he says. Adrian enlisted the help of his dear friend Kiana, who drove the car behind him and provided support along the way. "When I had this idea in my mind [I was] thinking about who was going to come on this journey with me, who was not going to get bored driving at eight miles an hour," laughs a grateful Adrian. Kiana played a key role along the way. "She was always smiling when I look[ed] at the car, looking out for me with lights, had the drinks and snacks ready." Not only was the experience life-changing for Adrian, he says it changed Kiana too. She didn't know how to swim before but always wanted to learn and since returning has been learning. He also made sure the two enjoyed themselves especially since people don't show the fun side of running enough, being too focused on chip times and pace. "We gotta have fun with this because you don't want to put this thing on that looks daunting and that only elite people can do. Everyday we got up, did a little prayer, were thankful, listened to some music to start the day and ran." The planned route was along Kingston Road, starting from Toronto's Queen Street up to Scarborough and then hitting towns like Ajax, Newcastle, Bowmanville, Belleville, Napanee, Kingston, Brockville, and Kemptville along the way. He was blown away by people's hospitality, opening their doors and inviting them in for meals and offering them a place to crash. He chuckles about an incident in Port Hope when he posted a photo of a burger joint on his Instagram. A friend recognized the place and messaged him. "He was like, 'Hey, is that Olympus Burger? I'm 10 minutes from there!'" Adrian and Kiana were able to connect with his friend and stay with him and his family. People not only opened their wallets, they offered their homes as well. "Each day was filled with such new experiences and meeting new people, and you just felt the generosity of human beings." They also had luck on their side with no mishaps--the car didn't break down and there were no accidents or injuries. Even the weather cooperated. Other than a couple days of rain, it was mostly dry. The day after Adrian reached Ottawa, there was a snowstorm. People often ask me what I think about when I'm running, so naturally I asked Adrian what he thought about since he ran the equivalent of approximately 10 marathons in nine days. That's a lot of time on the road and a lot of time for reflection. "Honestly some days I just ran. It sounds silly but you don't think about other things," he says. There were days where he was exhausted but he just put one foot in front of the other. "It's one step after another and you get to your destination." Whether it was through brands offering gels and gear, encouragement from the Parkdale Roadrunners and the Toronto running community or strangers offering up their couches, Adrian is thankful for all the support he received, both in real life and through social media. "[That's something that's] different from Terry Fox's time. He was out there on his own unless he was doing a news conference." Adrian was able to connect with people and let friends and family follow along the way using social media. Adrian is planning to do another Run for Change event next year, working with the Terry Fox Foundation. They also plan to work with school boards--during his run several schools wrote him letters with messages of encouragement and inspiration from the students--to elicit change and positivity in others. To donate to Run for Change, check out their GoFundMe page. Their website Runforchange.ca should be up in the new year.
Fuel for the mind Yeezy's been cozying up with Trump and this essay from 2013 speculates on his motives. Stuffed animals are getting softer and here's why. This profile of Barack Obama by Ta-Nehisi Coates had me crying on several occasions and is an excellent analysis of his rise and legacy. Anyone who knows me, knows I'm obsessed with seltzer/fizzy water. Anyway, there's an episode of Gastropod that is dedicated to the history and appeal of seltzer. Was Tilda Swinton's "conversation" with Margaret Cho about the erasure of Asian-Americans from Hollywood films just white guilt seeking to be absolved? Jay Caspian Kang's open letter to fellow minority journalists. Running as the thinking person's sport and as therapy.
Fuel for the ears I've fallen into a music video rabbit hole this week. Seth Scriver's new video for New Fries' "JZ III" is a visual treat! The loose narrative behind Mndsn's new album Body Wash is a man who washes in a special body wash, and as he soaks and sinks deeper into the thick lather, he finds himself transported to an alternate dimension. Dance around to "One Last Time" by Evan Gordon featuring LCON. Never forget that "Truth is the Freshest Fruit." Enter a dream world with the sparkly sounds of Maylee Todd's "Homegurl." A lil' novelty rockabilly from 1959. Phèdre's ZASTROSZY is a fun and neurotic time and the music vid is chock full of cool costumes, spacey hairdos and twinkling lights. As is "World Gong Crazy" by Han Han with DATU and HATAW. There's so much to take in and celebrate in DJ Shub's "Indomintable" video featuring Northern Cree Singers.
Sweet fancy Moses, another year gone by! So long 2016!
