Marcus Lopes's Blog, page 26

Running from Dogs

Really, I was just running from one dog. And I thought I was a goner.

It happened Tuesday (24 March) during my morning run as I headed west along Queen Street towards Lansdowne. And it was early, probably around 5:45 am as I was only about twenty minutes into my run. And in these days of social distancing, its the perfect time to be out and about. The streets, sidewalks and trails are pretty empty. At that time of day, I see the odd runner, someone waiting to catch a bus, and a person walking...

Kindness is the Key

Walking home the other day from the grocery store, Id zoned out. I was running ahead in my mind thinking about what was next on my to-do list. The world around me had fallen away. Until

Hey! Hey, man!

I heard it, but ignored it. Surely it wasnt directed at me.

Hey, man. Whered you get that?

I turned my head in the direction of the voice and saw a man leaning out the window of his pickup truck across the street.

Did you get that at Loblaws? the guy asked, pointing at the package of Cashmere...

I’m a Hot Mess

I have a confession. Lately, I’ve been a hot mess. I’d hope that ‘going off the grid’ would help me focus, let me work on the things that I thought mattered most. And, so far, that’s been kind of true. Except for those five days in January when I had the stomach flu, I’ve met or exceeded my goal of running 50 km a week. I made steady progress on two writing projects. Stuck to my plan of spending less time on social media and, as a result, reduced my screen time and how often I reached for my...

Be Kind

Let me tell you something…

One reason I’m trying to stay off the grid this year is because of all the negativity in the world. The constant complaining … about anything and everything. The madness of materialism and the compulsion to have the newest and latest of everything … all in the pursuit of ‘happiness.’ The me-me-me economy. I realized I needed a break from the nonstop deluge because I was starting to give up on humanity. That meant pulling back from social media and a lot of other...

Primal: The Art of Slowing Down

Right now, I’m on a fairly long stretch of days off from my day job (Hallelujah!). Nine days in total to do as I please (it’s Day 3). That means: 1) focusing on my running and hitting (or hopefully exceeding) my weekly goal of 50 kilometres; 2) making significant progress on my writing projects (I’m working on two books at the same time); and 3) taking time to recharge. But I’ve never been good at really slowing down or the art of rest.

Change of Perspective

A few weeks ago, I walked into...

Beyond Writing: My Obsession with Food

I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Writing is not the only thing I’m passionate about. I also love food. Good food. The kind that makes you go back for a second helping even though you know you shouldn’t. And I truly believe that we are what we eat.

Family Dinner

I grew up on a diet of meat and potatoes. And leftovers. Sunday dinners were either roast beef, turkey, ham or roast pork. Turkey, which I can’t stand now, was the worst because it was then recycled for the next five or six...

Go the Distance

My circadian rhythm doesn’t adjust well to Daylight Savings Time. That has meant that for the past few months I’ve been stumbling out of bed around 3:00 am (when I’m at home in Toronto, that is. My schedule when I’m in the UK is a whole other matter). I kick-start the day writing Morning Pages, then spend about another 60-75 minutes working on my current work-in-progress. By the time I’m dressed in my running gear, taken my asthma inhaler (required before each run), and have found one more...

Take Stock

Welcome to the end of January (it’s only a couple of days away!).

As many of you know, I’m staying off the grid this year, and in the early days of this journey I want to share how it’s going so far.

What’s going well

Writing. A twelve-day staycation allowed me to finish the first round of editing to the sequel to Broken Man Broke. Despite a hectic schedule, I’m being consistent with my blog and newsletter. And I’m having fun working on a new book. You can read a sneak peek here (and I’d love...

Let it all Go

I’m not the type of person to easily ‘let it all go.’ But sometimes the choice isn’t mine.

Normal

Case in point: Last Friday (17 January 2020). The day started off normally. I woke up at 3:00, wrote my Morning Pages and put in about an hour on a writing project. Around 5:30, I headed out for a run and, like I’ve been doing for the past couple of months, stopped for a post-run decaf latte. Then it was back home to clean up, have breakfast and write some more.

A normal day … until around...

Writing Sober: Two Years On

This week marks an important milestone for me because two years ago, on 17 January 2020, I stopped drinking. Cold turkey. No weaning myself off it. No crisis forcing me to. Just a desire to change my life.

Then, as now, choosing sobriety is a part of my journey to become the best version of myself. In her book, The Wisdom of Sundays, Oprah Winfrey writes: “All of us are seeking the same thing. We share the desire to fulfill the highest, truest expression of ourselves as human beings.”The...