Marcus Lopes's Blog, page 41
May 13, 2016
Warning: “Doing It All” Can Kill
Maybe not kill, but it can definitely maim the spirit, bring you down.
That's what happened to me.
I just didn't know it until this morning, waking up to grey skies and damp streets, and feeling a bit humdrum about the day ahead. But by the time I ventured out to drop off my dry cleaning and to grab an early morning coffee Atlas Espresso Bar, the rain had stopped. The blue skies were mainly clear, the sun was shining, the air was warm. The weather had changed so quickly, and my mood along with...
That's what happened to me.
I just didn't know it until this morning, waking up to grey skies and damp streets, and feeling a bit humdrum about the day ahead. But by the time I ventured out to drop off my dry cleaning and to grab an early morning coffee Atlas Espresso Bar, the rain had stopped. The blue skies were mainly clear, the sun was shining, the air was warm. The weather had changed so quickly, and my mood along with...
May 3, 2016
8 Days that Changed My Life
The Crash
Disk Boot Failure ― Insert System Disk And Press ENTER.
The shock incontrovertible, the panic thumped in my chest and, for the first time in about ten years, I took the name of the Lord in vain. I didn't have a system disk to insert, but I pressed ENTER anyway. Nothing happened. I tried pressing down and holding CTRL+ALT+DEL. The computer restarted, made a scratching sound, but the “Disk boot failure” message reappeared. Normally calm under pressure, I was thankful that no one was at...
Disk Boot Failure ― Insert System Disk And Press ENTER.
The shock incontrovertible, the panic thumped in my chest and, for the first time in about ten years, I took the name of the Lord in vain. I didn't have a system disk to insert, but I pressed ENTER anyway. Nothing happened. I tried pressing down and holding CTRL+ALT+DEL. The computer restarted, made a scratching sound, but the “Disk boot failure” message reappeared. Normally calm under pressure, I was thankful that no one was at...
April 19, 2016
Reclaiming My Day-to-Day
It happened.Not the way I wanted it to, not the way I imagined. Not only against my will but in spite of it. At every turn I resisted, yet resistance was futile because it had to happen. And it did, happen, in a way that shook me to the core. Everything I thought I knew and all my ways of doing things called into question.
It happened ... My day-to-day routine fell apart, driving me to distraction. Maybe it was the universe's way of speaking to me, but now I'm working to rebuild my day-to-day...
It happened ... My day-to-day routine fell apart, driving me to distraction. Maybe it was the universe's way of speaking to me, but now I'm working to rebuild my day-to-day...
March 30, 2016
A Soft Reset
I’m not the biggest TV enthusiast. When I was twenty-one and living in France, I didn’t watch TV for the entire year (1994-1995) that I was there. That changed how I saw television, changed how I lived. And for the three and a half years (2010-2013) I lived in Sherbrooke, Quebec, I didn’t purchase a cable package. My day was structured around my writing, painting and music, and crossing things off my Bucket List. It was a heady time that I will never forget.
Now, living in Toronto, I have cabl...
Now, living in Toronto, I have cabl...
March 8, 2016
The Power of Doubt
The calendar may say it’s March, but here in Toronto it feels like spring. There are patches of snow on the ground, but most of it has melted away. We’re moving forward, moving closer to the real spring season (Daylight Savings Time kicks in this Sunday), and away from what could be described as a fraudulent winter (we had very little snow and often above seasonal temperatures). Today, I feel like there’s a sense of momentum building, like there’s a spring in my step. That’s because I’ve been...
January 26, 2016
Be in the Now
2016 started with a bang. The day after I landed back in Toronto from Beijing, I was in extreme pain. A Sunday, and I sat quietly on the sofa watching TV with my partner while the whole left side of my face throbbed. By suppertime, I couldn’t take the pain any longer. I went to the pharmacy at Shoppers Drug Mart, described my pain, and the pharmacist recommended an emergency dental clinic a little north of downtown. An hour later, a dental x-ray revealed an infection. The tooth couldn’t be sa...
January 12, 2016
Be Daring! Be Bold!
Happy New Year!
My hope for 2016 is that it will be, one more time, a Year of Selfishness* (much like it was for 2015). I will acknowledge what it is that I want to achieve and go after it. I will be courageous, daring, bold. I will, selfishly, put myself first. That will take courage because, sometimes, putting myself first is difficult to do. I don’t want to let down my partner, friends or family. I don’t want them to feel like I’ve abandoned them. But for me to be true to who I am...
My hope for 2016 is that it will be, one more time, a Year of Selfishness* (much like it was for 2015). I will acknowledge what it is that I want to achieve and go after it. I will be courageous, daring, bold. I will, selfishly, put myself first. That will take courage because, sometimes, putting myself first is difficult to do. I don’t want to let down my partner, friends or family. I don’t want them to feel like I’ve abandoned them. But for me to be true to who I am...
December 29, 2015
A Year of Selfishness
Written 24 December 2015
As I write, I’m on an Airbus 321, at an altitude of about 36,000 feet, and somewhere between Toronto and Vancouver. Today, Vancouver is my final destination. It’s Christmas, and as 2016 nears, I’ve been thinking about my journey through 2015 — where I’ve been, where I am, and where I’m still hoping to go.
Where I’ve Been: I dubbed 2015 “My Year of Selfishness” because my goal was to acknowledge what I wanted to achieve, recognize what made my heart tick. Over the course...
As I write, I’m on an Airbus 321, at an altitude of about 36,000 feet, and somewhere between Toronto and Vancouver. Today, Vancouver is my final destination. It’s Christmas, and as 2016 nears, I’ve been thinking about my journey through 2015 — where I’ve been, where I am, and where I’m still hoping to go.
Where I’ve Been: I dubbed 2015 “My Year of Selfishness” because my goal was to acknowledge what I wanted to achieve, recognize what made my heart tick. Over the course...
December 11, 2015
Pause and Reflect
Written Sunday, 6 December 2015
Writing. On a quiet Sunday afternoon (when there’s no drilling happening as they repair the Gardiner Expressway). Nothing on the agenda. Nothing that I have to do. A perfect time to pause and reflect.
My recent timeout from social media gave me a lot to think about. Stepping away from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Blogger for a full two weeks in November, I found myself writing more and finishing projects. I was going to bed at night with a feeling of accompli...
Writing. On a quiet Sunday afternoon (when there’s no drilling happening as they repair the Gardiner Expressway). Nothing on the agenda. Nothing that I have to do. A perfect time to pause and reflect.
My recent timeout from social media gave me a lot to think about. Stepping away from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Blogger for a full two weeks in November, I found myself writing more and finishing projects. I was going to bed at night with a feeling of accompli...
November 24, 2015
Pulling the Plug: My Evolving Relationship with Social Media
On 8 November 2015, at 23:59, I went dark. I pulled the plug on social media — Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Blogger. Then I went beyond that. I limited my use of e-mail, kept the TV off during the day (until my partner came home from work and turned it on), sent very few text messages, and when I wasn’t working at my day job, kept my cell phone on “Do Not Disturb” mode.
I went dark, off the grid. A much-needed timeout from social media because I felt overwhelmed. As I worked on the rewrite of...
I went dark, off the grid. A much-needed timeout from social media because I felt overwhelmed. As I worked on the rewrite of...
