Change in Karma: I Saved a Cat from a Tree and a River

Tonight I was lucky to check off another Life Goal from my Things to Do in Life list:

Save a Cat from a Tree. ... And / or River

[HERE is an article the local newspaper wrote up on it.]

Now that item/goal did not actually exist on my list- which also mainly exists in my head, sometimes forming itself on paper. However, after the experience, it seemed appropriate to add it retrospectively.

Here's the process of events that lead to perfect timing of the universe, the cat, and myself:

- I finish work in the kitchen at CHI and go for an 8 mi run.

- I return from the run, grab water from the kitchen and prepare to make a massive amount of granola for Friday breakfast.

- A volunteer enters the kitchen and invites me to the banya (sauna).

- I put on my bathing suit and head to the banya, putting off the granola for later.

- It's now night time and very dark in the country.

- 2 of the interns are near the banya and river and tell me they hear a crying cat and they intend to save it.

- The other interns shine the flashlight and we deduce that the cat is on the other side of the river but still can't see where its cries are coming from.

- I say, "Well, I'm gonna do the banya and then shower and if it's still there, I'll put on my pants and boots and hike over there to find it."

- I come out of the banya and the interns have found the cat: It's at the very top of the trees hanging over the river, approximately 50+ feet in the air!

- We decide there's no way to climb the tree that high, especially at night.

- The cat starts to move more in the tree as we shine a light on it.

- We think it may try to jump.

- I walk to the end of the dock with some anticipation of the cat falling. I worry about the current and if I'd actually be able to see the cat in the river at dark.

- Cat falls or makes a leap of faith from the tree.

- I immediately jump in the river as cat falls 50+ feet.

- I see the splash and I search for the cat.

- I'm able to catch a glimpse of the cat from the interns flashlight.

- The current brings the cat towards me, I make a clean grab and pull it out of the water.

- I hurry to the dock where the cat jumps from my hands and scurries off into the night.

- No bites or scratches.

- I return to the banya.

Cat Lives = (9 - X) - 1 [X = Lives previously lost]

Lazer's Karma Points = X + 1 [X = Previous karma points. Exact number of points unknown.]

Boom!

Change in Lifestyle: Dreaming to Live Out of a Car

The Chevy Aveo Dream Machine.  Somewhere in Montana.
 

Woah! Dear Readers, I apologize for not writing in quite sometime… I hope I didn't mislead you to think that things stopped changing in my life and that I therefore had nothing more to write about… Actually, the exact opposite is true. So much has changed in my life in the last 2 months that I've hardly had time to catch up and write about it.

The biggest change in my life lately is my lifestyle. I'm currently living out of a car and tent with my partner Kelly.

Why?

Well, we're on a journey we call the Pan-American Dream: We're traveling by road to Alaska and then to Argentina! We're exploring national parks, different countries and people, making our own films/photography, while teaching free film workshops to youth in the majority of places we visit.

We're currently in Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada and making our way towards Alaska where we'll do our first workshop in Palmer, AK.

It's been a big change to move out of a small apartment and into a small car… and we're still getting use to it. Although we eat a lot of pasta and don't shower much, it does feel a bit like a dream: We wake up early to the sunrise without an alarm clock, pass through gorgeous landscapes, and stop a few minutes to watch baby mountain goats wrestle in the middle of the road. The past 2 weeks have been great!

There were two major forces that realized this adventure:

1. Kickstarter and the family, friends, and strangers that supported our project and helped us raise over $7000- THANK YOU SO MUCH! Kickstarter.com is a great community of people making change. Check it out. See what people are doing. Support them. Start your own project. Make it happen.

2. Attitude. Simply believing and acting like a trip like this would happen regardless of how possible it may seem.

One thing that disturbs me is the way some people may think about dreams. For example, have you ever heard the expression, "Ha! In your dreams!" Although it may be casual, the attitude behind the statement is that your dreams, or dreams at large for that matter, are unattainable. If you let any little idea or thought like this take root, it can cripple you for life.

If you want a simple way to make dreams or anything you want to do happen, then change the way you think and talk about them. Don't say you would love to do this or that, start saying you are going to do this or that. Don't try to do something, JUST DO IT (I guess Nike was onto something…). And sometimes don't think or hesitate too much… It's these simple attitude and thought adjustments that will help make the things you want to do happen. BOOM!

This philosophy of attitude is discussed in further detail by the book and film The Secret. I saw this film during an uncertain post-college time. I was working random freelance work, still showing up at college parties, and every other day wondering, "What the hell am I doing with myself?"

The main idea I took away from The Secret was that if you want to change, do, or be something… First, you have to really believe and imagine that you can do it. From a filmmaker/photographer standpoint, I practice visualization as a primary means to believing. If it's something I want, like a new camera, I imagine myself already having that camera. I really try to see myself holding that new camera, how it feels, and what I may photograph with it. If it's somewhere I want to go, like Alaska, I look at photos and videos and hang up maps in my room as a reminder of where I'm going (notice I didn't say where I want to go). So you see, even if you don't have the best imagination, you can use external resources like film, photographs, books, and more to help you visualize. The important thing is to create and imagine the details. The more detailed your vision is, the greater energy and chance you'll have of actualizing it.

Yesterday was my 24th birthday. I'm in Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada and I am driving to Alaska. It's been great to look back and see where I've ended up 2 years after college. Throughout this reflection, I found a Word document that I wrote shortly after seeing The Secret. Over a year ago, I printed this out and hung it on the basement wall above my desk in my sister's basement where I use to live. Everyday it was a constant reminder of my short term goals.

Goals for 2009
-Pay off my student loans [Done. Zero debt. Boom!]
-Go to Alaska in the Summer [delayed, but happening now]
-Make a new music video [Charlie Slick Music Video. Check my Vimeo.]
-Write a feature screenplay [Still working on it.]
-Make an animation [I kind of did one. But still need to do more.]
-Get my website up [Yikes… I'm slacking a bit…]
-Meditate 15-30 min everyday [Not as often as I should…]
-Eat less candy and processed foods [I've limited my processed foods… but I still have that sweet tooth!]
-Read more philosophy [Not enough…]
-Read more novels and biographies [Not enough…]
-Exercise and feel great [Pretty good.]
-Play my drum more and get more percussion instruments [Check.]

Things I Want
-A radical girlfriend [Check! Thanks Kelly!]
-A new Macbook Pro [Check. Thanks to a few good freelance gigs.]
-A Canon 5D MkII Camera [Teaching job.]
-Road Trip Gear [Thanks Kickstarter!]

Wow! It feels quite empowering to look at this list that I wrote during a somewhat pathetic, jobless and loveless part of my life and see that I've checked off most of it!

So there you go Dear Reader. I hope you visualize what you want, want to be, want to change. Let me know how it works.

I'll continue to update this blog from the road when things change. If you want to hear more about my trip, follow The Pan-American Dream blog.

Hearts,

-Marty

T

The end of a hike in Glacier N.P.