Aha! What do we have here? Old man Winter has finally come to pay us a visit, so no time to waste, let us listen to his frigid tail.
Imagine waking up in the middle of a futuristic city tucked between mountains and ocean, snow falling on rocky shores, ancient forests, and everywhere else beneath the gray skies. The rugged Northwest.
I must capture all this, I thought as I lay snuggly and warm in bed. I have to get my ass out there and digitize this scene.
Have breakfast then, bundle up in layers, thermal underwear, shell, jacket, and masterful scarf. The temperature was -1 deg C, and the snow was still falling.
In my satchel, I had some EDC items along with a thermos full of coffee, some bread, apple slices, battery charger, and a multi-tool.
Approximately an hour before heading out, I dropped 75 mL of the Pura Vida tincture under my tongue. I wasn't familiar with tinctures, so in about an hour, I was going to be traversing unmapped territory.
Altering one’s mind in a responsible manner is important for those of us who seek to understand and experience the higher mysteries of life. In typical daily life, we tend to use our senses in a rote robotic stimulus-response driven manner. Everything that we perceive around us- what we see, hear, touch, taste, smell, and mechanically sense and perceive is filtered through the sensory apparatus that makes up our nervous system. Our brain realities are shaped by experience, socialization, the nearly accidental vagaries of nature and nurture. By the time we reach adulthood, we are prompt, efficient, and dependable robots. The use of our senses has become rote, mechanized, and to some extent atrophied. Certain substances like cannabis short-circuit the programmed behaviours of our nervous systems and gives us access to the more thrilling and delightful possibilities of expanding, tuning, dialing, modulating the sensual apparatus. Contrary to popular belief, getting "high" responsibly, as well as properly learning to use one's sensory apparatus, is extremely hard and difficult work. It requires discipline to learn how to use your head.
Outside, the world had transformed into something frosty and magical and wonderful. White, grays, and blues. Sepia. The light bouncing off the snow and into the retinal array. Colors shimmered. Crisp and clear as if in HD. Here we go, I thought. Ready for liftoff. Rockets firing and my heart racing like mad.
Beautiful. Transformed. Like when the muse hits.
Surprisingly, not much snow falls in the city, so it's big news when we get a dusting. :)