A Dharma Life

I AM SOOOOOO BORED!! It's killing me.
I need to get a life
*sigh*

I have been a little down lately, and have dug myself a little hole. Then I get this email from one of my amazing colleagues, and the day turned. It was exactly what I needed today, and will read this little story every day for the remainder of the week at least. And I wanted to share it with you all. Hoping it could be a little inspirational to more than just me.

Thomas is the kind of guy you love to hate. He's always in a good mood, and always has something positive to say.

Whenever someone asked him how he was, He'd answer: "If I'd be any better I'd be twins!"

He's a natural inspiration. If a colleague had a bad day, Thomas was there and told the colleague how to see the positive in the situation.

I was curious about this, and one day I went up to Thomas and asked: "How do you do it?"

Thomas answered: "Every morning I wake up I tell myself: you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood. Every time something bad happens I can choose to be a victim or learn from it. Every time someone complains to me I can choose to accept their complaint or I can choose to focus on the positive sides to life. I choose the positive sides of life."

"Sure - but it's not all that simple" I protested.
"It is" said Thomas, "Life is about choices. When you cut away the crap, every situation is a choice. You choose how to react on the situations. You choose how people affect your mood. It is you who choose if you want to be in a good mood or a bad mood. In the end it is your choice how you live your life."

I thought about what Thomas had told me. Shortly after I left the firm to start a new business. We lost touch, but I often thought of him whenever I took a choice concerning my life instead of just reacting to it.

Many years later I heard that Thomas was involved in a serious accident with a fall of over 20meters from a radio sender. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks in the recovery room Thomas was released from hospital with support along his spine.

I met him about 6 weeks after the accident. When I asked him how he felt he answered: "If I'd be any better I'd be twins! do you want to see my scars?"
I turned down the offer of seeing the scars, but asked him what he thought during the accident.

The first thing I thought was the welfare of my daughter" Thomas answered. "So while I lay on the ground I remembered I had two choices. I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live."

"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked.

"The ambulance people were amazing. They kept saying everything will be fine. but when they rolled me into intensive care and I saw the looks of the doctors and nurses there I got terrified. Their eyes had written "He's a dead man" in them. I knew then I had to do something." Thomas said.

"What did you do?" I asked.

"Well - there was this big brutish kind of nurse yelling questions at me. and she asked me if I was allergic to something. I answered "yes". The doctors and nurses stopped while waiting for my answer. I took a deep breath and said: "Gravity"
Through their laughter I told them: "I choose to live. Operate on me as if I am living, not dying"

Thomas survived because of the doctor's competence, but also because of his amazing attitude. From him I learned that every day we can choose to live fully. Attitude is, after all, EVERYTHING.

I'm having a "thing" for sunset shots at the moment. Autumn is just wonderful for sunset shots as the sun sets just as I am on my way home from work.
This picture was made this Sunday Nov 4th at the harbour of Oslo. Initially I was mad at myself for not going to the fortress to make my photos, but the cranes and scaffolding on the building made it more interesting to photograph in the end I think. I'll go to the fortress some other day to make my sunset pictures.

More photos at my Flickr page. You find the link to the right

I love autumn...
This is one of the windows in the building where I work. I will miss this building when I leave. It is so stunning! And very easy to photograph. A couple of my very best pictures I have made here - of this building.
Yes - I think this building is what I will miss the most when I leave.

Went to a concert this evening. An amazing, brilliant concert. One of my very favourite artists - Tom McRae, and I think he is soo incredibly underrated. He has released 4 absolutely brilliant albums, and still he's mostly unknown. His texts are so quietly powerful it's amazing. He's popular in Norway, and he keeps coming back here - he's been here twice this year - and we keep inviting him back. The concert tonight was one of the best concerts of his I've been to, he brought me to tears a couple of times with just his songs.
this song was the opening act, and is one of those songs that instantly spoke to me. Love this song. It's from his newest album called King of cards:

First time I saw Tom live was at a music festival in Oslo. The festival is called "Norwegian Wood" and Tom had just released his first album. I remember it was a lovely day - and I sat in the sun on the grass with a very good friend of mine chatting through one of those boring concerts - I think it was some American band - quite famous as far as I remember. It was just uninspired and too much noise. I think they had 10-12 musicians on stage, and dragged the songs out to the unrecognizable. Too noisy, too unstructured, and no fun listening to. My ears was tired after just a couple of songs. So my friend and I talked through most the concert - as did most people around us. we clapped loudly when they left stage.
Then some people came on stage to clear up after this huge band and rig for the next concert. The stage was almost empty - a mikestand, a stool, and a small drum set. That was it. then this small guy comes on with a guitar - and I remember thinking he was one of the sound crew. I thought he was going to test for the next act. Turns out he WAS the next act. It was Tom McRae. after him a guy with a cello sits down on the stool, and a guy sits by the drum set, Tom starts singing and the whole festival area is dead quiet - enchanted by this quiet voice with the most powerful lyrics. I was completely enraptured. Magic

As soon as I could after that first concert I bought his album. I now own three of four albums - and guess what I'm doing tomorrow? yep - I'm running to the shop to buy his latest CD.
I love this guy and his music.

Thanks, Tom, for yet another amazing concert.

This was one of those moments I was really really glad I bring my camera everywhere and always. I was on my way home from work a little delayed, was tired and actually fell asleep on the bus. I woke up when the bus left my stop. But when I hopped off the bus this sight met me there. Where I usually hop of the bus there are tall buildings, and I rarely see the sunsets. But this time I got a glimpse - ran across the street and went into someone's garden to get this shot.
I stood there in awe a while before coming to my senses and started taking a whole bunch of pictures. I actually started trying to find a better spot afterwards, but by the time I had found a spot, the sun was almost gone, and the magic disappeared.
I ended up late for an appointment too, but it was worth it. Just to see this amazing sunset.

Video: Show us a music video you'd gladly watch over and over again.

three songs I seem never to grow tired of.

this picture was taken a few weeks back when I ventured on a trip to the islands half an hour's travel by boat from Oslo.
I have always had a fascination for water. I grew up by water, lived in it in the summer, on it in the winter. Water has always been an important part of my life.
The ever changing element - adapting and calming yet untamed and wild. It looks so innocent, and to me there is nothing so beautiful to watch as moving water. It soothes my soul whenever it is in uproar. It gives me strength.
This particular day was a wonderful autumn day. Not a could in the sky and I found a quiet little place down by the water in a small bay on a small island. And I felt absolutely wonderful. This picture I took then - in that bay, and looking at it I get all those wonderful feelings back. It was a very good day.

this picture was taken three days ago here in Oslo. I have just moved from the apartment I have spent 8 years in, and found myself a studio apartment a little further away from the city center, but still not too far away. Not 4 minutes to walk from this new apartment is a wonderful park - a LONG park - following the river that divides Oslo in two.
It was a beautiful day, and being tired of emptying boxes and organizing things and furniture I had a walk in the park. Of course I brought my camera, and made a few pictures. You can find more of the photos from this expedition at my flickr page.

Video:  Show us a movie clip that always brings a lump to your throat. 
Submitted by Rev Stan.

Today this clip gives me a lump to my throat. The news of Robert Burås' death - the guitar player in this band - came only an hour ago. If you have read my blog for a while you know that Madrugada is one of my absolute favorite bands. Robert Burås was one of Norway's best guitar players and an amazing songwriter. Madrugada will never be the same without him. *sigh*

On another note I also have great, but kind of sad memories to this song. That memory alone makes my eyes water sometimes.

 

It is a sad day for Rock enthusiasts in Norway. RIP, Robert.