Gaia Community: Eric's Blog

An Experiment in Practicing, "The Secret"

http://stpaulpoet.gaia.com — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:43:45 GMT

My fiancee and I have always dreamed of going to Kyoto, Japan for a vacation. As "luck" would have it, a month ago an email appeared in my inbox announcing a contest for an all expenses paid trip to anywhere in the world.

Many of you are aware of the documentary/book called, "The Secret" explaining how to incorporate the, "Law of Attraction" into your life.

We've entered the contest to win an all expenses paid trip to Kyoto, Japan and we've decided to treat this as an experiment in using, "The Law of Attraction".

If you have time, please vote for my entry by clicking on the attached link:http://blog.homeaway.com/node/353!

Also, if you have any friends who would have time to vote please feel free to forward the link..I do believe that this is how we will win, if others forward the link to people who they know.

The voting period continues through noon (CST) on July 16. Thank you very much for your time!

Tags: The Secret, The Law of Attraction, Kyoto Japan, Free Vacation Contest, Eric Vance Walton

The Simple Life

http://stpaulpoet.gaia.com — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:46:05 GMT

Simple but not simplistic, this life

Time, not to be wasted,

is forever fluid and relative

we are all one, everything connected

the Universe is the most wondrous web,

more vast than we can yet fathom

knowing this, I feel comfortably small

For now, I find myself delightfully contented

to feel the sunshine on my face, to laugh,

experience love.

Forever grateful I am to still have mysteries

left to ponder and a single cup

of good green tea well within my grasp.

7-1-2009

Eric Vance Walton

Tags: The Simple Life, Eric Vance Walton, Poetry

Finally Forgiven

http://stpaulpoet.gaia.com — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:55:10 GMT

As any animal lover would tell you, pets come with their own personalities and set of quirks just like us humans. But our one and a half year old beagle, "Amstel" just isn't any other animal. Amstel takes just about every imaginable thing in life to the next level.

Amstel, true to his breed, is pretty much fearless, very determined, and has the demeanor of a prince. Both he and his grandfather, "Bud" (now deceased and yes they were both named after beers) go absolutely crazy when we cooked bison meat at home. So we, very creatively, imagined that a few hundred years back large packs of howling beagles dotted the Great Plains in pursute of the thundering buffalo herds. It had to have taken at least 100 of them to take down a single buffalo but as I said they are determined little buggers. If you have known a beagle this isn't a far stretch of the imagination. So I digress.

I recently went on a 4-day trip out of town to Chicago. Amstel is typically my constant shadow so when I leave he gets the blues. My fiancee read where leaving a shirt that you've worn for the dog lessens the separation anxiety a bit so we tried it. She said that he curled up on that shirt every night that I was gone. She said he became noticably depressed but much easier to handle. Normally he's a handful.

I came home from the airport at the end of the fourth day and Amstel greeted me at the door with his tail wagging a million miles an hour. After the initial exuberance a look of disgust quickly flashed across his face. Where ever I was he came into the room and turned his back to me. I threw his favorite chew toy, he played with it for roughly 10 seconds and then walked away from it looking angrily over his shoulder at me as if to say, "Hey, I'm supposed to be mad at you".

We're going into the third week since I came back from my trip and Amstel is, at last, getting back to normal. He's only shooting my and angry glance every now and then. The bison steaks may've helped but, afterall, that was a small price to pay for finally being forgiven.

Tags: Amstel, Finally Forgiven, Eric Vance Walton

The Kindness of Strangers

http://stpaulpoet.gaia.com — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 01:08:53 GMT

My friend and I go on one trip a year to blow off steam and decompress from the last 365 days. This year, in Chicago, we were astounded by how big the portion sizes were in the restaurants and how much food people wasted! Most people were leaving at least half of the food that was ordered on the table to be thrown away.

First we discussed how the restaurants should give you the option of choosing to receive half of the standard portion if they would donate the equivilant of the other half to a food shelf for the less fortunate.

The idea blossomed and morphed from there. We decided to, "cut out the middle man" and incorporate a new ritual on our annual trips. We started having our server box up whatever of our meals we thought we couldn't finish and we gave them directly to homeless people on the street. This little idea ended up being the most rewarding part of our journey this year.

One small act can lessen the worries of someone who might not know where there next meal is coming from. To see the look of such gratitude in the eyes of someone who doesn't have access to life's basic nessesities was more than enough thanks.

I urge you all to try this on your next vacation. You'll be surprised at how good it makes you feel. Afterall, as the recent economic downturn has made glaringly apparent, with but one simple slip any one of us could be praying for the kindness of strangers.

Tags: The Kindness of Strangers, Eric Vance Walton

My Great Biking Adventure - Adam Sandler-Style

http://stpaulpoet.gaia.com — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 15:44:45 GMT

I rode my bike to work for the first time this season a few days ago. It was an ideal day. The weather was perfect, in the low 70's and the sun was shining brightly.

I work in the downtown area, which means that you have to be both alert and agile on the bike at all times because you never quite know what challenges you will be presented with.

After a long and taxing day of work I jumped on my modified moutain bike to speed out of downtown. I rode up the sidewalk to take advantage of a short-cut between two buildings when I suddenly realized that up ahead people were walking side-by-side and blocking my path. As I jumped off of the sidewalk it felt as though I was riding in two inches of grease! What I didn't notice was they just had planted grass seed where I rode off and my tires sank about an inch into the mud.

Luckily, after putting deep ruts in the ground, I was able to keep my balance and get out of the quicksand-like trap. That's when things got really interesting. After a few seconds I saw that my knobby mountain bike tires were caked in a thick black mud and, to my dismay, they were flinging it on everything within a 12-15' radius. Cars and business people included.

This continued for what felt like and eternity. In hindsight, I realize that the proper thing to do would have been to get off of the bike and walk it but I was way too embarrassed to think about doing that in the heat of the moment. So I put my head down and pedaled as fast as I could as my tires continued to rain mud. It was like a scene straight out of an Adam Sandler movie.

When downtown, now I feel like a marked man and hope I haven't aquired too much bad bike karma through this whole incident. I've given some thought to spray painting my bike a different color. Maybe next week I'll purchase dry cleaning gift certificates and hand them out randomly to people along my route to try to balance things out.

In any event for the next few weeks anyway I will have to steer clear of that shortcut and I will certainly pay much closer attention to freshly planted grass.

Tags: Eric Vance Walton, Humor

Natural

http://stpaulpoet.gaia.com — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 01:20:14 GMT

This friend of mine
is so blissed-out
blessed, like a Taoist monk
without at all trying

a balanced being
perfectly beyond
with eyes that see through
making him the wisest
one I know.

Tags: Eric Vance Walton, Poem

The Amazing Shrinking Automobile

http://stpaulpoet.gaia.com — Wed, 27 May 2009 00:36:50 GMT

The green movement is hip right now and all for it. It's a little humorous to me how all of the big corporations have avoided environmental stewardship as long as they possibly could to join in. They waited until the precise moment that they collectively realized, "Hey, there's piles of cash to be made off of these tree huggers!". Like I said before though, the more the merrier. We're all better off for it.

It seems everything is getting smaller these days, especially cars. The Smart car, for example, is so incredibly tiny that one would have to shoehorn two bags of groceries into the back. With a pricetag of nearly $20k, honestly, I'm not sure how smart they are. After all they rig them to pass U.S. regulations they only get 40-45 miles per gallon, while managing to squeeze out almost twice the MPGs in Europe. I owned a great '86 Honda CRX with a carborated engine that got almost the exact same mileage and could probably have fit a Smart car into its modest hatchback.

If you remember, just a few years ago big was "in". Some of the gas guzzling behemoths were just as ridiculous as the tiny cars of today. Some of these things could've had their own zip code and some certainly had their own mortgage. For the moment, the pendulum has simply swung in the other direction. Now it's, "eco-chic" to be driving the absolute smallest vehicle money can buy.

Humanity just loves to take things to that "next level" it's in our DNA. I just know that before long you you will see people unfolding minuscule little vehicles from their back pockets and riding them like clown bicycles down the road while wearing solar panel covered helmets. Like I said before though, it's all good.

For my next vehicle purchase, which I hope will be a very long time from now, maybe the pedulum will have rested somewhere in the middle. I'm not picky, something with a backseat and room for our dog will do. Oh and did I mention that it'll have to have an exotic engine that gets 100mpg and runs on mere tap water?

Tags: Eco-Chic, Smart Car

A Trip To The Farmer's Market

http://stpaulpoet.gaia.com — Mon, 25 May 2009 20:49:46 GMT

Do you ever have one of those days where you feel as if the world around you is slightly eschewed and people are just a tad bit ornerier and distracted? Well, yesterday was such a day. We decided make a trip to the St. Paul Farmer's Market to buy the plants we need to finish our garden. Keep in mind the trip is a short one, only six miles, but honestly it felt as though we were immersed the Matrix playing Grand Theft Auto.

On the way there we were nearly side-swiped twice. In both instances the drivers of the vehicles were oblivious to what was going on around them as they were talking on cell phones. On the way back someone made a left turn in front of us at a light that had clearly been red for over 30 seconds. If I had to venture a guess, this particular individual was probably in his eighties with the Orville Reddenbacher style white hair, so I can cut him some slack.

As a result of this experience we decided that part of the driver's test should be a virtual reality exercise to evaluate a person's ability to multi-task while driving. The first level would be to see if they can chew gum while operating a vehicle. Somewhere around five levels above the chewing gum test would involve a live cell phone call while driving through a congested urban area. If unable to pass level five there would be a graphic of a cell phone with a large red, "no symbol" imprinted above it on their license plate.

This would, at the very least, give all others fair warning to give them the right away. Until then my eyes will be peeled for people using cell phones and Orville Reddenbacher look-a-likes.

Tags:

looking back at 37

http://stpaulpoet.gaia.com — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:06:22 GMT

Sometimes I can't deny

that every so often

I feel as though

my prime is passed

But these thoughts are fleeting,

merely a mistake not worth repeating

as I realize that there are always

new goals in which to strive for,

so many more fears to slay

before I lay down to rest

life has brought me far

but I know deep within my soul

that in this journey there will soon

be a quickening that will take me

well beyond where I am today

the year past has forged

me strong and sharp,

like Damascus steel,

light playing off its edges

from the long dark night

my ego is shriveled like

a raisin in the sun

yet my soul has emerged unscathed

and ever more hungry

so here I stand before you....humbler,

a little more weathered, a bit wiser

and much more brazen,

with an unfathomable and deep

appreciation of the gift of life

and my time here with you.

Tags: Poem, Eric Vance Walton, Looking Back at 37

alarm clock dawn

http://stpaulpoet.gaia.com — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:41:45 GMT

Focus is hazed as

wing-tip dreams come calling

softly, persistently

those starches seams

of material obsession

trite expressions that seem

to echo so endlessly

I've left it all behind this time

left it all behind in my mind

The alarm clock dawn

methodical in it's wringing,

starving, stealing time

so stealthily that you hardly notice

until one day you wake up faded,

to a jaded, gaunt and hungry hue.

I've left it all behind this time

left it all behind in my mind

So this is how it feels to be free?

To be set adrift like some Coltrane riff

When need's an endless song

Can't tell you where I'll be tomorrow

I may be drawn back into the

Yawn of the alarm clock dawn

Balance is my only hope to end up

Somewhere in the middle......

......

Tags: Eric Vance Walton, Alarm Clock Dawn

Breathe

http://stpaulpoet.gaia.com — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 01:48:54 GMT

In the swirling red rock dust

the lone pinyon pine whispers,

"Relax, your existence is but a

single breath in the course of

deep time."

Tags: Eric Vance Walton, Poetry

The Eve Before the Dawn of a New Day

http://stpaulpoet.gaia.com — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 02:50:14 GMT

It seems the whole world is breathless in anticipation. We are drunk with hope and ecstatic at the thought of positive change that we have been promised. It is as though a weight is being lifted off of our collective shoulders a little more each day leading up to the inauguration.

Never, in my lifetime, have so many things on so many fronts been so bad. Soon-to-be President Obama and his administration have countless Hurculean tasks ahead of them. I have no doubt that we will share a country in four years that is much better off as well as more respected than the one we know today.

Even before the first bit of legislation is passed, the first misdeed corrected we can't ignore the fact that a great racial divide has been bridged. The citizens of the United States of America were united with one voice this past November to vote a leader into office who reflects our values and our vision for the future. We as a nation were genuinely engaged in the electorial process, looked past our old prejudices, evolved. The worst has brought out the best in all of us. If we can retain this spark, hang on to this spirit, keep the collective effort going, there will be nothing that we can't accomplish. Together, we may even be able to rebuild our troubled nation. The past few months have led me to believe that there's hope for us yet.

Tags: Obama, Hope, The United States of America

Day One of the New Year

http://stpaulpoet.gaia.com — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 20:29:58 GMT

Hello all. I'm looking very forward to a couple of days off and am reminiscing about the year that just passed. What a year it was! I have high hopes for 2009 and really feel as though things are moving in a positive direction. I learned many lessons in this past year and feel as though I have more clarity about what steps are next. This year my resolutions are to finish my CLEPs and get started at Concordia to finish my degree.

We also learned of a great site called, www.23andme.com. For $399 they will analize your DNA and tell you what diseases you are likely to develop decades before you will...they also tell you about your ancestry going back thousands of years. Not bad for $399.

As you learned if you've tried to order any tea from us lately, the shopping cart function of http://www.theperfectpause.com/ is down right now. We've found a great site called, "Guru.com" that allows you to post jobs that freelancers can place bids on. We found someone who seems reputable that is offering to fix the site for a very fair price so we hope to be up-and-running again within the next few weeks. In the meantime, you can always email us with your order at: ThePerfectPause@gmail.com.

On the writing-front the new children's book, "12 From Memory Lane" is in the design phase and Linda (the illustrator) and I hope to have this published and on the market by spring of this year. This book will be similar to Shel Silverstein's, "Where the Sidewalk Ends" with children's poetry paired with pen and ink illusrations. Here's a sample of what will be in the book:

The First Snowflake

The sun hangs high in the morning sky

In the cooling air the first snowflake flies

It flutters down for all to see

and gets lost among the fallen leaves

it's not long before his friends arrive

more tiny flakes from autumn skies

like diamonds shining pure and bright

they glitter in the morning light

the air grows brutally frigid as North winds blow

and the leaves get lost beneath the snow

if all is well and all is right

and this continues through the night

we'll dash for the door, mittens in hand

to begin this winter's first SNOWMAN!

Tags:

Happiness Within

http://stpaulpoet.gaia.com — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 03:39:31 GMT

I'm dealing with some pretty heavy things right now in my life but as always the tools that are necessary for me to get through the challenges seem to reveal themselves when I need them. I'm reading a book co-written by the Dalai Lama and he states in the book that happiness is found within and is independent of all outside influences. He adds if someone has discovered the happiness within then nothing on the outside can extinguish it and by the same token if someone has not found that same brand of happiness nothing in the world, no amount of money or the greatest realized dreams can give them lasting peace and contentment.

Being a huge fan of new age and spiritual books I've heard this time and time again but for some reason, at this time and in this place in my life it has really resonated and has become real to me. It seems like such a major lesson that it almost feels as though I've graduated in a sense. Paramahansa Yogananda always said that you should strive to carry your peace with you always. It only took me 37 years of living and 15 years of meditation but I know without a doubt that I've finally found my own, for that I am thankful.

Tags: Happiness, Paramahansa Yogananda, Dalai Lama

Checking In

http://stpaulpoet.gaia.com — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 23:27:05 GMT

I've been seriously neglecting the blog lately but have been spending my energy in other ways. The sales for, "The Land of Things We Wish For" have been steady and we've gotten some great feedback on the book. The stories that people tell me about how their children react to the book make it worth all of the work of putting it together. Our niece, Destiny, took it to school and the class spent an hour asking her questions about it. I remember how much of an impact Dr. Suess and other books had on me as a child...hopefully these books will make a positive difference in someone else's life.

Tags: The Land Of THings We Wish For

Thanks

http://stpaulpoet.gaia.com — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 02:25:15 GMT

I wanted to thank everyone for their support in the launch of my new book. Although we fell short of our sales goal that is okay. It never ceases to amaze me how generous and kind people can be. This will likely be the last children's book I write for a while. It's so much work to put them together.

For me, winter is a time to work on the novel...maybe this will be the winter it'll be finished.

Take care all.

Tags:

Eternal Gratitude

http://stpaulpoet.gaia.com — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 03:26:03 GMT

Come away with me

our time here is precious and fleeting
so be aware

use each conscious breath
to rise above

we are all, at once, both student and teacher
once you become a conscious traveler
you will be in awe
at the blessings and light that surround you always

be thankful for each breath,
for each second you've been given
to live, to learn, to love.

Tags: Eternal Gratitude

American Renaissance (11-4-08)

http://stpaulpoet.gaia.com — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 02:13:57 GMT

Can you hear our cries of joy? Can you feel our quiet tears?

Today is a rare moment when we all win unequivocally

and we celebrate this not just because it is a defining moment,

it is much more than that

tomorrow after the jubilation begins to fade

hope will peek its head slowly from its place of slumber

it will help quell the ever-present fear and Peace will again begin

to grow softly in our hearts

In this I have no doubt

In one perfect moment we were witness to both the Alpha and the Omega

and the destination of this journey we will never fully know

our children's children will speak of this
and from their lips

will fall what history has written

it will tell of how in one sweeping flourish

a dark chapter of America came to an end

and a glistening new one began

In this I have no doubt.

Tags: Obama, American Renaissance, Peace

It's been a long time....

http://stpaulpoet.gaia.com — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 16:17:50 GMT

since my last post! Time has been flying lately but everything has been good. "The Land Of Things We Wish For" my next children's book is just about done. We're going to be going through the final proofing stage next week and then after that we'll be offering the book for presale for those who would like autographed copies. I'm very happy with the overall look of the book, now it just comes down to the very minor adjustments. I'll post more infomation about the book launch when it becomes available. I hope you've all been well. I miss keeping up with the Gaia community.

Tags: The Land of Things We Wish For

A Bit of Good News

http://stpaulpoet.gaia.com — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:07:48 GMT

Amidst all of the recent crisis, I received a welcomed bit of good news a few days ago. Blue Mountain Arts (greeting card company) is possibly interested in using some of my poetry for their cards. I've submitted a few pieces and should hear something within the next few months. The children's book that I've been working on for the past few years, "The Land Of Things We Wish For" is almost done! It's being designed in its final format and the coverwork is being done. It should be available on the "bookstore" page of my website by mid-November. This has been a fun one to put together and my friend Juan (the illustrator) and I feel that it has a good message as well. Have a wonderful weekend!

Tags: The Land Of Things We Wish For

Gaia Community: Eric's Blog

An Experiment in Practicing, "The Secret"

My fiancee and I have always dreamed of going to Kyoto, Japan for a vacation. As "luck" would have it, a month ago an email appeared in my inbox announcing a contest for an all expenses paid trip to anywhere in the world.

Many of you are aware of the documentary/book called, "The Secret" explaining how to incorporate the, "Law of Attraction" into your life.

We've entered the contest to win an all expenses paid trip to Kyoto, Japan and we've decided to treat this as an experiment in using, "The Law of Attraction".If you have time, please vote for my entry by clicking on the attached link:http://blog.homeaway.com/node/353!

Also, if you have any friends who would have time to vote please feel free to forward the link..I do believe that this is how we will win, if others forward the link to people who they know.

The voting period continues through noon (CST) on July 16. Thank you very much for your time!

The Simple Life

Finally Forgiven

The Kindness of Strangers

My Great Biking Adventure - Adam Sandler-Style

Natural

The Amazing Shrinking Automobile

A Trip To The Farmer's Market

looking back at 37

alarm clock dawn

Breathe

The Eve Before the Dawn of a New Day

Day One of the New Year

The First Snowflake

Happiness Within

Checking In

Thanks

Eternal Gratitude

American Renaissance (11-4-08)

It's been a long time....

A Bit of Good News

We've entered the contest to win an all expenses paid trip to Kyoto, Japan and we've decided to treat this as an experiment in using, "The Law of Attraction".

If you have time, please vote for my entry by clicking on the attached link:http://blog.homeaway.com/node/353!