Ascenseur pour l'Échafaud

Hello and greetings to all, and any who still are drawn to this page / are here for the first time.

It is an interesting experience - life - a constant, never-ever-ending stream of self-discovery and self-creation. And as I sift through the variety of life, I am discovering so many interesting ways of going about it. My cats provide constant reminder that all in all, not much is required to live a rich and vibrant life. 

**København - Copenhagen, Denmark - Copyright 2012**

Maybe you’re the domestic house cat, thriving on romping around the backyard garden like a jaguar in the jungle. Playing with it.

Maybe you’re the Nepali monk, living high in the Himalayas, living everyday worshiping an idea that brings you an utter sense of completion and fulfillment. Praying with it.

Maybe you’re the saxophone player in a band playing to a small crowd in a basement club - letting the music not only overcome your senses, but become your emotions. Painting with it.

Maybe you’re a B.A.S.E jumper - living from day to day wondering if this next thrill will be your last. Dancing with that fear.

Maybe you’re the businessman - weaving your way through the busy line of the shwarma joint at lunch. Hoping for a savory bite, and that the person behind the counter will have that glimmer of life in their eyes as they greet you. Counting on it.

Maybe you’re the wanderer, high in the mountains, with but the love of your life: the fresh air, and the pack that carries only what matters. Beauty beyond words surrounding  you. Singing with it.

And what’s the one common vein that runs through all of these limbs of existence? 

Joy.

**Summit Ridge of Hvannadalshnjúkur - Skaftafell Nt. Park, Iceland - Copyright 2012**

Maybe I’m a speed skating, ski-touring introvert, drinking macchiato #2437 waaay too late at night, dreaming of time spent in the mountains. Maybe I don’t understand people, relationships, or love - in the way that most people think of it (my definition is quite different...), but I’m realizing more and more that that really doesn’t bother me - I love the joy that I find in my time alone with just my thoughts. Maybe I’m realizing that that joy is more important than anything that I could have ever imagined. 

Maybe it’s more important than everything I was taught in school. Maybe it’s more valuable to my life than anything my parents ever taught me. Maybe it’s more important than those funny green bills we exchange for the various goods of the world (and isn’t it amazing that we can do that!)

**One of the better Cappuccinos of my life - Reykjavík, Iceland - Copyright 2012**

I want to be joyful - whether I’m climbing mountains, fixing bikes, curling up with my gorgeous little samoyed named Kaya, or sinking into my lovers arms at the end of a long adventure in our way-too-small tent before we “try to fall asleep”.

And as I continue to interact with the vast buffet of All-That-Is, I’m going to keep that in mind. I have no reason to be upset about anything. I have nothing that I need to prove to the world. All humans are created equal, and I don’t need to own up to anyone. 

Before I leave the internet for the evening (Kawa is closing...), I would like to send out a message to my sister. I do hope that we can patch things up soon. I just want you to know that I no longer harbor any animosity towards you - and that I respect you as the amazing, creative individual that you are. I know that we have our differences, as all beings do, human or not - but I would like those differences to bring us together in a satisfying jam of intentions, rather then divide us like the no-mans land of trench warfare. I love you more than words can describe, and I do hope that we can work through this soon.

**La Rivière Meuse en Printemps - near Namur, Belgium - Copyright 2012**

The last several months have been a delicious whirlwind of many new wonderful things... Many new activities, new friends, new jobs, new lifestyles, and most of all, lots of new perspectives on life.

There is much love for all here.

Goða Nott!

-Zigs

“You Are Loved - All is Well”