Stories (24/0)
Food for dogs
Hands up if you have a dog. For a long time, I wish I had my hand up with this crowd. Then there was a time when I accepted that I wouldn't get one, and that was okay with me. So, I hadn't had a dog before this year. I always wanted a pal, but it just hadn't worked out before. The reasoning was nobody would walk, feed, bathe him/her etc. I didn't grow up with a dog as much as I wanted to have that happen. I would go over to friends' houses and meet their dogs, and my father even had dogs himself when he was younger. Some friends said dogs were fun, others said not again. I just wanted to make that choice on my own and face reality and difficulty through my personal experience. I had heard stories from other people and I thought I was ready. What happens in life is, you're either ready or not. And when you desire something, even if you do everything right, it leads to nothing. We have to learn that we can't do everything right - we can't control everything. This makes us upset and frustrated at times. Experience teaches us lessons, but I've learned to be ready for any moment and accept when I need to move on. I can't stay upbeat and happy if I'm always sticking to a petty thing or a fairy tale. That's not to say we shouldn't chase your dreams, but I'll save that for another day.
By Peter Mason4 years ago in Petlife
24 hours.
7am. I draw the curtain and open my window. The warm rays of sunshine lap over my arms and each wave warms my face. I stick my slides on and wash my face and moisturise. I look up one last time at my quarantine face. Eyes of isolation and folded dreams. A suppressed smile would be unchained. I also glance up to my chalkboard, where I have written a bucket list for that first day back in the world. It's a golden list of things, and I hear the sounds of the places I'll go. It sounds like that Dr Seuss book.
By Peter Mason4 years ago in Wander
How Disney+ will change how Disney is remembered with the next generation
Disney+ has been unexpectedly leading the way for Disney with the closure of Disney Parks, learning centres and shops around the world. The online store remains open, but the Disney+ streaming service connects millions of people to Disney's original content. Disney ventured into the streaming business at almost the latest time as a resource to compete against other content services. Disney+ has been modelled around the pure Disney form (unlike Hulu, in which Disney has diverse assets) with the now mammoths in Star Wars, Marvel, and National Geographic and Disney originals. But how will Disney+ be part of the next generation's memory of Disney and will tv shows or movies dictate the playing field?
By Peter Mason4 years ago in Geeks
Take me home.
London, England, home. Home under a cloudy blanket. It'd be nice to be back there. At home with my family. I'm doing well during this time, but if there was a destination to be at, then it'd be there. I'm here in Toronto, Canada. And that's not a bad thing at all. It's just a fact, and now that I'm here and I'm actually happy, relaxed and enjoying it here in the six. I'm just staying with a friend's family, and they've taken me as one of their own, and I am and will be forever grateful. Thank you, Chris and your brilliant family.
By Peter Mason4 years ago in Wander
I went for a run outside, and it felt strange in the age of COVID-19.
Now that I finished my final exams for the term and year, I can take a break or time off. This break feels welcome, and it's a time to keep moving in other ways. I'm picking up learning French again, learning James Bond on the guitar and spending more time reading. I was fortunate to be able to go outside today and glad I had more time. I kept my distance, was protected and tried to be a friendly runner that switches sides to aid others. I had a goal to run 10 km, and I've been leading up to this by running from 2km and increasing it gradually each time.
By Peter Mason4 years ago in Longevity
We didn't stop, we're just taking a different path.
Staying at home is hard. Probably because we haven't practised it. And it's not healthy for us. And we loved our old lives. Ah not to worry. Let's look beyond that and enjoy the time we have now. What it hasn't stopped is our creativity, which we'll always have, and we CAN still communicate a vast amount of it online. One particular video that made me laugh and stop scrolling to work out its ingenuity because it's brilliant. It's a skiing video with a man in a full skiing outfit, and he journeys his way down a mountain.
By Peter Mason4 years ago in Motivation
Late night revelations
This playlist can personify my emotions, starting from passionate, exciting feelings, to a lo-fi mix, as I become more tired towards the end day. The music matches my feelings in ways I can more easily listen to rather than to speak about. It opens and unlocks the thoughts I have, making it more comfortable to remember, dream or think. It's more natural to hear the language of music than try to explain its mastery and mystery. The alternative and indie music lyrics to me, often focus on storylines about intimate and personal feelings. I relate to these lyrics and the mellow sounds drawing closer to my current mental and emotional state, and I find that I lose myself in the flow of the playlist. My playlist is listed below. In this edition of my opinion, I've attached a list of songs that resemble my current mental space and physical health. I've found this expansive and hope to make another on specific genres of music that focus on particular aspects rooted to my personal health and growth as a person.
By Peter Mason4 years ago in Beat
Open your eyes, and wait and see the bigger picture, before it's too late. Because sometimes it's a choice you must make.
"It's a necessary ability to filter what we read and why should it be any different for how we think?" - Peter Mason Breathe. Take a second and pause. Feel the gentle rush of air into your lungs. If you meditate often then perhaps you already know these motions. In this space, I'm asking if you've seen or realised that there's a bigger picture, one that is hard to visualise and one that hides in plain sight. One that is there covered by our lives. It can seem like it only appears after it's too late. Oh so easy to see in hindsight. Yet, the future stands quietly there, patiently waiting. This has been a feeling I've felt at the end of a year at school, thinking of things you wanted to do. The steps you tried to take and the growth you wanted for yourself.
By Peter Mason4 years ago in Motivation
Rex Orange County has the uncapped ability to paint an emotional rollercoaster and it's his version of a song.
The original capture of his musical prowess for me was his album, Apricot Princess. The low-driven approach that softly tingles your heartstrings has worked the many times I need a song. Sometimes it's just a happy song, a relaxing song, one for studying, and one for being more emotional. I don't always choose his music, but it might just reappear on my queue. Before I know it, I'm enticed by the gentle caressing nature of his music alone. But this song storyline and wording has this ability to make me remember things that I wasn't thinking about and cause me to get emotional. And for that reason, it can provide something new to me each time I listen.
By Peter Mason4 years ago in Beat
Stand up and voice your opinion, even when you lose and it's a no, change history for years to come.
So, I applied for a leadership position a month ago. I enjoyed the organisation, and its path was something I could relate to. I was nervous about submitting an application. Yet, throughout the year, I was a part of many sports teams and a couple of clubs. Other older students had seen me display more than the necessary skills in sports and other societies. I had the experience to continue and do well in that role. For reasons that I still don't think are backed up, I didn't get it. I received the 'no' email, the one that begins with 'Unfortunately..'. So, I felt strongly about it. For me, I've had this feeling often enough. I also don't like to stand still. It's frustrating, but I want to channel that passion into fixing it or moving on to something else. So I've been writing an email to reply to them. After initially receiving the email, I was okay: shocked, but okay. Later that night, I started to doubt myself and found it difficult to fall asleep. I then drafted a reply email as I lay in bed and typed it on my phone. I know that for me when I think about something at night, I'm likely to not remember it, so I write it down anywhere.
By Peter Mason4 years ago in Motivation
The Toronto Raptors have taken the risk this season, found a rhythm and grown since winning the NBA.
The Toronto Raptors. 2018-2019 NBA Champions. Eastern Conference Champions. A first championship for the Raptors in the 2019 NBA Finals. A year ago, I may not have remembered this, but a year on and I do. And I love being a part of the Raptor family.
By Peter Mason4 years ago in Unbalanced
Hard beginnings
There it wasn’t so difficult, typing the first word. Reading this, I understand that your perspective may be different, but starting new ventures or musical instruments or ideas are hard for me. In this case, beginning new things in our lives can be quite challenging. Maybe you make a list or a target, a goal or you write a whole list of accomplishments on a post-it note and you become excited or daunted about the next step. And then actually continuing on that path results in overcoming a serious mental block. For me, I can see myself after the beginning somehow, but I find the start to be a confusing place. It’s a new experience, a place where you have no memories.
By Peter Mason4 years ago in Motivation