Cait Lee Gen

Rick Rypien

Tonight I found out that my favourite hockey player, Rick Rypien, commited suicide. I am troubled by this, and really disappointed in his suicide; Mostly because I look up to him and have been raving about him for years. Followed him since his high school days as a Regina Pat’s WHL player, then as a Vancouver Canuck, then as he got signed this upcoming season to play for the Winnipeg Jets. I know it’s silly because I never have met him, but I actually found myself disappointed and teary tonight. You have no idea how much I loved and ranted about this guy. 

ohhfrontier asked: Just wanted to let you know I'm praying for you. You probably have one of the most genuine posts I've seen on tumblr.

Thought you should know.

-Brandon

Wow, that’s quite flattering. That was my first tumblr post; I meant every word. Truth means bunches to me. Thanks for your encouragement Brandon; I needed that!

-Cait

Thoughts on Happiness & Ambition

This little exert is from a travel blog I read recently, and includes some thoughts on personal growth. Very interesting. I think you will definately enjoy this, and it gives you some food for thought.

 An exert from “Kindness of Stranger’s Travel Blog: Homeward Bound”:

I’m feeling a little like my tennis shoes these days: completely worn out. My shirts are sprouting holes, the circles under my eyes have dug a permanent trench, and I’ll scream if I have to plan one more detail. But I also feel a new sense of optimism, hope, and renewed energy as I think about returning to my life in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It’s hard to believe that tomorrow, after 245 days of travel, we are homeward bound. After working towards a goal so singularly for nearly two years, it’s difficult believe that, in a poof, it will all be over, a little like Cinderella at midnight.

When we began talking about this trip 10 years ago, we envisioned it as an opportunity to see as much of the world as possible, to feel the winds of adventure pushing at our back. The end result has been so much richer. We’ve learned not only about the world we live in, but about ourselves and our inner lives. The process of travel and self-discovery ultimately became more important than the sights we were seeing; the inner journey became as significant as the outer one. And that process was primarily propelled by the people we met along the way – from small chance encounters to deep friendships that were forged. We were especially inspired by the other round-the-world and long-term travelers we met, for who we shared a special camaraderie and understanding. The greatest gift of this trip was being exposed to different walks of life through different people, which helped us to realize where we belonged on that magnificent spectrum.

Before we left, I was in a deep rut. I was unhappy with nearly every aspect of my life, but I didn’t know what to do to change it. I was stuck. I had two major questions that had been nagging at me for years that I hoped this trip would answer. Can location affect happiness? Should I accept my life as it is or continue struggling for something better? It soon became clear to me that answering these questions was the key to moving forward, and the trip was the perfect medium in which to do so. By stripping away the known, I was able to see myself clearly, perhaps for the very first time. I’ve spent the past 10 years moving around, trying to find a place were I would feel content and at home. I’ve now had an opportunity to experience so many different cultures and places, and have concluded that I’m just as happy at home than in the world. I think I finally understand, deep down, that we create our own happiness. And while there are certainly places in this world where we personally feel more or less happy, we are responsible for creating our sense of home.

Another part of my unhappiness was feeling disconnected from myself; at the beginning of this trip, I would have had a difficult time articulating something as basic as the things I liked. I wasn’t sure where my life was heading, or what I even wanted from my life. I finally realized over the course of this trip that I had been agonizing over the fact that, like most of us, my life didn’t turn out as I had always planned or expected. And rather than simply investing my energies in living the life I had, I worked feverishly to recapture what I felt I had lost, or to create the life that I thought I should have. But neither of these imagined lives were connected to my spirit, leaving me to feel empty. My friend, Heidi, wisely told me, “Sometimes we mistake restructuring for settling.” I am finally beginning to see that so many of the wonderful things that have happened were never in the cards (I never dreamed, for example, that I’d travel around the world and log 22 countries before the age of 31). I am finally ready to start living the life I have, not the life I thought I would have. While I will always continue to strive to be a better person and find my purpose, I am finally letting go of who I thought I should be and accept who I am.

officialthrice:

Hey folks…

The pre-order for Major/Minor is up and running.

Here are the details:

The LP version of the album will be in stores and online starting Tuesday, September 6th with the CD and digital versions available on September 20th. Each LP comes with a download card, which will be…

Regina Folk Fest: Day 1

Mmm so I went to Folk Fest with Rick tonight. KT Tunstall played. She’s a hilarious one, and really gets into her music— she’s totally having fun whipping her hair around, stomping her feet, smiling, and having a good time. Definitely enjoyed her live than I ever did her on her CD’s. You hear songs like “The Black Horse & The Cherry Tree” and “Suddenly I See”, but her I really love her acoustic stuff she has going on. Of course I forgot my camera…