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Today I went to my favourite place in Vancouver: Al Watan!

They've done some renos inside, and while they're nice, I kinda miss the sky-blue of previous days.

But the soul of the place - Khalid - is still there.  He's a good man, and I feel privileged to know him and visit him a few times a year.

Idleness And The Soul

St. Benedict of Nursia said that "Idleness is the enemy of the soul."

The reason idleness is the enemy of the soul is that without work or activity that engages the spirit, mind and body in a meaningful way, we become lazy and allow ourselves to fall prey to various vices.

I notice this to be the case in a few areas in my life.  For example, if I have more than a week off work I start to get itchy and antsy, looking for something to do.  And often times, instead of using this time to do something productive like staining a fence or touch-up paint the wall or put on that second coat of paint on the coffee table, I end up lying on the couch, lazying around, bored out of my mind.

Another example is in the winter time when I'm not as active as in the summer; same thing, unless I have a disciplined, directed activity, such as reading a chapter of a book or the Bible, or instead of praying,  I end up sleeping the afternoon away.

Spiritually speaking, idleness leads my mind into a destructive frame.  I start thinking negatively about just about everything: life, relationships, work, you name it.  Life loses meaning, hours bleed into days, and days into weeks of numbing no-sense existence.

St. Benedict's solution, as I've already alluded to, is to "be employed in manual labour at certain times, at others, in devout readings."

Winter's coming, and along with that, usually a certain kind of apathy and idleness.  Shorter days.  Darkness.  Cold weather.  Discomfort.

Hybernation has its pluses, like sleeping in on weekends, or watching a film on the couch, but if inattentive to the needs of the soul, winter can be weeks and weeks of paralyzing idleness.

How will I keep disciplined this winter?

Nicolle Flats Hike

Buffalo Pound and Nicolle Flats are a great place for hiking.

There are usually a lot of mosquitoes, but today there was a breeze that took care of that.  Actually, it was too windy; in places it was so windy that I couldn't hear what my hiking friends were saying.  Still, below are some pictures which show why this is such a special place.

Floor And Paint

I'm almost done with my guest suite downstairs.  Maybe 15% remains.  But what remains is significant, because I'm the one doing it: painting.

Last week the flooring was put in.  The picture below shows what it looks like.

The next picture shows the painting that's been completed.  Well, two coats.  One more to come.  I think it looks nice, the contrast between the flooring, the door (and frame), and the wall.

Now I will take a break and go to BC to visit family for 10 days.  Upon my return in September, finishing touches, and then rental.

Drywall, Cabinets, Countertops

So the downstairs suite is really starting to take shape.  Hard work, and lots of decision-making.

Financially I'm under budget - thanks Wade!

Next: flooring and painting.