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The Beacon on the Hill

In the aftermath of the 2016 American Presidential election, Canada needs to be the strong, united nation now. The world will be looking to us for strength, for guidance, for leadership. We need to be The Beacon on the Hill.

Our leaders need to be strong and hold true to Canadian values. They need to protect us and to inspire us, and in turn, we need to support our country and keep it on the right path.

We the people also need to be strong. We need to not give in to fear or hatred or intolerance. It is 15+ years of fear, hatred, and intolerance that have led to this moment.

As Canadians, we need to rise above these base emotions and work towards better solutions. We need to let compassion guide us, rather than letting fear control us. We need to consider our second impulse rather than acting blindly on our first impulse.

This is Canada’s moment to shine, to provide the example, and to offer shelter and compassion to those who need it. We have a long history of doing that and we cannot afford to be less now.

We need to be more. We can be more. We will be more.

Copyright 2016 © John David Hickey

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Naps with the Buddha (a Chinese folktale)

Once upon a time, there was a teacher who was a Buddhist monk. His great joy in this life was to have a snack and a nap afterwards. Before every lesson, he ate so much that he could barely move.

Soon after the beginning of the lessons, he always took a nap and slept until the bell for the end of the lessons sounded.

Lee was the son of a poor villager and was a student in the same school. One daty, Lee asked the monk:

“Teacher, may I ask you why do you sleep in all our lessons?”

“My friend,” replied the monk without any embarrassment, “It just seems that way. During these minutes, I meet with Buddha and listen to His wise words. That’s why I try to sleep as much as I can.”

At one time, Lee took care of his sick father during the night and fell asleep at school in the morning. He slept so deeply that he didn’t even hear the bell, which woke the monk.

When the monk saw the sleeping boy, he angrily took Lee by the ear and started screaming:

“Ah, you, little weasel! How dare you fall asleep in my class?”

“Teacher,” said Lee, “It just seemed that I slept. I was with Buddha and listened to His wise words.”

“And what did the all-powerful Buddha said to you?” snarled the monk.

Lee replied, “The all-powerful Buddha told me: ‘Never in my life have I seen your teacher.’ “

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The Happy Miller: a Devil Story

I went to a Lakes of Canada show recently in Montreal and they had a new album for download from their Bandcamp page. It prompted me to rediscover Bandcamp, so I decided to experiment and put up a new story there for download. Have a listen!

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WHY DO PEOPLE SHOUT WHEN ANGRY ????

A Hindu saint who was visiting the river Ganges to take a bath and found a group of family members on the banks, shouting in anger at each other. He turned to his disciples smiled, and asked.

‘Why do people in anger, shout at each other?’

The Disciples thought for a while, and one of them said, ‘Because we lose our calm, we shout.’

‘But, why should you shout when the other person is just next to you? You can as well tell him what you have to say in a soft manner.’ asked the saint

Disciples gave some other answers but none satisfied the other disciples.

Finally the saint explained, .

‘When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other to cover that great distance.

What happens when two people fall in love? They don’t shout at each other but talk softly, because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is either nonexistent or very small…’

The saint continued, ‘When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper as they get even closer to each other in their love. Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that’s all. That is how close two people are when they love each other.’

He looked at his disciples and said.
‘So when you argue do not let your hearts get distant, Do not say words that distance each other more, Or else there will come a day when the distance is so great that you will not find the path to return.

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Dear Dad

Dear Dad,
 
It was 9 years ago today that you closed the workshop for the last time and moved on past the Veil. 9 years! Someone was asking me about you just the other day and I said “He passed just a couple of years ago… No wait… It’s been almost 10 years!” Amazing.
 
In some ways, I’ve had lots of change in my life, some good, some bad, and some things have made me stronger, ever-striving to be a better man. Some things have not changed at all, but I’m happy to say that those aspects of my life are what make me happy.
 
You and I were very different people, but it’s also easy to see that I was your son. You created beauty with your hands, while I used my voice. We are both loners at heart, but we loved the company of good people. If we saw a need, we responded immediately and do what we could to meet that need. You taught me that lesson and I’m forever grateful to live by your example.
 
You were loved by all who knew you. I knew it back then, but I see it now too when your old friends see your face in mine: their expression softens, and smiles are spiced with nostalgic tears.
 
Today, I want you to know that I’m living a good life. This past weekend, I had a bad fall, but I was immediately supported by friends and loved ones, new and old. They made sure I was safe, held my hand, soothed my fears, and told me to shut up and let them take care of everything.
 
Friends, family, love, and community. That’s what you taught me Dad, this is your legacy and I’m living it. I love you, and although those were not words we said to each other often, it was a sentiment that flowed unabated not only between us, but through us, and outward to make this world better.
 
Rest well. I’ll be thinking of you today.
 
Your son,
David
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Bedtime Stories, Live Feed

Facebook has this feature called a Live Video which basically streams video out from your phone as you are recording it, then saves the video on your time line. It’s a pretty neat feature because anyone can tune into it and leave comments and likes and such.

Unfortunately, I cannot embed the video here, but if you’re on Facebook, you should be able to see the videos play.

Bedtime Stories v1 (the story actually begins at the 7:20 mark)

Bedtime Stories v2 (the story actually begins at the 3:00 mark)

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Epic Summer Plans

I don’t know what’s going on. Normally, summer is the quiet time for storytelling, but 2016 is turning out to be super busy! I’ve already got a dozen shows scheduled, so I’m going to post them here just to keep reminding myself that this isn’t a dream!

  • DONE — April 27th: Blood and Bones (Montreal) — Facebook event
  • DONE — May 4th (my birthday!): Voix de Ville (Montreal) — Facebook event
  • DONE — May 7th, 4pm: PorchFest (Montreal) — Facebook event
  • CANCELLED — June 18th, 6pm: Mythic Invasion of London with Professor Taelstrum (London, Ontario) — Facebook event
  • July 8th, 9th: Botanical Gardens (Montreal)
  • August 5th, 6th: Botanical Gardens (Montreal)
  • August 12th: Botanical Gardens (Montreal)
  • August 26th, 27th: Botanical Gardens (Montreal)
  • September 23rd-25th: Grand Canadian Steampunk Exposition (Niagara, Ontario)
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Blood and Bones: Poetry and Story

Join us for an evening of spoken word that flows the blood and stacks the bones. Featuring poet Natasha Clery and storyteller JD “Hobbes” Hickey and invited guests.

Blood and Bones
April 27th 2016 (Wednesday), 6pm – 9:00pm
Mariposa le Café
5434 Cote St-Luc rd.
Montreal, Quebec
Cover: $10
Facebook Event

Trigger Warning: there will be adult content. This show is not appropriate for children. Long term, the erotic content of this show may produce children.

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Northern Exposure: the Live Recording

A few years back, I had the unbelievable honor of sharing a stage at McGill’s Pollack Hall with Concerto Della Donna for a charity event (Northern Exposure). The last piece was called “Ost for vinden”, which was a Norwegian folktale put the music. I was the storyteller and Concerto Della Donna sang the songs. It was by far the most ambitious project I have ever undertaken (back then and ever since). Thanks be to Erika Wood for believing in me.

I had a personal copy of the recording, but due to rights and other legal stuff, I wasn’t allowed to share it with anyone. All I could do was play it for people in the car. Well now the author of that piece (Marie-Claire Saindon) has put the entire recording up on her SoundCloud page. If you’re going to listen to it, I highly recommend that you put headphones on and immerse yourself in it. It’s beautiful and has brought tears to many who have listened to it.