Kilt Challenge complete!!

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                                                       It has been a interesting indeed, but day 30 has arrived of my Kilt Challenge. When it was started, I felt I wouldn't have enough combinations of kilt and shirts to make this much fun or to get into the part. Well, I was able to finagle things and at least be presentable with the kilts I own. Now that the wardrobe issue was settled, what I REALLY wanted to find out was how I'd react to a kilt daily and if that would put me off of doing this from now on. How would people react, discuss and see me as I wore it daily. These questions were answered quickly.
But, before that is revealed, here are all thirty days of kilt pics!!  March 1-30, 2015: (apologies for the same pose in so many. I admit to being a photographer but not the most photogenic person at all)

    

So, there you have all thirty days worth of daily kilt wearing. Now, to answer the above questions. How did people react to my kilt wearing in general? I get mixed reactions depending on where I go. If I'm at the supermarket I usually have positive remarks passed, along with every person I meet saying how they have Scottish heritage and so on and so on. Yep. Never fails. And that's fine. Then the ever present "Do you play the bagpipes?", which is usually THE first question asked by most everyone. Horrible stereotype of kilt wearing folk but, it comes with the territory.

The reactions from those at drinking establishments are a bit less enjoyable as there seems to always be a someone who has to make a remark about it. You know, the "nice skirt" or "nice dress" crap that one expects from drunks or ignorant people. These always come from men. Only once have I had an adult female say such a thing, that during a half marathon I ran. She was very quickly corrected by many others around her, loudly and with snarkiness.
She was educated very quickly about a kilt vs skirt.

Some days are better than others when people are concerned. Again, that's fine. I don't take offense but admittedly it does not make one feel really warm and happy when stares without smiles are the usual reaction. But, such is life. I LOVE wearing my kilts. And when I do, usually it turns out to be a most positive experience. I'd say 90% of the time.

And I'd say the ratio of those who make comments are 75% women vs 25% men. Perhaps a homophobic thing or just shy men. Not sure but I don't mind at all the attention from the feminine side of humans nor the men. It is a kilt! No need to be shy with compliments. But, if you want to be a smart ass and try to show off your ignorance in front of your friends and family, go for it. I have responses to all known comments. :-) 

Now, I have been wearing kilts quite often for a few years. But this is the first time I've ever worn it this often, this long. And I will say that I would not want to do it daily. I simply have too many other wardrobes necessary for my activities to be changing all the time, back and forth. Now, if I find a job soon (anyone looking for a kilt wearing employee who is semi talented at many things) and can wear it daily, sure, I will do that. Otherwise, I shall go back to wearing it two to three times a week and enjoying it that way. This challenge was a fun experiment. Frustrating at times, irritating at others and delightful at least 2/3 of the time. Hope you like the photos. The last here was my favourite pic of all.

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The path we all choose: leaving the past behind and losing my religion...on purpose.

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                                                    We all have some sort of path we travel in life, whether it is a spiritual, religious, secularist or totally random and nonconformist one. At least this is what I believe from my years on this beautiful rock in space. Some choose to just float by in their daily lives like logs in the river, letting the current take them wherever the flow seems to be going. Or they let external sources of movement, whether social, political or religious make their moves for them.
I used to be like this from the age of seven until forty one. During these many years in between I DID want to change things in my life and move in a different direction, but those same forces I wanted to leave behind were powerful in their magnetic pull. And unfortunately, many years were devoted to the pain of unhappiness and towing the line for a belief I really had no "faith" in. So, it was time to change. This was done in 2008 and the best move I have ever made in my life.

That tumultuous year in which losing my father was a major event, the losing of my religion also occurred. Yeah, now you are probably singing the REM song in your head and yelling at me for the ear worm. Sorry. :-)  But, it was a fact. After being on the inside of something I did NOT want to be part of for such a long time, breaking free to become MYSELF was of paramount importance , with the resulting happiness soon to follow.
No, it was not all religion, but mainly the organized variety.


                                                                 You know, the same one that dictates whatever you do MUST be within these parameters and confines, or you will have many bad things happen to you. Depending on the belief you could be shunned, go to hell, be killed for some offense you did or just not make that deity happy, thereby forcing immediate guilt on soul,mind and heart. Getting over such things like these is NOT easy and can haunt people for many years after leaving whatever system they came from. Yet, right after making this decision to do so, an intense wave of relief and calm washed over me and my entire being. Now, to actually DO it. This was done swiftly and without regret, informing the world that such a decision was a long time in coming and that happiness was now part of me. And it truly was!

                                                                   I was embarking on a new path, a road of exploration and study into my own soul, heart and mind. Where would it take me, what could be learned that didn't put me back two steps into a similar life and condition.  No way another organized religion would steal my soul. That left me with a spiritual open mind and one that pointed in a few directions. Most of those didn't offer me any answers nor a glimpse of much happiness, usually due to yet another devotion to a deity. What I wanted and needed was to get to know MYSELF. The me that had so long been controlled by others. Coming out in 2008 as bisexual also was a consideration as the new path and spiritual journey would simply have to accept the person I was born as and had become. Often we are prisoners in our own minds and mine was no exception.

This led me to study, research and investigate Buddhist philosophy more and more. No, not really the religious aspect and it's many sects. But the ideas and thoughts behind why it works so well for millions of people. Why it seems to set so many free from shackles of worrying about the future and whether we shall live or die in another life due to conforming to other human beliefs. Imperfect humans, just like myself. The thought of non violence, mindfulness, peace, happiness, simplicity and thinking with my heart and soul, not reacting with my emotions....all sounded very fine indeed. So that is the path I chose.
My focus was more towards the Zen Buddhist philosophies and meditation as well as mindfulness.And it also was a bonus that my shakuhachi studies also played a role in making me a calmer and more peaceable person. Yeah, I still have occasional lapses back to the pre-2008 James. No, he was not a bad guy and had some admirable traits.  But the James NOW was a much happier man and life had indeed changed considerably. Love meant more to me now than ever before, in a physical, emotional, mental and heightened awareness I had never experienced.

                                                                            No, we don't always pick the right path and have to veer or change it later on to survive or be happy. So far, this journey has been a delightful one that has made me profoundly happy and changed me as a human, a man and a sentient being. Will I change again in the future? Who knows. Not a soul on this planet knows the future and they are fooling themselves when they say "never". But, I will say this: the path I'm taking right now is an incredible and joyful one. I have wonderful people in my life whom I love with every fiber of my being and who support me as ME. Who don't judge me for whom I love, what I believe nor for what I DON'T believe. These are the lovelies I surround myself with and will continue to do so. As I travel this path with said beautiful people, some will accompany me and others will not. This is life.
Life it to the fullest, love everyone to the best of your abilities and don't have regrets. Be happy and love others, giving their lives that same happiness or it will all really be a waste of time.

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Day 10 of 30 in the kilt challenge!

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                                                                     So far this challenge has been an easy one and I'm not having problems with daily wearing of the kilt. Granted, the weather has been superb and very spring like so early in the year. The real test starts tomorrow as rain moves back in, making kilt wearing a less than agreeable way of keeping dry. Add that the acrylic or wool kilts wet do not feel good nor smell the best, well you get the picture.

                                                                    Here are the photos from the first nine days of the the challenge. Yeah, yeah, I seem to take the same pose a lot and I agree it needs to be varied and not so dull. But hell, I'm a photographer, not a subject! Yet, I know this can boring quickly.

There you have it. The first nine days with 21 left to go. I've yet to wear my Ross tartan kilt but will shortly and perhaps even full formal. With six kilts, two of them the same tartan, finding the right combination of shirt and colour scheme can be a challenge. One advantage to doing this every day is how quickly I'm getting dressed up. One does not simply throw on a kilt and walk away. :-)

                                            Next update will be at 20 days and hopefully better photos!!

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In a kilt for 30 days and the Fort Vancouver 12K!

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                                                                 Over the last four years, I have witnessed some of my fellow kilted friends, from all walks of life, wear their kilts daily for a certain length of time. This could have been for a variety of reasons, from showing their pride in their heritage to raising money for a worthwhile charity. Some of them simply wanted to see if they could wear one every day and how it would impact their lives. This is a great challenge and one that I have always wanted to tackle myself. I've now been able to assemble six kilts and feel better about wearing them for more than a few times a week. But....how long should I make this challenge? And why should I do it?

After looking at the calendar, I think that starting with a thirty day challenge as the best. It is very possible I will extend that after the 30th of March, but I will NOT shorten it. So, there you have it. I'm now going to wear a kilt daily until March 30th!!!

This challenge is not going to be for a charity, to raise funds nor to bring awareness to any specific holiday. Just to show pride in my Scottish and Celtic heritage as well as to show how kilts can look good and make a man proud to wear them.
Now, I might have to find a few more to add to the collection!


Now that I have agreed to take up this thirty day kilt challenge, I'll have to remember to switch up ensembles and NOT to wear trousers (unless it is necessary and needed). Of course, there will be times I cannot wear the kilt, such as when running,etc. But, I shall wear a kilt daily until March 30th!

                                                                                     The challenge began yesterday as I celebrated St Davids Day, a Welsh holiday known by millions around the world. I donned my Welsh Pride tartan kilt and a Cymru jersey as a tribute to this delightful event!

The colours in this kilt are superb, representing the Welsh flag in red and green and also adding yellow for the daffodil. I've always enjoyed the casual kilt combo with black boots and short socks. During the challenge I will also have some more formal kilt days with long hose and sgian du added as well as nicer and more dress up sporrans.


There you have it. The start of the kilt challenge. I shall try to get a blog up weekly with pics of the week's kilts and then post all 30 at the end of the month. Should be great fun!!















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                                                                Yesterday also marked the start of the racing season for me in 2015. I was not at my best after the last four weeks of illness. But, I was ready enough for a fun run and to not really be competitive. It was a cold yet sunny morning at 30° at Fort Vancouver. My running family was there as well as Dena as she attended her first race ever! Ann couldn't make it as she and Rob had previous plans. So to the starting line I went, sizing up who was going to be speedy racers this year.

 Last season it was a 15K race and this year, a 12K. but what a beautiful morning for a race!!   As I ran over the starting mats on my way eastward with all of the runners, I could feel it was going to be a decent day. The hill on 5th and to Evergreen was easier than I expected and I ran with Darhl most of the way till the river. At mile 3 my right hip, which is THE culprit of most of my body pain, was starting to scream at me. I ignored it and pressed on. but at mile 4 near the industrial area along the waterfront my sides started to hurt badly. Just the usual side splits a runner can get and these were nasty. They slowed me down from an 8:04/mile pace to 8:28/mile, making me drop back quite a bit. But, not much can be done when that happens and everyone reading this knows how that goes. So I lumbered on and hit the land bridge knowing it was getting close. The side aches lasted till mile 6, making it a tougher finish. Yet, I made it to the finish at 1:03:11, under the 1:10 I set as a goal yet not under 1:00 which I really wanted.  There were a few photos snapped and then it was time to get going and make our other appointments! A great racing day and I look forward to more this year!!





 As for results...I placed 79th over all out of 397, 8 out of 16 in my age group. Not a bad start to the season in my opinion!!

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