I just passed a young man who was sitting on the terrace of a coffee shop.  His face had a number of large lumps.  A friend of his was also walking by and the two of them waved and smiled.  Lovely.

I think of the word “disfigured” …

Having a physical appearance that is badly damaged, spoiled or marred

But that’s not it.  Spoiled according to whom?  There were simply lumps.

The woman in the picture has a lump on her neck.  It’s red, in contrast to her white skin.  Yes, she should have it checked out to see if the redness is important but basically the message many of us receive here is “White is good and red is bad.”  Perhaps not.

We humans also seem to have a thing with smoothness.  Her neck below the lump is “lovely” and “youthful”.  The bulge is an interruption in the flow of beauty.  Perhaps not.

If I see the fellow on the terrace again, I’ll say hi.  I’ll see if he wants to talk about the probability that some people don’t see him.  They just see an unusual face.

I’ll understand if he doesn’t want to talk.  I’ll smile and wave goodbye.

Okay, that’s not me … but it’s the same machine in which I spent a small part of my day.

My doctor at the Geriatric Clinic of AZ Sint-Lucas Hospital thought it would be a good idea for me to have a PET Scan of my brain.  I was injected with a radioactive glucose to assess the functioning of my noggin.

Apparently I stay radioactive until tomorrow morning.  And I have to stay away from pregnant women and young children.  I’ve chosen an easy solution – stay home.

I’ll get the results in a day or two.  This is good.  Are my memory problems just normal aging or is there something else going on?  Give me more information rather than less.

My job today is to rest and to drink about a thousand litres of water to flush out my brain and other body parts.  I can do this … at least the resting part.

I have a Zoom meeting in a couple of hours that I’ve agreed to go to.  Exhaustion is my current companion, along with sleep, but I’ll keep my word.  Words need to be kept.

***

Tomorrow or the day after I’ll let you know if I’m a normal human being

And that’s enough tapping for today

Today I’ll talk about Julian Alaphilippe, a French cyclist who just announced his retirement.

But first …

A few days ago I wrote about a beloved coffee mug.  I mentioned that long ago, each time I contemplated this woman, certain words came to my mouth … for years.  And that in August, 2026 I’d forgotten them.  “Maybe they’ll come back.”

This morning, as the delicious liquid trickled down my throat, three words came …

May love descend

Lovely.  And I can’t remember if they were from my Canada days or from today.  It doesn’t matter.  I feel a new tradition emerging.

***

And now Julian.

He won some races but that’s not what most cycling fans remember.  Julian rode with panache.

A grand, flamboyant and stylish confidence in manner or style

Julian attacked.  Not a nice word in wide society but a compliment in cycling: bursting out of a group of riders and heading up the road alone.

Here’s what one commentator had to say after Julian’s announcement:

Alaphilippe was pure electricity.  And like lightning in a charged sky, he connected in bright, powerful flashes.  In fact, I struggle to think of another rider who has connected with fans on quite the same visceral level.  He didn’t so much put you on the edge of your seat as reach through the television and pull you into the race.

And other reactions:

Always smiling, friendly, in good spirits and ready to make everyone laugh

…

You love life to the fullest, friendships, lightheartedness and living in the moment.

…

From your very first days as a pro, you dazzled the entire cycling world with your talent, your class, your smile, your incisive attacks.

…

You are one of the riders who has inspired me the most.  You can be proud of your incredible career.

***

May we all be deeply appreciated

I have a dream … less encompassing than Martin Luther King’s but important to me.

I want to sing beautiful songs while I’m playing a harmony line on my cello.

I don’t want to become a better cellist.

I don’t want to play fast pieces with lots of notes and position changes.

I don’t want to keep taking music theory classes which naturally are taught in Dutch.

Just simple harmony lines joining with inspiring lyrics and soaring melodies.

I want to sing and play

John Lennon’s “Imagine”

Listen

Can you hear a harmony hiding within the melody?

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=rAn-AWXtHv0&si=UaGrdPhkDrRHMRyK

Yesterday I went to Arpeggio Music and talked to Harm, who works there and also is a cello teacher.  I wanted to know if he’d heard of the app MuseScore.  Someone had told me that I could use it to develop harmony lines on the cello.

Harm told me that he uses MuseScore every day.  He said it would be challenging and doable.  He suggested that I focus on scores that join voice and piano.  Potentially the left hand part on the piano could work as a cello line.

And so …

It’s time to explore

I wrote a few days ago about Yvette, my friend who visited me in Gent after twelve years of being absent from each other.

Yvette has come to Belgium with three other old friends of mine … the same twelve years.  Yesterday they started an eight-day cycling trip from Bruges to Amsterdam.  They sleep and eat on a well-named barge called the Magnifique IV.

And yesterday I met up with them in the ship’s dining room, where they were having dinner with twenty-five other cyclists also staying aboard.

Hugs and smiles.  And afterwards … conversations of the heart.

I didn’t get the three guys’ permission to use their names or show their photos, so you’ll have to imagine.  Their ages are 68, 69 and 76.  So I get to be the senior in the group.

First there is “Jeremy”, a retired pilot.  He said he misses the freedom of the sky.  No doubt.  He also talked about his two sons who I believe are autistic.  They’re in their 30’s – one living in a group home and the other still with Jeremy and his wife.  The parents have endured decades of stress … and expressed decades of love.  They are heroes to me.

Then “Robert”.  A fellow who always seemed to be laughing in past years, and was doing the same last night.  A gentle soul whose son died five years ago.  We talked of me losing Jody and Robert losing his boy.  And how the pain, while still in our hearts, has mellowed over time.

And “David”.  He was one of the leaders in creating a bridge club in London, Canada … because he loved the card game and wanted others to join in the love.  Today there are over 300 members, and games most nights of the week.  Wow!  First there was nothing.  Later there was something.  Well done, David.

***

It’s my loss (and their loss) that we floated away from each other years ago.  And our gain last night … a reunion.

If all goes well, I’m returning to Toronto and London for a visit in September, 2027.  I’ll have old cycling buddies to chat with once more.

Here I am sitting in the Grand Place in Bruges.  I’m the one behind the camera.

I’ve been talking to a nice old couple.  (Hmm … perhaps younger than me!)  They’re from Groningen in the north of The Netherlands.  Their son spent time living in Canada.  >  Where?  > London.

Where I’m from.  We had a jolly conversation about Canada and Europe … and other stuff which escapes me at the moment.  It was fun.

***

Earlier I sipped my cappuccino in Izy Coffee and chatted with the barista, who’s from Glasgow, Scotland.  That was fun too … talking about life with someone at least fifty years younger than me.

I decided to tell her about my favourite book – “The Wise Heart” by Jack Kornfield.  Years ago I would never have done such a thing.  Intrusive, I thought.  Now I don’t care about that.  “You’re free to ignore everything I say.”  She smiled.

***

Next up on the bench I was renting was a family from Rome.  Here you see Michele, Alessia, Stefano. Stefania and Bruce … all Italian.

More talking about life, this time including my stay with friends in the village of Riardo – between Roma and Napoli.  Plus the ecstasy of tasting tagliatelle porchini with divine olive oil.  Oh, the taste bud memory!

I asked Stefania what she enjoys most about Stefano.  “His love of travel.”

I asked Stefano what he enjoys most about Stefania.  “Her empathy.”  Great answers.

***

Tonight will be a lovely event in my life.  I can feel it approaching.  You’ll just have to swim in the suspense overnight. 

All will be revealed

I brought a lot of coffee mugs with me across the Atlantic Ocean.  I remember sitting in Canada and saying “Yes” to some and “No” to others.

A month ago, there was another purge.  Many of the mugs no longer sang to me … and so they found their way to the Oxfam second-hand store.

What remains in my kitchen are about fifteen objects that warm my hands as they wrap around the ceramic.  I decided to use a new one every day for two weeks.

And here you see the choice of today.

I’d forgotten about it.  Not once in three-and-a-half years did I drink in the woman’s raised hand.

Then I remembered.  She had been special to me for years in Canada.  There were even certain words I said each time I’d lift her to my lips.  And now they’re gone from my mind.

***

There’s a renewal here

May this woman grace many of my mornings …

For a very long time

And may I remember the long ago words

Or watch new ones emerge

I have heroes … and no one makes me smile as much as The Dalai Lama.  I have a DVD of him, simply sitting, simply loving us … with words and beyond.  He seeps through my TV screen and into my heart.

Here is a gem of the spirit:

If we choose to live our life caring for others – our human family and fragile planet – we will have made our life meaningful.  So, when the final day comes, we will look back without regret and feel that our life on this earth has been worthwhile.

For many years, I’ve had the thought …

I could die today

No bells and whistles

No gnashing of teeth

No regrets

Just dying

I don’t want my end to be impending but I’m okay if it is.  I’ve only started touching my current dream … and I’d like to stay for awhile and see it expressed.

Singing for people while accompanying myself with a harmony line on the cello

Cool.  I don’t usually like writing in “Bold” but this time it fits.  The dream is big.

***

And if I fade away before John Lennon’s “Imagine”

Comes out of my mouth and fingers

I’ll be laughing as I exit stage left

This morning my daughter “Alison” and I met in front of my apartment before walking to AZ Sint-Lucas, the local hospital.  We were in the Geriatric Clinic for five hours … as nurses, a doctor and a psychologist explored my memory loss issues.  The verdict (still ongoing) seems to be “normal aging”.  Sounds good to me.

Before Aluson arrived, I sat on a chair facing my street – the Oudburg.  The view to my right was blocked by a big rectangular structure.  It was clear to the left.

I decided to soften my eyes and look straight ahead.  I also decided to make contact with those who came into my field of vision.

The first thing I noticed was that cyclists were too fast for this connection.  My mouth was opening to say “Goede morgen” but the rider was gone before I could get the words into the air.

Okay … time for pedestrians.  They move slower!

About twenty folks came by on foot.  Maybe eight said something in response to my greeting.  A few others just nodded.  And then three or four turned and stared.  The rest just kept on truckin’ … no response at all to my words.  (Sigh)

Not to be dismayed, I will try again soon.  The ones who were nice to me made my day.  I’d like some more of that, please.

***

What can be created on my doorstep!

I’ll keep finding out

I like this system.  Red flag means I’ll back away.  Green flag means I’ll go towards … emotionally, spiritually, sometimes physically.

I’ll start with green, because it’s funner.

1.  When parents are with their young kids, they really meet their eyes.  They smile.

2.  Someone is brave.  They say what’s in their heart.  Or they sing a song to a friend without being sure of the words.

3.  Old couples hold hands on the street, going slow together.

***

And then there’s red.  It’s usually more blatant and less powerful.

1.  A fellow at the gym bought a big bottle of water at a vending machine.  As he opened it, lots of water exploded into the air, and onto the floor.  He replaced the lid, wiped the bottle with a paper towel and walked away from the pond beneath him.

2.  A coffee shop customer yells at the server because his food hasn’t arrived yet, not noticing that she’s working alone in a nearly full restaurant.

3.  In another coffee shop, a family sits down.  The ten-year-old girl takes the opportunity to lie on the floor, doing an inside version of a snow angel movement.  The mother yells: “Get up!  You’re embarrassing us!”

***

I’m tired of witnessing red

I love witnessing green