July 23, 2001
Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada4:51pm.
I am trying to publish everyday... cuz if I don't... I get back-logged, then it never gets done or the thoughts lose their freshness.
I don't write a journal separate from my site. I've been writing letters to people, and that is when I express myself, instead of journal writing. This is a letter I just wrote a couple minutes ago to Laura Smith:
Laura...
I was given your name by Andrew Vaughan, a photographer for The Canadian Press, after I told him a little bit about what I am doing. He said he read an article about you and was very impressed.
I still know very little about you, so I'll search the web a bit more, but you can check out my site: http://www.solomax.com and tell me whatever you think I should know about you. My main thing is trying to show that life is what we make it. I am focused on teaching through adventure and documenting inspiring people, and sharing these stories freely through the web.
August 18th to 24th, I'm leading a kayak trip from St. Andrew's to Saint John. Guest musicians will jam at camp fires... I'll teach photography... and all together we will make a movie. From what I know of you so far... you'd be welcome.
Hope to hear from you soon!
Love fearlessly,
Cory Richardson
Andrew also said I should check out Peter Beard, a bad-ass photographer living in Africa. He said Peter just does what he wants to do and doesn't care what others think about him. Sounds rad. Now I'm gonna search the web with his name. What an awesome time in which we live! The world's library is at our finger tips, with free access to information from anywhere on the planet instantaneously.
5:12pm. Peter Beard is an action hero. I just check out one page and it told his story in short form.
There are so many rad people... those are the folks I want to hang-out with... and learn from. I want to be one of those people. I want to walk on my hands. I've been practicing... and I can stay up for 3 to 5 seconds. I can juggle and walk the tight-rope. I wanna be a one man circus.
A few nights ago, I saw a group of youth hangin' out on the swing set at Seawood School. I chatted with them for several minutes, then, I don't know how it came about, but I started trying to walk across the bar on the top of the swings, up about 13 feet. I was afraid... and I fell a couple times(catching myself on the bar). Focused, finally... I did it. For those intense ten seconds... I had all the kid's attention. When I said I had a web site, some of the kids wanted to know what it was. One kid said his folks had my picture on their refrigerator. In the image, I am a silhouette, calmly cranking an 800 foot cliff in Yosemite, California. Another kid responded, "I always wondered who that was!"
I want to be a teacher. Getting kid's attention and holding it is the most challenging part of the job. If a teacher can't do that... then they are useless. I didn't learn much in school. My attention was focused on watching life unfold through the window. Now I am in a class of my own. My school has no walls-- no boundaries. I study whatever I want.. and teach whenever I got an audience. It doesn't matter what I am doing, as long as I am demonstrating that a person can achieve anything... when they focus on it.
5:35pm. G-dog just called, asking if I'd like to "rip-out to Welsford or the pillars?" "Welsford sounds nice" I replied. "You got wheels?" "Yeah, I'll just eat and be over in about a half an hour," were his final words.
So, to finish my little story... I got an email today that made me smile:
Hey, the other night you were at seawood school and there were a bunch of kids there. well.. i'm one of the girls that was there and my name is Alex. i was just looking at your website and WHOA! i'm so impressed! there is still so much to read and i intend to read it all. i agree with all you say about life and it is all about your experiences and that trip sounds amazing and geeze.. i don't even know what else to say other than i admire you and your life. you are so lucky to experience so many different things. Do you have ICQ or MSN messanger? i'm on it all the time. write me back please. i'm going to finish looking at your site. i love all the pics! Hope to hear from you soon,
ALEX
6:30pm.
