Things I've Noticed...

I purchased a stamp today in order to mail a sympathy card...I was given the one in the top right corner...and said to the clerk, "this is probably the ugliest stamp I've ever seen..." and she agreed. We're hosting the 2010 Summer Olympics in Vancouver...and these are the best we can do? Created by children I'd expect...and I love that we promote the art of our youth, however, I find these stamps extremely unattractive...and when these go outside the country what do others think of us? True...they are only stamps. But I thought how sad that I was decorating the envelope of a sympathy card with something so unappealing. Perhaps others don't look at the postage stamp.

I noticed language and barriers while in the post office. I live in a suburban area of a very large urban centre. There are many people living here who come from other countries, other worlds, other cultures and they have chosen to make Canada their home. This is not about whether or not this is "appropriate" or whether or not I approve. This is the world. We all inhabit it. We all share it. I was struck by the older woman who was obviously from India. She was trying to pick up a package that had been delivered to her while she was not at home. In order to pick up a package you must show ID that includes your name and your address. This woman did not have that. The post office clerk was very patient in asking for what she needed. The other woman was at a loss. Over and over the clerk politely told her that she would need to show some ID that included her address. Eventually the woman was given a pamphlet that explained it and told to come back after having someone explain this in her own language. One man in the lineup tried but they obviously speak different dialects as the woman was still confused. I noticed the woman approach a young woman who went through it with her. I was struck by how difficult everyday life is for those who come from other worlds and don't have English as their first language. It's easy to say "learn the language" but I believe it is probably difficult for older people to learn. That isn't to say that it isn't important to try and as I don't know this woman's story, I can't speak to that. Luckily there is a large enough population of so many cultures that newcomers are bound to bump into someone who can help. As I stood there I thought how difficult it would be for me if I was in a different country and didn't speak the language. I suppose there would be fewer of my culture, my countrymen to help me and I realized how diverse my own country has become, even in the last 5 years. I also realized that communication is much more than just words.

I noticed the other day that David Caruso is a very bad actor. I was watching old episodes of "CSI Miami" and laughing with my son about how comic he is...the lines he is given, how he delivers them -- he is almost a caricature of himself. And I noticed how good it was to laugh at that -- not at him, at what he does, what he says. And yet the programme is still enjoyable even with his one liners and those insidious sunglasses. He even holds them in his hands when he shoots his gun. Now THAT my friends is talent!!! lol!!

Reaching Potential...

I've been thinking a lot about potential. What that means to me, what it means to my children. How we reach our potential and is potential something that keeps changing? Do we ever "reach" that potential and if we do, what then? Can the bar continue to be raised if we have it low enough to begin with, or should that bar be high, so high that it takes us a lifetime to reach the pinnacle? I discovered this quote from Michelangelo that speaks to this and I believe it is true for so many of us.

"The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it."

*photo "reaching" originally uploaded to flickr by Joe Thorn November 6, 2006

Where Beauty Lives..

Yesterday a day filled with sunshine and warm air...today dull, grey and rainy. One a happy mood, the other a sad mood...however I've decided that even in a downpour, one can find a happy mood. We need some rain -- the ground is beige so the grass and those little shoots poking up from the earth need to be nourished. Baby birds will be hatching soon -- they'll need worms to grow.

I've been finding beauty -- and chose to leave my camera behind. I've wanted to "see" with my eyes without a lens in front of me to block my vision. I've heard beauty in the song of a bird, the whistle of a train, the voices of my children, a new song on the radio. I heard a baby cry in the grocery store. I watched it when my children reminded us to turn out the lights in the house last night to honour earth hour.

I've been browsing photographer's work on etsy...the wonderful talents and visions. The above photograph is by Aufilde, entitled "printemps" and is not to be copied or used for personal use. Please visit the etsy shop to see more of this beautiful work.

Seeking...

*photo seek beauty originally uploaded to flickr by sarajea January 25, 2008

Today I will spend my time seeking beauty...not just the obvious beauty that is easily recognizable...I'm looking for the beauty in the everyday, the beauty in what would otherwise be considered ugly or unusual or not worth a second glance. I truly believe that beauty abides in everything. I'll let you know what I discover. Where do you see beauty?

A Lightbulb Moment About Routines...

Routine. Same old things, day after day. So ingrained that you could do your daily routine in your sleep -- and sometimes the routine could put you to sleep. Routine is comfortable, we know it, it's familiar and it's "safe". It also becomes stale, flat and lifeless.

I've been thinking about this for awhile and I noticed it quite heavily this morning as I was preparing my coffee -- in the same way, at the same time, in the same cup. I stopped the process for a moment to pay attention to what I was doing. Then I asked myself -- "is this what I really want this morning?" I continued to make the coffee and as I was sipping it I paid attention to the flavour, to what I was taking in.

No question..it's time to shake up the routine, take on some new projects, some new ways of doing things. Challenge doesn't have to be large, monumental or difficult. It can be as simple as changing the routine of starting or ending the day.

How fresh are your routines?

*photo changes in my morning routine originally uploaded to flickr by Clara Zamith February 1, 2009

Telling Stories...

If I listen hard enough and wait patiently, more times than not, the direction I need becomes clear. It's all about "signs", the things that are placed in my path that give me the notions and the thoughts that provoke me and nudge me...sometimes softly, sometimes like great boulders.

The other night I started reading the Pulitzer Prize winning novel, "Gilead" by Marilynne Robinson. It's enjoyable enough...but I admit, it is a slow read. A very slow start which never really gathers steam. Yet I continue to read, to work my way through this book. It's not a long novel by any stretch at only 247 pages. But there are no chapters, no real divisions in the book, so I stop where there seems to be a natural pause. I haven't questioned why I'm continuing to read this book -- it's not gripping, it's not a quick page turner. It seems to take me a long time to read each page. I've decided that's the way it is meant to be read. That's the way it was written, so that the reader will take the time to ponder and absorb the content.

This is the story of a man who is nearing the end of his life and he's writing his story, the family story for his son. Something that his son will be able to read, to know the stories, to know his history. And there was the reminder. Something that I have set myself to do. Something that I have been putting off. Here is the "boulder" that has fallen into my path. What made me choose this book over others when I was in the library? Divine guidance I'd say. I had picked up the next novel by this author which mentioned her previous work so I chose that as well.

Every life has a story, usually more than one. Isn't your story worth telling?

*photo originally uploaded to flickr by ((Jenny)) January 6, 2009

The Power Of Chocolate....

*photo originally uploaded to flickr by judi333 July 3, 2008

I was never a chocolate lover, until I had chemotherapy in 2005-06 and something changed in my chemistry. Suddenly, chocolate was something that I craved at specific times. Times like change, thinking, planning, searching for answers. I find I'll reach for chocolate in ways I never did before...it helps me think. That's my story and I'm sticking to it....now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to raid the "secret stash" ... I've some "thinking" to do...

...deep in thoughts....

...deep in thought...pondering next moves...new choices...what to let go, what to keep...going with the flow...

*image deep in thought originally uploaded to flickr by John Cockerham October 7, 2007

What You Want...Arms Open Wide to Welcome Spring..

Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems. Rainer Maria Rilke

I played this song on one of my old blogs ages ago...but it just seems perfect to me for the first day of spring...light, airy, breezy, toe wiggling, kite flying, bike riding...and I LOVE the words

The Shabby Nest...

I love to scroll through decorating blogs...fresh ideas, gorgeous photography, inspiration...so much possibility.

Check out The Shabby Nest in this post for a wonderful giveaway....and scroll through the beauty that Wendy shares. For more of Wendy's work, you can find her etsy shop here.

Showering - Women vs. Men

I just saw this video on someone else's blog and laughed...and couldn't get over the differences, the possibilities in this...some might consider parts of this crude...forewarned. I thought it was funny!!

Humungous Vision, Humungous Talent...

I am amazed at what people can do when they put their mind to it...I am amazed when people "see" something, have a vision and then set about making it happen. Perhaps amazed is not the right word -- I am enthralled and in awe. Sometimes it is with the written word, sometimes doing good for others, sometimes it is using creativity through art.

Dawn Supina is one of those people...she has just completed recreating a chair into a Van Gogh masterpiece...and she's done not one, but two of these chairs.

Please follow this link to see the amazing and awe inspiring transformations by this very talented, gifted and far seeing artist.

*photograph is property of Dawn Supina from her blog Art of Humungous Proportions and is not to be copied.

Reading and Reflecting...

*photo "to read" originally uploaded to flickr by Leonie July 17, 2008

"Reading without reflecting is like eating without digestion" - Edmund Burke

I love this quote by Edmund Burke...how often do we read and move on? Read something and simply allow ourselves to be entertained? Or take in words as simply words and not take that monent to reflect about what someone has said or intended? We might read something written to us in an email or a letter and take it at face value...we might misinterpret the meaning because we didn't take the moments to reflect about what the person was saying, what they meant, where they were in "that moment" when they said what they meant. Life is fast paced, it moves in the blink of an eye. What would happen if we stopped long enough to think about what we've read, what is behind the words that have been chosen?

Measuring Up...

Here is a wonderful article from Modish Biz Tips -- whether you are creative, running a business or not -- this applies to everyone.

*photo originally uploaded to flickr by miriness December 5, 2008

The "Good" That Can Come From Tragedy...

There are very few good things you can cull from tragedy...certainly most of us would not find the "good" in losing a child through a tragic accident. But there is good, there is positive as evidenced by the parents of the young man in our community who died this week. His parents donated his organs. Even in their grief they realized the value of life and that their son's life could still carry on and count to the benefit of someone else. It was said that this young man did many good things, lived a good life. It would appear that he will continue to do this. A life for a life never had such powerful meaning.

Have you signed your organ donor card or the back of your driver's license?

Organ Donation and Transplant Association of Canada

International Association for Organ Donation

Secrets, Darkness and Mystery...

This morning as I was reading the prologue to a book about Alfred Hitchcock, I began thinking about his films that I've enjoyed ... the mystery, the suspense, the "hold your breath" waiting for the other shoe to drop, and thought back to where this love of suspense and mystery began.

I credit Carolyn Keene and Nancy Drew for my humble beginnings with the heart racing, breath stopping lure of discovering what lies behind the closed door...and do you dare to open it.

I loved every one of the Nancy Drew mysteries. The titles alone made my eyes pop open..."The Secret of the Old Clock", "The Clue of the Tapping Heels", "The Mystery at the Moss Covered Mansion", "The Hidden Staircase", "The Secret in the Old Attic"... I was spellbound by the daring and the intelligence of Nancy, Bess, Ned and George. Never mind that Nancy had her trusty red roadster to get her from mystery to mystery and trusty Hannah Gruen to make sure all her needs were met...I was enthralled by the sense of daring and danger.

It wasn't a stretch for me to stay with that genre once I had finished the Nancy Drew series and outgrown that level of reading material. Daphne DuMaurier slithered into my heart and replaced Carolyn Keene's innocent mystery with much darker tales, and I cannot forget Charlotte Bronte's Gothic heroine Jane Eyre...the book that continues to be near the top of my favourites.

This has made me realize that who we are at age 10 continues to grow and flourish with us as we age and I can still "feel" how I felt holding those Nancy Drew books, sitting in my bed long past the time when lights were meant to be out, reading along with my flashlight illuminating and adding to the mystery.

As my son and his friends head off to a funeral this morning, I am reminded more than ever about how precious this life is and how short it can be. Hug those that you love and be kind to others...you never know what loss they may be coping with.

Plucking Wings...

In response to my post about mean spiritedness and mean spirited people, Kim Mailhot, otherwise known as the Queen of Arts, was reminded of the above artwork that she had created and wanted to share with me. With Kim's permission I am sharing it here as well.

Kim is a talented artist who has the ability to transfer emotions and feelings into her work which is expressive and often poignant. The piece here refers to "Gross Gordon" someone with whom we have all come in contact with at some point in our lives. It may have been the child we knew who physically did this type of thing to insects and derived pleasure from it. It may be someone we know who emotionally and/or verbally "plucks wings" which makes him (or her) feel better about themselves.

As Kim described to me, when the "Gross Gordon" who is part of her life begins his "plucking" on those she holds near and dear, she gives those people extra love, extra kindness and reinforces the goodness in them. A powerful antidote to the poison that can be used as a weapon by those who don't know love, kindness, self-worth and self-acceptance.

If you would like to see more of Kim's creative work, check her blog and her etsy shop.

*original artwork by Kim Mailhot is not to be copied without permission.

Prisoner of Our Dark Thoughts

When I was reading Marlena De Blasi's "The Lady In the Palazzo" I was taken by a comment made by one of the characters, Miranda, who said:

"knowing what to forget is as important as knowing what to remember"

It made me think about how much time and effort it takes us to remember the dark thoughts, the negative things, the bad things, the unhappy things that happen in life, sometimes at the expense of the more wonderful memories. Why do we drag ourselves down and keep ourselves down with our negative thoughts and emotions? Would it not be better to let them go and devote more time to the positive, happier thoughts we have? What change would happen if we did?

*image of "dark thoughts" originally uploaded to flickr by bluerose December 4, 2007

From the Inside...Out...

♥ No amount of self-improvement can make up for a lack of self-acceptance ♥

Robert Holden

Mean Spiritedness

*little mean girl originally uploaded to flickr by Moliere 1331 May 30, 2007

A number of years ago when I was in the midst of chemotherapy I was involved with a group of people, some of whom made that experience bearable and empowering, some of whom made it, or tried to make it, a load to carry on an already burdened back. I knew these people and worked with them and their children through my son's sporting activities, and because I was in a position of "authority" (for lack of a better word), they seemed to feel that I had "power" and that they did not like. Stripping me of that was their goal. That they didn't like me was evident and something that I simply had to cope with, but most of their dislike came from the position I was in...how could it not be. They didn't even "know" me as a person, therefore it had to be about "who" I was in their eyes. That they were misinformed and mistaken about the "power" I had was not irrelevant. It took only one or two people to begin talking to create an arena of meanness, based on what they wanted to have and could not have and deciding that I was the barrier to their desires.

There I was, already beaten and bowed with cancer and dealing with it's treatment. I was "down" but I was far from "out" and yet, they didn't know that either. They knew nothing of my strength, my resolve, my spirit, my faith, my core of support from caring, giving, compassionate people. But they knew how to seize an opportunity and were quick to kick me while I was down at every opportunity they could create. In my naive innocence, I was stunned that people would stoop so low. I was already in a precarious state with not just my health, but with my life, and here they were, having a kick at the can to satisfy whatever their "need" was. My innocence about people was quickly killed along with all the living cells in my body. But I took from this experience and I learned and I "understood" and realized that the very act of meanness, of mean spirited people has been alive since the dawn of man.

I was reading an excellent essay on this at Deryn Mentock's blog last week. Part 1 and Part 2 - both worth taking a moment or two to read.

Healing Expressions...

ATC ACEO Print by Lani Kent of Healing Expressions

Artist Lani Kent of Healing Expressions is a therapeutic arts facilitator and self taught mixed media artist. Lani expresses healing messages to inspire others towards healing and recovery through her art and her words.

The message on this print speaks volumes to anyone, whether you have been hurt or discouraged by others, or you fear stepping out into the spotlight. Asking yourself what would happen if you did? What might you discover about yourself? What is holding you back? The answer to those questions comes from within. And Lani is right....what if the world is just waiting for you to try? The answer to that is quite simple. It is.

ATC ACEO print by Lani Kent of Healing Expressions

To see more of Lani's work please check her etsy shop Healing Expressions or you can find her at her blog.

These prints are copyrighted to Lani Kent and Healing Expressions and are not to be used without permission. Many thanks to Lani for her permission to use them here.

Life is a Verb...

I first heard about Patti Digh's book, "Life is a Verb" sometime last year and made a mental note that it was one I would definitely want to read. Time has a way of moving forward faster than we can keep up with sometimes, and it was only last week that I thought to order my copy of this wonderful book. I've already read it cover to cover and will now be going back through it to follow some of the exercises (called "actions" and "movements" in the book), to increase my own intention and mindfulness.

Patti Digh started writing these essays on her blog 37 Days and was then encouraged to turn the essays into book form. The question of "why 37 days?" is described as follows in the prologue of the book:

At some point in your life, you'll only have thirty-seven days to live. Maybe that day is today. Maybe not.

Such a day arrived on October 24, 2003, for a 6-foot, 5-inch-tall man with a southern accent, a golfer's tan, five World War II Bronze Stars, and a forest-green Lincoln Town Car. On that beautiful autumn day, he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He died just thirty-seven days later.

That man was my stepfather, Boyce. I helped him live -- and die -- in those brief days between diagnosis and death, a process that prompted me to ask,

What would I be doing today if I only had thirty-seven days to live?

An amazing concept? Not really. What it comes down to is mindfulness. Being aware of what we do, every. single. day. Of how we live, of how we speak, of the things we "worry" about that aren't worth worrying about, of how we choose to think about the things that we do, the
things that are "done" to us, the things that are happening around us. Living intentionally isn't an unheard of concept, but it is one that we take for granted, that we don't give enough credence to. Patti's words and her experiences open the window to shed light on something that has been there all along, but to which most of us have kept the curtains drawn.

A few years ago I had a day where the reality of my own mortality hit me like a sledge hammer and I knew I might only have 37 (or less, maybe more) days left to live. And from that moment I began to live a more mindful life. This book has been a wonderful reminder to continue doing that, to make sure each day I find the possibility in life.

What would you be doing if you only had 37 days to live?

Experience Life...

Experience Life - Charm Necklace by Brenda Wampler

I was reading a blog interview about Brenda Wampler last week after which I scrolled through her blog and her etsy shop where my eyes were drawn to this charm necklace that said "Experience Life".

It doesn't say "live life" or "live your best life" as is so often said, it says "experience" life and I couldn't help but think about the difference between simply "living" life and "experiencing" life. How often do we go through the motions, go through the days of routine that we could probably do in our sleep? How often do we stop and "experience" what we are doing, even the most mundane tasks like driving, doing the dishes, preparing a meal? Experiencing life doesn't have to mean going white water rafting, travelling the globe or thrill seeking. It can simply mean experiencing that moment...the smell from peeling an orange, the sound a bird makes early in the morning, the feel of a pet's tongue when it gives you a kiss. And how you feel about those things, how they make you feel.

What a wonderful reminder -- to experience what you are doing every moment, every day.

*Brenda's work is copyrighted and is not to be copied. It is shared here with her permission. To see more of Brenda's work please check her etsy shop and her blog.

I love this quote, found at the wonderfully inspirational blog, Creature Comforts.