Friday Morning Dance Party – I promise no one is watching!

Look past the ballet barre, past Michael Jackson and Elvis. Your weekend is to dance like no one is watching. Get off the treadmill of the week and Enjoy It!

We are bound together

What I have learned, did not happen in the vastness of a library or reading in Wikipedia. What I’ve learned came through “Being”. From dark and lonely nights, from sick children and from holding up the mountain on my own. My quest for wisdom came through the pain in my heart.

"Your breaking heart makes room for your soul's work to be done".*

Everyone would like to learn easily but it is not the way of the Universe. We try to teach our children lessons without them suffering, but they will not grow with the confidence of success unless they too struggle as we did. We tell them, try this, try that, it will be so much easier for you than it was for me. But they do not listen because we all know that we must find our own specific lesson to growth.

As Caroline Myss says " At the end of the day, my true theology is that all life breathes together, moves together, heals together, and suffers together. How can it be otherwise? The illusion is that we are separate from each other".

We are bound together.

Portland, Oregon

* this is a quote from a much longer piece about Betrayal. It is something I kept from a long time ago but I have no recollection as to where I read this. If you know what these words are from, please let me know!

Mandino says Jump

To do anything truly worth doing, I must not stand back shivering and thinking of the cold and danger, but jump in with gusto and scramble through as well as I can.

Og Mandino

1923-19996, Author and Speaker 

In the wee hours of our Life

When I was raising children a few decades ago, a dad wouldn’t have woken with a vomiting child.

I entered the staff room today as two young dads were commiserating with a third. Dad number 1 was talking about the 1am event that had occurred at his house this morning. It involved a 2 year old vomiting everwhere, the washer and dryer running at that gawdawful hour and the 3 month old now thinking it was morning. Ah, those were the days! Their conversation then didn’t skip a beat as they went on to discuss how bright, hilarious and talented their children were.

Victoria, BC

I was so impressed at the openness and sharing of these young males, the stories they shared and how they shook their heads with the absurdity of it all. When I was a young mother, we did it all, especially and including the 1am shift. Times have changed, thankfully.

The imprint we want to leave in this world is left by our children's feet.

Stare it Down

You gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face. You must do that which we think we cannot.

Eleanor Roosevelt 1884-1962,
Social Activist and First Lady of the United States

No Ink on Me for Now

How does a person choose a tattoo to adorn their body? I am intrigued that someone would put something on permanently that they will wear everyday of their life. Perhaps it is, that I am not one who likes to display who I am to the world so openly or in some cases, so defiantly. A little surprise has always worked in my favour!

I won’t go down the road of the visual of the pretty flower on a shoulder at twenty, that will take on quite a different dimension as age happens. I don’t understand the ink put on a behind or some other more discreet location. Why such a personal statement where almost no one will see it? We change, and so we should. I no longer decorate my home in country or wear bright coloured stripes. I shudder to think of looking at that stage of my life everyday in the mirror when I am not that person anymore.

Granted, I have seen some beautiful pieces of art but even the Mona Lisa would be boring 24/7. I know there is a story behind each tattoo I’ve seen. I know that many are done as a tribute to someone special or to a life-changing incident. How does wearing that story every minute of your life shape you? Does it allow you to come to terms or keep you chained? I would like to understand more. Tell me about the story you painted on.

Your thoughts? What are your experiences with wearing your heart on your sleeve?

Friday Morning Party with Keb Mo

The delicious tones of Keb Mo for your Friday Morning Dance Party.

Our differences are just a disguise. We are all the same inside.

Painting on Walls

“Stand for Something or you will fall for Anything.”
credit unknown/disputed
(Click to Tweet)

In my house, I had painted on several of the walls. Quotes and thoughts that were inspirational, motivating and a reminder to me each day. I found the perfect font, enlarged it so that it fit in the space I’d chosen, altered and adjusted the placement. It was joyful work that required patience and at times balancing on countertops.

Now I am ready after a long hiatus to put my mark on my current space. The question arises “which words are deserving of your paint?” Within the safety of walls that are just yours, where you can express your inner soul, what do you say? I am now more of who I AM than I used to be. What words should I paint that tell the story of that journey? I am deciding on that right now.

If you were to paint your walls with a statement that speaks to who you are in the world, what would it be?

What statement would you paint on the walls of your world? (Click to Tweet)

Forever your Body

Sometimes, you just have to look down at your body and marvel at what it has given you. Because let’s face it, very few of us are satisfied. We bemoan our short legs, tight hamstrings, and aching knees. Giving thanks to our less than perfect bodies is not something most of us are comfortable with.

We’ve all  read articles about how many miles our feet have walked, how many weights we’ve hoisted (including carrying babies and bags of groceries), and how many things we’ve lifted above our heads. Our body has stretched, shrunk and compensated for its inherent flaws. How do we acknowledge what we have received from our bodies and with compassion nudge it past its default?

I walked 5.18 km on Sunday morning, my walk was supposed to be longer but the elements got the better of me. It was cold and windy and I was grateful that I had a scarf to cover my face against the wind blowing off the reservoir. I didn’t pass a soul for the first thirty minutes. I questioned my sanity, the thickness of the gloves I’d selected and regretted not carrying my iPod which always distracts me enough as my feet move. Then I remembered the article I had been reading that described our body as our vehicle in this lifetime. We can use it, nourish it and keep it working as best we can, or we can fill it with lots of easier but poor choices. I realize that I probably should have walked further yesterday.

I want to be able to move at a reasonable pace as life goes on, I honour the 80 year old whom I meet sometimes, he walks the same route 365 days a year, no exceptions, no excuses. Can you imagine being that committed to maintaining your vehicle? We all need to lay the foundation and have the same discipline with our bodies.

As I continue to age, I want a body that allows me to stay active and contributing to the world. I want to be that old lady who wears a hat and hops on the bus to go shopping on Wednesdays!

Friday Morning Party with Joe and a hat.

Happy Friday. Give thanks for having someone in your life to dance for! Life and Love are to be celebrated.

Greeting Winter at Winterstart - Banff Nov 3rd

photo credit http://www.banffwinterstart.ca

Winterstart is an annual 8 Km race that starts at 7pm, heads out of town and up Tunnel Mountain. If you haven’t done a walk/run at night, I’d highly recommend it, but do use a head-lamp!

Gather a crowd of like-minded exuberant participants, throw in some anonymity of darkness, camouflage with a costume if you choose and voila, guaranteed fun! Starting in front of the Caribou Lodge, you could feel the energy as running shoes bounced and danced from foot to foot in anticipation of the START. Participants were generally buoyed by the camaraderie they found with complete strangers. I think that there might have been the occasional fueling with substances other that water. (Overheard: “Oh, that Red Bull and pizza might not have been a good idea!”)

Carrying your glow stick, wrapped in Christmas lights or wearing a fluorescent necklace from a Loonie Store, everyone shared their own joy! The lights of returning runners down the mountain against the dark, raining skies gave those still heading UP the mountain the encouragement that was needed. Our running shoes were wet, our clothes were soaked, our glasses were smudged but we made it to the FINISH!

Setting a goal and running up any mountain in the pitch of night is a little scary. Just like any goal, there are unexpected bends in the road when surely you must be at the “turn-around”. The darkness of the unknown gave us the jolt to keep moving past the scary places, because the shining eyes at the side of the road could only be small animals, right? As conversation ebbed and our legs tired, seeing the lights of the town in the distance made us all quicken our step. Our goal was literally in sight. It was not the time to quit, one step in front of the other, the other, the other.

Whatever your race might be, however long it takes to get there, pat yourself on the back. The Finish line is always incredibly sweet.

Thank you Banff for a great party, the warm weather in spite of the rain, and the promise of another great race next year.

Make room for the Moment

Life is made up of moments, small pieces of glittering mica in a long, stretch of gray cement. It would be wonderful if they came to us unsummoned, but particularly in lives as busy as the ones most of us lead now, that won’t happen. We have to teach ourselves how to make room for them, to love them, and to live, really live.

Anna Quindlen

Anna Quindlen is a Pulitzer Prize winner (1992) of her New York Times column, she has written five bestselling novels. 

Enjoy your Friday and sit still if you can!