End War

God asks no man if he will accept life. That is not the choice. You must take it. The only choice is how.

                                                                    Henry Ward Beecher

LOVE STORY ... a story in pictures of two American heroes…

 

AND IT BEGINS . . . .

Getting Along - Murmuration

Are you exhausted at the end of week because you've been tiptoeing around someone's feelings, because maybe you are wary to trust them. See below for the ultimate display in cooperation. If only humans could collaborate in this way!

Murmuration - 

No one knows why they do it. Yet each fall, millions of starlings dance in the twilight above England and Scotland . The birds gather in shape-shifting flocks called murmurations, having migrated in the millions from Russia and Scandinavia to escape winter’s frigid bite. Scientists aren’t sure how they do it, either.



Murmuration from Islands & Rivers on Vimeo.

The People who Matter

I want something from a friendship. I want a connection that comes from sharing. There will always be someone around to carry on idle banter but those special conversations are don't happen everyday. You get to throw away pretenses and indulge in honesty with the people you trust.

What I want is the meaty, juicy conversations. The conversations that leave you at the end with the “aahh! I am so lucky to have this person in my life” or the "ooh, I didn't know that about you!". When you walk away, you often take some huge self discovery or some itty-bitty piece of learning. That’s where VALUE comes from. So when you encounter this, when you “don’t want the evening to end”, TELL these people how much they bring to your life. It will enrich both of your lives to hear these words we seldom speak.

TELL them how you have thought about the words they have shared in the past, and reflected about the lessons that they have learned. TELL them that you are proud to have them in your circle.

There will  always be someone at the water-cooler to sprinkle about niceties of the weekend or to commiserate about the weather. Those people are needed too but the best people are those who hold you up to be the Best You. They make you think and are far more rare and need to be recognized. 

They are the ones who ask and share the hard questions.

Are you You by any other Name?

I met a young man today, who had a rather unusual moniker. A name meant for a celebrity, or a successful entrepreneur or a king. He seemed bashful to be carrying the weight of his name, it was a lot to ask of someone who had not yet reached his full potential.

He told me how difficult it had been to spell it out when he was in grade one. He remembered his classmates, sounding out his name with concentration and quizzical expressions. He said that he had a hard time "deciding what he wanted to be when he grew up" because the name he had been given did not inspire mediocrity.

There are so many different ways that each of us struggle. It is harder for some to live up to expectation, and even more difficult if it starts and ends with your name.

This young man had been handed a handle that he couldn't handle and all he wanted to do was be anonymous.

A Reunion of Sorts

Have you ever been in a situation when you feel that you are owed an apology? When an estrangement came out of the blue, without provocation, and you were left speechless?

What do you do? How long do you wait for them to make amends? Do you want to reach out and risk rebuke?

Forgiveness is a choice. You might never be able to forget the pain that this person caused you. You might never be able to understand what you did to deserve this kind of treatment. You might even look back on your relationship and find that you were never fully trusting or compatible with this person. For what reason did you let this unsatisfying relationship to continue?

So the question is, do you do anything? Do you hide in your cave for a little while to recover, do you lick your wounds, do you get even? What do you do when your heart has been broken by a "friend"?

How you react and what you do (or don't do) is your choice. It is one of the hardest things that you will have to do, because in your action or inaction you will define who you are. Are you a Big enough person to move on or will you allow your hurt to turn you into a non trusting child?

One day, it is inevitable that your paths will cross. When one of you or both are in need of a further lesson. When that day comes, who will you be?

We do it because we Can

It was a sad day for many of us. I have never been to Boston, never seen the historic sites or the coveted halls of learning. I have however partaken in a race. I have not run, but I have walked, quickly with as much speed as is my default. I know the adrenalin, the exhilaration of completing after hours of training.

Last weekend, we were hit with yet another laugh from Mother Nature. We think it is (almost) Spring and then She tells us it is not. A long walk/run was scheduled. Some of us did our kilometres in tandem and eventually alone as each one reached his/her limit. Some (including my special G.) finished their 32km Sunday morning run.

And this is what the person who set the bombs in Boston, does not know. We don't give up easily, we are in for the long haul, we are warriors. We fight to be and stay healthy, we know that we are accountable to our fellow walkers/runners, and most importantly we do it for ourselves. Walking/running make us happy! It is a part of who we are, a part that we have strived to attain through battles on and off the pathways.

Some of the participants in the Boston Marathon will no doubt take a break. One runner from my home town who crossed the border to run, said that he would step back for a little while to process but that he would don his runners and lace up again...soon. We all need time to process the irrational behaviour that we encounter. Many of us do this while we are pounding the pavement.

Why do we get up in the dark hours of a weekend? Because we treasure this time, alone or in the company of our crew. We look forward to the opportunity to release our jobs, our laptops, our titles and our worries and to catch up with people whom we have grown fond of.

We might need to grieve the loss and suffering of our fellow runners but we will be at the next race. As Doc M. on our team said so simply and yet so profoundly "We shall run for those who can't."

Mystery in the Large

I would rather live in a world where my life is surrounded by mystery than live in a world so small that my mind could comprehend it.

Harry Emerson Fosdick

Reach High Today

Most people are not going after what they want. Even some of the most serious goal seekers and 

goal setters, they're going after what they think they can get.

Bob Proctor
Author and Speaker

Let's promise each other today, to dream big, dream outrageously. Write it down, make a collage, take a photo, make a painting of the biggest dream you imagine for yourself. 

Then start to Live It, let it float around in your head and with each small step you take, see it emerge.

Today allow yourself to be an artist, an athlete, or an entrepreneur and to be just plain happy. Live your dream. 

Reach HIGH today.

Gonzaga U., Spokane WA

 

Listen to Learn

Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself and know that everything in this life has a purpose. 

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross 1926-2004, Psychiatrist and Author

Today we found out that our favourite Yoga site was closing down in a few weeks. There was an audible groan from the participants as the announcement was made.

Even the most non-life-threatening changes in our lives cause us to re-assess. In the quietness of the studio you could almost hear the thoughts echoing in each others minds. Where will go to practice? Will we lose our pre-paid passes? What will become of us?

 Our lesson... breathe and wait. 

What's your Weight? (in a good way)

On the eve of a 4 day long weekend, three friends and I got together over some fantastic food and a bottle of wine. You have to appreciate having a friend who loves to entertain and insists that get-togethers be held at her place. Thank you S., you are a marvel. I highly recommend having someone like this in your circle if peeling and boiling are not in your repertoire!

Conversation inevitably circled into our individual dreams for the future, including how we would spend our immediate four days off. One was headed to the mountains, to see how much snow was left behind by winter. The rest of us were staying put, renewing (I believe the word used was "pedicure", retrieving (darn, it's almost tax time and researching (for a new project).

outside an art gallery, Spokane WA

All in all, we each get to choose what we want to do with our free time. The day will come, sooner for some of us than others, when the day will lie "work-free". We will not have a reason to fill up 35 or 40 or more hours each week. Perhaps over this last long weekend, we have been given a pause to think about what we will do when we do have that time (and what we need to do to get there).

What will weigh you down and keep you grounded to Be the Real You?