delight

What do a London teapot, a street artist, and a performance stage have in common? Not much. Each unique and slightly weird in their very own ways.

This fellow seemed rather grumpy sitting as he was on the display shelf in the lobby of the Montague on The Gardens in London. Life as a teapot can be tough!

The UdderBelly upside down purple cow caught the eye of this prairie farm girl as we made our way around the circuit on the London Eye. It’s a temporary performance theatre and stage perched on the Southbank, London. Certainly is colorful!

Street performers seem to be everywhere throughout Europe. I’m accustomed to seeing mimes and dancers, but this is the first time I’ve seen a psychadelic lizard on a bicycle. Drop a coin or two in his bucket and watch him pedal like crazy!

REFLECTION: On our last morning in Paris, I step out on the narrow balcony of our hotel room for one last time to see what’s happening in the street. Directly across the way, an elderly lady in her nightgown tends her window box geraniums. Several floors below a nun heads down the street, hands extended in front of her, holding what appears to be a blackberry. On closer inspection, I see she has two thumbs firmly fixed on the open pages of her prayer book. She traces the words as she walks. Not a blackberry prayer at all – something else entirely!

A few moments later we’re riding the airport shuttle winding our way through the city to Charles de Gaulle. Near the Sorbonne, someone has placed a bright red traffic cone on the top of a statue turning an elegant aristocrat into a redheaded witch. I laugh out loud. A few blocks later, homeless man sits up in his makeshift bed on the street. With his left arm he flaps his trousers in the air (perhaps his version of doing the laundry). With a grimace and wild motions of his right arm, he wafts away the odor left in their wake. My heart pings.

At every turn, there are sights to take in and moments to note. I’m struck by how much easier it seems to stay tuned when you’ve stepped outside your everyday routine.

A day later, on my first morning back in Saskatoon, I find myself wide awake at 3:30 in the morning (near noon in Paris). (more…)

There’s nothing unique or new about vending machines. They’ve been around for years. Here in North America we’re accustomed to using them for everyday purchases of soft drinks and snacks.

What can I say about a country where you can actually buy flowers from a vending machine?

This unit was located next to the ticket booth in a parkade in Avignon, France. The flowers were fresh and beautiful, too.

Talk about making it easy to pick up a bouquet for a special someone on your way home from work.

I love it! I’ll bet the recipients do, too!

REFLECTION: Over the years, I’ve grown to enjoy the ‘one a day’ practice. I’m not talking about an apple a day keeping the doctor away, or a one-a-day vitamin to keep the body ticking along. I’m referring to what are often called Day Books.  They’re collections of short essays or readings – one for each day of the year. These reflections shine a light on ideas or offer new ways of thinking about or looking at things. The best of them spark new perspectives to carry through your day.

One of the first Day Books that I dipped into years ago was a gift from a fellow ‘balance-challenged’ friend – a volume by Anne Wilson Schaef titled Meditations For Women Who Do Too Much. I’ve enjoyed many different Day Book types and topics over the years.

This year, I’m dipping into The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo.  The author’s struggle with cancer and his study of the human spirit have brought a laser like focus to his thinking about life. He’s an insightful observer and a skilled writer.

The sign of a good reflection is when its impact lingers beyond 24 hours and past the next reading in the book. It’s three weeks now since I read Mark’s January 20th treatise, and I keep coming back to his idea. (more…)

REFLECTION: As a way of celebrating the season of light and winding up each year on a thoughtful note, I’ve ended several years of Pause messages with reflections on one key word.  Peace, joy, love, hope and grace have all taken their turns in the spotlight.

This year, the word kindness springs to mind. Throughout 2010, I have experienced many kindnesses – large and small. I hope that has been the case in your world, too.

May these thoughts on kindness light a candle of compassion in us all – bringing a warmth and generosity of spirit that burns brightly through the end of the year and long into 2011. (more…)

Winter has definitely arrived in Saskatoon. An Alberta Clipper blew in yesterday and left about 4-5 inches of snow in its wake. I’m not a huge fan of winter. Autumn is my favorite season – mostly because of the colors.

That’s what made flipping back through my sketchbook so much fun this morning. It was a treat to be reminded of the brilliance of September and October – as captured along the Atlantic in New England and the Maritimes. A bit of a seasonal antidote to the whites of winter.

You might enjoy flipping through the images, too. Here’s a link to the Atlantic/Maritime images as posted to an album on my Facebook page. You don’t have to be a FB friend to take a peak. Enjoy! And, if you’re in the snow zone like me, stay warm!

REFLECTION: It was a sunny clear October day, and my husband, Dave, and I (along with another 20 passengers) were enjoying a sailing adventure on the Mar, a 65 foot tall ship that plies the Halifax Harbor. About a half an hour into the trip, we made our way to the stern to check out the view from aft and chat with the crew.

After a few minutes of conversation, Captain Tim looked at me and asked, “So, do you want to steer the ship?” Of course this prairie flat-lander jumped at the opportunity. For the next 30 to 40 minutes, I found myself at the wheel, taking instructions from the Captain: “Line up to the second pillar on the bridge. Hold her steady. Shift a bit – one spoke to starboard.”

Wind in my hair. Sun on my face. Excitement in my blood. I’m pretty sure my Norwegian Viking ancestors were bursting their buttons to see one of their own as a deckhand.  Although I made no navigation decisions, only followed instructions, I turned the ship around in the harbor, sailed between two offset marker buoys, came around the other schooner cruising the harbor, and headed the Mar to dock. Thankfully, the captain took over before we got too close to land. Steering is one thing – braking quite another! (Can you actually brake a ship?)

Anyway, the adventure turned out to be one of the highlights of my vacation. As I’ve been reading this week about motivation and engagement in the workplace, my brief sailing experience has morphed into a learning lab of its own. (more…)

Although I took lots of photos and painted many sketches while visiting New York City and traveling the coast of New England and Atlantic Canada, as you will have noticed, the blog remained silent throughout the vacation. I found myself too absorbed in the experience to want to spend time at the keyboard. So, now that I’m back to the everyday world again, I’m planning to post a few treats from my days away throughout the next couple of weeks. Here’s an appetizer – a sketch done at the top of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park near Bar Harbor, Maine. Wonderful landscape views and vibrant colors. I ate it up! Hope you enjoy it, too!

REFLECTION: Earlier this year, I wrote about the value of ‘Getting Out There’ – making time to spend a few minutes or a few hours in nature. My last Pause message in September touched on the struggle between getting ‘things’ done and taking time for a walk. It’s not my intention to turn into a broken record on this subject. However, two events have inspired one more commentary on the impact of walking on well being.

First, a personal experience. We spent the last two weeks exploring New York City and cruising the coast of New England and the Maritimes. For all its cabs and subways, NYC is a walking city. And walk we did. If we’d had a pedometer, I’d give you a reading. But we didn’t, so I can’t.

What I can tell you is that it’s a long way from Uptown Central Park to the Financial District at the south end of Manhattan. Our soles covered most of that territory – some of it repeatedly. (I loved Central Park.) We stayed on the 6th floor of a Midtown Manhattan hotel, and other than using the elevator to haul luggage on arrival and departure, we took the five flights of stairs to and from our room – often several times a day.

As for the cruise, our cabin was mid-level in the ship. (more…)

We met Jorge on Labor Day weekend as we strolled through the Old Strathcona Farmers Market in Edmonton. As you can see from his photo, Jorge stands out from the crowd.

When I complemented him on his haberdashery finery, he explained his reason for being dressed so well so early on a Saturday morning. You see, at 85 years old, Jorge is looking for a wife. And, in case, the opportunity arises, he wants to be prepared for the wedding. Now, that is what I call being ready for life!

Jorge told us he arrived in Canada from Bulgaria when he was five years old, and spent many years performing as a magician. He certainly worked his magic on us that morning, leaving us with smiles on our faces, and warmth in our hearts.

Good luck Jorge. I hope your search for a mate turns out well! I’m sure she’s out there somewhere!

PS – Here’s a sketch of the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market that I did from our hotel room earlier in the day.

If you’re ever in the Whyte Avenue vicinity on a Saturday morning, it’s worth taking the time to drop in – especially this time of year when the produce is tumbling out of the gardens and into the market.