Life in General

Our flight from Toronto to Paris was delayed by two hours while the company air-lifted in a fresh pilot from Montreal. Personally, I like the idea of flying with a well rested pilot at the helm. But, such a commotion there was as people lined up at the counter to air their complaints – voices raised, arms flailing, scowls from ear to ear.

Given that Air Transat deals mostly with vacation travelers, I’m guessing there were very few people on business trips that evening. However, some folks were catching trains or tours out of Paris, and, for a number of them, the window of opportunity to make their connections was squeezing tight. Things were about to get messy for them. (more…)

Sometimes there is truth in advertising. This license plate is attached to a racy yellow sports car that’s often parked on a side street near my home.

I walk past it most mornings, and it makes me smile every time. At least the owner is being honest about the power this car has over his or her life. It reminds me of that old line used often by comedian, Flip Wilson,  ‘The Devil Made Me Do It’!

Ever wonder whether or not it’s possible to get there from here?

These encouraging words from a signpost  in the French countryside assure us that it is indeed possible to get pretty much anywhere from here.

‘Toutes’ means ‘all’ in English.

Would that life were just that easy!

I could see by the name on the phone display, that the caller was an old and ailing friend. We hadn’t spoken for quite some time. Given that a mutual friend of ours had just passed away, I knew the call would be a long one.

I looked longingly at the breakfast bowl of Special K with Vanilla Almond bits (my crunchy favorite). I had just flooded the flakes with milk – and experience told me I was about 5 minutes from soggy.

My thinking went like this.” I hate soggy cereal. I love my friend. There’s more cereal in the box. Friends are much more precious than corn flakes.”

I picked up the phone and took the call. When the visit was over, I dumped out the bowl of soggy slush and poured a fresh one.

It was the right decision.

REFLECTION: Finding myself hooked into a nostalgic frame of mind, I can’t pinpoint just one thing that is making it difficult to settle down to work this week. I can say that there are more than a handful of possibilities.

Maybe it was the extended family gathering last weekend that celebrated one sister’s 40th birthday and another’s 50th. Maybe it was the fact that for the first time ever, all six sisters spent an afternoon together – without any parents, spouses, children or grandchildren at hand.

Perhaps it was having two daughters, one son-in-law, and a grandson under our roof over the long weekend – all headed back in the directions of their respective homes by Monday afternoon. It could have been the passing of two aunts in the same week.

It might have been the trip I took down memory lane as I junked out the address cards in the family rolodex – seeing the names and picturing the faces of my daughters’ school and sport friends – youngsters who used to be a part of our family life on a weekly basis. It could be the planning we are doing for my husband’s milestone birthday trip this fall.

Whatever it is, when the emotions simmer so close to the surface, it’s somewhat unsettling. At the same time, it’s a very strong reminder of what it really means to be alive in this hectic, changing world of ours. Relationships and experiences come and go throughout our lives, sometimes faster – and occasionally slower – than we might hope. (more…)

REFLECTION: In recent years, I’ve developed a morning routine that often includes a walk along the river, a meditative ‘sit’ on my riverbank rock, and a series of yoga stretches (in the backyard garden when weather permits). 

What I’ve noticed in the last few weeks, is that every routine brings with it a community of coincidence. For instance, my walk includes ‘stocky sunglass guy’ – the one with the stiff neck and rolling gait who always nods ‘good morning’. Then there are are the two women walkers – one a nonstop talker, the other a bemused listener – who power their way past me each morning with a brief nod in my direction. There’s the work crew that has been laboring away for a month now on a huge house along the river – replacing siding with stucco. (more…)

REFLECTION: For each of  the last fifteen summers, our family has spent a week at a lakeside cabin in northern Saskatchewan. The experience has changed over the years, but still each year there is the constancy of the lapping of the waves on the shore, the setting of the sun through the spruce, and the calling of the loons across the moonlit water. And each year we are there to witness the beauty around us and to be present to each other.

For many years now, a classmate’s cousins gather annually for a few days at the farm where they grew up.Though there is distance between them now, when they are together, the years and miles fall away. They live and play in carefree ways with those who remember where they’ve come from  and who they were when.

You could say that those who engage in ‘same time..next year’ experiences like these are lacking in imagination, stuck in a rut, creatures of habit. Or you might say that they are connoisseurs of connection. (more…)

REFLECTION: It’s rare that I devour a book in just one or two sittings. But that’s exactly what I did with John Izzo’s new offering, “The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die.” 

Round One:  feet up in front of the fire on a rainy afternoon. Round two:  feet up on the deck in the warm morning sun. Although the setting in which you read doesn’t make the book, this is the kind of message that lends itself to feet up for reflection.

The book is based on a couple of premises.  First, that we can recognize those who have discovered and lived wisdom in their lives.  Second, despite our cultural preoccupation with youthfulness, that those who are over 60 hold a unique and valuable perspective on what really matters and can be mentors for us all. (more…)

REFLECTION: In a recent Life Balance seminar that I facilitated, we talked about what makes for a renewing vacation. As you might expect, opinions differed. 

One participant reported her most relaxing vacation involved taking a cruise with her husband and children. She found the experience of being pampered and cared for by others (rooms tidied, meals served, entertainment arranged, technology unplugged) to be a rejuvenating contrast to her daily life.

In fact, she enjoyed the experience so much she has found a way to weave it into the regular flow of life by recreating a variation of the experience on a weekly basis. (more…)

   Fallen from glory, yes!

   Lost it’s youthful luster, yes!

   Beautiful all the same, indeed!