PAUSE -10.30- Take A Hike
October 19, 2010
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…)
Sweet Smell Of Summer
July 27, 2010
Freshly picked this morning from our front yard garden. Popped directly into a brandy snifter. Placed close at hand on my desk as I start my day. I know you can see it, but can you smell it? That sweet, musky rose colored scent of summer. Unbelievably delicious!
PAUSE – 10.17 – Getting Out There
June 16, 2010
REFLECTION:
It seems like weather everywhere has been pretty wonky so far this year. Here in Saskatchewan we’ve experienced record rainfalls. The dreary, grey cloud cover that delivers the daily driving rain has put a tangible damper on mood.
That changed as the last few days finally brought bright sunshine and warmer temperatures. There is a palpable shift in mind-set as people spend more time in motion and out of doors. Suddenly, the world seems brighter. Problems seem lighter.
Physical activity is a well known contributor to mental health. Moving around outdoors delivers an even greater bonus. There’s a whole world out there to engage in, nature’s beauty to appreciate, and a universe sized space that puts human size problems in perspective.
Getting out there gets us out there. It draws us out of our little corners of concern. It smooths away the mind ruts created by spinning around in our tiny circles of thought.
Our mothers were right when they told us to get out of the house – to go outside for awhile. Although it may have gotten us out from under their feet, it probably helped us find ours.
ACTION:
What would it take to get you outdoors today – and again tomorrow? And, I’m not talking about walking from the house to the vehicle and back again.
If you aren’t already doing so, look for those opportunities to take a few moments outside every day – even on days when it is too hot, too cool, too rainy, or too busy.
There are work-arounds for each of those obstacles. Too hot? Walk early or late. Too cool? Bundle up. Too rainy? Grab a poncho. Too busy? Combine a walk with a meeting or phone call.
Once you reap the benefits of getting yourself outdoors, you’ll wonder why you didn’t get out there sooner and more often.
_________________________
QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life.” – Rachel Carson
_________________________
RESOURCE OF THE WEEK:
See this article for examples of research on the positive impact of nature on connectedness and generosity: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33243959/ns/health-behavior/
REFLECTION: It seems like weather everywhere has been pretty wonky so far this year. Here in Saskatchewan we’ve experienced record rainfalls. The dreary, grey cloud cover that delivers the daily driving rain has put a tangible damper on mood.
That changed as the last few days finally brought bright sunshine and warmer temperatures. There is a palpable shift in mind-set as people spend more time in motion and out of doors. Suddenly, the world seems brighter. Problems seem lighter.
Physical activity is a well known contributor to mental health. Moving around outdoors delivers an even greater bonus. There’s a whole world out there to engage in, nature’s beauty to appreciate, and a universe sized space that puts human size problems in perspective. (more…)
Rock On
April 26, 2010
The Rockies: a consolation prize or a cancellation prize? When Volcano Iceland swiped London & Paris from the calendar, we stole a few days in the Rockies instead. Here’s what I saw – or at least what the end of my brush saw!
Sketched from Lakeview Lounge at Fairmont Chateau overlooking Lake Louise, while savoring a bowl of hot corn and crab chowder and a Grasshopper ale. Definitely warmer inside than out. (more…)
PAUSE – 9.41 – Shifting Perspective
November 25, 2009
REFLECTION:
Many of the hours and days of our lives are spent travelling down old familiar roads. Start here, drive there, turn here, stop there. Get up tomorrow and travel the same route all over again. When we pause to seek out new adventures, we end up thinking and feeling differently.
Husband, Dave, and I have just returned from a ten day trip to Arizona – part work, part play, all fun. While visiting with friends in Tucson, we took advantage of the opportunity to step outside our everyday routine. Our friends had arranged glider rides over the Sonoran Desert with the Tucson Soaring Club, and a descent into the limestone caves at Kartchner Caverns in the Chihuahua Desert. Talk about the heights and the depths on back to back days!
It was my first experience in a glider. I enjoyed the quiet calm of sailing through the air – no motors, no PA announcements, no pretzels, no cookies, no distractions. Just me, the pilot, the plane and the hawks enjoying a 360 degree view of a desert and mountains that had evolved over thousands of years.
It was my first experience trekking into caves below the surface of the earth. Above ground nothing to write home about – sand, hills, cactus and scrub. Below ground – another world entirely. Spectacular stalactites and stalagmites, intricate and colorfl formations of glossy sediments deposited minute by minute, hour by hour, by thousands of droplets of water over tens of thousands of years.
ACTION:
Both the heights and the depths bring new perspectives on life. From up high and down below, life’s surface concerns grow smaller and more distant until they fall away completely- trumped by the beauty, peace and splendor of this moment in time and place.
What a gift to get away – to discover a fresh perspective on the world in which we live, love, work and travel.
What adventures – large or small – near or far – might bring you a new way of looking at the everyday-ness of life?
_________________________
QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
A couple of observations by John Muir:
“I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.”
“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.”
_________________________
RESOURCE OF THE WEEK:
Add a mini getaway adventure to your day with a visit to the Kartchner Caverns State Park website – featuring video, photos, and the story of the caverns’ discovery and protection: http://azstateparks.com/Parks/KACA/index.html
_________________________
READERS WRITE:
In response to the last Pause message, ‘What’s On Your Plate?’, reader GN writes: What a timely message for me, especially, but I think for most people. There really IS a tendency to say “Sure, no problem, I can fit that in!” Then, before we know it, workload expands to exceed hours available. I know that I have recently been looking at what I must do as opposed to what I can do. Your message in today’s Pause was a great reinforcement for me to stay on track and be reasonable, practical, and balanced in time and task management. I will try and refer to it routinely to keep from overloading my plate! Thanks!
REFLECTION: Many of the hours and days of our lives are spent travelling down old familiar roads. Start here, drive there, turn here, stop there. Get up tomorrow and travel the same route all over again. When we pause to seek out new adventures, we end up thinking and feeling differently.
Husband, Dave, and I have just returned from a ten day trip to Arizona – part work, part play, all fun. While visiting with friends in Tucson, we took advantage of the opportunity to step outside our everyday routine. Our friends had arranged glider rides over the Sonoran Desert with the Tucson Soaring Club, and a descent into the limestone caves at Kartchner Caverns in the Chihuahua Desert. Talk about the heights and the depths on back to back days! (more…)
Painting Arizona
November 24, 2009
A week spent in Sedona and Tucson was good for the soul. Warm air, beautiful colors, distinctive landscapes – not to mention the good friends and food.
Painting and sketching in the mountains and desert were a treat. I might have known I’d run out of Burnt Sienna pigment given the colors that surrounded me.
Here are a couple of the images created – under the Arizona sun!
Bell Rock #1 – painted on our first morning in Sedona.
This view from the backyard of our beautiful inn, the Canyon Villa.
Lunching along the banks of Oak Creek at L’Auberge Sedona.
Sunshine, salad nicoise, a glass of wine, and ducks to keep us company.
Poci Volki
November 2, 2009
Here’s the Poci Volki. That’s a Pocatello Volkswagon, if you need translation.
This painting/sketch was inspired by a photo of new-to-her wheels on niece, Jill’s blog: http://thenoisyplume.blogspot.com/2009/10/morning-has-broken.html
If you’re generally in the mood for some very creative writing, you’ll find plenty on Jill’s blog, The Noisy Plume.
She is, as she proudly notes, a young Canadian woman transplanted to America soil, where she lives and toils as a jeweler in Pocatello, Idaho.
(more…)
Turn … Turn … Turn
September 13, 2009
Autumn is clearly upon us.
So say:
the first red leaf on the bonsai maple,
the brightest tiny pumpkin,
and these eager tomatoes of varied heft and hue.
If the sun-drenched glow of red, orange and gold
warm your heart and call your name,
then your time and your season have arrived.
Sooke-ing It Up
September 6, 2009
Highly recommend the dining room at Sooke Harbor House, just an hour drive west of Victoria, BC. Arrived early enough before our reservation to stroll and explore the grounds, enjoy the excitement of a wedding in progress on the lawn overlooking the sea, and do a quick sketch of Sooke East Point across the bay. Seated for dinner at a table with a spectacular view – and savored every mouthful of the Dungeness Crab.
PAUSE – 9.28 – I Wonder
August 12, 2009
REFLECTION: The bud on the Morden Sunrise rose popped open this morning. With its warm gold and apricot tones, it’s aptly named. I wondered at its beauty.
During yesterday morning’s riverside walk, a beaver surfaced, nosing its way downstream – slicing smoothly through the water, ripples streaming to either side. I wondered at its ease.
Last week I accompanied my grandson to the Exhibition Parade. (more…)
