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Same rose, 10 days later. See earlier posting, Sublime Distraction.

Not the fresh, dewy, picture of youth; but a beauty of another kind – aged and lined to perfection.

You gotta love the circle of life!

REPRINT OPPORTUNITY: Wow, have these been popular! It’s only taken four months to sell out the most recent print run of two thousand Take A Break booklets. I will be reprinting ‘TAB – 67 Ways To Pause When You Absolutely Positively Do Not Have The Time’ again in the next couple of weeks. 

These booklets are being used by clients for: conference and event give-aways, corporate wellness initiatives, orientation packages for new employees, EFAP libraries, coffee room reading, and gifts for clients, staff and colleagues. See Reader Writes below for one individual’s testimonial to the value of the Take A Break booklets.

At this time of reprinting, I’m delighted to once again offer specially reduced pricing for quantity orders with your corporate message imprinted on the front cover. See this two page pdf ( http://www.pauseworks.com/take_a_break.pdf  ) for a look at the cover with sample imprint, and for custom pricing info on orders. Fax your order form to (306-242-0795) if you are interested in putting these great ideas in the hands of people who matter most in your world.

REFLECTION: I can’t say that I’m much of a fan of Twitter – the on-line instant text service with a per message limit of 140 characters. It seems to me that we have more than enough interruptions in our everyday lives already. However, I recently stumbled across a reference to a twitter service that I can actually see having some merit. (more…)

REFLECTION: Where do you rate on the worry scale? Do you suffer from a rotating series of ‘Worries Of The Day’?  And, if so, how well is that practice serving you?

Do your worries keep you engaged in life? Help you feel needed? Feed the illusion of averting potential disaster?

Or are your worries simply too much to handle? Sending your blood pressure soaring? Interfering with a good night’s rest? Keeping you from enjoying what’s good in your life? (more…)

Just one of a dozen beauties. A birthday gift from my youngest daughter & my grandson. This one perched on my desktop begging for my attention.

Roses this spectacular I haven’t seen in a long, long time. Stunning color. Petals cool to the touch. The softest of scents.

No wonder I’m having trouble getting any work done this morning – sublimely distracted as I am!

Lakes, rivers, trees, skies, spring – such inspiration for the artist’s eye and soul. 

The first – Along the South Saskatchewan – near Riverside Country Club. I’d really rather paint than golf!

The second – Birch Bay – on the northern shore of Waskesiu Lake in Saskatchewan’s boreal forest.

Both beautiful spots on two different warm spring days.

REFLECTION: When I speak at conferences and deliver seminars on overload and overwhelm in life and work, I am constantly reinforcing the need for us to be as thoughtful as possible about how today’s choices and decisions affect tomorrow’s experience. It’s a ‘lift up your eyes for the long haul’ approach to the challenges that face us every day. 

And no, it’s not always easy to step back from the immediate pressures of the day to respond from a higher plane. One of the most helpful tools in shifting direction is simply asking good questions. I love good questions. I adore great questions! 

It’s for that reason, a message in the recent edition of the Green and White, our University of Saskatchewan Alumni magazine, caught my eye. (more…)

As much as I love the outburst of the crocus on the prairie, my favorite spring blossom is the Buffalo Bean. And, I’m delighted to announce, from my rocky perch on the South Saskatchewan riverbank that they’re baaack! Bright and sunny in appearance – with a sweet, earthy scent – BB’s (or Thermopsis rhombifolia as they are officially known in circles Latin) are tough as all get out. When you see a Buffalo Bean peeking from riverbanks and roadsides, you know that summer is not far behind!

REFLECTION: About five years ago, we redesigned the pond in our backyard garden. Moved it further out into the yard. Increased the size. Changed the shape. Added a creek and waterfall. We, and the birds, have enjoyed it greatly.

However (and don’t you love the sense of foreboding in that word?), for the last couple of years, the water level kept dropping. We’d top it off, and a few hours or days later it would be several inches lower. The pond never went completely dry. It just dropped 8 or 10 inches and sat there – thumbing its nose at us (or at least that’s how it felt!). 

And so the problem solving and experimenting began. Check for evaporation. Not at that rate. Check for leaks in liner. Nope. Check for wet, swampy areas around the hose connections. Nope. Shore up creek walls. Problem continued.

This spring, with the problem not having resolved itself over the winter (so much for wishful thinking), it was apparent the time had come for a major deconstruction. And, so that’s what I did on the weekend. 

I ripped the creek bed apart from waterfall to pond basin. And what did I find? (more…)

Allow me toot my own horn ever so slightly by letting you know that on May 7, at the recent Saskatchewan Women Entrepreneurs’ Annual Provincial Conference, I was honored by being named Business Of The Year for 2009 in the Existing Business category.

The award is presented annually to a woman entrepreneur who has been in business for more than three years and who has exhibited the following criteria:

-expanded her business and contributed to the economy

-changed, grown and refocused in response to emerging trends

-shown long term financial viability and profitability

-contributed to entrepreneurship in the community

It was a delight to be recognized in the company of my family and business peers- a very validating and encouraging experience. The Lou Chrones painting that I received will hold a place of honor in my office.

My congratulations to other award winners honored the same evening: Kim Weimer of Fastener Warehouse and Rachel Mielke of Hillberg and Berk.

If you are interested in the comments I made on receiving the award, read on. (more…)