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REFLECTION: This week’s Pause message is a bit of a departure from the usual directions. Dave and I are taking a mid winter break, spending a few days in Vancouver, celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary.( I know! I know! Where did that time go?)

Normally, I’d take a break from Pause on an occasion like this, but when I posted last week’s message, giving notice slipped my mind.

So here we are. You’re expecting your regular Wednesday message, and I’m committed to delivering one.

As I walked the seawall around Stanley Park, I pondered what to write about – eventually settling on what we’re focused on this weekend – celebrating relationship.

35 years is a long time for any kind of partnership – marriage, business, or otherwise. And, for what it’s worth, here are ten of the relationship lessons we’ve learned so far. (more…)

As someone prairie born and prairie raised, there is a certain set of sounds I associate with the middle of winter. The squeak of the snow under your feet at minus forty degrees. The sound of the wind howling around the corners of the eaves in the midst of a blizzard. The electrical whoosh of the Northern Lights in the still of the night.

Today I find myself on the west coast, enjoying Vancouver, in the deep of winter – learning a whole new set of sounds. As I walk the sea wall around Stanley Park, I am intrigued by a cracking and clacking.

It takes me a while to realize it’s the sound of the crows picking clams off the beach at low tide and dropping them on the sidewalk. The shells crack as they roll, opening up to provide a tasty lunch for the inventive birds.

Now that’s a sound I’ll never hear in wintry Saskatoon.

REFLECTION: If you were running late in the morning and grabbed something to eat on the drive to work, how many of you would choose a bowl of milk and cereal? Not exactly top of list for a mobile snack, is it?

I’m guessing one Ontario woman wishes she hadn’t made that choice herself. Earlier this winter this cheerio scooping driver lost control on an icy highway, crashing into the roadside guideposts. Police found her – safe but embarrassed – covered in milk and cereal.

Her experience is one more – thankfully not tragic – example of what happens when we choose to multitask in thoughtless, irresponsible ways.

In his recent book, Dave Crenshaw explodes what he calls the ‘Myth of Multitasking’. Crenshaw maintains that multitasking is neither a reality nor efficient. (more…)

Here I was driving down a Saskatoon street on the weekend, when I happened to catch sight of this critter out of the corner of my eye. As I circled around again to confirm what I’d thought I’d seen, and then stopped to snap a photo, I wondered whether Frosty had been the work of those two down home boys from years ago – Bob & Doug McKenzie. Maybe yes or maybe no. You can decide for yourself. I do believe, though it’s entirely likely that either before, during or after the Great Snowman Caper, there was partying involved. Do you think Jackie Kennedy would have approved of this ‘made in Canada’ version of her ‘Pil-Box’ hat?

REFLECTION: A couple of months ago, I headed off to the physiotherapist with a complaint about a sore hip that was causing me to walk with a peg leg motion. To ace my pirate impersonation,  all I needed was a black patch over my eye and a parrot on my shoulder.

By the time I finished describing my symptoms to my very talented physio, she had zeroed in directly on the problem. Turns out the source of the pain wasn’t the hip at all – but a tightening of the deep muscles and ligaments than run under the glutes referring the pain down the leg.

The treatment? Twenty minutes of serious assault using the heel of her hand and point of her elbow – followed up over the next two weeks by regular self torture treatments with a tennis ball (very hi tech!) – and intermittent relief from an ice pack carried in the back pocket of my jeans. Ipso facto! Cured … at least for the time being.

I know! I know! That’s probably more than you wanted to hear! So, why am I telling you this?

Because I’ve noted in many situations  – physical and otherwise – that sometimes what we think is going on is not really what’s happening at all. (more…)

There’s nothing like a few hours spent with the paint brush recapturing the atmosphere of a Sweet September evening in Provencale France to spirit one away from the January snows of Saskatchewan.

As I recall, we strolled down Boulevard Marceau in St Remy de Provence past Espace Anikado just as the sun was dropping to the horizon. There was plenty of time to soak up the sites as we were really going nowhere in particular – just putting in time before the hour of our dinner reservation rolled around.

The Europeans eat later in the evening than we do here on the Canadian prairies. Perhaps it’s for just this reason – to give themselves the space of grace to relax and stroll the street, window shopping and people watching, in anticipation of a leisurely hour or two at table.

As I write this, I see the weather forecast for tomorrow in St Remy is sunny and 10 degrees Celsius. Perfect conditions for a stroll before dinner. Hmmm… certainly gives one pause.

REFLECTION: It’s January in Saskatchewan, and the snow keeps falling. That means my neighbors and I keep shovelling. 

I know many of you are doing the same thing, and that it sometimes it feels like a never ending proposition. You clear the walks and the driveway at day’s end, and by next morning you’re knee or ankle deep all over again.

There are a lot of similarities here to the world of work and life in general. You clear a few items away through the day – and by the next morning, you’re snowed under all over again.

At least with the snow shovelling, there’s visible progress. You can see what you’ve cleared; and the banks at the side of the driveway grow taller day by day. At work, the signs of progress are much more subtle – and often it’s the piles ON your desk that grow taller day by day. (more…)

REFLECTION: Where will you invest your time, energy and attention in 2009? What kind of frittering and wastage do you hope to avoid?

Oddly enough, a new website, dressregistry.com, has prompted me to ask myself just those questions. This site is devoted to helping people (mostly women I would guess) avoid  the ‘ultimate fashion faux pas’ – wearing the same outfit as someone else to an important event.  If, for example, you happen to be invited to one of the January 20th US Presidential Inaugural Balls (and I know you’re all dying to attend), you can register your dress for the event at which it will be making its debut!

Call me fashionably naive or disinterested, but to this opportunity, I find myself having two reactions:  Why bother and who cares? (more…)

The charming grandson, Ethan, was the center of attention through the holidays.

Cut and paste this web link into a fresh browser page, and you’ll be rewarded with a 2.5 minute You Tube video glimpse into Christmas as experienced by the little guy:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLE-T2xMBNQ

Hope you enjoy his exuberance every bit as much as we did.

In each of the last four years of Pause messages, I’ve ended the year with reflections on one key word. Peace, joy, love and hope have all taken a turn in the spotlight.

As an unsettling 2008 winds to a bumpy close, I’d like to invite you to focus on yet another powerful concept: grace.

Grace is often defined with words like elegance, beauty, charm. But, to me, those are its more superficial expressions.  

At a deeper level, grace is more about connecting to life’s richest undercurrents, smoothing life’s rough patches, and making life’s journey easier for ourselves and for those with whom we travel. In that light, grace is more about kindness and compassion.

I hope you enjoy reflecting on a few of my favorite quotes on grace. May you find many moments of grace and ease in the days and months that lie ahead.

Warmest wishes from my family to yours, for a peaceful year end and a prosperous and grace-filled 2009, Pat (more…)