FRIENDSHIPS IN UNLIKELY PLACES
Friendships can form really quickly when you least expect it. I made a new friend, a senior and never would have imagined we would connect like we did. The bonding was fast. We talked about foods, cultures and lifestyle. She told me about her experience travelling within Canada and all fifty states of the United States and how she hated the boarding protocol and being treated like a senior. She would much rather be treated like everyone else while boarding a plane. We laughed a lot and did silly things like wave at airplanes in the sky on that dark moonless night. Seriously! We shared silences too and they were not awkward. She revealed a flirty side when she talked about her husband and his amazing body. Oh my goodness! Then I think, wait a minute, flirting between spouses should never stop at any age. It is the life of…
OF TONGUE TWISTERS AND A BOXING GLOVE
When asked what makes us unique, we typically highlight our strengths, hoping to impress. Nothing wrong with showing off our strengths, however, we can be endearing and connect as humans when we are vulnerable. A boxing glove is ineffective and without a hand in it, it is weak!Put a hand in it, make a fist and punch the air. Now we see what difference the hands made to the power of the glove. Do you relate with the struggles of the boxing glove? It is vulnerable and has to find the right fit AKA the right human or be doomed, maybe. The hand -in- glove idiom making better sense yet? No man is an island! We connect when we dare to be vulnerable and given time make formidable teams. But it takes getting past the limiting fears.Yours truly struggles with the fear of rejection sometimes. Maybe you can relate and…
WHAT IS IN A NAME?
Few things identify someone as much as a name does and sometimes we get to hear a sweet story behind the designation. After several miscarriages and a hard time getting pregnant, a man takes his wife on a much needed vacation to the Italian Riviera. On this particular night, there is a full moon and he asks his wife to make a wish. Nine months later, they have a child and call her Luna, after the full moon. Luna’s story inspires. “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other…would smell as sweet…” William Shakespeare. Call a rose by any other name, the flower smells just as sweet. So much beauty and sweetness, you could never tell just by looking at the thorns. Flower power! Jesus endured a crown of thorns. His name inspires, so He says “follow me and I will make you.” Be inspired!…
IT WAS NOT A PRANK
Writing this on April Fools’ day, I cannot help but think about pranks.Some pranks are hilarious and good-natured. Others not so much. A classic prank is a friend getting into your phone and changing the language in settings. Yikes! A dad heard his daughter scream from the garden. She was being chased by a bee. He ran and grabbed her. She felt him tense and relax.Then he said, “it is alright now. Bees do not sting twice.” The bee had stung him. That was not a prank. Lot tried to warn his sons-in-law of danger. The world as they knew it was going to be destroyed. Sadly, they supposed Lot was jesting. It was not a prank. ..and too late to rewrite the script. “Be Prepared” is a famous scout motto. It helps to be prepared to make the right call every time, and when all is said…
WHERE DID REUBEN GO?
Three bricklayers were asked what they were doing as they tried to rebuild a church that had been gutted by fire. The first replied, “I am laying bricks.” The second responded with, “I am repairing a wall.”The third answered, “I am building a cathedral.” That last response! Enthusiasm shines through those words. He already saw the beauty they would create and bricklaying did not seem like work anymore. Talk about goals! Ever watched children playing outdoors? Do you feel their passion and energy in the way they engage one another? Makes me think I never want to do anything I am not excited about.That may just be the way to live life sustainably. Happy people tend to live longer. Yes? Are you able to mix passion, enthusiasm and work? Quite the skill to have right there and yes, perspective is everything. Selah! Ah, Reuben? A housemate’s cat and you should see…
NOTE TO SELF: WHAT DOES DESTINY HAVE TO DO WITH IT?
Isaac and Rebekah. Esau and Jacob. A generation of smarts, it is almost uncanny. I made notes. Esau was a wild, love-the-outdoors kind of guy, skillful at hunting albeit a tad reckless with important things, he traded his inheritance for a bowl of lentil stew and had wives that made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah, his parents. Jacob was quiet, lived in tents, a family sort of guy, quick, clever and took advantage of his brother Esau in a moment of weakness. Makes me wonder, what is lost in moments of weakness and if perhaps we could make better choices. Ah, Rebekah had strategy! Her role in orchestrating the blessing in Jacob’s favour over older brother Esau was well thought out. Perhaps, she felt that blessing Esau over Jacob would mean endorsing a bad legacy of poor choices and taking important things for granted? Who adorns a pig with…
IF I COULD TELL THE FUTURE?
What if I could tell the future? I guess I would know the decisions to make today that will lead to desired outcomes in life. I would learn from the mistakes of others, make fewer mistakes and live the best life possible as a result.I would know why some people accomplish much way earlier than others. Hmm! Now that is a thought for another day. Sometimes, I take a walk to people-watch. It is such fun to watch people on these walks. Some faces have a smile. (I like that) Others are serious (well, there’s a time for everything eh?)Makes me think everyone is on a journey, seeking the finer things of life and to do incredible things! I have experienced a bit of life’s fine things, learning, being my best self, embracing and growing in my femininity. Still I want more. Is that bad?Being ‘hungry’ can be a good…
Mistakes With A Powerful Finish: Happy Ending
What a heart-warming experience it is to hear of mistakes with happy endings and even a powerful finish! This is especially so when it is unexpected. Usually, we feel badly about errors and wish we could undo them. I hope this post causes you and I to see past our errors and to keep going. Errors aren’t always lousy. Some are beneficial and didactic! Others might even make one famous. Talk about grace! Some mistakes with a powerful finish Tsarina Maria Feodorovna. You probably never heard of her until now. Neither had I prior to this story. She is said to have saved a life when she changed what had been written against a name on a list of supposed criminals and traitors. “Pardon impossible, to send to Siberia.” Tsarina Maria had changed the expression to “Pardon, impossible to send to Siberia”. She saved a life by switching up commas.…
A DARING ADVENTURE; THE HELEN KELLER EFFECT
The story of Helen Keller is inspiring. She had lost her sight and hearing due to a childhood illness and for a minute, it must have seemed like all is lost. In spite of this overwhelming state, she learned to understand and communicate with the world around her as well as acquire excellent education. Her parents had hired an extraordinary teacher. Parents, teachers and mentors have a huge responsibility it seems. Helen Keller became an author and was widely esteemed for her work. For many she had become a symbol of the triumph of the human spirit over adversity. Now I think, it is possible to live the dream and overcome adversity through learning. To give up is easy, but I would be curious to know what I could achieve by not giving up.So I seek to understand, learn, create and pursue excellence. Great stories often had humble beginnings.At the…