It wasn't a cold day...

...only wet

soaking cold to the bone

but no complaint.

Only missing blue sky, 

amazing life giving sunshine.

So I sketch ideas

soak in a hot bath

wash my clothes

answer emails

play Scrabble

wait for the pale winter clouds to 

stop dripping

move off

tear into shreds

No walk today - but won't stay in tomorrow!

“The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain.”

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Surrounded on three sides by...

....wooden shelves of clean white linen ironed and neatly folded,

my own crisp starched uniform felt

tight and unforgiving.

The only moisture, 

the tears on my face.

Confronting my fears of the

nakedness of strangers and

enormity of being a nurse,

I faced two more long years

stretching ahead of me 

from 1966 to January 27, 1969.

43 years ago today,

I officially earned the black band 

that would become a part of history.

Tonight the linen closet has 

Jersey sheets rolled up and blue terry cloth facecloths 

stuffed in large laundry bags,

towels and pyjamas folded loosely 

on wire racks of a shiny metal linen cart.

Tonight the linen closet is just another room.

Tonight the stiff uniform and cap are things of the past.

Sickness, pain and yes sometimes even death 

are unwaveringly present.

Tonight I am grateful for having dried my tears and

stepped steadily into a very healing journey.

“Nursing encompasses an art, a humanistic orientation, 
a feeling for the value of the individual, and an intuitive 
sense of ethics, and of the appropriateness of action taken.”

~ Myrtle Aydelotte

The colour of today....

sun yellow blue 

the sound of today

bird song and 

musical clattering coffee cups

the feel of today

friendship and laughter

Paths flowed together and 
as smoothly moved apart 

to the rhythms of Cook Street Village.

It was a good day.

“The heart has eyes which the brain knows nothing of”

~ Charles Henry Parkhurst

I know there are words...

.....thoughts, ideas 

darting about 

below the surface

like fish waiting to be caught.

A good massage smooths

wrinkled thoughts and

unties sore, lumpy knots.

Maybe I'll go fishing 

in the morning.

Tonight I just feel like a starfish. 

“Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, 

listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.”

                 ~ Pooh’s Little Instruction Book, inspired by A.A.Milne

Today has flowed...

...smoothly to the rhythm of 

Frank Sinatra's croon,

deep south blues legends, and 

Tennessee Ernie Ford's bass rumble.

Off and away after lunch to attend the

Epilepsy Advisory Committee meeting.

An active and interesting group 

we discussed

    the minutes of the last meeting,

    the plans for the upcoming Purple Day celebrations:

A Plane Pull for Epilepsy the featured event on March 24,2012, and

more about an online networking site to help to keep the various disparate members in communication about all things epilepsy - or just to visit.

A good day....Good night all.

“To live is to be musical, starting with the blood dancing your veins,

Everything living has a rhythm.  Do you feel your music?

~ Michael Jackson

Gung Hei Fat Choi....

...Another celebration!

A quick drive from Cook Street Village

To Forum Restaurant in Chinatown

Plates piled high with

ginger beef, deep fried squid, chow mein

kung pow shrimp, and sesame chicken

soon leveled as we ate with gusto!

An evening spiced with laughter and conversation.

No earth shattering topics but of course

highly intelligent discourse!

After fortune cookies filled with good will & luck,

a journey for ice cream

a trip down Fisgard Street under

giant red stars and glowing red lanterns.

Friends and fun - 

a great beginning to the Year of the Dragon!

Gung Hei Fat Choi!

“He who is contented is rich”

 ~  Lao Tzu

Deep waters......

More than once, certain that 

my dive had been far too deep, 

I opened my eyes to see

waving and watery beauty all around.

Learning to swim in deep waters has been a challenge!

Deep waters are 

beautiful and silent.

Full of life and movement.

“Wisdom is only taught through experience.”

~ Hermann Hesse

Birthday celebrations.....

....as bright and varied as this lovely garden

We friends gather 

to laugh, 

to visit

and raise a glass to toast the birthday girl...

And, of course, to examine in depth

topics of great political import

and personal delicacies not to be mentioned, even in poetic guise.

A perfectly laid table groaned with culinary delights

An evening hosted graciously and catered deliciously.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DOROTHY!!!!!

“Count your life by smiles, not tears.

Count your age by friends, not years.”

~ Anonymous