Fitting

Hornby Island, May 2008

Effectively finding peace of mind ~

A gentle journey knowing no end

Peace of mind, from a depth of wisdom, flows from

  what we do every day, 

    what we have achieved, 

      what we believe to be true

        what gives us meaning

Peace of mind slips into spirit and soul as the right key in a lock.

“Set peace of mind as your highest goal, and organize your life around it.”

~  Brian Tracy

Shadowcast

May, 2008 - Hornby Island, B.C.

Deeper into my consciousness, 

I find a watery mosaic.

Memories in thinning light

float and wave like seaweed,

clutching the sandy floor.

Brightly coloured ideas and thoughts 

weave their way through the great stands

with markings as old as time itself.

A deep dive into this magical shadow world 

calls upon curiousity, strength, patience and wisdom.

Which do I let settle quietly to the ocean’s floor?

Which lessons learned will I bring up from the depths?

“Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow.”

~ Aesop

Deeper, Not Wider - DEPTH - Theme for February 2018

One of my uses of deeper, not wider.

In the past several months, and before I ever heard the name David Cain or his blog raptitude.com , I had effectively been doing as he had suggested. Admittedly, it was the loss of my car last April, along with my decision to not replace it that was the impetus for doing so. However, once I heard his ideas and suggestions, I mulled over whether to investigate this fascinating issue to go deeper, not wider. Struggling with this month’s theme, I decided that it was time to take up David Cain’s unintended challenge. So with that in mind, February will be a month to study Depth. If you find it interesting, useful or just plain fun, please join in. 

Deeper into my consciousness

Effectively finding peace of mind

Planning for today and tomorrow

Taking out memories and cherishing them

Heeding signposts planted along the way

“…..go deeper into what is already accessible to you 

instead of trying to gain access to new and other avenues 

of entertainment and self-development.”

~ David Cain, interview on Tapestry, CBC

Supported

Supported

Simplicity was her middle name. Melodie hated the name she once loved. When everyone at school had found out, she had been called Simple, Simpering, and Simply Pimply. One of the guys, one of the cool guys that she was head over heels in love with, shouted at her one day in the hall filled with students - “Hey Simple-minded, don’t bother writing your exams!” Well she wasn’t in love with him any more and he was definitely not cool. What a jerk. The roving band of ‘popular girls’ always hung around him and his buddies. They picked up where the guys left off with their taunts and cruel jokes.

Melodie was fourteen. Not a pretty girl but definitely not ugly - except for the pimples that kept sprouting all over her face. They had earned her the horrible nickname ‘Simply Pimply’. Every time she looked in the mirror she cried and slathered on more concealer that really only made things worse. And got her worse names like Cake Face. So she had fixed her makeup so it didn’t look all cake-y. She brushed her auburn curls still they gleamed then pulled them neatly into a pony tail tied with a plain ribbon. Melodie was tall. Too tall for a fourteen year old according to the same bullies that called her names. She always wore flat shoes and tried to stay in the background, not always with success.

The bullying was almost more than she could bear. For a long time Melodie had kept silent, but her mom and dad finally butted in, like they always did and asked her what was wrong. It was at breakfast one morning. When they started asking her why she had been so quiet, she just looked down at her lap as though she had spilled something. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes and tried desperately to shut them off. They would make her makeup run and she’d be late for the bus and…..and…..

‘Oh, honey. What is the matter?’ Her mom got up out of her chair and came to her. Her dad’s coffee cup halted in mid air. ‘What’s going on?’

Their conversation went on for most of the morning. Once the truth had come out, Melodie’s father called the school and told them his daughter was sick. She wouldn’t be in today and he would call again tomorrow. Melodie was terrified. If anyone found out it would just be worse. What could her parents do? But she was trapped at school and now at home not knowing what to do. Then she heard her mother calling her boss. Her mom called in sick but asked to speak to the Employee Counsellor there. And then her dad called in to his office and said he wouldn’t be in.

Over the next two weeks, Melodie’s life changed….not in leaps and bounds…but she didn’t feel alone with her problem any more. She was not returning to the same school, but she knew that the school's principle, her old teachers and the school counsellor knew about her problem. The new school had an Anti-bullying Program. She joined it right away, partially on the advice of her parents and new teachers, but because she was so tired of feeling like the biggest victim ever. She had been introduced to others that had faced the same problem. And to people that just wanted to understand and help. She learned that all the make-up she’d been using was just making her pimples worse - just like her mom said it would.

Melodie returned to loving her beautiful name: Melodie Simplicity Jones. Her smile returned and she stood straight and tall. A happy ending, but not without a lot of work to find happiness again.

“Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim.”

~ Tim Field

Keeping It Simple

To describe that moment when one is neither awake nor asleep is a wee bit difficult. Like clearly defining the space between one tick of the clock and the next. I felt that space this morning. At 3:30 am. And tried to ignore it. Shifting my pillows, pulling blankets up over my eyes so even the faintest morning light would be blotted out, hoping my mattress would somehow sooth me back to sleep - none of it effective. It was a push pull situation that required a simple solution when all other solutions failed. Turn the light on, get out of bed and read - napping can come later. Simple solutions always put right any power struggle.

“Make the best use of what is in your power, 

and take the rest as it happens.”

~ Epictetus

Found!!

Has anyone ever lost anything precious? 

   In your own home?

     Where there could not, 

       should not have been anyone

   To find it, 

     hide it or 

       accidentally throw it away?

I’m sure not……..

I realized such a loss about three weeks ago,

A precious gift given at Christmas time

It was devastating!

Unbeknownst to me, the treasure had actually ‘disappeared’ almost four weeks ago.

In the intervening time I had

   Panicked

     Certain I had thrown it out with any garbage or recycling.

       Put it in a very safe place without a memo

My mind spun like a child’s spinning top gone rogue

After the first few days I stopped actively searching

But whenever I’ve been 

    putting things away, 

       reorganizing things, 

          decluttering things

I’ve kept a sharp eye out for my lost treasure while

    considering a prayer to Saint Anthony - the saint of lost things.

     this morning using the magic Summoning Charm - Accio - from Harry Potter

I’ve learned that there comes a time 

   to let go of the panic of instant loss

    to let go of shame and embarrassment

     to keep up a search for any treasure

       to simplify and yet widen the search

         to realize that the world will not cave in

This morning, I found my treasure ~

hidden with some Christmas clutter 

waiting very patiently for me to tidy.

Why, at 6 a.m., was I decluttering?

Was the treasure's reappearance due to

    St. Anthony or 

     the Summoning Charm

       or just because?

“I have just three things to teach: 

simplicity, patience, compassion. 

These three are your greatest treasures.” 

~ Lao Tzu

Skating Classics with Kurt Browning - Saturday Afternoon at the Symphony

Opening an email a couple of weeks ago, I had been invited along with friends to attend Skating Classics with Kurt Browning at the Royal Theatre on Broughton Street. Skating and the symphony? How ever would this be accomplished? As a teenager, a very long time ago, I had taken figure skating lessons, had been amazed at anyone that could figure skate and have followed some of the skating world since. On ice, there were always, beautiful, exciting or just plain fun pieces of music. The skaters interpreted them with great artistry. But in an opera house? On stage?

Yesterday, we were treated to an afternoon filled with laughter and wonder, music and videos, still shots and more music. Kurt Browning, a four-time Canadian figure skating champion and four-time World Champion, who represented Canada in three Winter Olympics was our host and teller of figure skating tales. Kurt Browning spoke of the athleticism of skaters, but stressed the artistry of figure skaters. He highlighted figure skating history and introduced us to some charming tiny figure skaters of tomorrow. Kurt Browning introduced the videos, shown on screen at the back of the stage, that include a number of different figure skating stars. He gave special tribute to Toller Cranston whose artistry changed the picture of this sport. Some of Kurt Browning’s costumes were, well, flaunted, including a purple velvet coat he insisted that Maestro Lucas Waldin wear. The audience supported this fanciful gesture much to the chagrin of Maestro Waldin. 

The last piece just before intermission was a real treat. Vocalist, Geoffrey Tyler performed Singin’ In the Rain, complete with umbrella and tap dancing. Rounding out this lovely skating number, Kurt Browning skated across the stage on roller blades. He and Geoffrey Tyler shared the stage as they executed this number to tap dancing and roller blading.

Victoria Symphony was masterful and grand throughout the afternoon. They played Casablanca while a younger Kurt Browning skated. Their arrangement was complete with the edits required for Kurt Browning skating as Rick from the movie Casablanca. Musical scores from Gershwin, Tchaikovsky, movies, ABBA, Boléro and many more provided an extremely satisfying backdrop for Kurt Browning, his wonderful sense of humour and for figure skating through the years.

Figure skating is elegant and requires a lot of dedication. Symphonic music is elegant and requires a lot of dedication. The simplicity of combining the two becomes very obvious, whether onstage or on ice. It was a fun afternoon!

“Doing shows is always a side of skating that I’ve loved, it’s the performing. 

I get to do that without the pressure, it’s always fun between the skaters 

and the preparations, the show is always so much fun.”

~ Kurt Browning