Beneath My Feet

  "I always choose the wrong line," I fumed in my head.   Here we go... "Price Check!" Dang. W ith only a few items in my cart, I regretted having  forgone the self-checkout, even if it required translating the Spanish. Finally,10 minutes later another clerk came to examine their receipt. I couldn't believe what I saw next.  The folks in front of me removed items from their overflowing cart of already-bagged groceries and put them back on the conveyor belt.  They started ringing in every item, again.   "Holy guacamole, they've got to be kidding!" I thought. " Should I stay or should I go? Why didn't they let me go through first?" My frustration level wasn't helping as my  mind encouraged me to believe I was in an urgent hurry, when I wasn't. Switch lanes, or  stay in my lane?  No decision was also a decision. I urged myself to take a few deep breaths, and muster some patience and presence... I could: listen to the sounds of th...

  Long Time Sun The long time sun follows us. We follow the long sand  on a long walk. Blocking the source, shadows fall long -- and meet  at the feet of three long time friends. We giggle over Gumby legs that carry us home. ~Cecile "Embrace your shadows" ~ Paulo Coelho Enjoy one of my favourite meditative songs:   Long Time Sun   Close your eyes and have listen to calm yourself, especially in turbulent times.  Lyrics and song by Snatam Kaur May the long time sun shine upon you. All love surround you. And the pure light within, guide your way on. Photo: by me, that I call "Three Amigas" on Playa Destiladeras MX. 2025

Photo of me about to weigh in, before the New Year.  When is the most auspicious day to start a new habit or project? The first day of the week? The start of the school year? The New Year? For me, I'm likely to be looking at sometime in 'tomorrowland'. Now is usually an unpopular time. Things will surely be easier at some unspecified time in the future, no? The problem with 'tomorrow logic' is that the future eventually arrives... or does it? Each tomorrow that passes makes it harder, or in some cases, too late.  Thoughts of diving in can be overwhelming, but some people get a surge of energy and focus by being bold. Others prefer the buddy system or another form of accountability. There is no one right way for everyone, but it seems to me that a blast start is unsustainable over the long term. And stopping, only to have to start all over... well.  I've heard that taking small steps to start are the best. Make one call; start with 3 yoga poses; write a few sent...

No surprise that I saw this message beneath Jenn's feet! Thanks Jenn.  Books are a uniquely portable magic . ~Stephen King Imagine unlocking a secret superpower that sharpens our minds, expands vocabulary, and imagination. A good book can  knock our socks off  -- all from the comfort of a favourite chair  by taking us on a fantastical journey.  Whether flipping through fiction, diving into a biography, or exploring new ideas in a self-help guide, every page turned has the potential to transform us in unexpected ways. Engaging deeply will naturally boost our memory by remembering the plot, characters and important details that keep the story alive. We're likely not even aware of the new information and knowledge gained until it comes up later in a conversation, or, how reading enhances our creativity. Reading traditional books or listening to audio books (which I've come to love) allow us to slow down, relax from our fast-paced, screen-heavy lives and ignore the ...

Stairs in Mount Tolmie Park in Victoria, BC 2024 You've likely heard of Blue Zones --  5 specific areas in Greece, Japan, Costa Rica, Italy, and California.  They are places where people live happily with extreme longevity and few health conditions. They do many things 'right' without even trying, through their diet, exercise, and often gardening.  After living for 3 1/2 weeks on an extremely rugged island in the Aegean sea in Greece, without a vehicle,  I've come to believe one of the most effective* forms of exercise is to climb stairs (or hills). Our accommodations were perched high on a steep hill, requiring us to walk down into town and back up at least once a day. Huff-puffing our way up with hearts pounding, we thought we might keel over, lest we stop for breaks at least 3 times. We lost count of how many actual steps  -- 300+. Some days it felt a little easier, but it was always a challenging leg and cardio workout.  STAIR STATS reveal they are less...

 Guadalajara, Mexico 2024, Instituto Cultural Cabanas - Gallery Exhibition "Text" "The first draft of anything is shit."   ~ Ernest Hemingway Remember the beloved typewriter? Or, even putting pen to paper? Flash back to crumpled wads of paper piling up at 2 o'clock in the morning. The scribbled research note cards scrambled your brain, or perhaps it was the strong coffee, as you attempted to hammer out the essay that was due in seven hours.  We've all been there -- racking our brain over what to write and finding just the right words. Professional writers will admit that it is rarely easy for them... "you just have to pour it all out and get started." Worrying about being judged or trying to get it perfect the first try won't help. So let's show any uninvited voices in our heads the door. Aside from writing, I believe this goes for any type of endeavour or artistic process. Just start from the heart. “ The solution is never to sit down and ...