Beneath My Feet

  Tile floor in Ko Phi Phi, Thailand. 2013 Struggling to understand Spanish, I wish there was more space between the words being spoken. It got me contemplating the spaces between everything, and the Japanese concept of MA. In MA, 'the spaces between' are both physical or in time. It helps us to be mindful of the gaps or pauses in the world around us—to cultivate awareness, curiosity, creativity … even a sense of calm. Notice the space between you and other people, between the floor tiles, or your furniture placement. Consider the silence between notes in a song, between a breath in and out, or the space between our thoughts. At the beach, there is a moment between the waves. These spaces aren't always empty. Visually, negative space actually helps us see the shape and beauty of everything around us.  Between words and paragraphs. Between the clouds or stars in the sky. Between beginnings and endings. Concept of MA

Photos from recent hail storm by Loretta and Jake Froh, Regina, SK 2021 The 24 hour news cycle seems a parade of catastrophes -- wildfires, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, drought, hail. Add to this growing threats of extremism, war, and the continuing toll of the pandemic. C an we find joy amidst it all? It can feel selfish to allow ourselves to feel joy when others are suffering. We might feel lacking in empathy or self-indulgent. But feeling joy is different from pretending nothing is wrong. Joyful activities break us out of stressful, gloomy thoughts.  We thrive when we are able to accept uncertainty, and have gratitude for all we have and all we can continue to create.  Joy is a channel towards hope. Hope inspires positive action.  "In a world where anxiety is a fixture, and uncertainty is a given, joy is essential to our survival. Denying ourselves doesn't lessen the suffering of others. It only diminishes the value of life." ~ Ingrid Fetell-Lee

  Golfing photo taken by my brother-in-law, John McFadyen. Regina, SK 2021 For many, golfing has been a happy activity. I play once every two years because it takes a lot of balls to golf the way I do! With all the slicing and chopping that goes on, I'm better off making a salad with my greens. It is slightly hazardous for me to be near the sand or the water until I can travel to the tropics again. But, I do enjoy the clubs that let me swing, bogey and putter with my friends. Tee time is nice, too. Once I caught an eagle in my handi-cap, or was it a birdie with my hook? I don't recall. I do know that it is one of the only times when 'going in the hole' is a really good thing. So let the chips fall where they may, and remember this tip -- if you carry an eraser you can easily take strokes off your game. Just kidding, that's not a fairway to play.  Lame jokes aside, I've missed golfing,.. an opportunity to walk and drive out in nature. (Notice how I slipped anoth...

  Weathered tree stump on Meewasin trail, Saskatoon, 2021 . In grade four, our teacher brought to school a tree log with a cross-section of distinct rings. We learned to determine its age by counting the rings. So cool! Wider rings indicated whether the tree had plenty of light and rain that year. A narrow ring was a poor growth year -- possibly a drought. Every time I see a tree stump, I think of how deep its roots reach into the earth and likewise, how deeply some of our lessons are planted. In high school, our math and science teacher, Mr. Butel, was always testing us with his jokes, riddles and logic puzzles. He asked, "if a tree falls in the forest, and there is no one there to hear, does it make a sound?" It made me wonder. I've since learned that these paradoxical riddles are called koans and were used for centuries as teaching tools by zen masters.  There is much to learn about the importance of trees to our planet, but I'll leave that to another time, or Bru...