Moving on, with thanks...

I am pausing in between packing boxes and organizing moving to give thanks for the time spent in my 'borrowed' home. As a typical human being, I developed a fascinating appreciation for where I am living only after arranging to move to somewhere else. This past week, I have been noting all the beautiful and wonderful aspects of this sunny piece of Maple Bay (well, that is a little Pollyanna of me - it has been raining buckets all week long...).

1) The fresh, almost edible, bright green growth on all the pine trees around me. The new ends of the branches are so soft and tender, as they push out into the little bits of sun.
2) The rain and cool spring weather has nurtured a fabulous batch of wild roses. I picked a tight little pink rosebud on my walk a couple of days ago and it greeted me this morning, fully spread out and gloriously fragrant.
3) The birds - there are so many friendly, curious birds around this house. The hummingbirds have been faithful companions all winter long at the feeder and the robins have been absolutely mad with their cheerful song at dawn and dusk. The crows have been playful and the ravens loud and cocky in their swoops past the house. There was a pair of majestic eagles and a whole flock of turkey vultures riding the thermals off the Bay.
4) Our walks which take us up and around the 'mountain' - past green and verdant farmers' fields and clearly meticulously managed little homes. We have watched the seasons pass as we walk along - from munching on the generous crop of blackberries last fall to urging the little green leaves to bust out this spring. The view of the Bay is always envigorating - the ocean giving us a show over and over again in the movement of the tide incoming or heading out.
5) The opportunity to work from a lovely home office. I have come to treasure my "commute" down the hall in my slippers. I love working from home. This house has served us well as a landing spot on Vancouver Island and a launching for the next phase of life.
6) Shifting my focus from business operations to coaching - this has been a time of accelerated growth and learning, facilitated by my boss/colleague/friend. She pushed me from the nest just as I was getting a little too comfortable and now it is time to fly. The year ahead stretches out with amazing possibility that was not on the horizon from our place in North Vancouver.
7) This strange house - it has such a fascinating history - mostly weird - somewhat of a legend in the neighbourhood. It now has changed hands again and will have new people and energy upstairs. It is my wish that the spirit that resides will find peace with the new residents too.

This has been the perfect time, being here. I have enjoyed the large, open space and sharing it with many people. We have had great parties and family gatherings, a memorable Christmas in the snow and a fabulous 60th birthday party for my beloved. We've watched the weather spread across the Bay and had the chance to swim in the usually freezing Pacific Ocean here on several hot, hot summer nights.

I have found that I would like to move back to this small and friendly community in the Valley. I would like to plant my roots here where the summers are hotter and winds calmer than elsewhere on the island. There is abundant water and still lots of room to spread out. This would be a fantastic place to call home again in a few years.

I am ready to move on and will have fond and warm memories of my time here.

Blessings with velocity

I have been very faithful to my GiST blog with 5 graces shared and communicated almost every day and I am truly thankful for the forum which has me focus on being grateful. It has been scientifically proven (no, really, I just have to find the data to footnote) that expressing gratitude has beneficial effects. You have to admit we find it much more common to complain and that is the society norm. This shift to appreciating life's graces just takes a little practice.

It is impossible not to be appreciative of my life when I think of the tragedy that continues to unfold in Haiti. I simply cannot fathom the sheer desperation and frantic exhaustion that must be overwhelming the people there. And of course, tragedies big and small befall good people every day. Puts that whole notion of faith in a different light, doesn't it? Mostly what I become aware of is how much drama I stir up in my own blessed life and how little it serves me when I peek at the bigger picture.

It is challenging to hold a world view that exposes the ugly and dispair reality that exists in so many places. Juggling knowledge of the circumstances the majority of the world wakes up to each day and my own commitment to generative forward motion often has me feel naive and somehow unaware. Yet, my philosophies don't have me avoiding or turning away from what is going on, I just have to measure and pace my exposure in order to remain balanced. Understanding myself is key to this and noticing when I am full up with one aspect of the world.

Comes down to coaching myself, nurturing my own ability to be compassionate and healthy with me. Finding ways to soothe my soul so that I can turn again into the intensity and be of service.

And back to that counting blessings exercise... I have many and I do not take them for granted!

Photo credit to: Saucy Salad

Walkin' the Talk...

I know in my head that the act of appreciation shifts perspective and even grasp the concept that it alters one's physiology, but I never cease to be amazed when it works!! Yes, being consciously grateful for even the small things in my life lifts the cloud around my head and allows words to pour out and ideas to come to the surface. Hmph, can it be that simple? Is that really all it takes to be happy? My complicated mind is convinced that this is not real and the melancholy that was with me when I woke up is the actual reality of today. How ridiculous human beings are!

What is interesting is noting how I jump to the justification of the moodiness - almost like I deserve to feel sad. Funny that - I don't have the same automatic inclination to feel really happy. Must be the hard wiring!

Need it be brilliant?

While I have been exploring the worlds of my blogging companions and noticing how connected I feel to them, I have come to realize that what really works for me is to read something from them every day. When one of my 'regulars' takes a well deserved day off and does not coincide with one of my days off, I am disappointed that I missed my glimpse into their lives. This and the brilliant conversations I had with colleagues last week about the powerful affiliations created in our social networks has inspired me to write far more often.

Not a day goes by when I haven't had pause to consider an aspect of my life, so, why not share?

Today, I noticed that I am ready for more than 2 or 3 days off in a row - yes, it is time for a holiday. However, I have not structured my life to accomplish this in the current glory days of summer. My next extended period away from work will be in the next 2-3 weeks, answering the baby hot-line and rushing to share in the labour and delivery of the grandbaby. Not exactly mai-tai, margaritas, mango daiquiris (insert beverage of choice) on the beach, hmmm?

This leads to thoughts about taking care of myself, appreciating my contributions and creating not only the time but the means to vacate (that just doesn't cut it as the verb for vacation, does it?). Since I am now an "independent contractor" in the parlance of the new world of business, that means no paid vacation time, which I had really taken for granted after 4 years of working in a corporate structure. So, how to accomplish this? Well, my financially oriented friends would be able to assist me in a budget planning session where I carefully put away sufficient funds for a planned holiday in the future. That and the coaches I surround myself with who can assist with finding the structure to support my self-love commitment should do the trick. In the meanwhile, days with the new baby and stolen hours in the sun during on a glorious day during the week will have to suffice. Truly mini-holidays...