Doubled by Wonder

Many magazines in the stores feature American Thanksgiving stories, ideas and it is a good reminder to be thankful as Canadian Thanksgiving seems like a distant memory now.

Today, I read about how the Real Simple editor says five things she is thankful before she gets out of bed each morning. I thought about that...perhaps it would inspire me to want to get up each day.

I have a friend where we used to email each other regularily about 3-5 things that made us happy or thankful. We have fallen out of the habit. I should email her. Well, here is what I am thankful for today:
1) Zach Light's giggles
2) The freedom to leave work early on a Friday afternoon
3) Little boxes of Smarties available only around Halloween
4) Cooking for people
5) Going home for Christmas - my ticket has been purchased.


I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder. ~G.K. Chesterton

My new crush

I was born fifty years too late.

I am in love with an older man. Actually, I have a crush on who the man was fifty years ago.

Perhaps it is unladylike to think such lustful thoughts but seriously...I watched him in the film "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" last night. Sensuality oozes from his every pore.

He has aged gracefully and beautifully, makes a great salad dressing, is a philanthropist and has stayed married to his wife for almost 50 years.

How can you not have a crush on him?

Need I say more?

random ramblings of a crazed mind

This may be a dis-jointed, rambling, ranting or non-sensical blog because my mind is fairly jumbled these days. Work is fabulous but I have never been so busy or worked so hard before in my career. The great thing is the end of this craziness is nearer than it was yesterday - it will be over November 2 and then it will die down to a normal busyness. I was going to provide a play-by-play of the insanity but once I wrote it, it was actually quite annoying and slightly boring. So instead, here are some thoughts to share with you:

• On Monday, Calgary had it's municipal election. My protest vote regarding our mayor didn't really make an impact but I voted none the less. A small rant here- I do not understand why there was only 24% voter turnout... for starters, 100 years ago, as women we were not considered people and thus could not vote - we should vote purely because we have the right to! The apathy drives me batty. Also, you have no right to complain if you don't vote.
• Also on Monday, I attended a fundraiser for women in Afghanistan. At the event, there was a photo exhibition from recent elections in Afghanistan. It showed Afghan women striving to make a difference while still facing extreme dangers. One of the photos showed a long line-up of Afghan women waiting to vote because they finally had a voice. Now, there is a country struggling to become a democracy and the women recognize they have the right, the privilege and the duty to speak up. This gives us yet another reason why we should vote in Canada.
• At the VIP reception of the above mentioned fundraiser, we had the chance to meet David Suzuki. But I passed on the opportunity because the desire to meet famous people baffles me. And really, what was I going to say to him.... "uh, I take the bus to work and recycle (sometimes)?" Well, since the crowd around him was on the larger side, there were less people at the food tables which had lots of yummy Afghan food....a much more satisfying experience for us. Funny enough, David Suzuki did flip my colleague the bird...okay, not really, he just happened to be scratching his face with his middle finger as he walked past us.
• Today, I discovered there is no better way to start a day than with a cup of Second Cup Butter Pecan flavoured coffee and a business meeting with a v. good looking man. And there is no better way to spend a lunch hour than with fast-food Japanese cuisine and conversations with intelligent women.
• I have learned a lesson in the past couple of weeks - when you have gone to bed and are in the semi-conscious state of half-sleep, don't call yourself at work or write yourself a note to remind yourself about something seemingly important. It will end up being a scrawled note like "Baby carrots online" or a crazy voicemail about writing to your step-brother in Saudi Arabia. Yes, I write this from personal experience. I did save the voicemail to remind myself not to take myself or my work too seriously. After all, it is just giving away money and not life & death.

Speaking of giving away money, tomorrow I will be driving to Edmonton to do just that - I truly love my job!

Take a walk when autumn comes to town

Autumn Song

Leaves of brown they fall to the ground

And it's here, over there leaves around

Shut the door, dim the lights and relax

What is more, your desire or the facts

Pitter patter the rain falling down

Little glamor sun coming round

Take a walk when autumn comes to town.

(Van Morrison)

Today, upon the suggestion of my sister, I took a walk down in Fish Creek Park on this lovely fall day. Around every corner, memories from my childhood and youth greeted me. I loved this park growing up...the long summer days of riding our bikes from Babo Grove to Sikome Lake...the winter picnics with friends during high school...walks as a family on Sunday afternoons. Wandering the paths makes you forget there is a city with a million citizens just over the hill. I realize I need to visit this park more often. With the mountains in my backyard and Fish Creek Park on my doorstep, there is no excuse for not enjoying it, especially in the fall. Many of the leaves are gone now but there is still so much beauty in the barreness of the trees.

Robert F. Kennedy speech ~ Mindless Menace of Violence

I watched the movie "Bobby" tonight. For the first time, the realization of RFK's greatness hit me. He was a leader with a timeless vision for the United States and the world in the late 1960's. His message still needs to be heard today to remind ourselves that we are all brothers and sisters.

In looking for some of his speeches online, I came across this Youtube video which uses his "Mindless Menace of Violence" speech against some of the images from 1968 and during the past 40 years. Although the images are focused on American events and issues, hatred and violence thrives in every country.

Secrets and more

I have three things to share and they all have to do with secrets (kinda). I think in our secrets we find how connected we actually are with one another. Sometimes it is in our secrets that we become kindreds with other souls. I love how C.S. Lewis puts it - "Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: What! You too? I thought I was the only one."

Now, don't worry I am not going to bare my soul here. There is a time and place for that but I am thinking that a public blog is not that time or place. But these are just a few things I find joy in and wanted to share with the one or two people that have nothing better to do than read my ramblings. (thank you for reading by the way!)

The first thing I want to share is Postsecret. Check it out http://postsecret.blogspot.com/. It started innocently as an art installation and it has taken a life of its own. Every Sunday, the site is updated with 20 new secrets. Anonymous people send in their secrets. In these secrets lie our humanity. In reading them, it amazes me how similar we all are. Not to mention, the site satisfies the spy in me. It gives a glimpse of others. Here is an example:

My second thing to share would be what I would put on a Postsecret card. I secretly love to watch the New York Sunday Times Wedding/Celebration videos. They are 4 minute (approx.) videos on how a couple meets and falls in love and gets engaged. If you ever doubt love or its existence in our world, I challenge you to watch these videos and not have a smile on your face at the end of each one. There is a new video every Sunday and even a cynic like me believes in love afterwards. http://www.nytimes.com/pages/fashion/weddings/index.html.

My third thing to share is the Blogger Play tool. My fellow bloggers may have seen this on Blogger but if you have a few minutes, click on this http://play.blogger.com/. It displays in real time the images posted on blogs around the world. Similar to Postsecret, it makes you realize that no matter where we live, what we do for a living, who our family is, we are all human and there is much that unites us. Often I find time slips quickly by as the pictures mesmerize me in the "slideshow" - it reminds me there is alot of goodness and love in the world.

Do you remember show & tell from elementary school? You would share something that was really valuable to you. Well, this is my show & tell for today.