Ice Magic & Harmony & the number 101

ICE MAGIC My friend Holly and I spent yesterday in a winter wonderland up at Lake Louise for their annual Ice Magic festival. Ice carvers from around the world come up and create masterpieces out of blocks of ice. Here are a couple of examples ( although my photographs do not do them justice)




After a rather slow start to the morning, Holly and I spent our day wandering through the snow, "skating" on the lake and exploring the Chateau Lake Louise. There was so much snow - it was beautiful. In the afternoon, we met up with friends, Christine & Noel to watch a telling of the "Snow Queen" fairy tale through the words of a narrator and the music of a string quartet.
A perfect winter day!

HARMONY

As for the harmony part of my blog title, I wanted to share some questions/thoughts that are floating around in my mind regarding the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace". I have been thinking about what peace actually means and whether it is one of those words where the definition relies on its context.

First, a thought.... In Psalm 133, there is a verse regarding peace - "how wonderful it is, how pleasant when brothers live together in harmony." I like the idea of harmony in the context of peace. In a song, not everyone is playing the same note or instrument but when all the notes and instruments come together, beautiful music is made. Sometimes we think peace requires an agreement on issues or ideas but perhaps it is taking our differences together with a willingness to work together that peace can happen.

Now for a question about peace...often peace comes after surrender. If I want peace for myself and the world, what would I be willing to surrender or give up for it?

101

As mentioned in a previous blog, I was contemplating creating a list outlining 101 things I wanted to accomplish in 1001 days. To see what I have decided to do, check out Deadline Oct 29, 2010

Show and Tell

I am presently recuperating from being in the lap of luxury during my trip to Toronto. It is hard to cope when no one is here in my condo to turn-down my bed or leave chocolates in my bedroom or cook delicious food for me. Here is an example of the chocolate left for me on my first day....

(you will need to excuse the blurriness as my camera battery was dying)

There is one thing I can't figure out about fancy hotels - why the need for telephones in the bathroom...next to the toilet?

The conference was okay. I met some great people, learned a couple of things and most importantly, feasted like royalty so it was worth my time. Because the majority of conference attendees were from Toronto and subsequently plan meetings/events in the TO area, we all were wined & dined by the high-end hotels. In fact, a different hotel hosted us for each meal and they definitely served us their best...the food was so delicious. I ate way too much...I think I may have gained 5 pounds in 3 days. But no regrets!

Now onto a completely different topic. Yesterday, I took myself to a matinee to watch Juno. It is a sweet and refreshing snapshot of life - a completely enjoyable movie. The characters completely drive the story and I humbly recommend you watch it. For something a bit more escapism, I am thinking I may go see 27 Dresses this afternoon. I love going to movies by myself in the middle of the day...definitely in my top ten things to do with my time.

Off to the centre of the universe

Tomorrow I head to Toronto for a work conference. Admittedly, I am not super-excited about the trip as I am not convinced I need to be there. I should adjust my attitude and try to find the positive in the "adventure." I am looking forward to travelling with my colleague Bria (she is a kindred spirit) and to catching up with my friend, Bev for drinks on Sunday pm. Additionally, for the first time, I am staying at a Fairmont Hotel - the Royal York. But the actual work stuff....ho-hum...whatever. This could be just part of my post-holiday hangover which seems particularly evident this year. I am just dragging my butt unwillingly through January. I know I am not alone in this blah-ness. Is the month over yet?
Well, this is just a short little blog because one of my new years suggestions is to blog once a week on Sundays but since I will not have guaranteed access to Internet tomorrow while travelling, I am posting today.

New Year's Suggestions

For the past 10 years, my friend Holly and I have celebrated New Years in our own quirky way...through annual letters. Each January, we each write ourselves a letter about our hopes, ideas and suggestions for the upcoming year. I hold onto Holly's letter for her and she keeps mine. On New Years Eve, after midnight, we exchange the letters. Over the course of a year, I forget what was written in my letter and it's always a surprise and usually a good laugh. The best part is realizing how I have changed and grown. I just finished writing my 2009 letter which will be handed over to Holly at the end of January when she is back in Calgary.

Another way, I celebrate the New Year is through a list of "suggestions" (rather than resolutions). I use this terminology because I feel that resolutions are harder to keep. Most people only have 1 or 2 resolutions and if they fail, they are left with a 0% success rate. In 2007, I set out 42 "suggestions" for myself and throughout the year, I achieved 13 of them (a 31% success rate). My suggestions range in complexity from renewing my library card to finding the love of my life to travelling to New York so achieving some of them are easier than others. Because they are merely suggestions, I was not discouraged that the other 29 items on the list weren't achieved - I just add them to my suggestions for 2008.

For 2008, Holly and I are trying something else. We are coming up with 3 goals for the other person. She suggested it on New Year's Eve after reading our letters. I loved the idea but it is scary that a friend will be choosing goals for the upcoming year. I have come up with 2 out of 3 goals for her. Should be interesting.

Speaking of goals, has anyone heard of the 101 things in 1001 days goal setting project? Different from a life-to-do list, this gives you a concrete time frame to complete your list. From a voyeuristic sense, reading another's list gives you a glimpse into their personality as each list is different. As a life-long list maker, this project intrigues me...stay tuned. I may decide to put my list on my blog...let's see, 1001 days from now would be Sunday, October 3rd, 2010. hmmmmm!

Here's to 2008...I look forward to the upcoming year with extravagant hope as I have a firmly rooted belief that the best is yet to come.