bliss moments

My Monday morning started out rather typical for a Monday. I spilled my coffee down the front of my shirt as I walked into the office. It did not bode well for the day but then I walked towards my desk and behold, what did I see...a copy of Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" cookbook. And to boot, it was a used copy. My colleague knew I was looking for a copy and she had one lying around she didn't want. It made my day. Who knew a cookbook could make a day right? She inscribed it "Bon Apetit Sara."

The spine of my new treasure - so exciting

On another note, I bought my first ever piece of art. My friend Kristin does some really beautiful art and yesterday, she held an art show. I attended and purchased. I feel like a grown-up now. I think this is also on my 101 things to do list. Now, I just need to get it framed properly.

The color didn't really come out well in the photo but the message is clear

And on the topic of beautiful and wonderful things, I picked up a bushel (or so) of colorful tomatoes. I will be making another batch of the Mothership Tomato Salad. I can't wait to eat it. I am also going to try making homemade crostini to eat with the salad. I am inspired by the movie, Julie & Julia. In the film, Amy Adams character, Julie, makes these crostini-like things in her frying pan. My mouth watered. By the way, if you have not seen the movie, go now and see it. Meryl Streep is amazing once again.

And they even taste like tomatoes...

Lisa Hannigan - I Don't Know - video

I love this song and video. Enjoy!

idea books

I am a collector of many things but I think my favorite thing to collect is ideas. When I was in grade 7, I began collecting ideas in books. Partly inspired by my older sister and partly inspired by the world, these books took a life of their own. The ideas arrive in my life in the form of notes, pictures, magazines, quotes, ticket stubs and so many other things. I am not sure how many books I have but it always gives me a slight thrill to complete an idea book. And tonight, another idea book is complete.

The completed book

A sneak peak inside

Now, the difficult decision of choosing the new idea book. Many things need to be considered before a book is chosen for the prestigious role of Sara's idea book. I am leaning towards the green one. I like the color. It makes me smile.

Desiderata

A friend revealed this poem to me recently. I thought I would share it with you.

Desiderate

by Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

moonshot

Today marks 40 years since a human walked on the moon. This was a rather incredible feat if you ask me. A few years prior to the landing, JFK announced that America will put a man on the moon. That was a rather incredible statement considering the state of the US Space Program.

Although I don't always agree with the billions of dollars spent on space exploration while people on earth are starving to death, there is a sense of awe when you realize how vast the universe is and how small we are in it.

People now refer to statements like JFK's as a moonshot statement. An incredible idea with the will to accomplish it. It got me thinking - what is my moonshot statement? What could I achieve if I had the idea and the will to do it?

Perhaps it is in just taking a small step towards the idea...

Be Surprised

"All of us have had the experience of a sudden joy that came when nothing in the world had forewarned us of its coming - a joy so thrilling that if it was born of misery we remembered even the misery with tenderness."

“Life always bursts the boundaries of formulas”

I recently found these great quotes on surprise by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, the author of "The Little Prince" [SIDENOTE: I must re-read that book soon so I don't become too much like an adult]. The quotes below made me re-look at my year theme of "Be Surprised". The whole thing about being surprised is it requires an unusual openness to life and a resistance to organizing every detail in life. This creates a good deal of protest from the planner within. I like to be in control and prepare for the next event, step or person in my life. But as I am discovering this year, sometimes the decision to not plan brings unexpected joys, surprises and blessings. Here is just one small example - I decided to "boycott" the Calgary Stampede and not attend any work or personal parties or events (much to the chagrin of friends and colleagues). I think I was the only one in Calgary not doing anything Stampede-ish thus leaving my calendar wide-open for 10 days. Then out of the blue, I get a call from an old friend who happened to be in town for the week and I was free to hang out a few times and catch up - a luxury my normally busy life would not have afforded. Surprise!

This example is just one of many small decisions I made this year which initially appeared to have little consequence in the big scheme of things. But in fact, those minor choices were part of a larger surprise or purpose in my life. There have been so many blessings in the past 6 months that I am often in awe that I still want to be in control. The thrill of a surprise should be enough to let go of the control...

This whole experiment about preparing to be surprised reminds me of the Woody Allen quote “If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans". I started thinking about God and surprises. Throughout the bible, God takes people’s plans for their lives and blows them to smithereens. In fact, I have a sneaky suspicion that God revels in surprising people with situations that seem so far from anything they could imagine:

Surprise, Adam - meet Eve

Surprise, Noah - it’s gonna rain, you better build a boat

Surprise, David - so you’re gonna to be king

Surprise, Jonah - yes, in fact, you are in the belly of a fish

Surprise, Mary - you are pregnant

Surprise, Martha - your brother is alive

Surprise, Paul - you are blind

Surprise, Peter - you are going to lead my church

Surprise, World - He is risen indeed.

Just think of the surprises awaiting in our lives...

prayer beads

Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays. ~Søren Kierkegaard

Prayer is when you talk to God; meditation is when you listen to God. ~Author Unknown

During my recent trip, I became fascinated by prayer beads. I kept my eyes open for some beads I liked as I travelled but I never found any I loved in my price range. I did find these lovely silver ones but I couldn't justify the price.

When I returned home, I began to look into the use of prayer beads. Many faiths (Muslim, Buddhists, Bahai, Sikh, Catholic, Anglican, Hindu and Orthodox Christians) use beads during prayer. Each beads represents a request or praise to God. Whether in meditation or repetition, the beads focus the person praying on the task at hand. Perhaps that is why the beads fascinate me. During times I dedicate to prayer, my mind wanders to a thousand other things so to have a tool to focus prayer appealed to me.

The beads are made from pretty much any type of material and the number of beads vary anywhere between 19 and 108. A couple weeks ago, I found some beads I loved. I decided on 33 beads - 30 around the inner circle and 3 hanging down from the loop. 33 beads are used for Muslim, Orthodox and Anglican prayer beads. 33 is also the age of Christ at his death.

Whether it is listening or speaking to God, people of many faiths earnestly seek God. And that gives me hope.

I stumbled across this "reverse" prayer on the weekend. It made me smile.

Good morning, this is God. I will be taking care of all your problems today. I will not need your help so have a good time. I love you.

To that I say amen.