Months

The past few months have been interesting.  "Interesting".  It's been a mixture of feeling somewhat bound.  Life is fine, but just a feeling of helplessness to people I love dearly that are struggling.  It is somewhat easier when you 'get life': A + B = C. But things aren't always that clear, especially in the moment, is it?

This fall has affirmed a lot of life lessons:

• When challenges happen, it shakes things up.  Other issues come to the surface bubbling all around the challenge.  It makes us reconsider things, change our paths if we so choose.  Back to the post about Trauma & Growth, hopefully we grow.  
• Family and good friends are an undeniable force.  When shit hits the fan, if family pulls together, nobody feels so alone.  My family is amazing and I am so thankful to learn life lessons amongst the people who I love most in this world.  I love you dearly.
• Sometimes life takes away things/people we are used to going to, so that we learn to either suck it up and go, or perhaps strengthen, or make new relationships that otherwise may not have grown.
• Your own life is your own life and that's it. We live by our choices, yet all walk together.  Amazing how life binds these two contrasts in such a way.  Very yin/yang...
• It is fundamental to have people around that you can count on.  That takes building with mindfulness and love.
• We are not meant to do it all alone.

I watched one of the best documentaries I've seen the other day with my mom.  "I Am" by Tom Shadyac  THAT is what life is about.  I'm not going to tell you what it is about.  Go see it for yourself.   Best.  Ever.

I will say, we aren't meant to go through life feeling alone.  Doing so drains the spirit.

I am in awe of my daughter.  She is three and out and about, she chooses people and just has an urge to go and say "hi", to tell a girl who looked a bit sad at the sinks in the washroom that she is beautiful.  She just goes through her days 'lighting people'.  I am so deeply proud of her.  She gives to people's spirits and teaches me everyday.

You have to count on those in your inner circle.  They hopefully can count on you.  But all of that is earned and doesn't come easy.  In life, I'm not sure there is anything more important than that as the foundation of who we all are.  You have that and no matter what, you are fortunate.



Go light someone up and tell those in your circle you love them.

Thought

Do you ever get that feeling, that something extraordinary must be done?

The Other Story

A couple of points to make:

1. I am now a Pinterest.com addict
2. I am sitting here eating a plate of hashbrowns at 11:41pm wondering where my body is going to put it (ugh, but YUM!)

So what then comes to mind from the above, is a quote  that I came across on Pinterest*:

I don't believe things are THAT simple.  Life happens.  Environmental factors are in place.  Life is not that simple.  BUT...

        what
                          if 
                                         it 
                                                      was?

If every act you chose to do (consciously or subconsciously) was a direct input to what the output was, what would your body show?  What you put in (and on) to your body, what you tell your body, how you direct its' resources, how you repeatedly deal with stress - how would all of these things translate if genetics and environmental factors out of our hands did not matter?  What would you be creating?  Are you helping your own creation and maintenance or are you just plugging the metre with what you were conditioned with, or feel is 'good enough'?

A step further.   If I were to take every increment of energy I expel, and those outputs directly illustrated ME (who I am), what would my world be?  What/how much energy do I give my daughter?  What words do I use with her?  What does my husband get from me?  What do I input in to our relationship?    What do I offer to work?  What feelings, intentions and energy do I invest in these things?  What would my life be if all that I invested were the only factors in creating myself? 

The past six months have been a challenge.  Alongside some really amazing times, and grounding moments that I am thankful for,  I also feel, in a sense that I am spinning my wheels - waiting for certain things to come to completion, for life to be different, wishing I could do more, feeling helpless or far away from those I hold most dear, missing them etc.  Our society lives so much outside of the present moment, that what we expend our energy on, is completely inappropriate for what we are truly aiming to create in our lives.  We work our tails off so that 'one day', we will have enough money to retire.  We throw all of our energy in to work, so our family will thrive.  We stress about things of the past, or what is to come, so that one day we might have peace.  We are hard on our loved ones, because we need help or do not feel heard.

I am not saying that where each of us is in life, is because of what we have done and that alone.  Life ain't that simple.  However, there is a simplicity that we must be accountable for: where we put our energy is what will grow (with the footnote that we are not in control of everything, and can not change everything).  Sometimes life sucks.  We can't possibly choose everything with full knowledge (unless all info is fully disclosed and available - in that case, we are responsible).  We can not change our surroundings on many levels.  So no, not all things are a result of our own actions.  However, we have more control than we realize and that scares us.  In reality, it should empower us, but when we are so used to being told what to buy, what to take and when, how to raise our children, what we should have, what should not have happened etc., having the reigns firmly and solely in our hands can be daunting.  But, you know what?  Now is the time. 

For 24 hours, put your energy/decisions purposefully towards those things in your life and see how parallel what you put out, is what you create.

*I hate to show a photo without crediting the creator, but as far as I can tell, it came from here. 

Life Systems

Throughout this blog, I have pulled out a number of analogies in day-to-day life ('managing one's garden'/social circles/Social Accountability,  being 'Plugged In', 'Poop=Fertilizer', water Overflowing, 'Trauma and Growth'/pain before or accompanying growth, Intuition versus Anxiety).  When I write, these circumstances are things that just stick out in my mind, that influence and inspire me.  It is for a reason.

I believe that Life, is an incredibly complex whole, which, under most circumstances, continues with underlying common theories.  What it takes to live is common in some fundamental ways.

• Life is begins
• there is an innate nature to that life
• It is played upon by the environment around it
• the inherent nature of the life seeks to fulfill itself, to be expressed
• the life, struggles to bring its innate nature to fruition while maintaining what balance it can to survive
• if it succeeds or is consistent in bringing it's inherent nature forward, the environment (including life forms around it) around it become enriched
• if it fails, for whatever reason, it causes a draw upon, or unhealthy balance to the environment around it
• There is a complex, yet progressive interaction between all life forms, but rarely do they stand alone
•  When a life ends, it either continues on another generation and/or continues itself in some type of legacy- the energy is taken forward to continue to affect the life forms around it

Whether you or I believe that God starts this life and guides it, or science, spirituality, metaphysics, nothing even - whatever feels right to you and expresses this in the most meaningful manner, is what is right for you.  But the thing is, there are common themes and I believe, we are neither above, nor below these patterns.

Whether a community, a body system in itself, an environment, a family, the periodic table,  a solar system, religions, a film crew, a recipe for cake, a garden  - all of these have independent systems within it that create a whole.  That is just life.  They all have a balance of its parts that make them survive.

Take our physical self:  Each organ and the system it belongs to has a collection of tasks, amongst the whole system.  The digestive system supplies the body with energy and discards what it does not utilize.  The skeletal and muscular system is our physical framework geared to move us.  The immune system adaptst us to our environment and defend us.  The reproductive system continues us on.  Etc. Etc. Etc.  Each system has its place within the whole, just a bunch of cells which in the beginning began to realize their purpose and complete it.  And there you have a human body.  When the organs in that system begin to be compromised, the others around it must help it along,  compensate.  It redirects energy, sometimes putting things in overdrive to either recover, or just survive.  They whole system may be compromised in efficiency, even causing discomfort or more to the entire being. 

A family system - dysfunctional or not, are still a system.  When one member is down, the others rally to recover the member, to show their love, to say the tough things, or even walk away.  We affect one another.  We walk out in to the world in adulthood, imprinted with one, two or more decades of being a certain system within the whole.  Even when you walk away or move on, we are still, to an extent a part of that whole in the patterns we carry forward - even if it is to NOT carry the pattern forward (ah evolution).   And when we go out in to the world, ourselves as a part of that family system, are part of a community now, a society etc.  We have talents, we have patterns that we contribute to our environment good or not so good. 

Are we as humans, a positive system within the world as a whole?  Do I, as an individual, live who i am and offer my part to maintain balance within my family or social system?  Am I maintaining the balance my body, my physical self requires for wellness?  If I am not, at what cost and for what am I paying for? 

It seems way too simple to live these patterns what with all that us human beings are, but perhaps like all other systems, it is part of our survival to do so. 

Favourite Products & Things - Part III

A fantastic list of new things to share!

Onyx Ice Pop Molds & Storage Containers

I'll start off with the Onyx products, which I recently purchased.  It was a discussion on a wonderful parent's board*, that I saw all the yummy homemade ice pop (aka pops#cl#s, but apparently that name can't be used due to copyright issues) recipes that people were making and I was inspired:

• Easy, Creamy, Lemon Drop Ice Pops (from Carolyn, the owner of Onyx herself)
• Coconut Dream (we all know the current swarm for coconut products and the benefits!)
• Pineapple/ Blueberry 
• Coconut Pineapple
• Apple, Lime Watermelon
• Mango Peach Pop
• French Vanilla Cherry (excellent for all the end of season cherries!)

Someone mentioned the Onyx ice-pop trays which I have heard of before.  I don't care if September is below freezing the entire time, there will be ice pops.

Onyx is owned and operated by a local (Lower Mainland of B.C.) mom/family.  Searching for alternatives to plastic storage containers for her own new family and little one, she started her company.  Onyx offers the highest grade products for great value, all manufactured in responsible conditions.

I purchased the storage containers, the ice-pop trays, and some extra sticks.  I am in love with the storage containers.  They seal really well and who'd have thought my fridge could look SEXY, but it does with those storage containers!  Imagine that.  And the icepops have been a huge hit at our home.

I have made a batch of Cherry Vanilla and Vanilla Orange Creme ice-pops (all organic - orange juice, Greek yoghurt with vanilla and maple syrup).  Totally daughter, cousin (& momma) approved!

Sappho Cosmetics

I recall hearing a radio documentary on CBC Radio about a woman who was fighting cancer.  She brought up the cosmetic industry and how unregulated and sometimes toxic many of the products we use on our skin are - containing phthalates, dimethicone, parabens (will allow you to do your own research on those).  With makeups and personal skin care products designed to not only sit upon our skin, but penetrate it as well, it made me look in to what my own make up was carrying.  With the use of the Environmental Working Group's database, Skin Deep, I realized my make up was rated as being a 7-8 out of 10 - high toxicity.  Not happy makeup.  Then my hunt began.

I looked and looked, studied and looked some more, tried various makeups.  A makeup artist mentioned a makeup I had already tried and really liked a while back, AND it was very low (good rating) on the EWG website.  Concealer was a 1 out of 10.  Foundation was a 2 out of 10.  I found cosmetics that had ratings any lower didn't have a great range of colour, ease of use, nor resilience throughout the day.  Sappho's ingredients contained the following:

Organic Aloe Juice, Organic Jojoba Oil, Titanium Dioxide, Organic Rooibos Extract, Organic Calendula Extract (very calming for the skin), Emulsifying Wax, Iron Oxide, Organic Green Tea Extract, Vitamin E, Mica, Zinc Oxide, Rosemary Extract, Neem (excellent for problem skin including eczema), Dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE), Stearic Acid, Meadowfoam Oil, Daucus carota sativa (Carrot) Oil, Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), Frankincense Essential Oil, Tea Tree Essential Oil, Rockrose Essential Oil, Cedarwood Essential Oil, Lavender Essential Oil, Roman Chamomile Essential Oil, Konjac Glucomannan (Mannan), Citric Acid.

Finding Sappho Cosmetics foundation has given peace to my skin and my mind.  My skin feels alive, nourished and protected now.  Sappho does not dry out my skin and look cakey by days' end like my previous (and very expensive) makeup did.  The range of colours is fantastic as well.  I purchased two shades and mix as my skin has a wide range from summer to winter.  Love it!

To check out your makeup or skin care products' safety, visit the EWG Skin Deep Database and punch in your products.

The Bucket Books

The summer-time was a fantastic and challenging summer.  Our daughter made excellent friends in summer camp, new bonds with family, all of which, challenged her social skills.  I came upon "How Full Is Your Bucket - for kids" by Tom Rath and Mary Reckmeyer:

It is about a boy who one day discovers an imaginary bucket over his head.  As bad things happen, his bucket empties.  As good things happen, his bucket fills.  He learns that giving to people helps to not only fill their bucket, but fills his own at the same time.

It is a great book for helping to explain how people feel and how we affect one another.  Right away, my three year old daughter flipped a switch and we began chatting about our 'buckets' and those around us, knowing she had an affect on their 'buckets'.

After that book, I found others:

 

 And if you have an interest beyond a great gift for a child, there's the New York Times #1 Bestseller for adults.  That will be a read sometime, hopefully in my future!

Infusion BouTeaque - Vanilla Honeybush Latte (tea)

What more could a gal want than to curl up in the gorgeous Autumn unfolding with a lovely book, a warm blanket and a cup of tea.  I stopped in to Infusion Bouteaque the other day with a friend.  Their special on the board sounded irresistible: Vanilla Honeybush Latte.  That alone melted me in to a pat of vanilla warmth!  Taking a smell of their sample tea leaves had me sold.   Honeybush is a tea leaf indigenous to the Cape of South Africa.  It is a non-caffeinated tea and carries some antioxidant properties, among a handful of others.  That all aside, the tea whether in latte form or plain, is like a toasty vanilla honey blankie in a up!  So consoling and my all time most favourite tea  ...although their Creme Earl Grey is not far behind...

So that is it for now.  Busy day tomorrow, so will sign off here.

May your Autumn bring you warmth, a loving environment and wellness always.

Plugged In

"Sometimes you make something and the Universe just says, 'yes, you did good today'.  You woke up with nothing and then you made something where there was nothing"  Anthony Kiedis, Red Hot Chili Peppers.

There are those days where you feel grounded, satisfied, content and the greatest feeling of it all was that you gave.  This is 'peace' and a measure of a good day to me - when you feel 'plugged in' to life, from the essence of who you are, to the reception of such by your surroundings.

We are all born with unique strengths that we come by naturally, that often times we disregard as talents because it is just how we innately express ourselves.  Perhaps it is the gift of humour, of insight, story-telling, an artistic eye, or physical, musical, intellectual talent.  Maybe the gift to see people wholly, or to engage them to bring their best to light.  The ability to problem solve in a particular way, organize thoughts or facts.  Maybe it is carrying a sense of peace, or being a conduit for a certain theme in life, of just giving love in a certain way etc.  When we are in touch with who we are and what makes us unique, we can offer these facets of who we are to contribute to Life.  When they are received by those beings in our surroundings, we have made a difference - we fit (I believe it is our responsibility as a part of the whole, to acknowledge and show appreciation when people offer their own gifts as it is not always easy for the person themselves to pin-point their own strengths - again, what a better world it would be if we lead by positive reinforcement and gratitude when possible) .

It is not what we earn, nor the "stuff" we have, but what we nurture and express in this world that makes the greatest difference in ourselves and the world around us.  Perhaps we are collectively learning this amongst all those things in life that deepen us - the tragedies, the losses, the injustices and equally, the dreams we share and strive for.   More and more people are caring to see what they, themselves are all about and are finding the need to express it and be received.

This year has been a year of reflection, of attaining more balance and, I feel, conserving and expending more focused energy mindfully.  Life has deepened in many ways - due to major happenings in the world, personal circumstances, investment in things that truly matter.

May you live today from the foundation of your own unique gifts, and if you see those around you living from theirs and making a positive impact, show gratitude.

"Plug-in"  

There will be a day when my lungs empty of their last breath.  My heart will spin and fear letting go of this life and from my loved ones, and memories will pass like a slow, easy breeze across my mind.

I will remember, summer days walking down the long driveway to the garden with my little girl chattering away with that sweet voice I sometimes nowadays take for granted.  Her picking and eating a meals' worth of veggies from the patch of earth we planted together.  Little hands plucking sun-warmed strawberries from the barrel - her most treasured gems of the garden.  Then one fine, plump strawberry left, she holds it up to the blue-skies and without a thought, offers it to me.  The sweetest, most flavourful strawberry I can remember.

It is crazy how life moves along, those moments that just happen.  Some moments make you just stop, as though the whole world suddenly slowed just for you to take note.  The first kiss my husband gave me will ride along that breeze too.

These moments cost nothing.  Most of the time they make me wonder what all the 'chasing' in life is for, but for chasing moments like these.

All About A Glue Stick

The past while has been busy on both the home-front and professionally.  Many changes, shifts, fantastic moments, learning curves, and professional challenges. 

A slice of life within all of that was a moment between my daughter and another little one.  They were playing together, doing crafts.  One wanted the glue stick the other was using.  We were doing 5 minute intervals of switching  - glue stick versus dollop of glue.  Both had had turns with the two means of gluing.  But it had come to a crucial moment.  Even though there was a dollop of glue on a plate for the other to use, she still wanted what the other had.  It was in her mind.   I encouraged the two to work it out.  Tears began to fall.  I took a deep breath (and took my Rescue Remedy).

Tears tumbled down the sun-kissed cheeks.  I took her hands in mine and looked her in the eyes and said the first thing that came to mind. "I am a firm believer that when we don't have exactly what we want, we are meant to see what else can be done, and you know what?  What else is out there, is often times better than what we wished we'd had, or way more creative than what we originally wanted".  Her tear-soaked eyes glimmered and her sweet little heart shifted gears.  She now had a challenge to seek what else could be done.

To the table she went with q-tips and a whole new game plan!  ...Till the timer went off, when the other little one wanted the q-tips and the glue-stick was absolutely not feasible to the other... sigh...

In the end though, I was gifted a funky cool craft with some very artistic gluing... HA!

It was a reminder to me:  If I'm not able to access what I want or think I need, maybe lift my eyes and let go.  Look for what else is out there to make things work or flow.  Flexibility.

Thankful for the lessons little ones consistently bring.

Poop = Fertilizer

What if all the people who you have conflict with are just an opportunity to learn a lesson, and that in itself, is the purpose for your paths crossing? 

When the lesson is learned, the conflict and power becomes inert and neutral.  They are bringing you a gift.

Lines of the Past

This past weekend we made the trek to my hometown, three hours North East of where we live.  There is a festival of Japanese origin that takes place every summer within the Japanese-Canadian community there,  Obon.

Wikipedia states:

"Obon (お盆^?) or just Bon (盆^?) is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the departed (deceased) spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors' graves, and when the spirits of ancestors are supposed to revisit the household altars. It has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years and traditionally includes a dance, known as Bon-Odori."

In our town, rather than a three to seven day event which it traditionally is in Japan, it is held on one Sunday usually mid-July.  With Obon usually falling on the weekend of my daughter's birthday (just turned three years old), we put off her birthday party to the week following and myself, my husband and M make the trip to my hometown to take part in the Obon.  With most of her cousins and her hometown cousins also gathering, it is our once a year chance to all meet up and  I do believe that my daughters biggest happiness is being within her tribe.

Around noon, we head to... the cemetery.  Each family visits the gravestones of their ancestors, cleaning the headstones, bringing fresh flowers from their own gardens and then lighting and bestowing incense at the foot of the grave. Incense is used as a symbol to purify the surroundings.  For me, because I only ever smell it at these ceremonies, the gentle spiced fragrance of woody anise scent always brings my heart and spirit home to family, to anchor me to the moment of tradition, ceremony, honour, respect for this lineage.  Our visit there is a mix of wonderful flashbacks to when I was a child, and an overflowing happiness seeing my daughter and her cousins learning this tradition the same way we all did.

I will forever remember my paternal grandmother knelt so neatly, ceremoniously cleaning the grave of her husband, my grandfather who I never had the chance to know.  She now lays to rest beside him and it is my aunts, father and uncle and cousins who uphold the resting place of their parents and grand-parents with love and remembrance.  Brilliant stories of our combined past dance around with her memory and she is there, they are all there with us.  It is quite powerful.

This year, nineteen of us, of three generations, gather for my grandmother and grandfather and the rest of our ancestors.  Myself and my cousins, all grown up with children of our own.  Where once we would chase in between the gravestones, now second-cousins run from us as we holler whatever we can to scare the bejessus out of them from stepping on faces of the graves.

The ceremony is a bit odd from the perspective of North Americans.  The likeness of a day dedicated to the deceased, to spirits gone and revisiting the living, is of course, Halloween - spooky, creepy, dark graveyards etc.  But for us and this occassion, it is the opposite.  We call upon our ancestors to visit us, to connect again with their love and to honour them.  "This is not a time for sadness as such, but a time to reflect on our own lives and respect those who have gone. It is a reminder to be a part of the community and not be selfish with our wants and needs." (Tokyotopia). We go to the graveyard and children run laughing, just being children, bringing light and hope to the sadness of death, that life continues and never ends because we carry things forward.

After tending to the grave-sites, all families gather at one place.   Reverend Yasuhiro Miyakawa and his assistants set up an alter and he begins his service.  A guest minister from Los Angeles attends as well, a gentle smile resonates within him.  Reverend Miyakawa speaks about each of us living one life, no dress-rehearsals.  We live each moment fully and remember where we come from.  Our history, our lineage.  He spoke about Buddha and how he was just a man who's family, friends, disciples carried forward the stories of his life.  Now, 2500 years later, the stories remain.  We are meant to carry forward the stories of our ancestors to honour them to make our own lives better.  I like his service.  It sticks with me, especially looking to the future of what I hope M will carry on with her.  

Reverend Miyakawa chimes a beautiful, clear bell, and he and the guest reverend commence the Buddhist chants.  It is hypnotic, ethereal, grounding.  It opens something in a person's heart.  M asks, "Why are they so loud Momma?"  I take her aside and explain what the ceremony is about.  When they are done the chanting, Reverend Miyakawa and each person after follows - bowing to the shrine, taking a pinch of ...something (ha ha!)... and putting it in another little pot, then stepping back again and bowing.  Some use the Buddhist beads wrapped around their hands. 

It is our turn now.  I take my daughter's hand and we step up together with my husband.  She puts her little hands together and tilts her forehead down.  We step forward and she solemnly pinches the grainy sand in her fingers and places it in the bowl to the left.  Incense wafts over the three of us.  We step back and forgetting this is a Buddhist ceremony, she gives her greatest ballet diva bow taking a deep breath, standing up tall, then folding down her little upper body, rolling from her hips to her head which snaps like a little whip, then holds for a second with her tummy folded over her left hand... good grief!  I'm so in love.  Very dramatic.  Her ancestors would be snickering and proud (there was that streak in our family).


So that is that part of the day.  Next up the elders go to the Buddhist church for another service.  I have never gone to one of these.  Maybe one day when M is older, I will take her for both of us to learn more about this religion.  


Later that day, around seven o'clock, we pull out some traditional wardrobe.  Men and boys get out their Hapi coats (short kimono-style coats *the man in this photo is not wearing one).  Women and little girls put on their yukata (summer kimonos), the ones that intend to dance anyways (I haven't worn one in years!). 

M chooses her pink yukata.  It is huge, and because there is no way I could get her latched in to her carseat with it on, I decide to dress her in the parking lot of the church hall where the odori is to be held. 


Back in the day, we would head down to the parking lot of a car dealership where they would empty out the cars and string up paper lanterns and build a tower for the huge taiko drum.  As the sun would set in the hot, dry summers, we would dance to the same old songs we still dance too now - scratchy recordings of very traditional Japanese music.  Fourteen cousins munching on our Mr. Freezie treats, following after our Grand-mother like little ducklings.  The deep and resonating guttural boom of the drums, high-pitched flutes, men, women and little children singing.  Obon odori - the dancing portion of the festival is comprised of a selection of songs that, in Japan, are usually specific to the geographic region and represent various stories - coal mining, cherry blossoms, fishing etc.  But here in Canada, there are songs from all over Japan that are represented.  I think I first started learning them when I was younger than eight or nine, I believe.  They are always a series of simple, deliberate but delicate moves that represent actions or stories that are repeated.  The dancers travel in a circle, which is fantastic because you just follow whomever in front of you knows the steps!  The steps always come back, at least by the end of the song anyways.

I can only compare me dressing my daughter in the back seat of the car, to hog-tying a thirty five pound munchkin.  We wrestled, we argued.  But when she got out, she was the cutest thing with her hair pinned in an up-do.  We hopped inside the hall and M found her grandpa in the dancing circle.  My little M followed her grandpa in the circle, my heart melted like a puddle on the floor... How do the generations, lifetimes pass so quickly?   There is an art to tying even the more simple yukatas.  I don't have it down in the best of circumstances, I'm sad to say.   Her dress began to unwind and an elder woman stepped out grabbing her and wrestled around with her  dress to shorten it up.  That is community and I love it.  


As quickly as her little yukata again began to fall apart, so did my little girl.  It was time to go.  She darn near clawed her way back in to the dance circle as we tore her out of there but we had a three hour drive to make.  It was time.


North America.  Even though I am three and four generations a Canadian, I sometimes feel... on the outside, especially being a visible minority.  When I go to Japan, I certainly do not fit in as I can't speak the language, I am not dainty to the refinement of femininity there.  I actually look people in the eye - gasp!  But this one day is plain and simple, a part of who I am, a tradition that I would like for my daughter to make a part of who she is.

This festival is an opportunity to honour my grandmother and grandfather, alongside all those who came before us, my great-grandmother who passed away over a decade ago at the age of one hundred and four.  She has a very special place in my heart.  Her husband, my great-grandfather, I also never had the chance to know.  But through stories, I have come to know him as a very wise, refined man who many came to for advice.  All those who came before me, who faced life boldly and made our lives better for it - making sacrifices to leave what they knew, their homeland and loved ones, losing their livelihoods and all possessions all over again in their new home, and building entire lives back from scratch - all for opportunity that myself and my daughter now have the potential to sow.

We have much to learn from, to appreciate and to share.  Community is necessary in life - wherever you go, especially when younger generations are to be minded.

Who are you from?  :)


* Growing up as a Japanese-Canadian, I was raised in a household where my maternal grandmother was a devout Christian.  My paternal grandmother was a devout Buddhist.   For a portion of time went with my grandmother to church and Sunday school.  We celebrated New Years with Japanese/Buddhist family traditions and in the summer took part in the Obon. My parents had a deep respect for their parents beliefs, but also encouraged us, their children, to find our own beliefs in the world through raising us to be open-minded and respectful of all religions and diversities.


It was my maternal grandfather who best articulated my beliefs:   He used the analogy of all climbing one mountain.  We all strive for the top in our lifetimes.  Sometimes we take a more established and populated path with others (religious paths).  Sometimes we make our own paths (independent spirituality), but we are all striving for the same summit. Whatever our path , we help each other up when we have hard times or struggle.  We are all going to the same place - right or wrong, in my eyes, it is an enlightenment, a shared freedom of all things living, an unbound energy that is Life, everything in its purest most potent form.  The more we help each other and bring each other up, rather than trying to disprove ways of doing things, the more we progress as a whole and as an individual.  The more we learn about the struggles and successes of others, the more we can move forward as well - not having to reinvent the wheel as some might say.   

**Photos purchased from iStock & Dreamstime Photo stock

Overflowing

Thursday evening:
"He is just so handy" I remarked to my mom who had arrived from out of town just an hour before.  We stood observing my husband through the kitchen window - watching him measure out the angle of the slope for the playground foundation we are building for our daughter's birthday.  "He can do anything", my mom responded. 

I wanted to show my mom a little area in the house I had been working on, so we went around the corner to the hallway:  "one of these things does not belong"...  tile: check.  stairway: check.  doors: check.  waterfall - ..."oh SHIT." 

A sheet of water was coming from the ceiling in the middle of my hallway (no, we do not have a water-feature).  I was pouring a bath on the second floor for the kids, while I was trying to help get dinner on and visit... and had forgotten about it.

"No! No!  Noooo...." I sobbed, racing up the stairs to the bathroom - soaked.  Fumbled around sopping up what I could, then went back to the main-floor.   The bathroom had water streaming down the clay walls - both walls, behind the cabinet.  The closet had water running down it, as with the hallway.  Went to the basement.  The mechanical room was flooded.

Less than one week before my in-laws were to move in and I had just drowned the middle two floors of our home.  I couldn't breath.  I went out on to the patio, shoving what breath I could muster with all my might out of my lungs to yell to my husband outside.  "HUN!... I need your help.  I made a huge mistake"  Oh, he knew something big had happened.   I've done some stupid things in my life.  But this was definitely up there.  I was GUTTED.  The water soaked through things faster than I could process how widespread the damage was and what it all meant.

My husband came in and began taking it all in.  My heart wanted to pull his in, aching at the shock I had caused him. That felt the worst.  Then he went in to his office... the whole wall was water damaged.  The clay plaster walls oozing down on to the memorabilia he had collected over the past twenty-five plus years of his career.  My heart turned inside out.  I felt ill.  I fumbled to get the photos out of their frames to dry off.  I wanted to cry, but I needed to make it better even more.

He was choked, but went in to action right away - tearing out the ceiling under the bath, punching holes in the walls, yanking out insulation.  He rigged up the industrial vac with a hair dryer in the intake and shot the nozzle in to the ceiling and the various holes in the other walls.  He exposed the mechanical room damage and set another fan in to that wall.

In the midst of it all, I recall somehow setting off my car alarm, and not being able to find the key fob - that was fun.  And then the dog peed on the porch in front of the entrance.  That pretty much iced my cake.  My mom wrangled the kids and dog, taking them back home, saving them from potential shrapnel from the time-bomb that was me.

I raced from area to area, trying to clean up whatever I could and then my hubby came in to the bathroom where I was.  He just stopped and looked at me with gentle eyes.  At that point, my own flood of watery tears overflowed on to my face below.  The words, "I'm so sorry", stumbled out of my mouth and off my lips.  He held me saying, "everything will be fine - it was just an accident".  I've always loved the smell of the crook of his neck - my favourite smell... "ok, it will be ok..."

As the fans wailed through the quiet evening, I wondered, "what can I take from this?  Think.  Think. Think."   ...Too much thinking.  My head hurt.  My heart hurt.  I was tired.  My mind was in a million places.  Wrapping my head and heart around an upcoming shift for my family of three with hubby taking on a new six month job.  Trying to get the playground done before hubby would be unavailable.  Prepping for family moving in.  Managing issues with other loved ones.  Wanting to plan a lovely birthday for my daughter (I'm so not crafty).  Trying to not kill the two horses that, earlier in the afternoon, broke in to my garden, punched huge hoof holes through the raised beds, disheveling and eating my hard-earned tiny veggies...  That last one alone nearly had me reconsidering retiring from gardening and taking up crafts - sewing nice brown, short-haired hand bags, and creating a line of organic glue. ...etc. etc. etc.

All these issues that I took hold of over the past months, that I ran around and around in my head, like a pack of horses on lunge lines; becoming tangled and busy, tugging my grey-matter limbs this way and that.   I had worn myself down and turned an otherwise normal day of having visitors out to the farm to be... not so normal.  The littlest issues - running a bath, helping to make dinner and visiting, just overflowed in to everything else... and I made a mistake.  It was my fault - I allowed my own perceptions of things take up too much head-space and this was the breaking-point. 

I have had warnings about my lack of management skills: I have had three cigarettes in the past couple months - I am not a smoker (used to be years ago), the on-going tightness in my stomach, lower tolerance to things.  But I didn't get the message until now.  It is not the horses/issues that take up energy.  It is me holding on to them and driving them that does.

Sometimes things get hectic, or we must think outside of our comfort zones.  These things require extra energy, which is normal.  There are things that just 'are' and they are just going to happen whenever they will unfold.  But I ran them over and over, trying to plan things, focusing on contingency plans so it'd be fine "even if...", or dealing with issues when maybe they weren't mine to deal with, or the right time to deal with them because they weren't a real priority.  Those things take on a lot of space and a lot of energy; using up energy I could have banked.

This has nothing to do with what is going on around my life nor other people, and everything to do with how I am managing my own perceptions, how I define situations.  I need to be mindful of where I spend my brain-fuel or I'll end up idling away in a useless manner and then running on fumes when I really need to the fuel to 'go' or plug in to those I love, or even give to myself.

"I GET IT!!!  thank you."

Making adjustments:  "See life with more positivity and maybe even magic".  "Have faith".  "Don't take 'x, y or z' on right now".  "Say 'yes' when people offer help".  "ask for help".  "Know my boundaries". "Say, No."  "Let go".

I had some wonderful friends offer their experience and support with regards to the flood etc - thank you Jenn and Susan.  My sister for coming and helping me to work on the playground.  My other sister for just being there to listen.  My sister-in-law for offering to help.   It undoes knots.  Having people around oneself just makes all the difference to bring a person back to their centre.  Thank you very much.

My husband was the second lesson in this.  At Christmas, we had an incident where the fire truck came out.  It was not as destructive as my waterfall incident, but he made a mistake.  I thought back to that after this happened.  I don't think I was a 'cow' about it - we laughed, gave the firemen cookies, video'd it and pointed out to my daughter that she got to see a firetruck.  But in my head,  I wondered why he chose to do what he'd done.  On a level, I would say I was agitated.  With my mistake, he just leaped in to action.  He was the one who came to me as I scrambled to clean.  He just looked at me as though he were coming to check in with me.  He knew how I felt already and just loved me from the inside out.  He is my sweetie and teaches me every day to be more loving.  Thank you sweet man - and yes, you are incredibly handy.  "I get it, thank you, My Love".

We now have a big hole in our bathroom ceiling and in our walls - the fans running when possible.  I will not get my daughters playground done for when we hoped to.  I don't know how things will go for the next while but I have done the best I can.  I will now have a staggered harvest in my garden, and feel that the lawn in there has been successfully aerated.  My daughter deserves a little "special" everyday with a momma who is whole - that's all she wants... and a birthday cake of her choice, so today I am taking her to the berry farm.   I have been thoughtful and honest with those I value - I have been open and said my piece.  Me, my husband and my daughter will make our shift together as a family in a loving way and we will help each other as a team.   I've let my horses off their lunge lines, but a couple that require some tending to and even then, I will tie one up while I work with the other; one at a time.

A relatively small wake-up call...  lessons received.  Balance being restored.  Much appreciated.

*Photo/illustration references (horse on lunge line - http://www.bpknaus.com/docs/superstars.aspx)

Favourite Products & Things - Part II

This post is successive to Favourite Products (May).  Here are some more lovely things that make my life groovy that I thought I'd pass on :)  Click on the names of the recommendations (not the photos) for links to the product page.


So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverage

• I am not one to drink a glass of cow's milk.  It just makes me feel gross - mucky.  I have tried rice milk, almond milk, soy milk, but this one is my new favourite thanks to my husband. 
• Coconut fat contains lauric acid (also found in breast milk) which contains antimicrobial/antiviral properties
• Is a vegetarian source of medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) which help with weight maintenance without raising cholesterol
• The milk is clean tasting, light (but still a nice consistency).  Makes my body feel gooood!

Smooze Fruit Ice

• All three of us in this family LOVE Smoozes.  Yummy!  Coconut frozen milk paired with Passion Fruit, Pink Guava, Pineapple.  Fantastic for the summertime

Organic Connections Cafe @ White Rock Beach

• Hubby and M found this restaurant/cafe a couple weeks ago.  I recently stopped in and fell in love - peaceful, gorgeous view, delicious food and wonderful staff - my new place to slip away and write my blog!
• "A vegan/vegetarian 'live' food cafe and meeting place on the beach... We serve primarily organic 'live' food cuisine and various cooked options."
• YIHOOO!  Thankful for such a great new place to park my tastebuds! 

BOOKS

"The Talent Code" by Daniel Coyle

• It stimulated my thoughts on the learning process and fired my desire to continue learning.
• If you have children, are pursuing learning skills in your own life, or just for the love of life, it is a great read.  Makes you feel anything is possible if you just commit

"Hold Me Tight" by Dr. Sue Johnson

• My lovely sister recommended this one to me for insight in to relationships with regards to significant others  - Thank you L!
• I kind of cringed when I (someone who values my own space) heard the title.   I thought, "Sounds kind of like 'Stalk Me Gently'".  I don't want to be "held tight", just understood and to be understanding.  This book has some good perspectives on understanding one another.  It "clicks" in the head and heart.

"Don't Shoot The Dog" by Karen Pryor

• Using Positive Reinforcement for behavioural training (not limited to, by any means, dogs!)
• It changed the way I have directed my parenting, and most other relationships in my life, and most importantly dealing with myself. 

"Flourish: A Visionary Understanding of Happiness & Well-Being"  by Dr. Martin Seligman

•  I keep coming back to this book, have not read it through yet, but what I have processed of it, clicks. 

"Style Statement" by Carrie McCarthy & Danielle LaPorte

• "Your Style Statement is the two words that define the true you. It’s a touchstone for making more powerful choices in your life – from your wardrobe to your living room, your relationships to your career plans. Your Style Statement is where your essence meets your expression."
• A fun book to delve inside your inner style cosmos.  Fun to do
  • yet another book recommendation from my friend Miss R.  She finds the best books!

and my all-time favourite book:
"Warrior of the Light" by Paulo Coelho

• Turn the page, find inspiration.  Love This Book.

INTERNET RESOURCES

Environmental Working Group

• I mentioned ratings of this on my last "Favourites" post with regards to Keys skin care.  But this website is great for checking the level of toxicity in anything from makeup to sunscreens, shampoos to babies/kids skin care products. I do not buy a skin-care product without it.

Rate MD

• Interesting site to check out patient reviews of their doctors/dentists/healthcare providers.

CBC Radio One

• This is a Canadian radio station.  It has stimulating, mindful programs that are thought-provoking, informative and carries minimal "noise".  
• It delivers current events in a more informative, rather than sensational, fearful way.
• Pop radio is to a nightclub, as CBC Radio One is to a thoughful world discussion with a good friend in a lovely environment.
• In my earlier years,  I'd hear it as I scanned through the channels, and felt the same as hubby does - joking about the mellow-voices.  But I gotta say, I have changed my tune - LOVE IT.  I feel better in my days for it

I  will leave it at that for now.  Again, if any product interests you, please do your own research to find out if it is right for you, and if you have any products/links you would like to post, I'd love to hear from you below.  Share the good things in life!  Consumer power :)

Happy Thursday everybody :)

Courage

Ok, I know.  You are on a cliffhanger, just aching to hear about my post about killing plants, and my views on gardens (complete sarcasm).  Well, you'll have to wait once more 'cuz today was a huge reminder in one of life's lessons c/o my daughter M.

Backtrack a bit.  M, is two years old, shortly to enter the world of 'three'.  Last month, we went to Disneyland, California.  She was under the weather.  Being conscientious of her age, we took her and her cousin on the more benign rides - the Tea Cups, Dumbo etc.  Our third ride:  we stood afoot the great spread of the "It's A Small World" white and silver castle and lined up.  Our little boat soon arrived and the three of us, her grandma, uncle and cousin climbed aboard, and in to the tunnel we sailed.  "It's a small world, after allllll...." ramped up the volume (etching it in to my brain to this day), the darkness engulfed us and the panic set in for my little girl.

We tried to reassure her.  She screeched.  We tried to shelter her.  She climbed my husband's head.  With fingers outstretched to me, to 'make it stop, my momma, dear God, make it stop', I held her in a tiny ball in my lap.  Thirteen minutes and twelve seconds to go... that damn ride is fifteen, skull-scraping minutes of creepy dolls, grinning from ear-to-ear while loudly taunting its helpless, boat-trapped victims.  What kind of place is this?!  Fifteen minutes.

So ensued the fear of the dark for my little girl.  She wouldn't even go in Mickey Mouse's waiting room in his cute little house because it was dark.  I pleaded with her to just give the musical live performance Aladdin, a chance (my entire family was there to see it).  She did, but when it started with the gigantic twelve-foot head of a lion with glowing, red eyes roaring and coming to life... that was the end of that.  She and I left.

We survived Disneyland.  We returned home.  She asked for lights on in the car on the ride home when darkness fell.  She asked for a nightlight in her room.  So when the ballet recital came up, I cringed.  She is, what I believe to be, a very reasonable child.  So if I ask her to try something, and I see courage given, I will respond with respect for her choice.  For her dress-rehearsal, I took her early to get settled, to get to know the stage, the audience, the type of performances etc.  I could see flashbacks of Aladdin streaking across her peach-like cheeks.  Horror in her eyes... but we watched... and she soon settled.  The lights were not completely down - whew!

The day of the recital drew near and I wondered how she would do.  We would take it as it came, as a family.  I clumsily applied as minimal makeup as I could (oi, I dislike doing makeup on a two year old - seems so ridiculously wrong).  Then my husband and the other ballet dad, stood before us delivering the news that her performance would be the last on the two hour program.  "What are they thinking?!?!  Having the little ones last?!"  My heart sunk.  No nap time, complete darkness, a full audience... I shook my head.  My stomach flip-flopped.  I looked at her and just gave her a hug.  As I tugged and pulled her hair in to the tiniest ballerina bun you have ever seen, I told her how it was all going to go down.  She should know (I always told her I would be straight with her - that if there were something I thought she might be afraid of, I would tell her and that we'd get through it together).  I could feel her little heart bear down, but we just kept on moving.  In to the auditorium we went.

We got inside, the lights fell completely dark.  I held my breath.  The audience was FULL.  She took it all in.  She squirmed in her chair, then on my lap, upon her daddy's lap.  She was doing well, but was expending a lot of energy dealing with the surroundings so I asked hubby to take her outside to run a bit. 

Intermission came and her auntie, cousin and grandpa arrived.  Her eyes lit up and she was SO excited to see them.  She explained to them that this was her final performance, her recital and helped to escort them towards their seats.  It meant the world to her just that they came.  It just gave her that extra boost of excitement to outweigh her nerves.

I lead her to the backstage holding and amongst the hundred or so performers all done up in their elegant costumes, I asked if she was good.  Without looking at me, she responded "I'm good my momma."  She touched my cheek and delved in to the colouring book her teacher gave her.   "Does that mean she is 'GOOD', or that she is struggling?!...  what do I do?"  Her teacher kicked me out.   I backed away, hesitating to leave her... Listen to instincts...  I did - I returned audience-side.

Fifteen or so dance numbers went by.  Her music came on with a surprise, as they were scheduled to be the very last, but they were pulled up.  Out came the little bundles of yellow, pink and white tulle, lead by their teacher.  The teacher 'blew' all the ballerinas away from the hoola-hoop like dandelion fluff from a stem.  Away M went, running free across the length of the stage - her sweetness, her love of music, her energy, just out there for everyone to see.  ...Then she came upstage to the front as the other girls continued running... Her toes close to the edge, knees bend, butt out and elbows back, she strained forwards, facing the hundreds in the audience squinting her eyes in to the darkness "WHERE'S MY MOMMA?" she said... (looking, looking, looking...)  You're damn rights I waved!  I need to ask her if she did see me, but regardless, off she went again rejoining her class and before you could say "aww" they were taking their bows.  M helped the teacher with her prop, carried it off stage, the last little ballerina to exit, and that was that.  I melted like a pat of butter in a frying pan.  Speechless.

I asked her tonight how she felt being up there.  She responded, "I was nervous.  A little bit nervous, but I was brave, momma...  It felt good".

Why the hell am I posting this?  Am I just a proud mom?  Yes, I am.  But at the same time, I saw something today that I will never forget for as long as I live; a huge reminder in courage.  In the past couple of weeks, I've seen M struggle, fight, and falter.  Today, she broke through all of that with such mindful courage and just fully expressed herself and had fun up there on that stage.  We all go through life sometimes having the pants scared off us.  From her little world, one experience terrorized her, others validated it... but today, she mustered all the courage she could to be with her leotard gang, and she did it, looking the darkness and all those eyes front and centre.

If she can do it, so can I, and so can you.  May you find great courage in your day!

Vancouver's Loss

I was in the middle of writing a blog about killing plants the day before yesterday but you lucky people get to wait for that one.  My daughter asked me tonight what "passionate" means.  I told her it meant "to feel very, very strongly about something".  Well, I am passionate about what happened last night in our own backyard (Vancouver), so I'm going to address it in a bit of different manner than some would think reasonable.

Yesterday, myself, my husband and my daughter muddled our way in to town amongst the unusually hectic traffic (going in to Vancouver).  Backed up passed 200th Street at 3pm, the majority of vehicles we passed had Canuck's paraphernalia on the dashboard, on the passengers, flags out the windows etc. It was reminiscent of last years' Olympics.  Entire communities rallying together.

We ran through the quietest Ikea we have ever seen, and then booted it to our local sushi joint to watch Game 7 of the Stanley Cup between the Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins.  There was no doubt our Canucks would win the cup at home.  Their record had forecast such - winning every home game in the playoffs.  Summary aside, they lost.   I will leave that to the sportscasters.

As we sat with friends in our private "VIP" tatami room, we watched the news unfold live - a car set on fire, groups of people turning over another vehicle, windows being smashed, newspaper boxes turned over, people cheering all of this on, looting, swearing and taunting etc.  The police shut down all transportation to the downtown corridor. 

The four of us adults watched in complete disbelief and sadness.  Thank goodness the coverage was limited on the channel we were watching, as my daughter was in full-view.  It was like a kick in the gutt to see everything helplessly unfolding.  

A few things surfaced through the day following, today.  Being somewhat local to the area, I believe we were all jaw-dropped.  The news reports today stated it was a couple dozen youth that truly instigated the riots.  People within the riots questioned why it took so long for the police to respond.  The rest of us went on and on, reeling in what to make of all of this, disgusted at "those people".  What else can we do?

As a society, nobody knows what to do- whether it be during the riots, or following.  Do we separate ourselves from "those people" who did it?  Express our disgust for what happened?  Is that enough?  How does that help?  What does that bring us?  As a society, a community, it doesn't do very much.

My feelings on the issue are that it goes well beyond a couple dozen people.  What happened last night started by the hands of a small group, but it grew because of hundreds who participated, facilitated and stood by and watched.  There were hundreds who went and knew it was going to happen and thought it was cool to be a part of it.  The videos and pictures say it all.  That is what I have huge issue with.  This tells me there is something very wrong with our society.  If a fire starts from a spark, it can not survive, nor grow without fuel present, in this case, the bystander who eggs them on, or even gives interest in such horrible actions. 

Three months and four days ago, an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0 rocked a nation.  A tsunami followed wiping out tens of thousands of people.  Then a nuclear emergency (since upgraded to the worst nuclear accident on record) cleared out entire communities.  No looting.  No rioting.

We lost the Stanley Cup.

Within our world, really messed up things happen.  I believe they happen to ground us as a race.  To restore balance whether it is to hold a light for individuals to strive towards, or for us bear witness to unjust things to learn from.  Whether it be from country to country, region to region, family to family, or anything in between.  Either way, we are meant to learn and move forward.

We are a society.  We can no less point our fingers and turn our backs on "a few dozen" that instigated, and more importantly the hundreds that cheered them on and stood by, that facilitated millions of dollars of damage, any easier than we can just disown the wacky family member that is a little off.  We all have a part in this and turning our backs is not the answer.

We all know, win or lose, the riots would have happened - it had little to do with the game itself.  People wouldn't have folded up their balaclavas and tucked away their gas cans had the Canucks won.  Let's also assume that within those crowds, people knew something was brewing.  I will dare to say that beyond the handful who instigated, it was the hundreds and thousands who stood around that collectively had the power to turn the tides, but instead facilitated it.

Perhaps it is time for Vancouver to lead, and surpass the victimization of what happened yesterday to creating a society that will never stand for that again.  Perhaps our leaders (whether sports-figures, or politicians) will voice their own positive peer pressure for having pride and respect for our own communities BEFORE the events.  Perhaps police will instill protocols for people to leave the riot zones, and if you can not, to move to the sides of the roads and just get down if riots break out.  If those 'dozen' twats that claim to be men (and women) choose to stand and deliver such actions, let them be seen.  Crowds should be aware that it is their duty to clear the way, to leave the areas to assist police and emergency workers to do their job.  It is also the job of police to ensure those people who are not participating have a way out.  Seems pretty logical. 


For the rest of us, it is our job to up the pressure in our society.  To make it known and teach younger generations, not just that this is horrible, but rather to take pride in themselves, to excel for better, to be proud of where they are from, to help fight for what is right in our communities.  As we have seen yesterday, the younger generation has a voice and it is our job to make a shift.  What happened yesterday was not because of a few dozen people.  Had their been clarity in what we as a society would tolerate and more importantly not tolerate, it could not have escalated to that level.

The media reports what has happened.  It is up to individuals to make what will happen next.  Talk with your children, your friends and any youth around you about what happened.  Ask them what they think.  Teach them pride in themselves and where they are from.  Help clean up, not just the downtown area, but your own neighbourhood.  Donate to Canuck Place!  Show your own sportsmanship for a good cause and send a message.  Inject ANY positive energy back in to your community.  Hopefully our community leaders will get their shite together about how to handle 'the next time' in a little more proactive manner.  

Make a difference.  You have the power to, even if you think you don't!

Trauma & Growth

Athletes learn that in order to build strength physically, muscles must be worked in such a way that they are at their outer limit.  When this occurs, the muscle fibers weaken or tear.  It can be uncomfortable, painful, exhausting, but necessary for new growth/new muscle fiber to come in to play.  After the damage, there is a period of rest.  The muscle(s) have time to replenish and complete the process of growth (or training continues and potential to get really hurt increases, and/or poor patterns are built around the discomfort, thereby locking the damage in to place).

"There's a general law in life: The body and mind only get stronger when they're traumatized."

John Leivers, Andes explorer and Machu Pichu guide

GQ Magazine, June 2011

Ahhh, the bigger picture.  I believe that our mind, heart and spirit operate in a similar manner.  Further to that,  I also believe that there is a balance that sometimes instigates those challenging events as well.  Among living things, when something is off balance, or drawing unbalanced energy, Life will compensate to seek a balance.  When this occurs, it translates in to events that shake us from the direction we are moving.  We then must move off the road of our lives and choose a new route. "Where the hell am I going now?!" 


We can be so bound to a certain course, that it requires something traumatic to move us from that course we were plotting, or to realize our own strength and worth, to even just find our voice so that we will change the life in front of us.  What if challenging events happen as we move further and further from the essence of who we are, and this process of trauma is the natural order calling us back to that centre, or weighting the scales to restore that balance again?   What if uncomfortable things are meant to further us (either by validating our choices, or by raising our eyes to see the need for a new path from the individual, and within society as well)?

I do not believe that we "only get stronger when... traumatized".  Growth occurs in the mild moments, when we fall in love, when we live with love, when we experience fantastic adventures and wonderful new things as well.  This is when growth occurs that is in alignment with our dreams or the pursuit of things we would like to happen.  That is growth at it's most pleasurable - the highs of life.  Trauma is usually accelerated growth that happens against what we had hoped for, expected, or otherwise thought best for us, and I do believe that it brings more profound growth spurts when we take the time to heal well.  

It was my friend Miss R, who recommended "Flourish", but it was flipping through it in the bookstore and seeing Chapter 8 "Turning Trauma into Growth" that hooked me in to purchasing the book and making it through the first chapter.  "A substantial number of people also show intense depression and anxiety after extreme adversity, often to the level of PTSD [Post Traumatic Stress Disorder], but then they grow.  In the long run, they arrive at a higher level of psychological functioning than before".  I think about all that continues to go on in Japan following the tsunami and nuclear accident, the hundreds of thousands affected, and reflect on the stories that continue to surface about the resilience of the victims there and find some hope that perhaps it is changing, and has changed the world as well as those individuals, for somehow, the better. I am looking forward to reading Chapter 8.  In fact, I do believe I will skip ahead and read that tonight.

Friction, trauma, lack of balance, frustrations, anger, sadness, helplessness...  Are they symptoms of the need for new growth or change?

Most of the time, we are so taken off-guard, even blind-sided, by the harder things in life, that we automatically inject whatever necessary to restore equilibrium as we know it - to carry on in life and to maintain the normalcy that our own lives survive by.  The greater the collision, however, the less we are able to decipher what still remains to be our 'normal'.  We must also mourn the loss of the way things were before we can move forward to install the factors that will foster growth.

In the last ten years or so, The Secret and Power of Intention have surfaced in the mainstream (though they theory has been around for ages before).   We have allowed ourselves to realize that we have a greater power than just Action A + Action B = Action C.  We have begun to open our minds to Intention = Action.  Is it considerable that within our own relationship between ourselves and Life, that when we become unbalanced, unheard, ineffective, away from our centre (including our strengths and gifts), that call for interjection unfolds from us and Life responds without us even having to 'put it out there'?  

Have you noticed patterns in your life that repeat themselves?  Something that repeatedly occurs that just sucks the life out of you, that is annoying that just keeps on coming back?  Then one day, you approach it differently and you learn something that just clicks finally.  The pattern ceases to appear.  Perhaps we are closer to our own balance with the new understanding, the lesson has been learned and there is no need for that interjection of energy to occur again.  We move forward with an effective new tool.

There are horrific things in our world that make no sense, have no reason, nor should they ever happen.  Perhaps we as a society face trauma within individuals as a means to tell the the rest of us a change is needed, to draw us together.  Perhaps if we invest the energy to learn from it, to help one another through them, we can at least protect from these things happening again, or become more resilient for the future generations. 

When I look back at those moments when life has been hard, when things hurts like hell and made me just want to close up shop for a while... there was always the question, "what if something extraordinary is coming from all this?..."  ...right after I said, "F&@* it!!", and had a period of recuperation... growth has followed.  Whether it has been a change in my direction in life, seeing new priorities, an increase in compassion for others, a deeper appreciation for life and loved ones, the ability to know that I can be there to help, or even be an ear to help others who go through similar things, I have become stronger than I was.

It is important to have the quiet moments to 'heal', and also, retrospectively look to the strengths it has taken to overcome a situation, and see the benefits/lessons etc. gained from it all.  We must mindfully carry forward the growth, rather than the losses; which coincidentally then, also offers "forgiveness" for others, and more importantly, ourselves.  If life is a compilation of experiences, then what and how we choose to remember things can make an enormous difference in the rest of our days and what we do with the rest of the energy we have left.  Will we hold on to being a victim, being afraid, bitter, defensive through life, or will we acknowledge our own strengths that it took to overcome experiences and apply them forward to affect positive change/growth in the moments we are creating?  This is a choice.

My life has had ups and downs.   I am learning a lot from life.  I am not one to delve in to a stack of books to study from (which is why I suppose I repeatedly speak about the books I do complete because they really did make an impact on me - I will list those in the Favourite Products post tomorrow).  Life has been my most faithful teacher, bringing me the lessons I have needed to learn at critical times.  There is an appreciation I have for the blows that have helped shape me (gotta love retrospect).  There is a peace to living within such a manner of Life... as well as a drive to learn lessons when the message is just a whisper before it gets to be a shriek - lol... 

When moments occur when you feel tattered and beaten, your life feeling turned upside down, perhaps something extraordinary is just around the corner.  Hang in there, ok?

May your positive growth always exceed your hardships...