Moments D715: Secret Deliveries

I have the best damn naturopathic doctor ever.

Of course, that suggests that I have a ton of experience with NDs and know that know what the hell I'm talking about.  I don't.  Honestly, she's the only ND I've ever seen.

That said, she IS an amazing person.  She goes above-and-beyond all the time.  She takes time out of her personal time to check in on her patients (well me, but I assume she does that for all her patients).  She is thorough and easy to share all your health bits and pieces with.  Yes, even the embarrassing ones.

This past Thursday, she helped me out of a pinch.  (Sorry for the pun!)  I emailed her, she called me and we talked about options.  No charge, no expectation of anything, just a "I don't think you need xxx, but this might help."

And it did.  And she, in the end, missed out on an appointment that would have generated some income for her.

I needed to do something to thank her.  For this moment and for all the others she's done in the past.  It's a small token, but it hit the mark.

And for some reason, my name wasn't signed to the card!  The gift was completely a surprise AND it came anonymously to her.  BANGARANG!

I have since emailed her to let her know that I am happy that she was surprised and that it's a small token of my appreciation for all the over-and-above she does for me.

And, I know those potted bulbs will bring her weeks of enjoyment to come.  Perfect really.

Thank you Dr. Lisa Watson!  You've been a life saver more than once.

Moments knowing that your surprise was well received.

Moments sharing your light and love with those that give it to others.

Moments D648: Press Pause. Stop and smell the flowers.

My BFF gave me some good advice today.  It's her warm words that not only brought a sigh of relief, but a genuine smile.

And I'm going to heed her words.  Tonight I'm going to press pause, slow down, stop and smell the flowers and enjoy some quiet time with my man.

No worries of work.
No stress of my homework to get to.
No anxiousness of getting stuff done around the apartment.

Nope.  Tonight is a pause, reflect and enjoy my love kinda night.

Thank you BFF for the reminder.

Moments riled up with a million and one things to do.

Moments when you realize what things are most important on your list.

Moments D370: Hyacinth in Bloom

Today was a vacation day from the office. It was a rainy cool day in Haliburton. Truly a perfect day to continue the packing and moving of my bestie. All the hubbub of the day past gone, we were in the thick of getting her moved.

It was an extremely productive day and the theme of rebirth continued as we packed up her old place and moved a lot of her stuff over to the new place. Both are beautiful spaces, but her new place has a peace about it that isn’t comparable to the old space. This new space felt like home whereas her old space felt like a stepping stone.

When I left, I wasn’t really ready to go, but it was time to get back at a decent hour and get myself ready for a very busy week. On my way home, I passed many a magnolia tree just starting to bloom and as I walked up my walkway the hyacinth in our front garden were in full bloom. I could smell them before I saw them. Amazing.

Spring is here. Rebirth complete on many levels. Back to work and life with a new perspective on many things.

Moments to stop and smell the hyacinth.

Moments understanding more deeply one’s new path.

Moments D359: Daffodils off the highway

On my way to volleyball tonight, while on the phone with my BFF, I couldn’t help but stop my conversation mid-stride. I was slowly creeping along the highway and saw a beautiful patch of yellow and white daffodils between the highway headed North and the highway headed South.

They were in full bloom and stretching to the sun. They were a beautiful surprise. So much so that I stopped my BFF and exclaimed my joy to her. Of course we both laughed.

Spring is officially here. The daffodils are in full bloom. My heart is smiling.

Moments of surprise.

Moments of small joys.

Moments D121: Second Chances

High-res →

This morning I had to stop and admire the second round of roses on a dying rose bush outside my apartment.  (Actually, it’s ONE single rose on the bush this time around.)

It’s not a pretty bush.  It is actually pretty gnarly and dried up looking.  Honestly, I was surprised that it was in bloom again.  (This is the second set of roses this season!)  I’m surprised that without anyone taking care of it, it was able to find enough energy to create such a beautiful flower.  

This got me to thinking about a parallel into life.  It’s not unlike the lives around me.  There are people (myself included) that have gone through phases of feeling gnarly (not in a good way) and dried up.  But there is always something deep down inside pushing us to share the beauty within.  It’s not always easy (especially when you have been ignored and uncared for), but it ALWAYS feels so wonderful to share the beauty.  Even if it is but a single flower.

Moments with stopping to appreciate the flowers.

Moments to reflect.

Moments D92: Smell the Rose

Today I had my dear colleague and friend stop by my office with a treat. I wasn’t really paying attention as I was up to my eyes with budgets and expenses and deep into the spreadsheet.

The next thing I know I have a pretty pink flower beneath my nose and he simply said “smell”. Without even looking over to him and the rose, I inhaled the sweet scent of his freshly picked wild rose. As he started to leave, I asked him to give me another moment with the rose.

I pushed away from my desk, grabbed his hand and the rose and deeply inhaled the honeyed-rose. As it tickled my nose, I looked at its perfectly pink petals and its yawning yellow stamen. Yes - a moment to pause and enjoy a simple creation.

Moments shared.

Moments - D49; Peonies

It is that time of year when one of my favourite flowers begins to bloom. (actually this time if year brings both of my favourites - daisies and peonies!)

Over the weekend I spent some time with a dear friend I haven’t seen in far too long. (both of our lives have been too busy for our own good!) But our visit was sweet and perfect.

As we parked for dinner at our favourite local Chinese restaurant, there was a bed full of freshly bloomed peonies. I stopped to take a couple of photos…like this one:



Of course we spoke about my history of peonies and my love of them. (My mother used to have them. I remember how the ants crawled on them and we’d “ew and ah” over them as the magically opened up over the days of lingering sunlight….)

Today, my dear friend texted me to find out if the plants in her new home’s flowerbed were weeds. She informed me that she was cleaning out her beds and was going to plant a peony in my honour. She wanted to know what colour I wanted.

I was touched so deeply by this gesture. So sweet. So simple. So very genuine and touching.

I may have lost my dream garden this past year, but I now know that there will be a little piece of me living with one of my best friends.

It’s a moment that MUST be shared. It’s a moment of friendship, of love, of respect and understanding.

Moments - D46; Little Flowers

Today I met up with a dear old friend of mine. I haven’t seen her nor her husband in nearly 6 months. It’s simply been too long. But, with the turmoil in my life and the turmoil in hers it has been difficult to connect.

BUT, connect we did. We had a lovely afternoon catching up. The moment of the day though, was sharing a pedicure. Side by side, we shared stories from the months that have passed. We’ve had our challenges and our triumphs. It was when we both had teeny-tiny flowers painted onto our big toes that I knew, this was a moment that we’d both cherish for many years to come.

Friendship moments. Moments of connection. With friends like this, you know you are fortunate.

A new start....

It has been a busy week!  I've managed to get myself somewhat organized in my new apartment with the help of some very dear friends.  It's been challenging, letting go of a past life and trying to stay focused on the road ahead of me instead of the one behind me.

Fortunately I am surrounded by love.  Some of it good positive love, some of it not so positive (long story), but love none-the-less.  I am fortunate to have so many good souls in my life.

AND flowers always help.  I'm glad I stopped and picked up the season's first tulips.  They always make me smile.