Moments D630: Welcome Home

Today was the first day back in the office in some time.  What a treat it was to be working side by side with my team.  Working remotely, while effective and allowing me to get more done, was certainly lonely and without much entertainment throughout the day.

My moment today comes from this:

Who doesn't like to be welcomed home?

Moments feeling missed.

Moments knowing you were.

Moments D394: Life Coach

Today was another day of juggling the needs of one’s regular job preparing for a big tradeshow and working in a devastated office detailing what was to be cleaned and what was to be destroyed. And while there were some moments that most certainly brought a smile to my face (like meeting the gentlemen Guillermo & Paulo who do disaster cleanup for a living or taking silly photos of our team decked out in overalls and masks.) the real moment came much later in the day.

This moment brought to you by Mr. Vodka Soda Cran (VSC) via text while I was sitting in class. He brought up the idea of life coaching and whether or not I had heard of the concept before as he was considering attending a couple of sessions with a friend of his who had offered him a couple of sessions pro bono. I told him yes, of course I had heard of the pratice/service of life coaching and I questioned him as to why he was asking.

VSC blurted out that he felt that life coaching was my life calling. That he has felt this way for some time and now that he’s read more about it (because of his friends offer of a couple of sessions) he’s more convinced than ever that this is what I am meant to be doing.

This surprised me, but as I thought about it and questioned him on his reasoning, my perspective shifted a bit. And the conversation that followed post-class was just as deep about the why and how. Frankly, I love those deep conversations! (It’s too bad I had to cut it short to get myself a late post-class dinner.)

But that 20 minute-ride-home discussion had the wheels turning in my head. I was amused by VSC’s insight because I’ve always had an affinity towards people, their perspectives on life and how to help them be better, deeper selves. That combined with the fact that people tend to gravitate towards me and share them with me, and I have to wonder if helping people identify and achieve their goals would be something that I would really excel at and I’d be able to dig deeper within my own growth and evolution. Then again, on some level, can’t I, aren’t I, already doing that? Did I not just write about that?

Interesting. It has me thinking. It has me questioning. It has me digging deep within. This I love.

Moments knowing that I have already made a difference in some lives and knowing that I will yet find ways to make a difference.

Moments thinking about other possible paths and questioning the current one.

Moments D393: Teamwork

Today, although an incredibly challenging day, was an inspiring day. Today my department dealt with the complete relocation of our office. Each of us, individually, dealt with the loss of our “things” from the simplest of things like our tape dispensers or notepads to our personal belongings lost to fire damage.

We, as a team, went back into our devastated office. We removed what we could and left the rest behind for the company coming in to clean up what they could and destroy the rest. It was an eerie feeling being in the office without electricity, with the windows boarded up, flashlights, and smartphone apps guiding our way.

It was amazing at how quickly the team settled into our new, very close office environment. Truly we are a tight team before, now, it will be a test of that closeness. .

Beyond the “micro-teamwork”, there was an entire contingent of the “macro-team” where the store managers, warehouse staff, IT, admin staff and everyone in between assisted us. It took 3 hours yesterday and a couple this morning to get us up and running. AMAZING considering the trauma department had just undergone.

Bottom line, we have the best team anyone could ever ask for. Today’s moment is dedicated to those amazing team members who made my team’s lives that much easier today. Those who brought a smile, or a handful of pens.

Moments of pride for the team supporting us.

Moments having your beliefs of people being good and kind being reaffirmed.

Moments D219: People and their stories

Today was an early day filled with much excitement. Many MANY people ANY micro personal moments. But the biggest, best moment, while saying good bye to the beautiful scenery before me, was the people that stopped by to share their stories.

There was the two sets of couples - one from the area and their friends from Rhode Island. They had several stories of their previous visits to the area and how they met. My friend and I shared our days activities with them too. And then we parted ways.

Moments later, we had another lovely couple stop to chat with us. The lovely lady was from the UK, now living in the states and her very positive, loving partner was from El Salvador. They shared stories of their previous travels, we talked about the wonders of Toronto and they talked about their travels and we shared moments from movies we’ve all watched. What a lovely, REAL moment.

It reminded me, in a particularly spectacular environment, just how important people are to me. I really do love people and their stories. Learning from them, growing from them. It’s digging ever deeper into my soul. It’s about sharing smiles and love.

Moments to share stories.

Moments about the people.

Moments D162: Tai Chi

This morning on my rainy, gloomy drive into work I was treated to a visual delight.

Traffic was heavy (it’s still construction season around here) and slow past one of the local parks. The trees are just starting to turn. Bright reds peeking through the green foliage and blasts of golden yellow align the park.

On the edge of the park there was a solo Tai Chi practitioner, slow and methodically going through his moves. I was quite happy to be in slowly moving traffic so I could appreciate his purposeful and thoughtful movements. It was a beautiful sight watching him move the energy around while surrounded by the beautiful turning trees.

It brought me a moment of peace and a smile during a tired, gloomy drive into work. Definitely a moment worth sharing.

Moments with nature.

Moments enjoying other’s energies.

Moments D156: Shared Words

Today was another challenging day. But it started off with a few moments that stopped to make me smile. Today was one of those days I wish I could have skipped over. Even so, it was a day of multiple moments! I find it humourous how how the energies around me work sometimes. The darkness tries to creep in and I feel the energies I’ve shared out being reflected back. I am thankful for this.

My first moment today was as I was driving into work. The songs that came over the airwaves surrounded me with words of encouragement and impudence. While filling with these words and energy I watched the streetlights as drove I passed them.

This is something I’ve done for as long as I can remember. Every once in awhile, a streetlight turns on (or off) as I pass it. It’s a silly game I play with myself, but it always makes me feel a little special that when I pass a streetlight it turns on.

This happened to me today on my drive into work. It automatically brought a smile to my face.

The second moment today was when I was asked about why people read my blog. Hell, I don’t know. I ramble. I haven’t much to say other than silly moments to share. I had to think about it. My answer was simple: People find it inspiring. Maybe not all of my words, hell, maybe not even a lot of my words. But every once in awhile I connect. And for me, and for those reading, that’s what it’s all about - isn’t it?

And, as if to prove my point, today I received a text from a baseball teammate letting me into his world for a brief moment. I had inspired him to stop and look at the sky. To stop and enjoy the early morning sky. He put all the other “STUFF” aside so he could be one with the sky.

Finally on my way hour drive to my new volleyball league I was surprised by not one, but two phones call encouraging me to be the best I can be tonight. I am thankful for the people in my life.

I love when the pieces fall together. A challenging day, but I am surrounded with smiles and moments. A challenging day and yet what I’ve reflected out has come back to me.

And so, as my colleague struggles with the pains of life and death, I shared my love and energy with him. In my world, this is what it is all about. People. Sharing energy, light and love.

Moments for words.

Moments for thoughts.

Moments to share.