Today was another day filled with fun and laughter. It’s like I nearly forgot just how good these peeps are. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I had forgotten how amazing these friends are, it’s just that it’s been too long since I last saw them. This weekend was such a breath of fresh air. It was exactly what I needed and I’m grateful we managed to find a weekend that worked within both of our very busy schedules. I am bound and determined to not let years pass before the next visit!
Today’s smile, however, comes to you via a the volunteer fireman of the family. About half an hour before I was to head out for home, a fire call came in. With a jump he dashed from the couch, nearly running out the door in just a t-shirt and a toque. Realizing it was likely too cold out for just this attire, he ran back up the stairs for a sweater….and I managed to get a big, BIG squeeze from him before he raced to the fire hall.
Just to see him jump into action. The seriousness of it. The dedication of it. To hear him over the radio communicating to his fellow volunteer firemen. I loved every moment of it. It brings a smile even as I write it out.
I’m proud of him for finding this passion. This wasn’t a dream of his, but one that found him. He took a leap of faith and now he’s a very important person in the community in which he lives and protects. Beautiful.
Moments sitting back and watching and admiring.
Moments of pride.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Moments D206: Warm welcomes
Today was a day filled with adventures with friends I haven’t seen in far too long. From sampling great foods (pumpkin bread, curry squash soup, and carbonara pasta), to swimming lessons, short family visits, dropping of surprise food, a bazaar, a walk in the woods while playing “eye spy” to movie time post dinner. It was a busy, but relaxing day filled with many moments to smile and share.
But the best moment of my day was when I wasn’t even awake yet. Whispers…then I caught the sound of my name. Once, twice….and a third that made me curious and open my eyes.
I couldn’t resist, tired as I was. I made my way out of bed and to the voices I was excited to see my youngest hostess. Now 6, she is a pure bundle of joy. I turned the corner to see her beautiful smile and a note upon her chalkboard easel. She was in the middle of spelling my name upon the chalkboard. ”Good Morning Jennifer. We are so happy you could come.” Was the message upon the chalkboard. Those warm words were quickly followed with a big ‘ol hug from her too.
Yes, that was a great way to start my day.
Moments of whispers.
Moments of surprise and hugs.
But the best moment of my day was when I wasn’t even awake yet. Whispers…then I caught the sound of my name. Once, twice….and a third that made me curious and open my eyes.
I couldn’t resist, tired as I was. I made my way out of bed and to the voices I was excited to see my youngest hostess. Now 6, she is a pure bundle of joy. I turned the corner to see her beautiful smile and a note upon her chalkboard easel. She was in the middle of spelling my name upon the chalkboard. ”Good Morning Jennifer. We are so happy you could come.” Was the message upon the chalkboard. Those warm words were quickly followed with a big ‘ol hug from her too.
Yes, that was a great way to start my day.
Moments of whispers.
Moments of surprise and hugs.
Friday, November 16, 2012
Moments D205: Coffee Time
Today’s moment came out of an act of kindness this morning at work.
I woke up late, feeling quite tired and reluctantly dragged myself out from beneath my cozy duvet into the chill of my apartment. The tired, the cold inspired me to stop at my neighbourhood Starbucks and today, today I wanted to share the coffee love with my office mates. So, I contacted one of the girls in the office to get everyone’s order.
After ordering 12 coffees and holding up the line (I’m sure you can imagine) I had three full trays of coffee to take into the office all by myself. One of the gentlemen behind me laughed and asked how on earth I’d ever do this by myself. I said “Simple. I stack ‘em”. And stack them I did. I had to walk a good 1/2 block to where my car was parked, and I won’t lie, I was nervous as I’ve never stacked three trays tall before! BUT, I managed to get to the car without incident. A small moment of a win.
When I got into the office there was much love and thanks for the coffees, which is sure to always bring a smile. But it wasn’t until nearly 2 hours later as I was catching up on my emails that I found this:
The image was actually animated in my email and was doing a happy-dance-jig. Oh my goodness. I couldn’t stop giggling. Yes. Best moment of the day. Unexpected giggles.
I just wanted to say thank you to my wonderful team who work so hard every day and in the end, I was given love & positive energy back. Yes. It was a good day, even with all the struggles we had!
Moments to thank your department.
Moments to giggle.
I woke up late, feeling quite tired and reluctantly dragged myself out from beneath my cozy duvet into the chill of my apartment. The tired, the cold inspired me to stop at my neighbourhood Starbucks and today, today I wanted to share the coffee love with my office mates. So, I contacted one of the girls in the office to get everyone’s order.
After ordering 12 coffees and holding up the line (I’m sure you can imagine) I had three full trays of coffee to take into the office all by myself. One of the gentlemen behind me laughed and asked how on earth I’d ever do this by myself. I said “Simple. I stack ‘em”. And stack them I did. I had to walk a good 1/2 block to where my car was parked, and I won’t lie, I was nervous as I’ve never stacked three trays tall before! BUT, I managed to get to the car without incident. A small moment of a win.
When I got into the office there was much love and thanks for the coffees, which is sure to always bring a smile. But it wasn’t until nearly 2 hours later as I was catching up on my emails that I found this:
The image was actually animated in my email and was doing a happy-dance-jig. Oh my goodness. I couldn’t stop giggling. Yes. Best moment of the day. Unexpected giggles.
I just wanted to say thank you to my wonderful team who work so hard every day and in the end, I was given love & positive energy back. Yes. It was a good day, even with all the struggles we had!
Moments to thank your department.
Moments to giggle.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Moments D204: Car Wash
Today’s moment is a silly one, but one I will share none-the-less.
I enjoyed my drive home post-volleyball singing my heart out to the radio. (In case you are curious, we split our matches. Won 1/Lost 1, but I had a lot of fun, played well and played hard and I was enjoying the energy high on the drive home.)
Close to home I stopped to get gas and decided last minute to take my Tink through the car wash. As the garage door opened to the car wash, one of my favourite P!nk songs came on The Truth About Love.
As I drove up to the spot to sit and let the car wash do it’s thing…I found myself totally into the song; totally seat dancing and singing along. It wasn’t long before I was throwing a bit of ‘tude into it too. And then, I realized that my tinted windows were saving me from the people outside the car wash. The angle was such that I had a couple (in a limo no less) looking into my wind shield! Oh yes. I had a wee giggle to myself and then I dug in a little deeper into the song.
Yes. I rocked it out. Right. To. The. End. And I loved every second of it.
Today’s smile getting caught dancing when you thought no one was around!
Moments alone.
Moments shared!
I enjoyed my drive home post-volleyball singing my heart out to the radio. (In case you are curious, we split our matches. Won 1/Lost 1, but I had a lot of fun, played well and played hard and I was enjoying the energy high on the drive home.)
Close to home I stopped to get gas and decided last minute to take my Tink through the car wash. As the garage door opened to the car wash, one of my favourite P!nk songs came on The Truth About Love.
As I drove up to the spot to sit and let the car wash do it’s thing…I found myself totally into the song; totally seat dancing and singing along. It wasn’t long before I was throwing a bit of ‘tude into it too. And then, I realized that my tinted windows were saving me from the people outside the car wash. The angle was such that I had a couple (in a limo no less) looking into my wind shield! Oh yes. I had a wee giggle to myself and then I dug in a little deeper into the song.
Yes. I rocked it out. Right. To. The. End. And I loved every second of it.
Today’s smile getting caught dancing when you thought no one was around!
Moments alone.
Moments shared!
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Moments D203: Toodles
Today I received an email from a dear friend that I’ve known for over 10 years. Unfortunately said friend moved away maybe 6 or so years ago. It’s been challenging to keep connected, but it never fails that we find a moment here and there to re-connect.
This coming weekend I will make the 3 hour trek out to see my friends. I haven’t been to their house since their little girl was a baby. She is now a beautiful, vibrant little girl and I can’t wait to see her art!
Today’s email was simple but deep with warmth and love. I miss my friends and I look forward to catching up as much has transpired in both our lives since last we connected.
The email was signed: ”Toddles. Only 3 more sleeps.”
Biggest smile of the day by far.
Toodles. So cute. And so my friend. I can’t wait to squeeze her, her hubby and her wee babe in pink.
TOODLES. Until the next moment!
This coming weekend I will make the 3 hour trek out to see my friends. I haven’t been to their house since their little girl was a baby. She is now a beautiful, vibrant little girl and I can’t wait to see her art!
Today’s email was simple but deep with warmth and love. I miss my friends and I look forward to catching up as much has transpired in both our lives since last we connected.
The email was signed: ”Toddles. Only 3 more sleeps.”
Biggest smile of the day by far.
Toodles. So cute. And so my friend. I can’t wait to squeeze her, her hubby and her wee babe in pink.
TOODLES. Until the next moment!
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Moments D202: Late!
Today’s moment is a silly one, but it made me smile none-the-less.
I worked later than expected and was running late for my night class. My ETA was 10 minutes into class. Sadly, by the time I got to the parking garage at my school the lot was full. Now, I was really going to be late.
As I drove around looking for another parking spot I contemplated skipping class. I was tired, I’ve been working too hard and I was frustrated with being late.
And then, I found a new parking garage, closer to the building my class is in. It was only $1 more for the evening. That was a mini-score in itself.
And I rushed my way to class, hoping to be only 10 minutes late. I quickly opened the door to my classroom and realized - the prof was missing. The class was half empty. What a surprise indeed.
I wasn’t late after all. And then it dawned on me. There had been an email last week from our prof about him being late this week. I had completely forgotten. What a silly surprise and a moment for me to breathe and de-stress from the hectic day I had had.
My smile: I was late, but I wasn’t late! :)
Moments of silly surprises.
I worked later than expected and was running late for my night class. My ETA was 10 minutes into class. Sadly, by the time I got to the parking garage at my school the lot was full. Now, I was really going to be late.
As I drove around looking for another parking spot I contemplated skipping class. I was tired, I’ve been working too hard and I was frustrated with being late.
And then, I found a new parking garage, closer to the building my class is in. It was only $1 more for the evening. That was a mini-score in itself.
And I rushed my way to class, hoping to be only 10 minutes late. I quickly opened the door to my classroom and realized - the prof was missing. The class was half empty. What a surprise indeed.
I wasn’t late after all. And then it dawned on me. There had been an email last week from our prof about him being late this week. I had completely forgotten. What a silly surprise and a moment for me to breathe and de-stress from the hectic day I had had.
My smile: I was late, but I wasn’t late! :)
Moments of silly surprises.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Moments D201: Overtime
Tonight was the Raptors game versus the Utah Jazz. It was an unexpected evening of fun and excitement on many levels.
The best part wasn’t dinner (though I was nearly going to write today’s moment about cheese today because of my awesome dinner at PicNic, but I figure I am sure to have another moment with cheese in my future!), nor was the best part being in one of the corporate boxes with food and beverages. The best part of my day was when the Raptors went into overtime. Okay, okay. You’re right. The moment wasn’t going into the first overtime because the Raptors should have won the game in regular play, but the Jazz fought to catch up. It was the second and third overtimes that we fought through - those were very exciting moments!
For me, it became reminiscent of life. Perhaps a reach, but bear with me. I enjoy relating every day things to the bigger picture.
Life is a bit like a team sport. We are surrounded by teammates (family/friends/partners/lovers) and together we work/play towards a common goal. And while it might be cheeky to say that we’re all trying to “win the game of life”, I think that is exactly what we all strive to do on one level or another. The tricky part? Defining what a “win” is in the game of life. The goal will be different for every individual, but at the core of it, I think for most, it is finding happiness and fulfillment. What happiness and fulfillment looks like may take many forms.
So why the ramble of sports and life? I guess the triple overtime inspired me and is therefore became my moment of the day. Like the Raptors going into overtime tonight (over and over again!), I feel like my game of life has been in overtime as of late too. I keep fighting the good fight and trying to increase the point spread only to find myself tied at the end of the quarter. Not quite a win. Not quite a loss. For much of this year, I’ve felt as though I’m shot for shot for and against me. The overtime for this round isn’t over yet and I’m hopeful that by the end of the year I pull out a win in this match. I won’t/can’t give up without a good fight.
What really inspires me about this whole concept is when I think about my “teammates” in this game of life. I know my “series of games” aren’t over (by far) and I have many more matches and overtimes to fight through before the series is over. I know that I have become much better at surrounding myself with teammates that will help me win. They will be there for me when I look to them to help push through the fatigue as much as I am for them. On an important level, this is a win in and of itself….choosing strong teammates.
So today I celebrate overtime. Digging deep and finding more energy to play the game you thought should have been won and over already. Digging deep and inspiring your teammates as much as they inspire you to push through the fatigue and pain.
Moments where life goes into overtime.
Moments with teammates.
The best part wasn’t dinner (though I was nearly going to write today’s moment about cheese today because of my awesome dinner at PicNic, but I figure I am sure to have another moment with cheese in my future!), nor was the best part being in one of the corporate boxes with food and beverages. The best part of my day was when the Raptors went into overtime. Okay, okay. You’re right. The moment wasn’t going into the first overtime because the Raptors should have won the game in regular play, but the Jazz fought to catch up. It was the second and third overtimes that we fought through - those were very exciting moments!
For me, it became reminiscent of life. Perhaps a reach, but bear with me. I enjoy relating every day things to the bigger picture.
Life is a bit like a team sport. We are surrounded by teammates (family/friends/partners/lovers) and together we work/play towards a common goal. And while it might be cheeky to say that we’re all trying to “win the game of life”, I think that is exactly what we all strive to do on one level or another. The tricky part? Defining what a “win” is in the game of life. The goal will be different for every individual, but at the core of it, I think for most, it is finding happiness and fulfillment. What happiness and fulfillment looks like may take many forms.
So why the ramble of sports and life? I guess the triple overtime inspired me and is therefore became my moment of the day. Like the Raptors going into overtime tonight (over and over again!), I feel like my game of life has been in overtime as of late too. I keep fighting the good fight and trying to increase the point spread only to find myself tied at the end of the quarter. Not quite a win. Not quite a loss. For much of this year, I’ve felt as though I’m shot for shot for and against me. The overtime for this round isn’t over yet and I’m hopeful that by the end of the year I pull out a win in this match. I won’t/can’t give up without a good fight.
What really inspires me about this whole concept is when I think about my “teammates” in this game of life. I know my “series of games” aren’t over (by far) and I have many more matches and overtimes to fight through before the series is over. I know that I have become much better at surrounding myself with teammates that will help me win. They will be there for me when I look to them to help push through the fatigue as much as I am for them. On an important level, this is a win in and of itself….choosing strong teammates.
So today I celebrate overtime. Digging deep and finding more energy to play the game you thought should have been won and over already. Digging deep and inspiring your teammates as much as they inspire you to push through the fatigue and pain.
Moments where life goes into overtime.
Moments with teammates.
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