Moments D270: Piano Man

This afternoon I went to an old theatre that has recently been revived to see Skyfall. It’s a cute little theatre, not the mega big screens that we are all used to now, but being quaint and older seemed to best fit a BOND movie.

The movie itself was good. Not awesome, not horrible. Still, I enjoyed it.

But the moment comes from after the movie as my girlfriend and I were leaving. There was a sitting area just off to the right of the theatres. In that area were bistro tables, chairs, and of all things an old stand up piano. Like the ones you would see in an old Western movie. Like this one: 

It reminded me of the one I used to play on as a child. Upon the piano was a sign: ”If you know how to play the piano, please feel free to play for a short time to entertain our guests”. How fortunate for us that there was a man playing for us when we left our show.

He was very good. He moved from one piece directly into another. He very much knew what he was doing and you could tell that he was very much into it. While I waited for my girlfriend returned from the loo, I sat and quietly soaked in the melodic sounds of piano floating in the air. It was a beautiful moment. I think I could have (perhaps I should have) sat there longer had my homework not been calling me.

Moments enjoying random acts of another’s art.

Moments where you close your eyes and you are whisked away to another time.

Moments D269: Team Tim's

Yesterday’s post was a little heavy so I decided to lighten up today’s with a “smile-moment”.

On my way home this morning I stopped at a Tim Horton’s for a coffee. It was busy, even though it was just past noon.

As I waited for my coffee, a couple of families came into the restaurant. There were 4 little guys all dressed up in their hockey gear. I couldn’t tell if they were coming or going to the hockey arena, but it didn’t much matter. Just the fact that they were in Tim’s all dressed up that way made me smile.

Why? Well, their red shirts had a big ‘ol TIM HORTONS plaster across the front of them. Yup. They were a Tim Horton’s sponsored hockey team.

Moments a commercial could be made in.

Moments of real life happening around you.

Moments D268: Perspective

Recently I've had a few instances where my perspective of the world around me shifted in an instant. Today was another one of those days and I will share this moment with you because I think it’s worth remembering and considering the next time I'm feeling sorry for myself.

A dear friend of mine has had a particularly challenging year. From a near separation (they reconciled) to a new home, tons of renovations and close family health issues, it’s been an incredibly stressful year and a half for her and her hubby.

Now she’s a warrior this one. Always fighting through, but typically finding time to have a peaceful moment for herself. This past year, however, pushed her beyond her limits. We all have a breaking point and she found hers, the hard way.

She hospitalized herself. Exhaustion and depression. The fact that she was strong enough and aware enough to make that call, is something that I’m very proud of her for doing. Mental health is something that isn’t spoken about openly and there are a lot of stigmas attached. And yet, she knew she was beyond her limit and that she needed help.

That’s the back story. This happened over a month ago. I haven’t seen my girlfriend for nearly 7 months due to my own crazy life and pressures I put upon myself. I was busy with volleyball and baseball and anything that kept me, well, busy. And I knew they were busy with renovations and simply assumed we would reconnect in the late fall as we typically do. How wrong I was!

Today, I finally re-connected with my dear friend and her family. I spent the night so we could completely catch up - on both sides. She suggested that I go first, that I share with her what has happened in my life over the past 7 months and to explain the recently busted phone of mine. And so, I started at the end of the year and worked my way backwards in time.

What I realized as I shared my story is that none of it mattered when compared to what she had gone through in the same time period. Sure, I was stressed. Sure, I was emotional. I had many ups and I also had many difficult dark days in the past 7 months. But none of it compared to where I knew she ended up. It all seemed so trivial as I was sharing the events of my 7 months.

And it’s moments like these that force me to pause and reflect upon perspective. From my perspective alone, 2012 was a challenging year as I fought to find myself and get my feet under me again, with a few obstacles in the path of getting there. But I’m strong, healthy and I’m surrounded by a group of the best, most loving, supportive friends (and family) that a person could ask for. Even in my darkest moment, I had someone to lean on.

My girlfriend, on the other hand, found herself buried beneath the burdens of life. She wasn’t able to find the light without getting professional help. The stress she felt was beyond anything she’s ever dealt with before and she kept it all to herself until she couldn’t bear it any longer.

I guess my point is two-fold:

First, there is always someone else struggling a little harder than you are. (Sometimes a lot harder than you are!) This is a fact that should bring some solace because, if anything, it helps one to not feel alone in the struggles of life.

Secondly, we are NOT alone. Each of us have our own support system of some sort. Some may have many in their circle, while others may only have a couple of key people. But there is always someone to lean on. BUT, if we don’t ask for help, if we don’t lean when necessary, then it’s so much easier to fall into that pit. I can’t stress enough how important it is to share and ask for help when needed. (And believe me, this isn’t easy for me either!)

So, today’s moment: Perspective. I hope that I remember the next time I’m feeling down that I remember this moment because in the end, I’m actually quite fortunate, even on the darkest of days.

Moments D267: Wagging Dog Tails

On my way to volleyball tonight I saw a 4×4 stopped at a light. As I drew nearer I could see that there was a small dog in the vehicle. This puppy was darn excited. He was bouncing back and forth between the back seat and the driver’s seat. (Not the safest thing for the pup, but I digress.)

And that darn dog was so very happy. His tail was wagging so hard that his whole little body shook. It was completely adorable! I instantly broke into a huge smile that stayed with me for the rest of my drive.

Moments with animals.

Moments from a distance.

Moments D266: Singing and skipping Dad

Today was a very productive day.  A workout first thing, into work early,  a chiropractic/acupuncture appointment for lunch, then late to leave.  The productivity continued tonight with a homemade dinner and some homework.  A perfectly productive day.


But the most interesting moment today was watching a father walk his son & daughter to school.   The cute part was that he was singing and skipping with them and every third beat they did a little hop.   It was so much fun to watch while I was sitting in rush hour traffic.

Moments enjoying others enjoying themselves.

Moments to skip and sing.

Moments D265: Diving In

Tonight I picked up my car (a day earlier than expected) and then met up with an ex-staff member of mine for dinner. I often thing of this creative soul fondly. He’s a brilliant artist (music, painting, drawing, graphic design) and my company was lucky to have had his inspiring thoughts around us for a long as we did.

He holds a special spot in my heart. Not only because of his brilliance and our shared perspective on life, but because he was the first to ever introduce me to anyone as his boss. That day is firmly etched in my brain.

A group of us from work had gone to see his band play. He introduced me to his girlfriend and his band mates. I was flattered and uncomfortable all at the same time as my own role with our company had only recently shifted. It was strange to be considered as anyone’s boss.

That was ages ago.

Now, he’s moved up the ladder with his skill set and his ambition takes him back to school for graduate studies. His eagerness to learn and his drive for perfection has never been lost on me. I was always proud of him even when he doubted (and still does) himself.

I was barely in the restaurant for 2 minutes and we literally dove into life and deep questions. I think my first question was “Are you done with your application?” Good! ”How are you and how’s your girlfriend.” And we were off and running. It’s been a long time since we’ve had an opportunity to speak to each other without being rushed. Before either of us knew, hours had passed.

We managed to touch upon the depth of relationships. True love versus contentment. Defining happiness (as if we really could!) The idea of wanting to be alone, but also wanting someone to push through that stubbornness in times of need to just hold you when you need it. (But don’t ever tell us it will be “okay”, when you don’t know it will be.)

We spoke of career paths and path changing decisions in life and then we dove in deeper and spoke of Christopher Hitchens and mortality and family. Then we laughed and realized just how deep we had gone!

Sometimes there are people in your life that you may not see for months, possibly years at a time. But when you reconnect, it’s like you’ve never parted. This creative soul is one of the few that fall into that world for me. Never a moment of pause, never grasping for conversation, just an ebb and flow of information shared.

As much as I know I’ve helped to influence this once green artist and career man, I hope he realizes just how much his perspective on life has influenced me as well. We may be decades apart in age, and lifetimes apart in experience, but we have this common perspective on life. It’s interesting and something that inspires both ways.

So today’s moment: Dive in. Why not? Life is short not to ask the deep questions.

Moments D264: Are you really home?

Today was a pretty uneventful day. Productive and quiet at work and home early after being dropped off by a friend as my own car was in the shop. (It was weird to know that I was without my car!)

I made myself dinner. I watched some TV while eating dinner, then I dove into my homework for the week. Huh. A very quiet night at home. No distractions. It was kinda nice.

And then, the phone rang. It was my Mom, or Dad, or likely both as they like to be on the phone together with me. I answered on the second ring. I said hello. There was a long pause and then my Dad said, “Really? Are you home? I thought I had the answering machine!” I'm not even certain if he was joking or not!

We had a good laugh. It was simple, but it was a nice moment. I kinda like being caught off guard like that. It’s not something I was expecting!

Moments with family.

Moments of surprise words.