It’s hockey playoffs. And I’m watching the games. By choice. On my own. ON MY OWN ALONE.
What has happened to me? I’ve never done that before on my own. Now, I’ve watched many a hockey game growing up, after all my brother played hockey, and my parents followed the Junior A & B local teams. But NHL? No, this is not something I do on my own. With friends, from time to time, yes. But on my own? What has happened?
Now, my BFF is a huge Toronto Maple Leafs fan. I’ve been with her for a few games over the past couple of seasons. One particularly fun night not long ago we were four rows away from the ice and players in the ACC. Now that was a night! Honestly, I think she’s been rubbing off on me. After all, her fervor is hard to ignore! She’s the gal that brings her extra TML hat for me to wear. (And wear it I do!)
So, fear not dear readers, I really don’t believe I’m just a bandwagon jumper for the playoffs. I think, oh my, I think I’ve been converted!
Moments accepting I’m impressionable.
Moments of new interests.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Moments D379: Stolen Time
There are days when people manage to steal time from my. A ten minute conversation, a drop-in to my office, a request to follow up on some project that isn’t mine to own, an influx of emails to respond to quickly or a task that is handed over to me because I can find answers more quickly. All those minutes add up. Stolen time.
Today I gave quite a bit of thought to stolen time and moments. I’ve had a couple of days where many moments have been stolen and my plans shifted because of those stolen moments. In some cases, those shifted plans were incredible while other moments caused me to fall behind.
As today unfolded, I realized that it was going to be a day I was crunched for time. And yes, I was hyper aware of the time. With much to do and little time to do it, I was mindful of the fact that today could have quickly ramped up to a stressful day. That’s not to say it wasn’t stressful (it was), but it could have been a lot more so.
Instead of going with the flow and dealing with things as they came to me, I took control. I made it clear to everyone in the office that today my door was not open. Today I was not going to have time stolen from me. I set my boundaries and made sure that the one thing I really needed to get done today was accomplished. And though my interruptions were not entirely eliminated they were greatly minimized. Fortunately, it was enough time stolen back to me that I was able to accomplish my task at hand.
Today’s moment, about stolen time, had me thinking. As my Naturopath told me at my last appointment a few weeks back, being mindful is something I need to do more of. I think today was a big step towards that end. Now, I don’t believe I could do this everyday (for I came back to nearly 75 emails!), but some days, I think I have a new “mindful” process.
This also had me thinking about how I might steal time from other people. Do I linger? Do I ask more questions than I should? Do I ask people to do things that I should be doing myself? Do I take time to listen and not just dump my own tasks/problems on others. Do I steal time from people?
I’m sure I do. I think it’s only natural sometimes. At least now I’m more aware of it. Awareness is good. Do you steal time from people?
I think I’m going to have to steal time for myself! I rather enjoyed that.
Moments of growing.
Moments of giving time back.
Today I gave quite a bit of thought to stolen time and moments. I’ve had a couple of days where many moments have been stolen and my plans shifted because of those stolen moments. In some cases, those shifted plans were incredible while other moments caused me to fall behind.
As today unfolded, I realized that it was going to be a day I was crunched for time. And yes, I was hyper aware of the time. With much to do and little time to do it, I was mindful of the fact that today could have quickly ramped up to a stressful day. That’s not to say it wasn’t stressful (it was), but it could have been a lot more so.
Instead of going with the flow and dealing with things as they came to me, I took control. I made it clear to everyone in the office that today my door was not open. Today I was not going to have time stolen from me. I set my boundaries and made sure that the one thing I really needed to get done today was accomplished. And though my interruptions were not entirely eliminated they were greatly minimized. Fortunately, it was enough time stolen back to me that I was able to accomplish my task at hand.
Today’s moment, about stolen time, had me thinking. As my Naturopath told me at my last appointment a few weeks back, being mindful is something I need to do more of. I think today was a big step towards that end. Now, I don’t believe I could do this everyday (for I came back to nearly 75 emails!), but some days, I think I have a new “mindful” process.
This also had me thinking about how I might steal time from other people. Do I linger? Do I ask more questions than I should? Do I ask people to do things that I should be doing myself? Do I take time to listen and not just dump my own tasks/problems on others. Do I steal time from people?
I’m sure I do. I think it’s only natural sometimes. At least now I’m more aware of it. Awareness is good. Do you steal time from people?
I think I’m going to have to steal time for myself! I rather enjoyed that.
Moments of growing.
Moments of giving time back.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Moments D378: Water gun fight
Today was another glorious spring day. Warm and sunny. I even managed to get out of the office today for lunch and to enjoy some of that gloriousness!
But today’s moment is a silly one. A moment that was quick to bring a smile to my face and many childhood memories flooding back. It happened on my way to the dentist this evening - a route I don’t normally take after work.
It was just past rush hour which means traffic wasn’t at a standstill and the moment was fleeting. It happened very quickly and I realize now as I share my words, that it might have been missed completely had I not been paying attention.
As I approached Riverdale I could see two boys running around in their front yard. As I came closer, they had water guns in hand and they were yelling and laughing and running around. It was incredibly fun to watch. And, as I passed by, that moment flooded me with memories of my own brother and I playing with water guns in the yard. The laughter, the running, getting soaked because eventually one of us would go and get the hose. Be damned the little toy gun!
I love those moments.
Moments to enjoy other’s joy.
Moments reminding you of your own.
But today’s moment is a silly one. A moment that was quick to bring a smile to my face and many childhood memories flooding back. It happened on my way to the dentist this evening - a route I don’t normally take after work.
It was just past rush hour which means traffic wasn’t at a standstill and the moment was fleeting. It happened very quickly and I realize now as I share my words, that it might have been missed completely had I not been paying attention.
As I approached Riverdale I could see two boys running around in their front yard. As I came closer, they had water guns in hand and they were yelling and laughing and running around. It was incredibly fun to watch. And, as I passed by, that moment flooded me with memories of my own brother and I playing with water guns in the yard. The laughter, the running, getting soaked because eventually one of us would go and get the hose. Be damned the little toy gun!
I love those moments.
Moments to enjoy other’s joy.
Moments reminding you of your own.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Moments D376: Birthday Kirtan and Blessings for all
Today was an amazing day. I spent the morning puttering around and cleaning up my apartment. It felt good to just lay low. I did have a “to do” list, but I decided, after an unexpected phone call, to put that stuff aside and just enjoy a couple of hours to myself before heading to my friends place for the afternoon and evening.
Little did I know, that this centering of self was to be so relevant!
I knew I was heading to my friends’ house for a birthday celebration for one of my oldest and dearest friends. She is a yoga instructor (YI from here on in) and her husband was going to through her a small party with close friends and her family. My understanding was that it was going to be a surprise for YI.
When I arrived, YI’s cupcakes were sitting out. This evening’s activities were not going to be a surprise after all! That being said, YI seemed very happy and it wasn’t long before I was up to speed: we were going to have a special birthday fire kirtan ceremony to celebrate and bless YI.
Now, I’ve been YI’s fire kirtan’s before, but I’ve always sat in the background and watched as there have often been many attendees who are much more involved with this ceremony and its meaning. Typically there are four seats around the fire. Tonight, it was YI, her husband, the kirtankar and there remained an empty seat. Today, as there were fewer of us, participating, YI heavily suggested that I take the empty seat. How could I refuse the birthday girl her request? And so, I ended up taking that empty seat.
In doing so, I became an intimate participant of this ceremony. I participated in the chanting and building of the fire with herbs and sharing my light and energy more intimately within the circle of this ceremony than any of the others that I’ve attended in the past. And what transpired was a bit surprising to me. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was. I was surprised at just how tangible the energy was and just how deeply it connected with me.
Our kirtankar spoke of blessing Rita for her year ahead (and every day moving forward). One of his main points was a discussion on sound and words. I found this quite interesting because I’ve come to very much appreciate words and their purpose in my life over the past 18 months. They are important - vital even to express oneself. But, as our kirtankar noted, sometimes they can really muddle up situations. His analogy started with this idea: ”Words can circle upon themselves. The sounds and feelings they are trying to share are what needs to be communicated. Sounds are vibrations, they resonate deep within us. Sometimes we need to clear our heads of the words, and find the sound to find the truth.”
I thought that was a brilliant moment. For many months I’ve focused on words, and while there were many moments where the words were worthy and fulfilling there were definitely times, especially with challenging days, where words did not suffice. Where words of others were not connecting. Where I couldn’t find the words to share my own thoughts and feelings. So I quickly connected to this idea that words are not enough.
Again, according to our kirtankar, words need to have the sound (energy/vibration) behind them to be meaningful. Far too often people simply throw around words, sometimes without even thinking about them. (And I contemplated situations where this was most obviously the case. Think about the sales rep who asks you how your day was. Are they bored? Do they look genuinely interested? Are they paying attention to your answer? Extrapolate that simple idea to anyone in your circle. Friends, family etc. Is there depth to the words? Can you feel the energy/vibration behind them?)
He had a fantastic analogy that I will bastardize here because I was absorbing the moment more than taking notes. The gist is this: Words are like the vessel and sounds are contained in the vessel. One without the other is not as useful as the work best together. Consider a cup without anything in it. Or water in your hand instead of a cup. Neither work well without the other. In order to properly fill a cup, the energy (sound) needs to be understood.
What I grasped from this small portion of the ceremony is that many people do not really take the time to consider their words. How are those words going to be received? What do those words really mean on a deeper level? What exactly is to be communicated? For the most part, I’d have to agree. Being aware of one’s words, at all times, is not easy. Far too often it’s easier to get caught up in the flood of emotion or excitement and words run away from their purpose. This a lesson I learned over the past year. Do not rush words. (Personally, I’ve never been a fan of rushing words, but I was, on occasion this past year, put in a situation where I had to. Sometimes it worked, other times it was disastrous.)
The point of today’s moment really was not to focus on words and sounds, but the kirtan blessing itself. However, I couldn’t resist sharing the discussion from my kirtankar’s understanding of words and sounds. It fits very well with my own journey these past 18 months. (Amazing moment #1 during this kirtan.)
The rest of the kirtan was incredible. There were many inspirational moments. A 5 year old girl sharing her energy and light by happily putting herbs into the fire. A giggle about YI`s cat having the ability to say “Ma”. Chanting and breathing in and out the energy. It was amazing and I could definitely feel the positive energy in the room.
We, the participants, focused that energy on Rita for the majority of the ceremony. And a surprising thing happened: our kirtankar offered the positive energy back to us in the form of kalava - a red string to be worn until it naturally falls off. (Amazing moment #2 of the kirtan) It’s purpose is to ward of evil and invite positive energy (health, wealth, happiness) to enter into self. It’s deeper purpose: to help one find brahman connecting to one’s “true self”.
I will happily wear my kalava until it falls off. The love in that room tonight was incredibly strong. Finding the energy beyond the words was empowering. I hope that the birthday blessings YI received tonight will follow her beyond this year and throughout the rest of her lifetime.
And one final note on today’s Kirtan gathering: YI’s family that I haven’t seen in a long time were there. Being such an intimate gathering, we were able to really catch up and talk about life. As I was leaving YI’s sister-in-law stopped me and told me how beautiful my energy was and she thanked me for sharing it tonight. I was a lot surprised by this. I thanked her for her kind words and hugged her. I told her I looked forward to our next adventure together. (Amazing moment #3 of the kirtan)
An interesting evening. One filled with many thoughts, emotions and, at times, complete silence and emptiness. I’m so very fortunate to have been such an intimate part of such a deeply spiritual ceremony. I was moved. No doubt about it.
Moments to dive in and experience something new.
Moments of revelation.
Little did I know, that this centering of self was to be so relevant!
I knew I was heading to my friends’ house for a birthday celebration for one of my oldest and dearest friends. She is a yoga instructor (YI from here on in) and her husband was going to through her a small party with close friends and her family. My understanding was that it was going to be a surprise for YI.
When I arrived, YI’s cupcakes were sitting out. This evening’s activities were not going to be a surprise after all! That being said, YI seemed very happy and it wasn’t long before I was up to speed: we were going to have a special birthday fire kirtan ceremony to celebrate and bless YI.
Now, I’ve been YI’s fire kirtan’s before, but I’ve always sat in the background and watched as there have often been many attendees who are much more involved with this ceremony and its meaning. Typically there are four seats around the fire. Tonight, it was YI, her husband, the kirtankar and there remained an empty seat. Today, as there were fewer of us, participating, YI heavily suggested that I take the empty seat. How could I refuse the birthday girl her request? And so, I ended up taking that empty seat.
In doing so, I became an intimate participant of this ceremony. I participated in the chanting and building of the fire with herbs and sharing my light and energy more intimately within the circle of this ceremony than any of the others that I’ve attended in the past. And what transpired was a bit surprising to me. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was. I was surprised at just how tangible the energy was and just how deeply it connected with me.
Our kirtankar spoke of blessing Rita for her year ahead (and every day moving forward). One of his main points was a discussion on sound and words. I found this quite interesting because I’ve come to very much appreciate words and their purpose in my life over the past 18 months. They are important - vital even to express oneself. But, as our kirtankar noted, sometimes they can really muddle up situations. His analogy started with this idea: ”Words can circle upon themselves. The sounds and feelings they are trying to share are what needs to be communicated. Sounds are vibrations, they resonate deep within us. Sometimes we need to clear our heads of the words, and find the sound to find the truth.”
I thought that was a brilliant moment. For many months I’ve focused on words, and while there were many moments where the words were worthy and fulfilling there were definitely times, especially with challenging days, where words did not suffice. Where words of others were not connecting. Where I couldn’t find the words to share my own thoughts and feelings. So I quickly connected to this idea that words are not enough.
Again, according to our kirtankar, words need to have the sound (energy/vibration) behind them to be meaningful. Far too often people simply throw around words, sometimes without even thinking about them. (And I contemplated situations where this was most obviously the case. Think about the sales rep who asks you how your day was. Are they bored? Do they look genuinely interested? Are they paying attention to your answer? Extrapolate that simple idea to anyone in your circle. Friends, family etc. Is there depth to the words? Can you feel the energy/vibration behind them?)
He had a fantastic analogy that I will bastardize here because I was absorbing the moment more than taking notes. The gist is this: Words are like the vessel and sounds are contained in the vessel. One without the other is not as useful as the work best together. Consider a cup without anything in it. Or water in your hand instead of a cup. Neither work well without the other. In order to properly fill a cup, the energy (sound) needs to be understood.
What I grasped from this small portion of the ceremony is that many people do not really take the time to consider their words. How are those words going to be received? What do those words really mean on a deeper level? What exactly is to be communicated? For the most part, I’d have to agree. Being aware of one’s words, at all times, is not easy. Far too often it’s easier to get caught up in the flood of emotion or excitement and words run away from their purpose. This a lesson I learned over the past year. Do not rush words. (Personally, I’ve never been a fan of rushing words, but I was, on occasion this past year, put in a situation where I had to. Sometimes it worked, other times it was disastrous.)
The point of today’s moment really was not to focus on words and sounds, but the kirtan blessing itself. However, I couldn’t resist sharing the discussion from my kirtankar’s understanding of words and sounds. It fits very well with my own journey these past 18 months. (Amazing moment #1 during this kirtan.)
The rest of the kirtan was incredible. There were many inspirational moments. A 5 year old girl sharing her energy and light by happily putting herbs into the fire. A giggle about YI`s cat having the ability to say “Ma”. Chanting and breathing in and out the energy. It was amazing and I could definitely feel the positive energy in the room.
We, the participants, focused that energy on Rita for the majority of the ceremony. And a surprising thing happened: our kirtankar offered the positive energy back to us in the form of kalava - a red string to be worn until it naturally falls off. (Amazing moment #2 of the kirtan) It’s purpose is to ward of evil and invite positive energy (health, wealth, happiness) to enter into self. It’s deeper purpose: to help one find brahman connecting to one’s “true self”.
I will happily wear my kalava until it falls off. The love in that room tonight was incredibly strong. Finding the energy beyond the words was empowering. I hope that the birthday blessings YI received tonight will follow her beyond this year and throughout the rest of her lifetime.
And one final note on today’s Kirtan gathering: YI’s family that I haven’t seen in a long time were there. Being such an intimate gathering, we were able to really catch up and talk about life. As I was leaving YI’s sister-in-law stopped me and told me how beautiful my energy was and she thanked me for sharing it tonight. I was a lot surprised by this. I thanked her for her kind words and hugged her. I told her I looked forward to our next adventure together. (Amazing moment #3 of the kirtan)
An interesting evening. One filled with many thoughts, emotions and, at times, complete silence and emptiness. I’m so very fortunate to have been such an intimate part of such a deeply spiritual ceremony. I was moved. No doubt about it.
Moments to dive in and experience something new.
Moments of revelation.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Moments D375: New Neighbourhood Spots
I’ve lived in my neighbourhood for a year and three months. I really haven’t taken a lot of time to explore my new area. I’m not entirely sure why I haven’t ventured out. A part of it would likely be that I spent a lot of time last summer on the beach playing volleyball or on the field playing baseball. There really weren’t many nights that I was home or weekends where I could lazily walk around.
But tonight, a friend and I decided to check out one of the neighbourhood restaurants. So small that it doesn’t have its own website. We were delightfully surprised by Melange. The service was incredibly friendly. The food was delightful. It was obvious that they used fresh, quality ingredients. The chef popped out to make sure that our appetizers were good. He popped out again to check on our mains.
It’s always a lovely surprise when you try a new restaurant that doesn’t look so amazing and it turns out to be just that: AMAZING.
I’ll definitely be back to Melange and I look forward to telling everyone I know just how incredible it was. It also reminds me to get out there and explore my “hood” a little more this coming summer!
Moments taking a risk.
Moments of pleasant surprise and tasty food.
But tonight, a friend and I decided to check out one of the neighbourhood restaurants. So small that it doesn’t have its own website. We were delightfully surprised by Melange. The service was incredibly friendly. The food was delightful. It was obvious that they used fresh, quality ingredients. The chef popped out to make sure that our appetizers were good. He popped out again to check on our mains.
It’s always a lovely surprise when you try a new restaurant that doesn’t look so amazing and it turns out to be just that: AMAZING.
I’ll definitely be back to Melange and I look forward to telling everyone I know just how incredible it was. It also reminds me to get out there and explore my “hood” a little more this coming summer!
Moments taking a risk.
Moments of pleasant surprise and tasty food.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Moments D374: Saved Coffee
Today was an incredible day. It was jam packed with productivity, information, and weather graced us with our first 25 degree, full of sunshine day. AND top all that off with my volleyball team winning the first round of playoffs to hold on to first place for the season. Next week, we’ll take it all! But my special moment happened early this morning.
I didn’t sleep well last night. I woke mid-night and had a hard time falling back to sleep. I re-set my alarm knowing that I’d have to skip my morning workout with the lack of sleep (for the second night in a row!)…..
When I woke, I didn’t feel rushed, and yet I was buzzing around quickly to get off to work quickly. Time seemed to be moving slowly and I was moving quickly. Given my lack of sleep, that’s a good way to start the day.
And then my moment happened. I was out the door, heading to the car with many bags (volleyball gear, lunch, purse) and my coffee travel mug in hand. I quickly realized I didn’t have enough hands to open my passenger door. I mindfully put my travel mug on the roof of my car, thinking to myself “Do not forget your coffee!”. I fussed with my bags, placing everything just so and then I climbed into the car.
As I started the car an adorable elderly gentlemen quickened his very slow pace to reach me before I pulled away. He was pointing, of course, at my roof. I had a good laugh at myself, pulled up my parking brake and jumped out of the car. As I opened my door, the lovely gentleman said “You don’t want to lose your coffee - glad we could save it.” I laughed and agreed quite heartily. I thanked him and we parted ways.
I giggle to myself for being so “mindful” of and then promptly forgetting my coffee.
A good, silly moment and apparently a good way to start the day.
Moments appreciating the kindness of a stranger.
I didn’t sleep well last night. I woke mid-night and had a hard time falling back to sleep. I re-set my alarm knowing that I’d have to skip my morning workout with the lack of sleep (for the second night in a row!)…..
When I woke, I didn’t feel rushed, and yet I was buzzing around quickly to get off to work quickly. Time seemed to be moving slowly and I was moving quickly. Given my lack of sleep, that’s a good way to start the day.
And then my moment happened. I was out the door, heading to the car with many bags (volleyball gear, lunch, purse) and my coffee travel mug in hand. I quickly realized I didn’t have enough hands to open my passenger door. I mindfully put my travel mug on the roof of my car, thinking to myself “Do not forget your coffee!”. I fussed with my bags, placing everything just so and then I climbed into the car.
As I started the car an adorable elderly gentlemen quickened his very slow pace to reach me before I pulled away. He was pointing, of course, at my roof. I had a good laugh at myself, pulled up my parking brake and jumped out of the car. As I opened my door, the lovely gentleman said “You don’t want to lose your coffee - glad we could save it.” I laughed and agreed quite heartily. I thanked him and we parted ways.
I giggle to myself for being so “mindful” of and then promptly forgetting my coffee.
A good, silly moment and apparently a good way to start the day.
Moments appreciating the kindness of a stranger.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Moments D373: Accordions and Monks
Today on our way to the official CONTACT opening at MOCCA this evening three of us from work were stuck in rush hour traffic right in the core of the city. It wasn’t a big deal today because I gave us plenty of time to sit in traffic and still arrive on time for the event. Worst case scenario (and highly unlikely!) was that we arrived a wee bit too early.
While we were sitting on Queen Street, a very, very busy street for both street and sidewalk traffic we saw a most interesting scene.
As we crawled to a stop to allow a couple of emergency vehicles pass, we found ourselves directly in front of an accordion player. She looked sprightly, but her accordion was playing a very sad, melancholic song. The three of us shared that moment, and then as we were commenting on how strange and beautiful the accordion player was, three monks in brown robes walked past between us and the accordion player.
Sometimes you see the strangest of things in the city. It’s spring, the magnolias are in bloom. The accordion players are out on the streets and the monks are strolling along the sidewalk. Of course that’s what happens downtown every day in the spring. Right?
Moments loving the diversity of our city.
Moments enjoying being surprised by the city.
While we were sitting on Queen Street, a very, very busy street for both street and sidewalk traffic we saw a most interesting scene.
As we crawled to a stop to allow a couple of emergency vehicles pass, we found ourselves directly in front of an accordion player. She looked sprightly, but her accordion was playing a very sad, melancholic song. The three of us shared that moment, and then as we were commenting on how strange and beautiful the accordion player was, three monks in brown robes walked past between us and the accordion player.
Sometimes you see the strangest of things in the city. It’s spring, the magnolias are in bloom. The accordion players are out on the streets and the monks are strolling along the sidewalk. Of course that’s what happens downtown every day in the spring. Right?
Moments loving the diversity of our city.
Moments enjoying being surprised by the city.
P.S. Happy MAY!
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