Moment D454: Trust

Today as I ran my errands I drove past a Christian advertising his religious knowledge on the sidewalk. He was sitting on a lawn chair on the edge of the sidewalk with a big umbrella for shade and a fair size sign sitting on his lap.

The sign was simple:

Repent

Trust

In Jesus

Interestingly each of the "Ts" were made into crosses.  He sat there quietly, slowly turning his umbrella.   It was an odd sight to see considering I've never seen this gentleman before on my very common ride home from the grocery store.  Why today? What was his purpose? Did he really believe that this would work to convert souls?

It had me thinking about why someone would spend the afternoon sitting in a lawn chair with this sign.   Is that a productive way to share this information?   Really?   Score one for me. 

On the flip side,  it also inspired thoughts about trust and what trust was to me.  Score one for the sign bearing Christian.

After arriving home and settling in for the afternoon,  I found myself writing and exploring the concept of trust.  Dang.   Score two for the sign bearing Christian.

Guess sitting on a side walk with a sign can actually inspire people. Go figure!

Moments questioning others actions.

Moment questioning your own.

Moments D453: Gun Show

Today was our baseball tournament.  While it was fun, we lost and I was injured, twice.  (I now have two ankles that are bruised and swollen.  Ah, well.  It serves me right for not catching the ball in the first place, right?)

The team went for lunch after our first two games at our local watering hole and today's moment was when we all sat down at the outdoor table.  My coach looked at me and said, "Show me the gun show."  I looked at him quizzically and then looked at a couple of my team mates to see what the heck he was talking about.  One of the gents started laughing and explained that earlier in the day he had asked our coach if he was "...ready for the gun show..."  at which point he had showed our coach his "guns" (which is showing off your flexed biceps).

Interestingly, our coach had no idea what that had meant...so this was a fun new experience for him. Coach's reply:  those aren't guns...I'll show you guns!

And circle back to all of us sitting at the lunch table and Coach asking me to show him the gun show.  Apparently Coach felt I had better guns than my team mate's guns.  Well, after that story, how could I not oblige?    And so, I showed off my biceps to the table of baseball team mates. We all had a good chuckle.  (And yes, my guns were more defined than my team mates!)

Moments being put in the spotlight.
Moments laughing with your team.

Moments D452: Synchronicity Returns

Last night I headed out for drinks with a sales rep come friend from work.   And, while it was great to catch up and plan, it was the first time I left my car at work instead of driving home.  That meant - no car this morning and using the TTC to get to work for the first time since moving to this apartment.  (Now that I think about it, it's crazy that I haven't taken the transit to work in the 1.5 years I've been living here, but I haven't really had a reason to.)

And so, this morning as I was walking up to the streetcar stop, I realized I was going to miss the streetcar by about 5 minutes.  (It was too hot to run to it and I wasn't in a rush.)  As I stood waiting for the next streetcar (about 24 minutes out according to my app on my phone), I enjoyed a book that was recently gifted to me via Audible.  I've never "read" a book in this manner before and I rather enjoy it and it was a great way to pass the time waiting.

When the street car arrived, I worked out my travel plans in my head, knowing that I'd need to transfer at some point to head South instead of just West.  As we turned our first corner the driver announced that the typical route was detoured and now it was going to pass right by my work.

Huh.

No need to pay attention to where I was on its route anymore.   No need to transfer.

An easy ride into work today after all.  Yes, I think the planets are aligned for me at the moment.

Here's hoping the coming weekend is as filled with puzzle pieces snapping into place!

Unexpected moments.

Moments where things shift, just so, to make your life a touch easier.

Moments D451: Hello Summer!

It's official.  SUMMER IS HERE!  Day three of scorching heat and humidity.  The air conditioners can barely keep up.  I'm not complaining.  SUMMER IS HERE!

I may have mention a moon or two ago, but I really love the seasons.  I love the crispness of autumn and watching the leaves turn.  I love the chill of winter and crunching through a fresh snowfall (never mind the full snowball fights!), I love the clean, reviving smell of spring and watching everything slowly come back to life again and, I love the hot hot heat of summer.  The sticky humidity, the violent thunderstorms, the wall of heat that feels challenging to walk through let alone do anything else in.  The kind of heat that leaves you thirsting for a cold shower.

Today was that day.  At 9 am this morning it was 31 degrees and it felt like 38.  By noon it was 34 degrees and feeling like 43 degrees with the humidity.  IT WAS HOT.  Like walking through soup as one of my co-workers described it.

Today a day of synchronicities, shared stories, surprises, and drinks in a hot bar.  It was the epitome of a perfect summer day!

Moments enjoying the heat.

Moments celebrating summer.

Moments D450: Marry Me

Today there was a lot of talk about weddings, for a fellow team member is about to take the plunge with the love of his life this coming Saturday.  He's a flutter with energy.  He's eager to ensure that everything is well laid out for us before he leaves on his vacation.  It's all very adorable to participate in.

Today I learned how he asked his fiance to marry him.  The funniest part, he swore at her while proposing.  She was too impatient to wait for the words and she said yes before he asked.   Frustrated, excited and surely overflowing with adrenaline and love, he said, "F#ck, let me say the words, I need to say the words."  My oh my, how times have changed.  We all laughed and soaked in the story.

And then, I shared with them this video proposal.  I've watched it a few of times now.  Each and every time, I've cried.  This is not just tearing up.  This is full on emotional  release.  It's so touching.  So thoughtful.  And you can see how much the recipient of the proposal is taking it.  It is, simply, beautiful.

And it happened yet again.  My creative director and I were blubbery fools after watching it this beautiful proposal.

My moment today, appreciating the depth of love a complete stranger has for his partner.

It was also the moment I appreciated the love of a fellow team member for his soon-to-be-wife.

p.s.  We also watched this proposal.  Amusing?  You decide.

Moments D449: SURPRISE!

Today was a day that showered me with surprises.  Some of my surprises weren't fun (like finding out that every street on my commute to work is now under construction - my commute doubled this morning!), but for the most part, it was a day of fun, unexpected moments.  Hawk sent me a heart warming text first thing this morning (that ended up being my alarm), I was able to make an important call this morning that I thought I would have to skip (due to meeting which was pushed back), my BFF dropping by for an unexpected lunch, and an incredibly special and thoughtful video created just for me.

It was a lot to absorb.  But I loved every minute of it.

But the best surprise was an email from my Dad.  He doesn't often email me directly.  He likes to forward silly emails, or emails talking about family, or organizing things, but not very often do I get an email that is specifically for me. Today, the email, while a forward, was specific to me.  His words were simple in their message, but even without many words, it spoke volumes.  The thought behind it, the depth behind it makes my heart smile.  It was, by far, the best surprise of the day.

Moments of surprises.

Moments loving your family that much more.

Moments D448: Patience and Trust and Believing, OH MY!

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you knew there was more to the story being shared but the details weren't being share?   Where the silence is deafening and the pauses between words spoken are screaming at you?  

This very thing has bean happening to me more often recently.  I don't recall it happening near as often before in my life. Does it mean that I'm more intuitive or that I'm simply paying more attention to those around me?  The reason I can't explain, but there is no denying that these gaps exist. These days my intuition is strong and it has been bang on (for better or worse!).   The fact that my intuition is stronger than it's been in years, is a sign that I am back on the right path.   But I digress from the point of today's moment.

Sometimes those you love succumb to fear (don't we all?), but when they stop trusting (themselves or you) they stop believing that there is someone listening, that someone cares.  For the record, I will always listen.  I will always be there for those I love, no matter how dark, no matter how stormy.  I am not here just for the good times.  I'm here on a soul journey and that includes being present even in the darkest of days.

So, while I've been struggling with the silence from my loved ones, on my own, for awhile now, I've found patience.  I know I can't rush my loved ones.  When they are ready to share, I'll ask questions and dive in to support wherever I can.  

Today's moment was when my patience paid off as one of my loved ones opened up about something he's been dealing with on  his own.  The moment itself was a challenge.   The timing of the share, the seriousness of the content and worse yet, the inability to discuss further until much later in the day.  But dive into it later we did.  Now I feel stronger,  empowered with knowledge instead of weak with assumptions.   I feel in tune and in synch with next steps instead of sidelined waiting for words.  I am fully committed to ensuring that my loved one has what he needs to deal with his coming changes.  I know he felt relief after sharing.  As did I. Trust and belief in loved ones:  restored hope.  What an incredible, deep, moment for today.

I have another loved one holding back.  I send her love and light every day, willing her to open up and share.  Patience.  PATIENCE.  I am here when she is ready to trust.  I am here.  MY people, my loved ones matter.... so when they struggle,  I struggle to find solutions. When they celebrate the rain,  I dance and laugh with them.   We need not be alone in this life.

Patience and trust and believing.  

Moments where words matter.   (I suppose that's not fair.  Words always matter!)

Moments where people matter.  (ditto!)