Moments D556: Imitation as Flattery

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

My favourite holiday of the year has finally arrived and with it a day filled with fun and laughter.  (And yes, too much candy!)

My moment today surprised me.   I actually managed to don two costumes today (one for work and one for our outing this evening), but it wasn't about either costume this year that brings me my moment of the day.  (They were fun, but not awesome.  Next year, I am going to go after awesome!)  Honestly, I thought that the moment of the day would be the fact that I was sharing my favourite holiday with EQ which is another first for us.  And as amazing as it was to share today with EQ,  another moment knocked me over!

When we arrived at our pre-Church Street walk party, we were greeted by the host dressed up as a Prince.  Fun.  Expected.  Then we entered the living room and found ourselves greeted by Comic Guy dressed up as our host for his Halloween costume?  Completely unexpected and insanely hysterical!

Comic Guy was a perfect representation of our host.  And it reminded me about the concept of imitation being the highest form of flattery.  And so, I had to look up where that concept originated:

"Imitation is the highest form of flattery" coined by 19th century English cleric and writer, Charles Caleb Colton

The light rain didn't dampen the experience as the group of us eventually made our way out to Church street to see many more forms of flattery.  What an incredible evening with friends, my love and complete strangers, soaking in the fun energy of the holiday.  

Moments of surprise.

Moments of raw laughter.

Moments D555: Anniversary & Milestones

Today was the second anniversary of an explosive conversation.   It's impossible for this day to pass without a brief pause and recollection of that conversation.  It was one that forever changed my life path.  Even two years later, I'm grateful that I found the courage to not only begin that conversation, but follow the path that the conversation inevitably presented to me.  It was not the easiest path to follow, but it has been more fulfilling than I ever dreamed possible.

Today was also the first time that EQ ate a home cooked meal, prepared by yours truly eaten here in Toronto.  A new milestone.

Synchronicity?  Perhaps.  Actually, it's pretty likely given all the pieces of the puzzle that continue to snap into place for the two of us.

An anniversary becomes a milestone and adds another level of meaning to the anniversary.  Poetic really.

Moments remembering the past and choices made.

Moments looking fondly to the future and promising myself to always continue to dig deeper.

Moments D554: Energy Share

Today's moment was an interesting one. I haven't done energy work in years and today, for the first time in well over a decade, I re-visited energy work. It was incredible.

I know. The first thing you are asking yourself is "What to you mean by energy work?"

Well, that's a complicated question and one I'd love to write more about, but it's really beyond the scope of this blog about moments. What I will share, it that it's about harnessing, visualizing and direction your life force. Different cultures name this energy differently and the depth of meaning shifts with each label, but for the most part, it's about the energy you have, the energy you share, the energy you are absorbing and the energy that you may be in need of. Life force, Chi, Ki, Qi, prana, kundalini, aura, chakra, Skan, iin'a.

Today I did some energy work with EQ. I don't think he realized just how much awareness I have of energy and working with it.  Though I never asked, I'm pretty sure he was surprised at the results.  Me?  I wasn't surprised.  Even though the results themselves were pretty spectacular, I was expecting spectacular.

So the moment itself:  EQ and I sat cross-legged across from one another, touched our foreheads together, and he placed his hands under mine on our laps.  And we sat there sharing our energy. Within seconds the energy was tangible, the heat enveloping of us both.

And then we focused that energy on what we wanted to work on together.  It was an amazing prolonged moment.  Without words, we shared much.

Moments revisiting old lessons and digging deeper.

Moments focusing one's energy, together.

Moments D553: Eyes Meet

Today I picked up my love from the airport.  He's staying with me for awhile and I'm over the moon about that.  My moment is a special one today.

I was running late.  His plane arrived early.  Of course, right?

And, my car tire was leaking air.

Mercury retrograde?  Bah.  Nothing was going to stop me from getting there on time.

And I made it to the airport entrance, just as EQ was exiting the building.  Now the trick was to find him in the crowd.

And how easy that was.

As I slowed in the arrivals traffic, our eyes met.  That second my heart stopped for the briefest of moments.  And then it was aflutter. That was my moment of the day.  The moment I had been waiting for, though I had not expected it to reveal itself as it did.

It wasn't his bright orange & grey jacket that caught my eye, no, it was the huge smile upon his face.  And even as I pulled over, he didn't move.  He simply stood there, eyes upon my car, beaming.  I pulled over and parked.  He was frozen there, as I found him, smiling.

As I opened my door, the traffic coordinator asked me if I saw the passenger I was picking up.  "Oh ya," I said as I bounced over to the sidewalk.  As I rounded the back of my car, EQ finally broke his pose and grabbed his suitcase to pull it over to me.  Never once did our eyes leave the other's.  Eyes locked the entire time.

What a sweet embrace that moment was.

Moments living in anticipation and dealing with obstacles.

Moments breathing into the release.

Moments D552: Leftovers

I remember a time when heading home meant clean laundry and leftover food to take back home with me.

Strangely, some things never change, as that often still happens in my world.

But today, today I spend the afternoon with my niece and after a couple of hours of browsing the Distillery District and stopping at Soma for the best hot chocolate ever, we headed home to my place to make dinner.

And so we made dinner together.  I taught her a couple of tricks and gave her one of my extra glass roasting dishes so she could make this dish again on her own at home.  As we waited for the roasting chicken, potatoes and tomatoes to do their thing, we sat and chatted and caught up on her first semester of university and how the experience has been for her.

A great afternoon and evening overall.  But the best moment, was when she told me she would happily take the leftovers home with her.  I loved that!  What a smile it brought to me.  What a rush of memories.

Of course, I packed up all the leftovers for her, being a starving student and all.

Moments spending time with family.

Moments supporting your family as you once were supported.

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p.s.  The Recipe:

Roasted Lemon Oregano Chicken Thighs with Potatoes and Tomatos

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lemon
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano leaves  (or to taste - I like a little more - you can also used dried oregano in a pinch)

1 pint of cherry tomatoes
4 small potatoes, cut into bite size pieces
4 chicken boneless, skinless thighs, cut into bite size pieces
3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Over medium heat in a pan, use 1 tablespoon of oil.  Once heated, add the chicken and sear the bite size pieces. 
2. In a glass baking dish, toss the potatoes, cherry tomatoes, chopped garlic, onion, and oregano in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.   
3. Add into the dish, the seared chicken pieces.  
4. Squeeze the lemon juice over the dish and cover.
5. Cook in a 425F degree oven for 40-45 minutes.
6. Serve with fresh oregano and sour cream.  (optional)

Moments D551: Poppy Time

Today I bought my first poppy of the season.  I know it's early, but I don't care.  I even bought a fancy poppy last year too, so I really didn't need to buy a poppy.  AND, I also have a poppy stabbed into the ceiling of my car as I feel we should be remembering those who fought for our freedoms everyday.  With the poppy above my head every day, I definitely have that daily reminder.  I just wanted to show my support.

Why the connection?  I suppose it's because my grandfather was a vet.  He never spoke of what he saw or what he had to deal with.  Not even on his death bed did he share his experience.  (My mother, nursing at his side until he passed, tried many times and ways to gather some information of his experience, if only to document his life fully.)

Needless to say, what we do know, is that it was traumatic and something he was unable to verbalize.

I've known this about my grandfather my entire life.  He fought in the war, then he came home and was, for the most part, an unhappy man.  I know that's highly simplified, but as a child, that is all I ever learned.  What I felt, was, that he was always distant to me.  Lost perhaps.

And because of what he suffered (after the war, back home), because I grew up not really ever knowing my grandfather due to his walls, I've always been sensitive to Remembrance Day.  This year, I smiled when I saw the volunteer selling poppies.  Let the remembering begin a little earlier.  Why not!?

As I pinned my first poppy of the season to my jacket (I always lose them!), I couldn't help thinking back to my grandfather's funeral years ago.  He had a legion funeral and his casket was covered in the bright red flower.  It was a beautiful sight to watch men in uniform salute a man I barely knew, who I called grandpa.  It was a bittersweet moment as I found myself filled with pride for his commitment, but also filled with such a depth of sadness knowing that he was never able to leave the past in the past.

Random share:  here he is with my grandma on their wedding day; just before he left to fight in the war:

The pinning of the poppy also also reminded me that we all have our own dark moments and darkness to overcome.  We have a choice, we can either let the darkness consume us, or we can walk through the darkness.

I will always (I hope!) walk through the darkness, for I never want to find myself lost, cold and distant.
Does that mean I will always be in the light?  No.  Not at all.  But I will fight to find it.  I will fight to walk a path of love and light because I do believe that walking in light and love is the only way to find peace.  Peace within and peace outside of self.

Moments remembering the war, its horrors and the people that suffered through it.

Moments remember that love and light are a path to peace.

Moments D550: Enjoying the Silence

Today's moment is a simple one.  After a hectic day in the office, I was happy to spend some time on my own this evening.  I made a conscious effort to not be so tuned in tonight.  A night to be "off".

It was delightful.  I left my phone in my bag as I got my nails done.  I ignored my emails and messages and sat, for the first time in ages, and watched a movie on my own.  My to do list written for the weekend, I ignored it instead of getting a jump start on it.  Then, I had a bath.  No music even.  Just the sound of the candles flickering in the humidity.   No other distractions.  Just me, my thoughts and the warmth of the water enveloping me.

I know only too well how silence can be painful or fill one with anxiety.  Tonight, the silence was a slice of heaven.

It's almost like the beautiful calm before a storm. I took the time to soak in every moment of the calm before the coming storm hits.

Moments recognizing the need for calm and quiet.

Moments enjoying the silence.