Many Blesssings

Many Blessings to You & Yours

from Solstice Life

Celebrate Family

The holidays do this to me. I think about my family, what they mean to me and the impact they have had on my life. I think about the day my kids were born, our bonding time, when I met my husband, how I connect with the special people in my life.

See family is not just blood relatives... To me, it' s those people who are there when we need them, who look out for you, who answer the call even if you haven' t talked in a while, it's those wonderful souls who love you for who you are faults and all....and they don' t put you in a line and choose, you are always in the circle.




Celebrate family...'tis the season!

Enlist Others

Getting things done, reaching goals, doing projects can be overwhelming at times.  When you enlist others, you get more time, more hands and more ideas that could lead to a better product, meet goals faster or just cleaning out the garage! 

Don't be afraid to ask for help, use the skills and experiences of others and share with them as well.  The pay off comes with the gift you have given to others by bringing a group together to reach a common goal.

Stop Saying NO

I took some advice from a very good coach...try to eliminate NO from your vocabulary.
Try to change the negative words and phrases into positive sayings or perspectives and options.
You will be amazed at how positive your outlook becomes, how pleasant exchanges are with others. Try it.

Taking a Hit

Somedays you are blindsided by life (if you read the earlier post about rolling with it, you must have not been looking in the right direction).  What to do? Suck in your abs and take it.  You may tear up a little, get the breath knocked out of you,

but be calm, try to be positive, stand up

...brush yourself off and get back going wherever life was leading. 

You are awesome....you will be fine! 

You never get more than you can handle.

Roll With It

Rolling with the things life throws at you may not be easy, but it's better than crawling under a rock and waiting for the thrown thing to go past..at least you are in motion and can dodge whatever else may come you way....and even better, if it's something wonderful you can grab on and go along for the ride.

Worry

What is it about everything that makes us worry? And how do you get rid of that haunting little voice...it nags, repeats and sometimes even makes itself into a song.

Does that happen to you?


How do you get rid of it?

I have tried playing louder music, reading a book, going for a run....it always seems to find it's way back.

The only thing that seems to work sometimes, is writing it down..like a journal or talking it out with my partner...it seems to lessen but it still stays.  And it doesn't feel the same as stress - worry seems much more emotional and draining...where I find stress, although draining can also be channelled into energy.

Got any ideas to share?!

Create Food

Who knew that creating food could be so empowering, liberating and inspirational?! I know, it was only pumpkin soup,and then a stew the next day...but I even surprised myself! And my family loved it - even better!  According to my sons, I am 'stepping up my game' in the cooking department!

So what did I do?

Pumpkin Soup: I don't measure...just eyeball, sorry
Cut up a pumpkin
Remove seeds
Lightly glaze with olive oil
Roast at 400 degrees for 60 minutes
Allow to cool
Remove outer skin
Put into large stock pot.
Add 1 container of chicken broth
Nutmeg
Cinnamon
Salt
Pepper
Puree with hand processor
Bring to boil
Add small container of light cream
Stir
Serve

Tastes great with a splash of Frank's Red Hot

Sassy Stew - this was so easy! And even better the next day Get your crock pot out Add 3 tablespoons of flour to the stewing beef in your crackpot, mix until all pieces are well-coated

Add:

Chopped onion
Chopped sweet potato
Chopped potato
Chopped carrot
Chopped celery
1 can tomatoes
1cup sun dried tomato salad dressing
1/2 carton beef broth
Stir and put crackpot on high for 2 hours
Reduce to low for 4-5 hours
Serve with crusty bread, pita or roasted polenta slices

Evening Wake Up

Know that feeling at the end of the day...just before the workday ends and knowing that the evening routine is about to begin?
Where you feel that lull? Like dread but not so bad...usually accompanied by a craving for chocolate?

That happens to me a lot.

So you know what? Now I have decided to give in. I have 2 pieces of dark chocolate and then jump into my evening routine.


Heck, I feel better, have an energy boost and am refreshed.

Give in....sometimes you just have to do it!

MidDay Break

What do you do in the middle of the day to get the blood pumping and energy flowing?

I take a few minutes to review my afternoon agenda and the next day too.

I add in or delete whatever is necessary and then, take a few seconds to review what I have completed so far today.

I feel the sense of accomplishment...get psyched for what is next and jump right in.

If I don' t feel totally ready, I walk outside for some fresh air, grab a green tea and then get moving.

Always good to have plan B.

Energize Your Morning

Tough to get started some days isn't it? Well, here are a few tips:


1- before getting out of bed, take three deep breaths, in and out, trying to make your back sink into the mattress and feel the stretch throughout your body.

2- still in bed, point your toes down and up three times, feeling a beautiful movement in your legs

3- get out of bed and go to the nearest mirror and say 'good morning ME'....and mean it.

Now you are ready for a quick shower, leisurely cup of coffee with your breakfast, and whatever the day may bring. Have a good one!

Holidays Approaching...What's the Plan

Can you believe we have already started to book vacation time for next year? Our friends wonder where our time goes...fact is, we have our family plans in place for the next year before the new year starts.  We can stay on top of things and organize around, or flex if needed!  Sounds crazy, but it works - then we have good things to look forward to and time seems to roll by!


Here is how it goes....we (my husband and I) spend an hour or two with the calendar for the following year plotting in birthdays, recurring annual events ( golf tournaments, charity events, special engagements ) and then, because there are only so many vacation days available, we plan out how to utilize those days with our kids. That also includes a no-kids holiday and a fun weekend or two.

We have started to take the same approach to Christmas - events and gifts. With the help of electronic gadgets and online shopping we can keep track of certain items for special people throughout the year or even order in advance so that we get them on time.

Events are a different beast...invitations flow fast and furious. We make a conscious decision to attend the events where our kids will also be engaged, not left sitting bored with a bunch adults. We are building new traditions because of some life changes, and our boys have been involved in the plans for our 'new' Christmas traditions....a nice mix of what we used to do and some new tweaks. Just lovely!

I am looking forward to the holidays this year!

Stop Stressing

Not easy to do.  I know.

Especially at this time of year...

...when the days are shorter,

the nights are longer,

the Christmas sales are starting,

and the bank account may not look as healthy as you would want it to.

Stop Stressing.

Sit for a moment,

with a tea or glass of wine,

make a list of what you need to do to be ready for the Christmas season - gifts, parties, dinners, everything....

and then assign times to it.

You will feel better, I promise!

It may look daunting at first, but now you have a plan - that should greatly reduce the stress you feel.

Now, finish your tea or glass of wine...and move on!

To my readers, friends and followers who do not celebrate Christmas - apply the same technique to reduce stress to the events that really cause you concern.

The Maze of Life

How do you get your kids out of the maze?

The maze that makes them think they have to do certain things.

The maze that makes them feel like they are failing or are wrong if they don't stay on the path they set out for themselves, or change their path completely?

I am talking about the biggest step in a young adult's life.  The decision about which university or college to attend.

That alone is a big one - am I less of a person if I attend a college rather than a university or polytechnical school?

Where to go to school?  To leave home or not to leave home?

And what, if like my son, his plan all along has been to go out of the country for one sport, and now, another sport and his excelling grades are calling him in a new direction?  Yet, he is still in the maze.

Our job as parents, mentors, teachers, leaders and coaches is to help out young people through the maze.  The decisions at this point in their life are truly theirs to make, but with our guidance and perspective.

Help them get through the maze by listening
- looking for the emotion they hold,
have them share their feelings,
understand what differences each decision could make in their future,
look them in the eye and tell them you support what they decide
and will always be there for them.

The maze is hard.

We all went through it once...maybe more than that
...maybe over and over again as we changed careers, started families, moved to new cities.

The maze gives us an exciting and challenging life. 

Help our young people relish the maze.

Life has it's challenges. Try the blended family. Getting to know adult children can be difficult and the emotions are always a little off kilter (?). Funny enough, here is a post I found - the quote is interesting.

"you change for two reasons; either you learn enough that you want to or you’ve been hurt enough that you have to~"

Hopefully the changes are always for the good. Sometimes enough time passes that we are only hurting ourselves by not accepting a change in our life. Especially a change that we have no control over. Sometimes the change is merely acceptance and removing anger. That can eliminate a lot of wasted energy.

I hope that everyone spends time learning instead of hurting.

Tell Yourself You WILL

Participate! 

Go to the front room of your life.

See what it feels like today.

The Perfect Place

Did you know that You create your own reality?

No one but you can decide what reality is even though the world around us provides every influence it can.

In the end, You are infinitely powerful.

Wherever you are, You are in the perfect place in your life...you are exactly where you need to be. What will come to you will be what you need at that moment in time. Be prepared to reach out to it, embrace it and follow your path.

Success Is...

Success is a decision...what is your decision going to be today?

Today I Will #7

Today I will spend time understanding my relationship with my future. 

What plans and goals do I have?

How am I progressing towards those goals?

What is my biggest obstacle and what can I do to overcome it?

This is the last post (for now) of the Today I Will series.  Hope that you enjoyed it!

Today I Will #6

Today I will spend time understanding my relationship to my present. 

What am I doing right now to be present in my present? 

In the lives of others? 

What choices am I making everyday to ensure I live the gift of my life to it's fullest?

Today I Will #5

Today I will spend time understanding my relationship with my past. 

What event or who made the most significant impression in my life? 

Do I use that learning to influence my decisions and the path of my future?

Today I Will #4

Today I will spend time understanding my relationship with my work. 

Does my work rule my life or is it an integral part of who I am, what I do, a balance to the rest of the important parts of me?

Today I Will #3

Today I will spend time understand my relationship with my community. 

What role does my community play in my life?

How do I respond to the needs of my community?

Today I Will #2

Today I will spend time understanding my relationship with myself.

How do I take care of myself?

How do I show myself patience, love, gratitude?

The Today I Will Series

Starting today and for the next 7 posts, you will see the "Today I Will" Series.
This series is designed to help you think through your relationships.
Small thoughts to contemplate.  Would love to have your comments.
Enjoy!

 the first one will arrive later today!

Today I Will #1

Today I will spend time understanding my relationship to others

-what difference have I made in the life of others? 

What difference have they made in my life?

The Wake Up Call

Do you care for others to the fault of missing caring about yourself? 

What makes you think that this works for you?  Think about it! 

Aren't you at your best when you are enjoying life, healthy, fit and getting a good night's sleep? 

This is how you need to be to take care of others. 

This way, they see how much you love yourself, and them

....what a great example of service through self-leadership.

How to Cope with Anything

Looking at life there are many opportunities to dwell in misfortune, misunderstanding and pain. Usually at the centre of all of this strife is the fact that we feel we cannot cope with what is taking place around it.


Well, here goes. Take Control. (I don't usually get too spiritual but I truly believe that you are never given more than you can handle by the universe or then powers driving it) At the very least this gives us the ability to cope, and here is how:

1-believe in yourself, you can get through it
2-care about yourself, make decisions that align with your values
3-have courage. Risks are not easy; taking on new challenges, wading through tough times takes courage. Dig within yourself to find it. It is there.
4-realize your worthiness. You have been put on earth for a reason, you are worthy of the successes and celebrations that will cross your path. Celebrate! Be successful! Get through the hard times and move forward.

You can do it! Take control. Surprise the universe, and yourself!

Relationships: Connect, Build, Maintain

Relationships Come In All Forms

Relationships are the single best way of doing business today and even simply getting to know the people in your community. You can connect on many of the social media sites, Google someone; find out all the details about anyone before you even meet them! So imagine the power of understanding how to build a relationship.

Relationships are work and not to be taken lightly. A relationship is a commitment. You are committing to getting to know someone, and letting them into your life as well. No longer is a relationship strictly about a transaction in the world of business. A relationship implies trust, confidence and an understanding of the individuals as a people with lives.

Relationships start as a contact, move to become a connection and then build into a bridge that you can maintain. How does all of this work?

Think back to the last time you met someone interesting that you wanted to get to know better. Perhaps you were introduced by a mutual friend or business associate, even family member. You probably shook hands, introduced yourself and talked a little about what each other does in life – home life, work life, community life. This was the beginning of the connection.

Why did you want to meet that individual? Did they know something you wanted to learn, or was there the possibility to do business together? Was there potential for making a friend?

What steps did you take before meeting them? Any research on LinkedIn, a Google-search, ask questions of mutual connections, find them on Twitter (@linxcoach)? Did you formulate a list of questions you wanted to ask? Interesting that now we can actually investigate our new relationships before we even start them. This same investigation can lead to an understanding about if we want to continue to build a relationship before we even start.

Now that you have made contact and gotten to know them, they are a connection. You feel a better level of comfort communicating with this new person in your life. How does this move to a full-scale relationship? By working on staying in touch, learning about each other, you can maintain the relationship and make it last ass long as you both would like.

Communication is key. Listening, talking, reading body language, asking more questions, genuinely being concerned and caring in all your discussions. Giving and getting feedback is also part of the communication process, helping to strengthen a relationship even when the feedback may be hard to give or take, and implement. The highest compliment you can pay is to implement the feedback and ask for more. This is showing your new connection that you trust and respect their judgement and are thanking them for caring about you. This is building new layers into the relationship that creates bond for the future.

Relationships take time and are worth the human connection and love we feel in return. Not love in the emotional, I-want- to -marry-you sense, but love in the sense that you are cared for, and others are interested in your well-being, the relationship is built from the heart. These bonds can become hard to break. These bonds can also lead to a variety of relationship links that could help you find a new job, become involved in a community endeavour, help you through a crisis, extend partnerships for business deals in new directions.

Never take a relationship for granted. It can disappear before you know it without maintenance, and that could be when you need it most.

Live Brightly

Life is busy. Life hands you many opportunities. Life can feel like it is spinning out of control. What to do?

Stand up and say 'I have choices'. I can decide to make life slow down so that I can enjoy my time, make good decisions, and think things through. I can decide to have a good day or a bad day. I can decide who will affect my attitude positively or negatively. It's up to me.

Live brightly. Making the decision to live by making choices can be the hard part. It can be easy to wallow in complacency, to not look further than where I am now, to not try to be better. I think of this as living in a grey, dull, unilluminated world. But to choose to 'live brightly', by making solid choices that move me forward is risky.

Living brightly is a challenge and new perspective.

To live brightly is to live in colour-vibrant, outrageous, reverberating, loud, magnificent colour!

What exactly is living brightly? Its honest decisions, creating good habits, being open-minded to new things/ideas/experiences, looking for the good instead of the worst. Being honest with myself, practicing changes, following my instincts, not second-guessing is living brightly.

Living brightly is a conscious decision to move forward, to stretch, to grow, to be at peace with yourself and the world around you. Go. Live Brightly. Live in full color to enjoy your choices and be fully present in the colorful world around you. I am.

Want, Can, Will

Which one is it? Or is it all three?



Energy is a choice for your physiology, just like attitude is a choice for your state of mind. Put them both together and be surprised at what you get!

Looking inside yourself to find put which way you respond to most questions or concerns, which state of mind are you in?


Is it the want state of mind? The state or thoughts that say to you, it's all about me? I can do it because it will make an impact on my life, a difference to me? Want is the ability to do something, that you will feel complete or reach a success point if it is done.


Can focuses on ability. You are able to do something. It does not necessarily mean you want to (have a desire to) do it, or that you will be active in accomplishing that task, but you are able, capable.


Will really is action, a verb. Taking control and making a statement that you intend to jump into action and get to it.
In order to become a leader, an empowering and innovative leader, you need to be in all three states to get to the end result. You need the desire, the capability and the effort to turn words into action. As a leader you can see that this could be within yourself, or within your team, or any combination of the team and yourself. Smart leaders surround enslaves with people, who possess the want, can and will philosophy. That way, different levels of each state will create a whole effort that can capitalize on execution and reach higher than expected potential.

So which one is it? Want, can or will? Or is it all three? Think about this next time you tackle a project, a conflict or a task. You will see where you need to grow or change to make it all work out to the results you want.

Unclutter Your Life

Life should be easy, wing it, un-plan it.

Imagine your home or your favorite space. Is everything in its place all the time? Drawers and shelves neatly lined up? Your closet color coded or set up by e season, shoes all in a row or in boxes? Or is your space a jumbled mess of papers, sticky notes, clothes, hangers, socks, books, stuff everywhere? Do you have a favorite drawer where everything seems to land, to be sorted only when you need something (desperately) from that space?


Not easy to face up to what your space looks like is it? Now compare this to your life. Is it cluttered? Or is every minute of your day assigned and orderly. Is the clutter in your life all negative influences or experiences that need to be removed or realigned so they do not interfere with your everyday life. You can realign the clutter that exists by putting it on different shelves, in drawers or even in the garbage can -get it out of our minds completely, send it away.


Clutter. Our lives are full of it. Why do we hang on to things (or people) that clutter our lives? Clutter is the person who calls just to talk even though they know you are at work and you cannot get rid of them. Clutter is the event you have to go to because someone else committed you to it. Clutter is the stack of books and magazines in the corner that you told yourself you needed to read them but cannot find the time. Clutter is the argument that keeps coming up between you and your spouse. Clutter is the relationship you have outgrown and keep up with because it is a habit.


Wow. That is a great deal of clutter. And imagine what clutter would look like if we looked at our work life through this lens?

How do we get rid of clutter? It's a decision. Not an easy one, to determine which clutter needs to go, and perhaps, which clutter needs to be put on a shelf or in a drawer for later use.

Deciphering the clutter is a very personal task. Which clutter do you want to keep but simply move? What clutter just needs to go away? What clutter are you happy with having around you? See, life should be easy, and easy to wing it, so to speak.


Try this. Upland your life just a little. Make a list of the clutter. (you are saying un-plan but you are making me do work, well, you need to get to the 'un-plannable' state by being able to work through the clutter and sort out what is in the way, then you will be able to give yourself a fresh start and a new routine which will take 21 days to build into a habit.)
Next to each clutter point, put an A next to the clutter that needs to go away. Put a B next to the clutter that you want to keep. Put a C next to the clutter that you may simply need to reallocate.


Work the keep or B list first. Go through each one and determine if it has a positive or negative effect on your life, work, and peace of mind. If it truly is a keeper, check it off. If not, use one of the other letters, A or C, to redefine it.


Work the A list next. If it needs to go away decide what you are going to do with it. Is it a relationship that needs to end? What are the steps, though difficult, that you will take to resolve the relationship. Could it be as simple as avoiding all contact, or eliminating all contact, or having a conversation with the person stating the facts about why the relationship will be changing? Is it old clothing sitting in the closet that you think you may fit into again? Easy, send it to a clothing recycler-Goodwill, consignment or the local church. Go through each A list item and plan the steps. Then do the steps to get rid of the clutter.

Lastly, work on the C list. The clutter that needs to be reallocated. Go one by one through each item and note where you will be reallocating the items on the list. For example, if it is a daily phone call with mom that always gets into the middle of your morning, let her know what your morning schedule is and would it work to relocate the meeting time. Or, if it is an event that you have been committed to, let go of some of the responsibilities by delegating to others.

Not yet mentioned are those little items that just seem to crop up. Say NO. Be strong...unless you want to!

You will need to complete the ABC exercise with items as well as relationships and your schedule.

Your life has just become a little more unplanned, open to change. You will find yourself more relaxed, at peace and full of energy. Try it!

Stakes versus Steaks

Stakes or Steaks?

I planted a garden this year, for the first time.  We often have our young nieces and nephews visit and they are enthralled with the idea of a garden, dirt, growing things.  Early in the summer, I had just put wooden stakes near the tomato plants to hold them up.  One of our young visitors asked which plants were the tomato plants.  I said "the ones with the stakes."  Our visitor ran to the garden to have a look.  After a few minutes he came back to see me on the deck and said "I don't see any meat out there, which ones are the tomatoes?". His mom and I spent time with him showing him the tomatoes and also discussing words that are spelled differently and sound alike.  By the end, he was laughing at what he had said.  He could actually picture the meat.

Lesson 1:  vocabulary is important, use age-appropriate words

Lesson 2:  the young ones keep us youthful, laughing and happy

Lesson 3:  cherish every minute of life

Life Lessons from a Dental Hygenist

I don't know about you, but I have never been fond of going to the dentist.  In fact, so not-fond, that I did not go for years...until I could no longer eat on one side of my mouth because of a sensitive tooth!

I bit the bullet- so to speak - and headed to a nice, new dental office in my new hometown.  They quickly fit me in to see the dentist, who was very nice even though I was so nervous that I tears ran down my face the entire time I was there.  After he diagnosed my issue, and set me up for cleaning (uggghhhh!!!) and deep scaling (!!@#@!$), I booked another appointment for the next day.  I was pretty proud of myself.

So the next day, I headed in to meet with the dental hygenist - let's call her K.  She was the sweetest, kindest person I have ever met.  I apologized to her for my nervous state and of course the tears.  K developed a plan to complete a quarter of my mouth at a time so that I would not have to endure the pain and stress for a long period of time.  She was helpful, educational, talked me through each step and let me hold the suction tube so that I felt like I had some control over the procedure.

We got through 1/4 of my mouth after numbing and freezing...I had to book another appointment to do the next section.  The office was placing bets to see if I would actually show up to do the next section.  I did!!!  And I was not tearful this time, just nervous.  But we got through it together.  K kept up a steady stream of one-sided conversation because it is tough to answer when her hand was in my mouth.  K also made sure that if I needed freezing or a break, we would take it.

Needless to say, after 2 more visits, and the purchase of a Water-Pik, I am now in a better position both mentally and physically.  If it weren't for the kindness of K, I never would have gone back.

Life Lessons: 

• while there are scary things to do in life, we need to do them and will be better for them
• people come into your life to get you through things and teach you along the way
• be grateful for kindness and pay it forward
• there are special people in the world, sometimes you find them, sometimes they find you!

Thanks K :)

The Meditation of the Earth

My garden is my haven.  I did not know it when I planted a few seeds in early April just to see if I could 'grow stuff'.

And guess what?  I can!  This is a red sunflower in my garden.  It stands over 6 feet tall with 3 other off-shoot stems and will have more than 12 different flowers before the summer ends.  Amazing.  And the bees like it too!

I was completely surprised by the peace and rest I found digging in the dirt, turning the soil to prepare for planting, planning out the seed beds and wondering if any of it would grow.  I planted vegetables, sunflowers and a wildflower butterfly bed near my back fence.

Whenever I needed a break from work, or life in general, I would head out to my garden and get my hands dirty - and the peace that overcame me was amazing.  Spending time in the fresh air, sunshine...and even rain, took away the stress of the day, helped me find solutions to problems and answers to questions.

The wildflower bed was interesting.  I hoed for 2 hours to prepare the soil, then sprinkled  wildflower mix from a container into the dirt.  It poured rain for the next 6 hours so I thought for sure there would be no garden to look at from the deck.  After the rain, it became very dry and as much as I watered, the water just ran off as the dirt was rock hard.  I decided to not be so attached to this part of my gardening experiment and about 4 weeks later, flowers started to sprout.  At first, I was not sure if the greenery was all weeds, and to my surprise, the majority was not.

Just like people, when given the right conditions and a chance to grow, they will surprise you!

Now my vegetable garden was a different story.  Everything started growing like crazy!  Tomatoes in June (had to stake them twice because they are so tall), cucumbers that have at least 250 more flowers to grow, pumkins crawling up the fence and potatoes invade the space of everything around them  I am now waiting for the carrots to get ripe to pick and have just pulled the peas from the beds.

                                                    

Just like people - they come into your life when you need them.  They may be 'scattered, all-over-the-place' or be straight up and independent, not tied to anything or anyone for strength, how we nurture them, care for them makes a huge difference to who they are today and will be in the future.

From the earth I have learned to tend the garden of my life.

Things You Never Know About Your Kids Until You Need To

My son was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinsons White Syndrome (WPW)3 years ago.  Have you ever heard of that?  I had not.  And luckily It was diagnosed because of another illness he had which took us to the emergency room in our home city.  After discovering this heart issue, we had appointments with a cardiologist, worked through stress tests and ECG's, but were told that the WPW seems to be inactive, though that could change as my son continued to grow and become more active.  Researched it a little on the internet, and were left feeling pretty confident that this was true.
My son is a stellar basketball player.  His dream is to play college ball in the US - to pay for school and so that he can continue a career in the sport he loves.  He plays a minimum of 3 hours a day on the court, not including work-out time with a trainer or practice time with his various teams.
In the spring of this year, while on the basketball court, he started to experience severe palpitations, some that would not stop for 3 hours. Scary!!  Especially since he was out of the country, with the team and I was back home.  We had no idea that this could start so quickly.
Smart kid - fouled out, got off the court, and settled down.  Took a while, but was fine.  He came home and we got him set up with his doctor immediately (or as quickly as that could be).  After a physical and ECG, he was told no sports until this is dealt with by a cardiologist.
Off to the websites to research what this meant, while the family doctor was booking with the cardiologist for us.  Wolff-Parkinsons White Syndrome can actully be cured.  The way to do it is to go into the heart and burn out the area that is causing the extra conduction. This is called a cardiac ablation.  This procedure is completed by a team of cardiac electrophysiologists.  Again - scary!!
After a stress test (in which my 17 year old lasted only 7 minutes) our cardiologist referred us to a specialist in WPW.  We had to wait 2 weeks for this visit and expressed our concern at the timing of the procedure.  Our specialist was kind enough to get us into the study lab as quickly as he could. In the meantime, lots of worry and wonder - someone was going to be inside my son's heart!
On our pre-op appointment, we met with a wonderful team who explained the procedure, answered all of my and my son's questions and showed us a video of how the procedure actually is executed.  We were told he could be in the study lab anywhere from 3 - 6 hours, then a minimum of 2 hours in recovery.  My son would need at least 2 - 3 days rest and then be good as new.  Imagine that?!
The day arrived (earlier this week).  My husband and I took my son to his appointment - we spoke little, each dealing with our own worries.The time came for my son to get prepped for the testing and procedure.  Off he went with a nurse - who quickly came back to get us so that we could wait with him until he went into the lab.  The comic relief my husband provided was beyond words.  We even have great pictures of my son walking himself, with his IV into the lab (which looked like a NASA setting).
Three hours and 45 minutes later, my son asked for me.  When I got to recovery, he was a little groggy but asked me if I was ok, and then told me the procedure was a success, the cardiac ablation worked!  He was so happy - we all were.  Nothing could take away the smile on his face, or the stress from my shoulders as seeing him healthy by watching the monitors on his heart looking normal.
Now it is 3 days later.  My son is rested, was out shooting baskets for the first time in 3 months (a little sore, but smiling), and we all feel like we have a fresh start on life.

Take a Chance

Taking a chance on anything is a risk - will I win?  Will I lose?  Will I be stuck here?  Will I fail?
What if you take a chance and succeed?  What if you take a chance and make a new friend?  A new business contact?  Even simply spend an hour of your life learning new things?
First things first - take the chances that come your way. 

Michael Jordan said you miss 100% of the shots you don't take.

Second - be open to the experience - positive or negative, you will learn something.
Last - more of the chances turn out to have a positive impact rather than a negative impact.

Go on..what chance are you going to take today?

Be a Role Model

 Here is a commitment that can take you over the edge. Are you a good role model for others? At home, in the community, at work? Think of a role model that has influenced you. What makes this particular person a role model? Is it how they act? What they say? What words describe this individual?


One of the things on your list is probably the fact that they act responsibly and with their values. They stand up for what they believe in, they participate and work to make things better, they always do their best and are first to admit mistakes and move forward. They have their head and their heart acting together, not in spite of one another. This is a focused individual from whom you could learn to prioritize events and tasks to ensure that there is balance for all the important things in their life. You can see from their actions that they are authentic and understand the influence they have over others.

How do I become a role model for others? Here are a few questions to ask yourself first:


• Am I ready to take on this responsibility?


• What are my guiding principles or values?


• Am I prepared to act in accordance with my values, always?


• Can I take on the challenge that being a role model will present?


• Am I committed to this role?

By taking a few minutes to answer the above questions, try to see yourself from other perspectives and put yourself in the role model shoes now. Would you want to follow this role model?

Fight Fire with Fire

When it comes to problems or fires breaking out in our lives, whether at work, home or in our communities, we need to be able to fight fire with fire. Take your positive attitude, your creative brain, your spirit and energy to the fight.

This will help you eliminate frustration and procrastination – tackle the problem head on.

Evaluate if it can be solved in small pieces or all at once.

Enlist the help of others where needed.

Sometimes we just need to drop everything and squelch the fire so that we can stop wasting time and make plans to move on to bigger and better adventures.

Happy Birthday Canada!

                                                   Celebrate Canada, eh!
I am blessed to live in a beautiful, diverse country that values the opinion and ways of others.  I have been fortunate enough to have lived and travelled all over the country.  My favourite city is Toronto, followed quickly by Calgary.  I would move back to Burlington Ontario in a heartbeat if life took us back that way.  I cannot believe the size of the raindrops in Halifax or the amazing sites off Newfoundland.

I have met people from every province and even judged International competitions for SIFE/ACE where Canada was represented so well, it was indescribable. The University of Cornerbrook Team worked on ways to harvest ice from icebergs and sell it to Las Vegas Casinos and bars because it took so long to melt...they even harvested drift wood and created and export industry for it to countries who did not have this natural and creative commodity to make furniture and art from at home.  By doing this, they put an abandoned fishery back to use, cleaned up beaches and employed people!  Only in Canada!

I am Canadian!

What other country could give you the Inukshuk?

                                       A Marker for Travellers to Find their Way

Or the amazing Maple Leaf?

                                         

What are you doing today to celebrate Canada?

Eliminate Drama

I have a friend that I used to work with a few years ago. For some reason, we clicked - able to laugh a lot, talk about the kids, just smart women who got to know each other. This blog post is from her Facebook page. Makes perfect sense to me! Thanks to 'The Rose'.

No Drama!!! Keep your drama out of my life!!! There comes a time in life when you have to let go of
all the pointless drama and the people who create it and surround
yourself with people who make you laugh so hard that you forget the
bad and focus solely on the good. After all, life is too short to be
anything but happy.

Life Philosophy of Charles Schulz

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip.

You don't have to actually answer the questions.  Just read straight through, and you'll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.


How did you do?


The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.  These are no second-rate achievers.
They are the best in their fields.  But the applause dies..
Awards tarnish.
Achievements are forgotten.
Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners..

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:


1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special!!
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.


Easier?


The lesson:
The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials..
The most money...or the most awards.
They simply are the ones who care the most.

''Be Yourself. Everyone Else Is Taken!"

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