Life is so short and precious, that we should always strive to be inspired. Unfortunately, that is not the reality for most of us – or at least it is not my reality. I have days when I am tired or stuck or bored or impatient for something to come along to inspire me. At times such as those, rather than just waiting helplessly, I turn to words of wisdom to re-inspire me.
Today, being one such day, I searched, I found, and I decided to make this my wisdom share of the day.
“Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud”
– Maya Angelou
“Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.”
– Albert Camus
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
– Leonardo da Vinci
“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it”
– Edith Wharton
“Pleasure is always derived from something outside you, whereas joy arises from within.”
– Eckhart Tolle
“Within all of us is a divine capacity to manifest and attract all that we need and desire.”
– Wayne Dyer
“I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees.”
– Henry David Thoreau
That is it for today! Take care and have a wonderfully inspired day. 💞
I have been Canadian for all sixty-six of my years. Canada is not everything that I was taught to believe. Canada is not what it once was. Regardless, I am beyond fortunate to be Canadian and to live in this safe and bountiful and beautiful country. Today, I chose to share some words of wisdom from and about Canada.
“When I am in Canada, I feel this is what the world should be like.”
– Jane Fonda
“Canadian pride may not rest on our sleeves, but it resides deeply in our hearts.”
– Steve Miller
“We have it all. We have great diversity of people, we have a wonderful land, and we have great possibilities. So all those things combined, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
– Bob Rae
“On a positive note, I haven’t seen a mosquito for months.”
– Every Canadian from November to May 🇨🇦
“If you don’t think that your country should come before yourself, you can best serve your country by livin’ somewhere else.”
– Stompin Tom Connors (Canadian singer/song writer)
“You can’t buy happiness but you can live in Canada and that’s pretty much the same thing.”
My sister Lorraine sent me this post yesterday. I am not sure it is (all) advice that I would take but I think it is cool that someone came up with it – and it has a strong ending. 👍
I don’t know how well I would do, living right off the grid. I do enjoy watching the survival shows on tv. I am not a fan of ‘Survivor’ as it is too contrived for me. I prefer ‘Alone’ or ‘Naked and Afraid’, especially the latter. I think they should do a senior season. Put a bunch of wrinkly, droopy, naked, old folks like us on there and everybody would be afraid.
I could probably survive living off the grid here. 🤗
That is it for today. I don’t have any particular ‘piece of my mind’ to share today. We had young Dom last night. He was well behaved for the most part, but woke up several times during the night. He was inclined to share those moments so I didn’t get a lot of sleep. 😴
My meditation was a bit distracted this morning due to all of the activity in my meditation corner.
I had a little visitor checking me out.And getting a little closerMaybe from this angleQuick run to the nut basketPeanut to goHaving a snack while keeping one eye onme While the squirrel was busy watching me, this little guy got cocky and had a dip in the birdbath.All the fascination must have been from Dan’s latest upgrade to my corner. 💞
Dan thought I should have a peanut in my hand to offer our little visitor. Since he was about three feet from me, I could see him leaping into my lap to grab the peanut . I couldn’t see that ending well for either of us. 😳
Anyway, hope everyone is enjoying such an eventful day. Have a good one and I will see you tomorrow! 💞
Today is the 29th Day of my June ‘Accent the Positive’ challenge and today I am celebrating my country ‘Canada‘.
Although Canada is not immune to the issues currently affecting most other countries in the world, there is much to celebrate if one is Canadian.
In my mind, we are the perfect blend of nature’s glory and modern convenience.
A lot of urban greenspaceWe have publicly funded state of the art health centres. (University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton)Manicured gardens backed by natural forest. (Canada ranks third in the world for total forest cover!)We have our own ‘Canada’ Goose.Modern shopping centres offering variety and abundance at affordable pricesFour distinct seasons – winter is not Kat’s favourite!We have more surface area covered with lakes than any other country. #1We also have the longest coastline of any country in the world.#1Virtually every type and size of sports arena that any athlete or fan could hope for!
Canada truly has virtually anything one could hope for – from vibrant city life to laid back country living. We have coast to coast highways and your choice of international airports. We have a vibrant economy and extensive social programs. We have strong support for arts and sciences.
I feel very fortunate to be Canadian. I may hope to travel to other countries one day, but I will always want to come home to Canada! 🇨🇦
That is it for today! Twenty nine days down and only one more to go!
Have a great day and I hope to see you tomorrow! 💞
It is already Day 28 of my ‘Accentuate the Positive’ blog challenge. My positive for today is all about the Sunday! Every day is special but for myself and I am sure for many others, Sunday is extra special.
Sunday is typically a day of rest and relaxation, gratitude, and healing. My yesterday Sunday was fairly typical.
Since Dan worked nightsthis weekend, he brought me a treat for breakfast with my coffee.It was beautifully warm out so I relaxed in my outdoor rocking chair to do my morning meditating. I was a bit distracted by all of the little birds who were aroundme chirping and peeping but they kind of added to the ambiance. I visited with my plants andgarden critters.I hadtime to do some work on my crocheted blanket. It seems to be a horizontal overachiever. I may have to dismantle it and reassemble it as something more manageable – like a crocheted tent.I watered the vegetables and I broke my plastic watering can. I do have a super nice bronze metal one that I will switch to. 😉The sand between the planters and around the pond was great when we had grandbabies playing in the yard. Now it is an ongoing sifting project – but the perfect relaxing past timeon a warm summer evening.Nothing like a good book on a warm Sunday afternoon. This one is about fishing, family, and life. It is available on Amazon for the Kindle Reader and the author can (Allen E. Rizzi) can be found on WordPress.Sunday’s are perfect forcontemplating life in general – like why Dan’s weeping pussy willow tree (Tree of Enchantment) seems to be shrinking instead of growing. There is a ton of new growth on it – the branches pretty much fill and spread out of a 6′ x 6′ planter and the trunk is getting super thick – but it is vertically challenged!
That was my Sunday yesterday – and that is it for Day 28! Only two more days to go. I think I’ve got this one. I have not really found this too challenging, but enough so that I have thoroughly enjoyed doing it.
Have a great day and I hope to see you tomorrow! Have fun and take care – especially if you are in the path of this heatwave that is moving our way. 💞
It is day fourteen of my June ‘Accentuate the Positive’ challenge. What could possibly be more positive than the mighty and majestic tree? Fun fact… All of the trees in these photos are in Regina, Saskatchewan – a city that was founded on a treeless grassland.
This tree in our yard was planted by Dan’s Mom weeks before she passed away. When I met Dan it was maybe two feet tall.Patricia Park in the fallPatricia ParkWascana creekWater channel at sunset (Patricia Park)Autumn colorsWascana LakeNorth of Regina – I love this teensie tiny forest 😂Wascana Park
I never really understood how anyone could hug a tree. They generally seem rather hard, lumpy and scratchy for that kind of intimacy. I can however appreciate their unique beauty, the strength they draw from the earth, and the awe inspiring sight of their branches reaching up to the skies.
That is it for day fourteen! Only sixteen more days to go!
Thank you for dropping by. I hope to see you tomorrow!
Day seven of my “Accentuate the Positive” June challenge. It seems like a good day to share a few photos of Canadian waterscapes that Dan and I have visited and enjoyed. The beauty and tranquility never gets old. 💞
Paddle boats on Wascana Lake, Regina SK.Heading to Granville Island from Vancouver, B.C. The view from our hotel room at Niagara Falls, OntarioDan kayaking at Burleigh Falls, Ontario with his sister’s chihuahua Luna.I am not positive but I think this photo was taken at Souris, Manitoba. I love the sunlight on the river. 🌞Burleigh Falls, OntarioSaskatchewan Legislature Building across a corner of Wascana LakeCondie Nature Reserve north of Regina, SK.
One week of my June challenge completed! I hope to see you tomorrow.
Being such a nature loving sort, many would think that I would be the regular camper type. They would be wrong. My camping trips have been few and far between. Regardless, I did enjoy the camping trips I have been on, so I decided that they would make a good subject for Day 6 of my June ‘Accentuate the Positive‘ challenge.
The first time I can remember camping was when my kids were quite young – early elementary school age. We were living up north and we joined my sister Lorraine and her family at a cabin by a lake. I really do not remember much about that occasion except being darn cold. I am sure we had a good time, but it was a darn cold good time!
My next camping trip involved taking my Mother and my three teenagers to the Four Season Resort at Cypress Hills for a full week. I had been on my own with the kids for a year. I had scrimped, scraped, and saved every cent that I could to ensure we had the best vacation ever! It was STELLAR. And it was camping! Even if some people think that renting a condo by a lake with indoor plumbing, a television, and a microwave (plus all the other conveniences of home) isn’t real camping. We did have a wood fireplace and one of those manual barbecues that burns charcoal. Since none of us were experienced fire starters, we used up every scrap of paper we had and a gallon jug of fire starter – but we had fires – BIGONES once they got going!
I rented a canoe for the boys and got Mom, Jen, and I a little paddle boat to pedal around the lake on. Son Dan, Jen and I went horseback riding. Dan & Jen went back but, since I was black and blue, from my waist to me knees from our first day out, I took a hard pass. We all went mini-golfing and son Dan and I played a round at the real golf course early one morning. The golf cart ended up in a gully. I was not driving. There was even a sign that said “Do Not Drive Golf Cart Into the Gully”!
We all passed a lot of time hiking around the area. Mom and I lounged on the condo deck overlooking the lake, while the kids spent time off on their own. We barbecued most of the time – although we did have a couple of meals at the restaurant in the resort hotel. In the evenings we would light a fire in the fireplace and hang out in the livingroom of our condo. One night there was a huge thunder storm with heavy rains and strong winds. Our power went out, so we built up the fire to provide light since nobody thought to bring candles. (although Mom did have an extra roll of aluminum foilin her purse 😂 ) We had a very big fire that night. The condo was still lit up the next morning. 🤦♀️
Although we had a great time and I was so proud of taking my family camping, life got busy and we did not have the opportunity for another such family adventure. However, when Dan and I got together and started planning our wedding, he decided to take me wilderness camping for our honeymoon – to show me how it is supposed to be done.
We went to a secluded, lakefront area on Lake Diefenbaker. When we got there, the mosquitos were so big and thick and angry at our intrusion that they were rocking Dan’s little Jeep. He left me cowering in the vehicle while he set out mosquito repellant torches and set up our sleeping tent, a net dining tent, and rustic wilderness washroom facilities. The next day, he put his little motor boat in the lake. We were comfortable, we were alone, and the scenery was breathtaking. We had an amazing time. Dan took me out fishing. I didn’t catch anything except Dan’s hat and his fishing line. The week flew by. On the way home, we stopped at a small motel in Moose Jaw for a bath and a good air conditioned sleep in a real bed. It was heavenly! Especially the bathroom. It was pure white, bright, cool and sparkling clean. I could have slept in there.
Since our honeymoon, the only times we have been out camping have been to Loon Lake, to meet up with sister Lorraine and her husband Jerry at their camper. Their camper had all of the conveniences of home – except with a generator to run them. Theoretically, you could make toast and flush the toilet – but not simultaneously or you blew the generator. The area was gorgeous. Jerry brought up their four quads one weekend so they could take us for a full tour. I had never been quadding before. I hit a tree. Actually, I hit a rock on the trail, bounced into the ditch, and hit a tree. Fortunately, there was no damage done – except to my dignity. 🙄 We always have a great time visiting with Lorraine and Jerry so it was all good!
We haven’t been camping for a few years now, but I would not count it out in the future. Maybe when Dan retires. Maybe we could buy one of those luxury camper vans that you plug in. I could really enjoy that!
Six down, twenty-four days to go! Have a nice Sunday and I hope to see you tomorrow. 😎
I have struggled for years to overcome stress and anxiety. In the past couple of years, I have turned things around and have learned to focus on living a life of inner peace. This has made all the difference in the world. My life has become so much easier and better in so many ways!
I have, for the most part, learned to appreciate the NOW. This present moment. I have released the pain and grief of the the past. I have released the fear of the future. I do my best to make each day, hour, each moment a peaceful oasis.
One of the aspects of this new lifestyle is a tendency to be far more positive and hopeful than I have ever been. Now is good, so I know that there are even better days to come!
With this positivity, a new devil is spawned. My patience is being sorely tested as never before! One cannot be truly at peace NOW when one is totally focussed on the future – regardless of how bright and beautiful that future may be.
Today I awoke to a new cactus blossom. It is spectacular, if only for today. I checked on my little seedlings and they are growing larger and stronger by the day. I watched Kat bounce out to the yard to chase the birds and harrass the squirrels.
It is a good day! It is a great day! But wait…. Soon the the grass will turn green, the trees will leaf out, our garden will thrive, flowers will bloom and temperatures will soar. We will spend countless hours outside. Days will be spent walking Kat along meandering paths and floating in our pool. Evenings will be spent barbecuing on our patio and sipping wine as we relax on our deck chairs.
But we have to wait. 🤦 We have to appreciate today. And we have to be patient. Summer will get here – eventually!
Seclusion 101 with AnneMarie 