Thursday 13 August 2015

Can you trust your resources?


My Daughter was teaching me how to play Chess. 
She is very good at it. 
I shared a picture of the board on Facebook.

She set up the board the way it was explained to her to do so. 
So I was surprised when a friend
commented that the King and Queen 
were in incorrect positions.

So as many of us do, 
we took to Google for a 
How To search.


I shared my WikiHow search results. 
The feedback was 
"wow I am quite surprised how bad this wikihow site is ... highly inaccurate. *cringe*"

So then how do we check our resources 
to ensure that the validity of the information? 

A simple google search 
does not insure 
accurate information. 

In this situation I check multiple online resources
and found apps for the game.

The Chess Website - French Defense


I also checking in to Tournaments 
and the World Chess Federation
Surely they know how to set up a board. 

How are you checking out your sources of information? 
Can you trust your resources? 


Monday 10 August 2015

Your life should be balanced - can be very misleading

I like this quote from Peter Walsh
"A compartmentalized life doesn't work for most of us. Home, family, love, work, food, activity, hobbies, rest  - if one element is out of whack, everything suffers. Your life should be balanced. It should be a productive life, a social life, a spiritual life, a life where you give and receive love. As I hope I've made clear, I believe that home is the best place to start making changes that reverberate across all parts of the balance life. I want you to look at all aspects of your life." 

I would love this quote however I needed to get past a few words.

It's a wonderful quote and if you like it and can handle all the shoulds and even if you can't handle all the shoulds, you will enjoy one of his books "Does this clutter make my butt look fat?"

I read this book. I have no idea really even how it came to be part of my collection but it did.  I was making decisions about books to part with and since I had the opportunity to meet Peter in person and see him speak, I thought, "this one I'll read". I'm glad I did. 

I wasn't necessarily looking to lose weight, not weight necessarily in the physical sense but maybe in the mental sense.

I got past the wording that had to do with anything about losing weight, shoulds and balance. I benefited as a result and so has my waste line. 

See the message here is more than the title suggests.



Should's I don't like them. 
Again getting past the word "should"
gave me the opportunity 
to see the quote 
and get what I really needed from it. 

The "qoute" shows how interconnected what goes on in our lives is. Home, Family, Love, Work, Food, Activity, Hobbies, Rest are all connected. The better the connection you have between all of these at the levels that are optimal for you, the happier you are.

Working too hard = not happy.
Not sleeping = not happy.
Not resting = not happy.
Not eating well = not happy.
Not giving and receiving love, 
in the way that's optimal for you = not happy.

Happy people have lives that they view as productive, they have the optimal amount social and spiritual in their lives for them.Happy people will have an increase in balance between productivity, social interaction, spirituality, rest, nourishment, special interests and work, for them.

It does not mean that each part carries an absolute equal weighting.
As pictured when you see a scale with two sides, one going up or down depending on whether or not the weight is heavier on the other side. The goal is not to make all parts equal. The only review board there is - is you. That's my dilemma with the word balance, as a word, it can be misleading.
What is an optimal balance for you? 

Sunday 28 June 2015

5 steps to check fears off your list....


5 steps to check fears off your list....

1. Define the fear
2. Find someone doing what you fear
3. Ask for advice 
4. Listen to the advice 
and 
Most Important
5. Enjoy Yourself!

I faced a fear today. It's been 3 years since Laurie and I became friends. We met for lunch and coffee to network, when I worked in oil and gas.  We were both in sales. Right out of the gate Laurie told me about his love for motorcycles and offered to take me for a ride.

Can you believe it took me three years?

Now, I  wasn't avoiding going but it wasn't making a point to make it happen either.

I'd not been on the back of a motorcycle for more than 30 years. The last time I was on the motorcycle was with my Dad. My Dad passed away over 20 years ago.

Laurie lent me a helmet but the boots are mine. It was a year ago I was gifted the boots and yet I'd still not made a point of going for a ride. Days after I was given the boots, while on holidays, I was offered a ride by a family member. It just didn't happen, til today. 


I had no idea how to get on the bike, never mind how I was going to keep from falling off of it at 10km, let alone 100+ km.

Before getting on the bike I asked for advice. My words were "okay tell me what to do".

Jokingly - The answer was "get on the bike, hold on, and shut up."

And I did just that. 

I learned quickly that there is so much more to being a passenger, 
on the back of a motorcycle, 
then just hanging on.

We were on our way to Bragg Creek for lunch. 
The sensations were many. 
The bike vibrating under me, 
the sun on my skin, 
the smell in the air, 
the sight of nature all around me, 
the wind created by speed, 
and the glee of a fear challenged. 
All at the same time was Bliss. 



I think the universe had its own agenda today. 
I could hear it saying.... 
"You want to challenge this? 
Okay let's play."
So a bumblebee in a helmet 
and birds divebombing 
(or darting out of the way), 
were part of the adventure. 
Where we were going was not planned.
We had lunch at a place called Lucid Koffee Shop.
I found this rather synergistic. 
There were motorcycles in the store 
and the sandwiches 
were named appropriately. 


Turns out 
they're also 

I often have friends mention to me
"I've always wanted to come here, 
I just did not have the opportunity before. 
Thank You for being here with me." 

I love that. 

I was much more relaxed on the way home. 

I now knew how to get on a bike. 
I learned how to align my spine with the driver, 
to enjoy the turns, the bumps, the speeding up and slowing down.

I learned I have long legs. 

Soon I wasn't holding on as tight.
I'd found comfort. 
I felt connected. 

I really enjoyed the ride
 I totally rocked those boots
and the biker chic look. 

One fear checked of the list. 
Your turn.

"Thinking will not overcome fear but action will."

Monday 22 June 2015

ICK all over me

ICK all over me,
If so,
you're not my type.

I love people.

I like to be kind to people.
If you're a Great Dad,
Or a Great Mom,
I like to tell you, so.

And whoever that is,
over your shoulder,
worrying about who I am,
who hasn't bothered to tell you,
how good you are,
how wonderful you have been...

With the "oh my gosh,
who is she/he..."
What the fuck.
Their thoughts
"She's threatening me.
Her kindness sucks,
Because bitterness rules me.
Love people?
Wtf it's about me!"

I do declare
there are good men and women out there
and if I so choose
I will wish to each and everyone
Happy Mother's Day,
Happy Father's Day
and to each and everyone of You.

May their world be blessed
by another one!

Thursday 18 June 2015

Knock Down


Knock Down

We have bodies within our body.

SEMP, John Assaraf calls them.

Spiritual body
Emotional body
Mental body 
Physical body

Have you experienced 
how all these bodies are connected? 

Ever had a situation 
leave you so emotionally 
knocked down 
that your mental and physical bodies 
did an actual shutdown.

I mean you can't stand, 
your heart tries to leap out of your body, 
your head feels like it's going to pop, 
your stomach aches 
and you want to scream, cry, 
and/or throw something.

The only 2 things you can think about 
are throwing up and sleep.

That decision you didn't want to have to make.
 The one you knew you had to 
and you knew it was not going to be easy.


But you didn't realize
it was going to buckle your knees, 
did you? 

That's a knock down 
but not a knock out. 

Being able to take the hard hits keeps you in the game.
The Growth Game.
Doesn't make you friends with every player.
It's definitely not easy and there will be tears. 

Your Spiritual Soil needs moisture,
you are growing. 

Sometimes when you plant a seed
and water it every day
it grows,
sometimes when you plant a seed
and water it every day
it doesn't grow. 

You then have to decide
what to do with the seed. 

You know that you need to let it go
and that the water is needed elsewhere.

Are you mad at the seed?

You gave it your all,
 everything it needed to grow.

Why didn't it grow? 

Yes there maybe anger and disappointment,
but it's time to plant a new seed
and get back in the game. 



Wednesday 17 June 2015

Scars

Scars

I have scars 
both inside 
and outside

some of my inside scars 
can be seen
although
not evident 
what they are
or where they are from

my insides
are still healing 

while they heal
they are with my senses

you can hear them
in my voice,
see them 
in my eyes,
feel them
in my touch,
taste them
on my lips
with a hint of thirst and hunger
so ready for this healing

Yet now
my skin is cooler
my balance is off
with a dull pain
the source I can not pin

and a body in orbit

Thursday 11 June 2015

Mind Junk

Mind Junk

A lot like the 
Junk Drawer, 
it's full of stuff.
What stuff? 
Not sure. 
Needed stuff?
Some of it.
Definitely not the majority.

On one occasion, 
when I had moved,
I put the contents of the 
"JUNK DRAWER"
in a large shoe box.

It was months before 
I remembered that 
there was a box
and 
took a look. 

I had not missed a thing. 

"When I am silent,
 I find thunder hidden inside."
RUMI

Still, I took 
about 10%
of that box
and put it in another drawer. 

I've found 7 great ways 
to manage Mind Junk, 
maybe even better than 
the Junk Drawer. 

1. Nature - Sunrise, Sunset, Birds,
 Bare feet in the Grass, 
Smelling Flowers
2. Play - could be a book and might be
3. Creativity - Painting, Crafting
4. Meditation - morning and night
5. Audiobooks - fiction and non fiction, stops my own mind chatter
6. Blogging - helps me reflect and share
7. Culinary Treats - Food and Drinks - Yummy

How do you deal with your Mind Junk?