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Look behind
I went for a walk after dinner last week. The air was wonderfully warm. Tranquil. The crickets chirped. So lovely was the evening I was actually telling myself to be present and savour it. I wanted to imprint the end of summer feeling in my memory bank so that I could recall it on a cold wintery day. (As you can see, it does not come naturally for me to be present so I need to remind myself!) In front of me fairy lights twinkled in the distance. I stopped and admired the pretty view. I was about to take another step forward. Instead, I paused. I turned and looked…
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Uncovering messages
Not being ok is also ok No estar bien tambien está bien I had a hunch these signs conveyed positive messages when I spotted them in Spain. I did not understand every word. I got the gist. I took photos so I could translate them later. Inspirational, encouraging and reassuring quotes can be found most everywhere I suppose: coffee shops, waiting rooms, painted rocks, wall art. The extra step of studying the Spanish words to uncover their meaning makes these all the more special. Whether you read them in Spanish or English, the messages are clear. And ones I want to remember. Life is not waiting for the storm to pass,…
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Choose to help
March 20 is International Day of Happiness. Each year I have written a post to celebrate this UN designated day to spread kindness and happiness – such as stopping to appreciate nature or the kindness of a friend. This year feels different. How do you celebrate happiness in the context of so much violence? In search of advice, I consulted the website for the International Day of Happiness and was pleased to see this year’s theme: Choose to Help. It’s a struggle to know what to do. Giving a donation to those on the front lines is one way to feel less powerless. The website lists charities where donations can…
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Trying new things
It’s a new year. I am not one to make New Years resolutions but I do like to try new things. In fact that was one motivation for setting up this blog. Trying something new can break the monotony of routine, stimulate creativity, or get me looking at things from a new perspective. Sometimes simply cooking a new dish or listening to new music can reinvigorate me. One of the new things I am so glad I tried in 2021 was forest bathing. Distinct from walking or hiking in nature, forest bathing encourages you to slow down, even sit down, and connect with the forest (see Forest bathing invitations for…
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Canine University
I don’t like to brag. I don’t want to make a lot of noise, or howl, or stick out my chest (except for a belly rub). But listen up. I know things. Life affirming type of things. You may have heard that having a dog can make you happy. Do you know why? I do. I live by it. It’s me Caramel. You haven’t heard from me in a while. Sorry about that. I would say I have been busy, but that’s not true. I’ve just been living. Quite happily. This is why it’s best if I take over today’s post: how dogs make you happy. For starters, I will…
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Forest bathing invitations
“Place your feet firmly on the ground and feel the connection with the earth. Think of all the roots twisting and stretching out underneath you,” says Beth in her soothing voice. I am sitting in the forest on a collapsible stool. Beth is a certified Nature and Forest Therapy guide. Our small group has paused here, among the trees, to sit, close our eyes and allow ourselves to open up to the forest. She encourages us to slow our breathing and take note of any smells and sounds around us in the breezy forest air. It’s like we are prepping our senses, getting them ready to engage with the forest.…
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Director’s cut
It was an ordinary street sign: a green rectangle, fixed atop a metal pole, white letters indicating the street name. A common sight. But special to me. Meaningful. It was at the end of the street I grew up on: Seagram Ave. And in the summer of 1991 I had to move from this safe and familiar street. As distraught as I was (as teenagers can be) I was determined to apply my surly energy to taking down that sign to stow it with me. Dressed in black, in the dark of night, I met my best friend at the street corner (she also lived on the street and empathized…
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The Garden of Epicurious
A few months ago I awoke in the middle of the night to a harrowing shriek. It was a terrifying sound. My mind started thinking of horrible possibilities, like someone in pain or dying. I got out of bed and looked out my window to the dimly lit street below. There they were. A pair of foxes. One tilted its head back and screamed. The sound was the call of a red fox. No one was dying or in agony. It was simply two foxes out for a midnight stroll. My sense of hearing is not faulty, but my mind certainly did play tricks on me. According to the Greek…
