Poppies, red raspberries & dreams

It is gratitude Monday, and this is what I am grateful for today.

1. My Spring view today in downtown Charlottetown while I walked the dog...

You know....instead of this

2. Friends that walk all the way across town to meet me for supper before turning around and going all the way back across town for an evening class.

3. The delicious meals I have had today, made using local beef, local potatoes, local carrots, and so much more. It is wonderful to live somewhere that has such a bountiful harvest.

4. Home made raspberry jam and almond butter on gluten free bread. Read: take raspberries, put them in a saucepan, turn the heat on, melt them down into liquid, spread thickly over almond butter while still warm. This is what it looks like when done:

Ok so I nibbled. YOU try not taking a bite of something that looks that good. I dare you. ;-)

4. My mother. It being mother's day on Sunday and my being so far away from her and all....She is a pretty awesome lady. I don't know how I would have gotten this far without her.

5. Public buses. Because I have had a pinched nerve in my leg/foot all weekend and have had a numb right foot and calf, which makes walking rather tiring. I especially love public buses here, and the way the drivers know every single one of their passengers, and wait when someone they know should be on the bus is not there.

6. Hot baths. Because after taking one everything that seemed just too much to tackle somehow seems doable again.

7. Friends who invite me to house sit as I will be doing for the second half of this week. I cannot wait to be in a home all by myself for a few days.

8. My work. Because even when it is tough and overwhelming, as it is right now,  it is never boring. I am always learning something new, and being challenged to improve my skills to better represent and promote my clients and their products/services.

9. My bed. You got it. The only thing between me and it right now is my computer. Time to sign off!

And you, friends? What are you grateful for on this Spring Monday? 

Late night gratitude notes

We had a wild last hurrah wild winter storm this weekend, so when I left to head downtown this morning I found myself trudging through more snow just when I thought the last of it had melted. After my morning dog-walking job I headed down to Young Folk & the Kettle Black for a tea date with a new friend who just got back from a whirlwind trip to Italy. One of the commitments I made to myself when I moved back to Prince Edward Island was that I would make extra effort to get to know new people, so today was my first effort in that direction! My friend Natasha told me the incredible story of her grandparents' escape from Nazi labour camps, and their journey across Europe and then migration to Canada. I am always blown away by the stories of people who by some miracle of life managed to survive those dark times and go on to create a new life full of so much joy in a new land.

This afternoon I migrated over to the public library to do some work for my social media clients. I am really excited about the work I am doing right now, and about the season ahead, and all the possibility that it brings to explore and grow and engage both with my clients and with their customers!

Later this afternoon I again migrated, this time to Timothy's Coffee Shop to brainstorm for a meeting I have with a new client tomorrow afternoon. Sitting in the window of Timothy's with the spring afternoon light flooding in over the page of my notebook and my hot cup of tea as I worked I felt intensely content to have some time to myself to reflect and come up with new ideas that I can share with my client tomorrow. It made me realize both how much I love my work, and how happy I am to be where I am doing what I am doing right now.

Later this afternoon I took Chloe, the dog I walk, for her second stroll of the day. Chloe is always full of so much joy. I do not know many other beings who express such complete and utter joy when they see me. Seeing her bounding across the living room floor and sliding to a halt at my feet every day makes me smile--every single time.

This evening I stopped by the apartment of a good friend, Sonjel. She and her husband recently moved back from Israel, and just moved into a new house this week. It is exciting to see how they are creating their new home -- the space they will inhabit for the next few years as they build a life on Prince Edward Island together. It is also exciting to see someone else doing what I hope to be doing too in the next two months....finding a new apartment or house for myself and creating a new home here on the island. Watching my friends settle into their new home I can feel my own yearning for a place to call my own rising steady from somewhere deep inside me.

This evening Sonjel and I walked to the Baha'i Centre for the Nineteen Day Feast together -- the gathering that marks the beginning of a new month. It was a lovely Feast with beautiful, uplifting readings, some great stories, and lovely social time after the formal portion of the evening. Sitting there listening to the voices of people who I love deeply recite such beautiful verses I felt something joyful surge in my chest. I feel so incredibly grateful to be part of a community that is so awesome. And I feel grateful to have a faith that is such a constant source of inspiration and joy.

I am home now, listening to the sound of wind outside and thinking about the remainder of the week, stretching out ahead of me. I cannot wait for the week ahead. For all the work and the moments of play with friends. But in this moment right now I cannot wait for sleep, and for dreams to carry me through the clear starry night.

How about you friends? What are you feeling grateful for today?

Monday gratitude masquerading as Tuesday

So I realise that Gratitude Monday is technically over given that it is after midnight, but throughout the day today I found myself feeling deeply grateful for a number of things, so I am calling this Gratitude Tuesday instead. Here is my gratitude list for today:

1. Today was a cold but gloriously sunny day. The snow is melting, the sidewalks are easy to navigate again, and I enjoyed my walk with Chloe this morning. There were birds perched in the bare branches of trees singing sweet tunes, people were smiling as they passed me on the sidewalk, and I even noticed the first buds starting to appear in people's front gardens as the snow retreats.

2. I said a whole bunch of prayers for my meeting with the owner of a local media company this morning. I have been feeling really discouraged this week by the lack of progress I am making in my search for full time work here on the Island, so a good dose of prayers was essential before I walked into yet another networking meeting. Amazingly the owner of this company, who had told me just last week that he did not have any jobs, ended up discussing the very real possibility of a position opening up with his business that I might be able to fill. I am not sure how this will turn out, but it was the best meeting I have had in weeks, and this fact alone reminded me that truly believing that things will work out is 99% of the battle already won. I will hear back from him within the next week. Fingers crossed.

3. I had a great supper with my dear friend Honeylyn. We have had a standing Monday night breaking the Fast date for the past 19 days of the Baha'i Fast. I have thoroughly enjoyed our suppers together at one of my favourite restaurants, Tai Chi Garden--a Taiwanese restaurant in downtown Charlottetown.

4. Post-supper myself and Honeylyn met up with our friend Jalal for hot drinks at Timothy's. We had been planning on attending an open mic at one of the local pubs, but when we found out it only started at between 10.30 and 11, we thought maybe not....we do have to be up before sunrise again tomorrow! It turned out that hot drinks and social time was just as good. An evening of sharing our horror stories from high school and breaking out in fits of laughter at the craziness of those years=perfect way to end the first day of a new week. 

5. I am grateful for my health. This is the first time I have made it through the entire Baha'i Fast without getting sick, and I am feeling incredibly thankful to have managed to have the blessing of Fasting for the past 19 days with a healthy body.

That's my gratitude practice for today. How about you? What are you grateful for today?

Little island, big sky

I walked home tonight under an enormous, dark, crisp winter sky speckled with stars. It was cold, but not too cold to enjoy the walk, and the sunshine today had melted enough of the ice that the sidewalks are no longer treacherous to navigate, so I can risk looking up and enjoying the sky when I walk.

It was a gorgeous, sunny day, the light golden and warm. I began my day before sunrise, rising to say prayers and eat breakfast. It is amazing to me how quickly the Baha'i Fast is passing. Today was day eleven. More than half way through. I keep telling myself to enjoy every moment of this special period. To make the most of every hour and minute, and the blessings that they confer. It is too easy to get caught up in the physical reality of life and reach the end of my day without pausing to be grateful for this blessed time of fasting.

After walking Chloe, the little dog I now walk daily, I headed over to a friend's house to take in an online social media workshop by Amy Porterfield about the changes to Facebook, and how to make them work for businesses. If you have a business, and are interested in improving your social media marketing skills, I highly recommend checking her website out. She has a great deal of knowledge and is superb at sharing what she knows with the rest of us! I am now doing social media for three businesses, with one more coming on board hopefully in the next few months! I am really enjoying helping businesses grow and develop using social media, and am enjoying learning more and more every day to help the businesses I work for use social media to maximize their profits and strengthen their relationships with their customers.  Social media brings together my networking and conversation skills with my love for creative expression through writing, photography and artwork. It is a coming together of so much that I love in one place. I cannot wait to share this journey with you as I learn and grow my skills in this new profession!

This evening I broke my Fast with my dear friend Honeylyn! We had a lovely supper and then walked home under the vast sky. There is something about being on an island in the north Atlantic that reminds me of my humble place in this vast universe. I feel grateful for the sky. For the resources to get by until my work starts supporting me. For my warm bed when the night is so cold outside. For friends like Honeylyn to break my Fast with at the end of the day. For all the challenges and learning opportunities that the world of social media is bringing into my life. And for you -- my readers -- who continue to inspire and urge me on with my writing! Happy Gratitude Monday, friends!

Boxing day gratitude

It is boxing day, and I have spent the entire day out gathering last minute things for my upcoming trip to Prince Edward Island. I have not been feeling very well, so whereas I might ordinarily have been on a pre-departure high two days before leaving for a big trip, today I was trying to navigate the *please let me not be getting sick before this trip* waters, and drinking masses of vitamin-C enriched water.

But I digress. This is gratitude Monday, and so here is what I am feeling grateful for today:

1. My mother, who spent her entire day running errands with me because she knew I was not feeling well, and wanted to be sure I got everything done before taking off without over-stressing myself.

2. The fact that I have had three delicious meals today with people I love in a cozy, heated home.

3. The fact that I own a functional suitcase, and therefore did not have to add that to my already rather long list of errands to run today.

4. The generosity of the family and friends who have enabled me to make this trip in the first place.

5. The recognition that there is an entire community of people on the other side of the continent in whose company I feel completely at home, and that are happy to welcome me into their homes for my time back on the island.

6. The technology that is going to get me safely from this side of the continent all the way to the other side in a single (albeit very long!) day.

7. An in-house washing machine and dryer so that I do not have to be sitting in a cold laundromat tonight washing my clothes.

8. The presence of a warm bed just a couple of feet to my left that I am going to collapse into as soon as I finish this blog post.

That is my list for today, friends! What are you feeling grateful for on this chilly Monday? I wish you all a good night!

Work as worship

 

“Wherever you are is always the right place. There is never a need to fix anything, to hitch up the bootstraps of the soul and start at some higher place. Start right where you are.”  -Julia Cameron

 

I spent the day today raking leaves for a friend who needed some yard work done. I am dog-tired tonight, but I am happy. I spent the day outside doing physical work under a clear blue sky and warmed by sunshine. I breathed fresh air. I even got to watch two flocks of migrating geese headed south pass overhead, which always makes me feel supremely blessed. By the end of the day my entire body ached--it has been a long time since I last did hard physical work--but I felt healthy and content for having done an honest day's work. The Baha'i writings say that work is worship, and I felt that distinctly today while I was out at my friend's home raking leaves, piling them onto a tarp and dragging them to the other side of the farm to the compost. Sometimes the simplest activities are exactly what we need. Work is a blessing. It helps to focus the attention, to set goals, and to commit to accomplishing something meaningful every day. Today I am feeling grateful for the work my friend has hired me to do. For something that demands that I get up early and head out before the earth has been completely warmed by the sun. For the physical satisfaction of know I accomplished something worthwhile with my day. And for the glorious sensation of being able to work outside, beneath the sun-lit sky. 

How about you, friends? What are you feeling grateful for in the place and moment that you are living in right now?

Gratitude 7+

"I have heard thy cries and am conscious of thy tears. Remember that God is faithful and do not doubt this. Be patient, even though great calamities come upon thee. Fear not! Be firm in the path of the Lord, as a mountain unmoved, unchanging in thy steadfastness. God has made afflictions as a morning shower to His green pastures and as a wick for His lamp, whereby earth and heaven are illumined." -Baha'u'llah

I love this quote. I found it years ago and wrote it into the front of my prayer book, and I find myself flipping to it every now and then when I am struggling with something, or just need to remind myself that hard times are a blessing in disguise. 

This last week there have been many blessings that were not in disguise: 

1. I got to speak to one of my best friends back on Prince Edward Island. It had been a while since I last heard her voice, and catching up with her on the phone made me more than happy. The magnitude of my happiness was evident by the fact that I spent the following hour wandering around the house singing at the top of my lungs. :-) 

2. I had a creamy chai tea with one of my girlfriends on Friday afternoon. It was raining outside. We sat at the bar and caught up on each other's news. The place was bustling with people enjoying time with friends or reading the paper or a book instead of the usual tapping away at keyboards that is the norm Monday through Thursday. I love sipping tea on cool fall days in the company of a good friend, and the fact that I had an entire weekend ahead of me made it even better. 

3. I attended a devotional gathering Friday night with a few friends. It may sound tame, but there are few things I would rather do on a Friday night than get together with friends and read inspiring quotes from various religious and spiritual traditions, and then discuss them. It's like all the thoughts and concerns of the week fall away, and all that is left is the joy of being alive and connected to other human beings. After the devotional we all bundled up and wandered over to a local Thai restaurant where we sipped Thai iced tea and enjoyed full plates of steaming hot curry, sticky rice, and coconut soup. It was a great night of spiritual and physical nourishment, and excellent company. 

4. Saturday was the birth of Baha'u'llah, the Founder of the Baha'i faith. My community celebrated it at the home of a couple who love breakfast, so they invited us all over for a huge buffet breakfast followed by a lovely program of readings, prayers and music. My mom and I went together, which is something that I will not get to do always, so I am trying to enjoy sharing experiences like this with her as much as I can while I am here. 

5. Saturday afternoon I went to spend some time with my dear friends Jairo and Leanna, and their gorgeous (almost two year old) son Teo. Teo is one of the most musically inclined children I know, and as soon as I arrived he set me up with a miniature piano, handed his mother a trumpet, and settled down with his drum. The three of us jammed and danced for a long time, and the joy that our session brought to Teo filled the room with laughter. 

6. Sunday I spent most of the day at home hanging out, but in the afternoon my good friends Azadeh and Nabil came over and picked me up and we headed to their favourite coffee shop for hot drinks, a long chat about service, and a debate about whether where we live in the world really determines how happy we are (Azadeh said no. Nabil and said that it did. I said that I thought it could in certain circumstances). As the golden light of late afternoon and early evening filtered in the huge windows over us, our table, our white ceramic cups, Nabil's latest electronic device, and Azadeh's current book, I felt deeply content, and grateful for the long, lazy day of laughter, good conversation, and hot tea. 

7. Today I had to meet my mother down town to give her a ride to an appointment. I got there early, so I wandered into yet another coffee shop to wait. Sitting there sipping my hot chocolate, writing in my journal and people watching as every fashion statement, height, age and ethnic background walked in and out of the coffee shop, I felt grateful to live in a world that has so much diversity, and excitement for the day ahead -- the job application I am working on. The meeting I have on Wednesday in the Bay area. The women's devotional gathering that we will be having at our house this Wednesday evening. Another day on the farm on Thursday, my Ruhi study on Thursday afternoon and another devotional gathering on Friday. 

It is evening now. I made a big salad for dinner to go with my mother's salmon loaf and Persian rice. The lettuce in my salad is from the farm I volunteer on. I planted it with a group of kids who came to the farm on a field trip. It is incredibly beautiful. There is something deeply fulfilling about making a salad with lettuce that I planted with children and watched grow over the last few weeks. Each head looks like a blossoming flower. As I type this I am sipping chamomile lavender tea. I am looking forward to saying some prayers. To a good book. To drifting to sleep with the sound of my father composing a beautiful piece of music in the background. 

And you, friends? What are you feeling grateful for today?