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!

Social media and Christmas lights

Photo by Shayan. May not be reproduced without permission.

 It has been a bright, radiant and crisp Friday. I had a meeting downtown this morning and decided to walk, the crackly, crunchy leaves beneath my feet deeply satisfying, the bright, clear blue sky above shining through the now mostly bare limbs of the giant oaks along our street calming and uplifting. The sun warmed my skin and hair, and there was a lightness to my step. I was meeting a client who I am helping with his social media marketing campaign. I have been doing a lot of reading, and a good deal of playing around with Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin over the last couple of weeks, and am really enjoying not only learning how to more effectively use individual social networking sites to the benefit of a business, but also how to link various sites together to maximize the benefit of already existing connections with clients/customers on all the sites that a business is listed on.

I am amused by how much I enjoy the process of helping others work on their social media marketing campaigns. I have not exactly ever been what I would call a *computer person,* but here I am helping my friends expand their businesses using tools that run on electronic devices. I have to laugh at the situation. The more I learn the more interested I become, and the more interested I become the more I realize how many resources there are out there to understand and become adept at working with. Social networking sites may suck up time if I have no purpose or reason for being there, but with a specific aim in mind, it can be quite satisfying and effective in helping a business grow.

It is Friday evening now, and I have one more meeting before my weekend begins. I cannot wait for the weekend. I am really exhausted and ready for a couple more down days. This evening some friends and I are having a devotional gathering. A devotional gathering is where a group of people get together to share prayers and readings from various spiritual/religious traditions and discuss them. It is a great way to end the week, putting everything back into perspective, and reminding me that I am indeed a spiritual being having a physical experience, and not vice-versa. After our devotional gathering we are going to head over to the fabulous forties, a neighbourbood that I have written about once in the last week that is know for its incredible Christmas decorations. My friends and I are planning on getting bundled up and wandering up and down the streets wide-eyed like children (I am hoping with a hot drink in hand!!)....

What about you, friends? What are you doing to wind down your week/rev up your weekend? I hope you have a terrific Friday night!