Spring 2023
Spring ahh yes, something about longer days, sunshine and feeling like getting through one of the longest winters ever, that changes moods and motivation.
Looking at all the chalk drawings from children on my daily walk and feeling like there is much to learn from children about optimism and possibility. It has been a horrific winter and so much in the world going on reflects this incredible time of instability and anquish. I think perseverance, finding joy and contributing in different ways to community is key to being resilient in these unstable times. What we give back to the world reflects who we are and our hopes and investment in community.
So those wonderful chalk drawings from children, have me “upping” my own contributions back to this world. Investing in the future seems to me to be an incredible contribution to make this spring- the season of hope and new beginnings….
Winter 2022
A new year! And hard at times to distinquish it much from the last pandemic winter but here we are, moving forward into 2022. I think resilience, and engagement in some form have to continue to be front and centre for all of us.
It is a trying time and easy to get lost in the uncertainty of what comes next in our lives.
I’m finding that keeping busy, seeing friends and family in whatever form I can and making plans I can make for the new year help with these long winter months. I have a garden plan I’m working on, keeping exercise goals and plans going and trying out a few new indoor hobbies help as well (note hot chocolate cocoa balls are NOT easy to make!)
And I focus heavily on talking to and acknowledging people – the sales clerk, the people out walking their dogs, neighbors, people out shovelling walks, the delivery person, the flyer delivery teens etc.
We build community by engaging with others and taking a few minutes to ask someone what the roads were like today, how funny their dog is, how blue the sky is … all of the small human ways of socially connnecting that reinforce we are not alone in this world. Better than a new years resolution and much more fulfilling for all of us…How will you connect this week?
Fall 2021
Such stunning beauty with the incredible palettes of colour during fall’s big show.
And always a great time for long walks, reflections and beginnings (many years of back to school timelines have left me primed for fall).
I’m concentrating on setting a few goals, testing out a few new activities, renewing old activities and enjoying long walks and talks with friends and family. Personal relationships build such resilience and hope for moving past the challenges we all encounter in life.
Keeping busy with activities that create joy are so important right now as well. And here I continue to learn valuable lessons from one of my dogs. On our walks we pass by a park with a set of benches that my shepard can’t resist. She leaps from bench to bench while I run along beside her (not nearly as fast), we turn around and do them again and then do a happy dance together. She teaches me every time we do these benches and walks together, that we can find happiness in the simplest of things. And that joy spreads easily.
Find your joy, share your joy, and enjoy the beauty of nature. We all have resilience in us.
Summer 2021
The season of ice creams, water sprinklers and picnics. A refreshing change. Summer with its beautiful long days. And with thoughtful reopenings and more opportunities to reconnect with family, friends and community…..
Feeling optimistic, I brought a basketball out to a community court thinking this should be fun (especially since its been a while – a long while) since I did this. I was slowly trying to get some sort of lay up going when I had the privilege of getting a lesson from two 11 years olds who were on the neighbouring court. Huge fun and slightly improved my skills ( nothing at all like those two could do). But the opportunity to learn from unexpected sources was such an incredible treat. And a great reminder about how play and fun quickly grow learning.
Everyone has been through so much this past year and a half, but this reconnection and play and fun are part of what sustains the human spirt.
So here’s my challenge to you, find a fun, playful and comfortable way for yourself to reconnect with the community this summer. You might be very surprised about what you learn and who you learn it from.
Have a great summer!
Spring 2021
So here we are- all of us anxious for change, needing a boost to sagging spirits and ready (oh yes !!) for better days.
As we continue to adjust to coming out of the pandemic, spring offers the perfect opportunity for a reset. Days are longer and warmer, more chances to be outside and engage with people safely, and with nature as the example, a good time to grow.
We have choice about how we move forward into building our lives in this new reality. That can be exciting or daunting- our attitude and response is controlled by us.
How we interact with change is about looking at possibility and seeing how we can embrace and discover opportunity.
We all have dreams, activities, hopes about what we’d like to try, accomplish, places we’d like to see, etc.- this is a good time to start making plans for how we do that as the world starts to open up more.
More outdoor walks, picnics, cycling, running, gardening, etc.- find a beginning that excites you and helps you grow. Embrace the spring and possibility-it’s a great lesson for all of us courtesy of nature growing all around us.
New beginnings……
Rebuilding, reinvigorating, setting new directions.
2020 has been a year. Heading into our new year now, I’m goal setting (not New Years resolutions!) but adopting a philosophy to guide my year. A friend hooked me on choosing three words as a focus for the year. I have found this to be quite a useful exercise. Choosing the words carefully and recognizing they can have multiple meanings for you is key. I keep a copy of my words at my desk, in my wallet, on my calendar and on my phone. The words help remind me that focus and adapting are important …a lesson we all learned in 2020. What are your three words for the New Year?
Kindness as a conscious practice…..
As we work though the later stages of the pandemic and into our “new world”, kindness as a conscious practice can’t be overstated. Kind words, phone calls, courteous behavior, small acts of thoughtfulness mean even more in these days of physical distancing. I vote we make this an intended conscious choice everyday with family, friends, colleagues, strangers. Our world really does need every act of kindness we can demonstrate to speed up reinvigorating civil community and society.
Knowledge Cultivators Inc. 