Category Archives: appreciation

Finger painting anyone?

finger-painting-art_557973

 

One morning this past summer, my companion was getting ready to head out to do some work for his Mom. He dressed wearing a very extra large and baggy (comfy), old work shirt. I made a comment about his comfy shirt and as we chatted I was suddenly presented with a memory of kindergarten when we used to wear our fathers’ old shirts backwards to protect our clothes from the mess of craft time and especially flying finger paints! I hadn’t given finger painting any thought at all since. Continue reading

Raising A Glass To Napoleon Hill

NapoleonHill

October 26, 1883 – November 8, 1970

One of my life’s favorite heroes and mentors, Mr. Hill left us when I was 8. He remains as one of my best models for what it means to leave a legacy behind, one that has saved this butt’s bacon on more than one occasion over the last 2 decades, especially so over the last 10 years as I committed to complete responsibility for my personal development.

Thank You for your continued guidance Mr. Hill!! May our paths cross again! Cheers!

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Got Pets?

“Anything that gets you feeling good is the basis of everything else you want flowing to you.
Your beasts have it all figured out.”

~ Abraham

April 2013 – Photo By Kara Wilson

A couple of posts ago I told the story about Boy-Boy and am pleased to report that he returned to his home on Labour Day. On the morning of Wednesday, September 4th, we were pet-free, by the end of that day, there were 7 cats in our coat closet!

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An Invitation To Meet My Self

Visit Aya Calling to start your due diligence journey…

“This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill – the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill – you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.”
– Morpheus

Ramon
August 2014: R.I.P. Ramon Orlando
May you encounter many blessings along your Universal journey and thank you for greeting me as I stepped onto this most unusual and spiritual path, see you out there!

I ask you Reader to keep an open mind as you digest this account. Pay heed to the fact that you are reading this, it is a clue that there is something here for you. I cannot recommend this experience, I can only share what I have learned and know that those ready will be called to it, for to partake is the greatest gift you will give to yourself and ultimately all of us collectively. If not for you, at least know enough to pay forward the opportunity to others that may be silently and desperately longing for a hand up. There are resources following this, my longest post ever, for your exploration.
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No Pets Here…

For a couple of folks with no pets of their own, we sure do spend a lot of time with animals at our house! Any pet owner will agree that having furred or feathered beasties in or around the house provides numerous benefits to our overall well-being, like our little ones, they win our hearts with their authenticity and unconditional love.

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Free Your Mind And Your A$$’ll Follow…

About 3 years ago, while sitting in my home office I had a defining moment that was a significant catalyst for change. As I sat pondering what I needed to do or become next to get to the things I desired most for me and mine, I heard that little voice from within ask the question,

“What would your world look like if the Internet was gone tomorrow?”

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Delayed Gratification…

My Mom presented me with something wonderful this past week! She and Dad have been catching up on their framing projects. Several years back I had given her two pieces to frame for me, I cross-stitched the clowns to hang in my son’s first bedroom – about 25 years ago. Looking at them instantly reminds me of where I’ve come from for sure, and takes me back to a time that seemed a whole other life!

Well they’re finally done, love the frames, thanks Mom! I don’t believe my son would want them for his bedroom, and perhaps for his own little ones one day?

For now they sit by my desk, they cheer me up and their orange hair matches the room… 🙂

Both Clowns

’79 to ’09, has it really been 30 years?

Here are we, from N.P.C.,
Here for all to see,
Loyal to the green and orange
Through the years to be.

Far and near rings loud and clear,
Mighty North Park’s name,
May her sons and daughters
Bring her to Lasting Fame.

Give a cheer for N-P-C
Moving on to victory
North Park Collegiate,
Our hearts are all for thee.
Yea!

The old school song thundered out from the packed gym to close the opening ceremonies and begin a weekend of fun and reconnection with a distant past. It’s been 30 years since I graduated from high-school.

It was a full couple of days as I attended North Park Collegiate’s 50th Anniversary celebrations; it was an exercise in pure fun and self-observation with a lifetime of experience to benchmark progress by!

I’m pretty sure that our little town hasn’t seen such a party in quite some time and I was amazed at how flawlessly 2 and half years of planning a weekend came together – kudos to the organizing committee and small army of volunteers that pulled it all off.

Over 1500 graduates showed up ready to rock their high-school once again – and rock it we did! I hadn’t walked the halls of NPC since I left there in 1979. It seemed a perfect plan for a Thanksgiving long weekend. The hotels were booked up as folks took trains, planes and autos to join their fellow classmates and families in their old home town.

Everyone left their troubles outside the doors, those that couldn’t do that didn’t show up! A fabulous time was had by all while catching up with old friends and some of the teachers that helped shape our early philosophies. Friday night opening ceremonies kicked off with speeches from Parliament members, the Mayor and other distinguished guests and celebrities. We wrapped up the evening with two full rounds of the school song – which our children didn’t know existed. I wonder when they gave up having pep-rallies? (I had to perform it for my son Saturday morning as he snickered on in amusement.)

Saturday saw dozens of classic cars parked on the lawn and a packed cafeteria to meet the teachers of past and present and mingle with old friends. The evening was happy pandemonium as over 1100 former grads descended upon the gym, cafeteria and the halls in between for the first ever Pub night! The drinks were cheap, the dance floor full and everywhere I went I saw laughing, hugging and hand-shaking amongst throngs of excited and surprised people shouting variations on the greeting: “Holy s*#t! How are you’?!”

The word “surreal” was used frequently to describe the space and energy of the event, and I found myself reminiscing in thought more than once as distant memories came rushing back in the familiar surroundings and company.

Sunday night we all gathered again at a local club to be entertained by our most talented graduates, with great bands, comedians and dancers! With Monday a holiday it was another night of dancing and connecting into the wee hours.

As the weekend came to the closing ceremonies, we all agreed we should do this more often and get together every 10 years instead of every 25 or 30!

I am now a card-carrying NPC alumni member and am looking forward to contributing to special events going forward. Old friendships have been renewed and new friendships have developed. As usual I was too much in the action to take pictures, there was a photographer running around all weekend and now we’re waiting for the album to be posted to the website!

North Park Reunion

Lessons Learned In The Mail Room With The Mailman…

And it’s not what you think, for shame! Although it was good for me…otherwise I wouldn’t be blogging about it here…ahhhh…care for a puff? (Only some of you will get that last quip.)

The phone rang from the front door a few moments ago, and I got caught in the zone of production workin’ in my housecoat, doh. The man announced that he had 2 registered letters for me to sign for and I had 10 minutes to get down to the mailroom to receive them. (The mail contractors don’t have it in their job description to deliver to the individual’s door in a multi-unit building ya’ know?) I actually asked him if I could get it tomorrow,

“Nope.”

My knee-jerk thought: “Well! What kind of customer service is that?”

“Well alright then, I’ll be right down.”

The offence was quickly forgotten in the moment and I immediately got excited because I knew what he had for me! I ran upstairs, threw some clothes on, grabbed the garbage, the recycling, my keys and bopped down to the mail room to pick up my prizes – stopped at the garbage chute on the way of course and yes, almost dropped my keys in!!

When I arrived the mailman was sorting a big stack of letters into some boxes so I said, “Be right back, I’ll drop this recycling in the bin outside while you do that.” “Great” he said.

I returned from the short walk in the gorgeous sun and prepared to wait, and he was ready for me in the mailroom…I thought to myself, “Wow, he’s efficient”!

I eagerly beheld the envelopes with the big red and white stickers on them as he picked them up to hand them to me. I reached out my hand to accept them and suddenly, he pulled them back from me and said,

“Question.” In the moment it was more of a command than a question and he was holding my stuff hostage, he wanted an answer!

It kind of knocked me out of my glory for a second and I replied with a smile as he was very non-threatening and genuinely curious, and asked my own question, “Yes?”

He held up the letter which was addressed from Me to the “care of” Me and pointed at the return address on it and asked,

“I’m curious.”

My thought: “No kiddin’?”

“How come you’re sending a letter from yourself to yourself?”

I replied and asked, “In these envelopes are my winning lottery tickets, they are “intellectual property” for sale or for development, by Me or another. Have you heard of “copyrighting”?”

“Yep.”

“Well, you have noticed the words the letter is addressed to, and underneath C/O me?”

“Yep”

“I just copyrighted THAT phrase. No one else has thought of it before. Not only that, I own the Internet address or the domain, and I have an idea for a concept, I’ll put that little copyright symbol beside the phrase when I publish anything on the web with it. I will develop that into something with the help of a team or sell it to another that wants to do something of value with it.”

“Cool.“

“Isn’t it though?”

“You mean that’s all there is to it?”

“Yep. Most don’t know how easy it is to claim “rights” to their own “intellectual property”, that is the original ideas, inspirations and inventions of your mind that can be used to do something good and something big with.”

“Huh.” (And he actually scratched his head! It was so cute!)

Then and there I left him thinking because there was now a line-up for pick up at the mail room, I thanked him and said see you next time! As I walked away I could see his wheels spinning, this wasn’t the first batch of envelopes he had delivered to me, so he remembered me from before.

I was joined for the trek (in this building it is truly a trek) back, by the last person in line behind me who had been even more inconvenienced than I by the call to accept her books. She had just gotten off work an hour ago and was prepared to go to sleep for a while…I was excited that she got new books, and she was too…she just needed sleep…

I love people! I am observing them differently lately and having so much fun!

My new project is to “play with resistance” and see what shows up, ask more and different questions of others, notice how others “ask”. The exercise so far has had extreme value in it.

The power and value of “original thought” has been skillfully demonstrated to me lately. I have come to realize some of those dreams and innovations locked up in my head, and those heads of others are the stuff of “origin”. I am not sure if others have thought of my ideas before, and I do know, no one has acted upon them if they were first. It seems like me, many others tend to think another has “already done that”, in few cases they have. I have acted on a couple of “strong promptings” which have resulted in registered letters back to myself!

I am excited to be able to create some things anew, to define new terms out of re-purposing old materials – working with what we already have , to add value in new and thoughtful ways.

Have you ever had a brilliant idea out of nowhere? Or thought of something really cool only to have someone else show up with it? Doesn’t it make you wonder how 2 people at opposite ends of the earth from totally diverse situations can have the exact same great idea? I say it’s necessary to guarantee the existence of the idea, few if anyone actually acts on their promptings.

Next time you have a stroke of brilliance, write it down, take the next action step to claiming it as your own, if you don’t know what to do next, don’t worry about it, just start looking for those that can help you with that!

The important thing is that you act upon your ideas, others with like mind and more resources will be along to assist you with whatever comes next if YOU take the first step, you have to, it’s YOURS.

You’re probably not alone with your inspiration, and it’s up to you to take the lead with it, find the others that share your vision. I can guarantee you, your ideas have a financial value to them, it pays very, very well, and in fact, if you set things up “right”, your ideas will continue to pay your grandchildren and contribute to others long after you’re gone!

“Those that think govern those that labor.” – Marshall Sylver

The mailman and I will be connecting again I’m sure, I like his attitude and confidence and his curiosity – tells me he’s “open”. He’s a bold and friendly sort – or in this case “sorter” – and brings me my mailbox money from other ventures too, of course I’m always glad to see him! He always brings good stuff!

Lovin’ my life and the ease with which it is unfolding…

Have you offered another your “value” today?