29-03-11  When I was just a little girl, I asked my mother what would I be.  Would I be pretty?  Would I be Rich? Here's what she said to me.  She told me that I am beautiful, and I should thank my lucky stars for that because it should make things easier for me.  She told me that I could be rich if I worked really hard at school, and did my very best.  The rest of it would have to be left to the universe.  I am of course paraphrasing my mother, but I will tell you this: she did sing that song to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZbKHDPPrrc

What a lovely song.  Que Sera, Sera (Whatever will, will be).  The future's not ours to see.  Absolutely right.  It is not ours to see.  Although it is something that I wished that I could do; see the future.  Especially knowing the winning lottery numbers.  Now that would rock!  I have surrendered myself to the universe.  We cannot control every aspect of our lives. A lot of it has to be left to chance. 

So why do we get so worked up about things?  Most of these things that bother us are things that will eventually seem to be not so much important anymore.  We waste our time and energy on such small things, always vying for better things, all the while failing to see the beauty that is right in front of us.  Whatever may be.  Yes.  That is right and true.  Why not allow things to just happen? Why are we so afraid to let the unknown occur?  Perhaps that is just it; our fear of the unknown.

We are silly creatures.  We create biases and develop ideas about things that we don't understand; about people we don't know, things we haven't tried, food we haven’t tasted.  We are all guilty of being prejudiced about all of these things.  We are incredibly smart animals.  We are so smart that we have already predetermined what the supposed outcomes will be.  We paralyze ourselves with fear.  There is a saying, 'Curiosity killed the cat,' that perhaps seems quite untrue to human nature.  How can we decide that that is how it is supposed to be, that we are supposed to live in this bubble and not let anything disturb it?  Where does that thought process ever come from?  Without experimentation, you and I perhaps would not exist.  Our lives would be very different and we would not be in the places that we are today.  Some time ago, some other human-like creature, thought that it was necessary to experiment with fire.  He or she, learned how to keep warm, cook and even defend themselves using fire.  Some time ago, a person thought that it would be necessary to build housing for us.  This might seem a bit "cliché," but as George always tells me, it is only "cliché" because it is true.

Do you know why humans and mankind do so well?  Why we thrive living on this planet?  Why the other animals are not at the same level as us?  Here is the kicker; we are not afraid.  We are as resilient as a virus.  As a matter of fact, we, humankind, could be compared to a parasite without fail.  We consume.  That is what we do.  You might be afraid.  You might be afraid of trying new things. Perhaps you are constantly talking yourself out of things.  This only hurts your own progress.  Why not throw caution to the wind?  Why not step outside of your comfort zone and do things that scare you?  Like discovering fire, it only takes one time to break down the fear barrier.  It will take several more to keep that barrier from coming back.  That is what we do....we constantly learn.

Have you ever wondered where that saying comes from: 'Spring is in the air?'  These last couple of days have been just wonderful.  It is not too hot, not too cold, and the sunshine, well, it just wakes everything up.  I stand on my deck, and I inhale.  I can smell that spring is here.  I am not sure what it is exactly that lets me know, but I can smell it.  The air smells clean.  The buds are on the trees just awaiting their orders.  Did you ever notice that when the leaves begin to open, there is always the 'brave little leaf' that opens first?   Not too big, not too showy, just to say that it is all right for the rest of the leaves to join in.  The birds right now are chirping, the chickadees are singing and the crows are scavenging.  Everything around is waking up.

Whatever will be, will be....

As Always,

Happy Does It!!!

26-03-11  Oh wow, time sure does go by fast.  I hope that you are feeling as good as I am about things.  You know, I haven't been handed many things in my life.  I have had to fight for a lot, and perhaps that is why I am the way that I am.  I don’t mind.  I fight for anyone that I deem in need of a friend or just a corner of support.   I have never been very fond of bullies.  I think that most of them must have enough problems of their own if their only way of coping is to attack someone that they think is better than them, but perhaps a little less in either stature or confidence.

Trust. You need to earn this, right?  You have to establish a bond between you and another person through trials.  Yes, trials.  Some are easy to accomplish, and others force you to question your own morality.  It could be something small like a secret that you are sworn to protect, or it could be something big, like helping a friend in their desperate time or their weakest moment. Well, I've got your back.  I am always there for you.  I am one that you can tell anything to and I promise that I will always have your best interest at heart.  I don’t need to hear all the bad things that happen in your life to know that you are in need of a friend. I can just listen. 

How normal do you want to feel?  Do you want me to tell you that I, like you, have a junk drawer that contains whatever I feel necessary to stuff in it?  Also, I think that some of my behaviour could be classified as hoarding; those shows on TV scare me.  How about those lazy days?  You know the ones when you wake up and you literally feel like doing nothing, so you do just that, nothing.  Perhaps you watch movies, go for a walk or even shopping to pass the time of your day of nothingness.  I cannot keep up with all of my house work.  If I could, I really wouldn’t have time for anything else.  Here is another thing to make you feel alright about things that you do:  I confess that sometimes I tell people that I am busy just so that I don’t have to go out and see them.  It is not that I do not like them. It is more that I want time to be alone, and sometimes I feel like some people are like fine wine; I can enjoy their company once in awhile, but too much will make me drunk and stupid.  Nobody needs to be around me when I am not at my peak.  I am either cranky, or just bored.  When I am bored, well, to be honest, I hear nothing that anyone says to me.  I am not purposely ignoring them. I am just, well, me.

Through this wonderful universe we all want to feel normal. I want to feel normal.  I am always trying to achieve something that is for me impossible.   I have learned that I am not ‘normal’ and I will never achieve that state.  But, even with this knowledge, I still yearn to feel normal.  It is the lies that get instilled in our brains, those ones that tell you that you are supposed to be married, have children, and the live happily ever after.  Now let’s see:  I had a child young; I got married to a man who had a child ‘out of wedlock;’ oh wait, I can now live happily ever after.  You know, it has taken a lot of me to attempt to accept that that is just the way that my life went.  It is still difficult to see people who have their ‘normal’ lives.  I have had to let go of the illusions of my perfect life.  Quite frankly, it doesn’t and will never exist.  That is one of the main reasons that I am doing this website.  My life may not be the perfect ideal life, but it is mine, and how I choose to live in it is also mine. 

My point today is, whenever you feel blue, down, or just blah, think this happy thought:  You are not alone.  We are all the same.  There are innate characteristics that are in all of us.  We are just human.  So, if you are down, look to a friend, and see that they have your back.  Like I have your back.  Happiness is found in not only the way you live your life, but also by the way that you view the world around you.   Hey, I even have a friend who clearly stated to me that he would "help me hide the body."  Clearly he has my back. 

Last week, a young girl here in Sackville took her own life.  I feel sad when I think about how alone she must have felt.  She was in grade eight.  I did not know her.  I feel that it is right to let others know that there are lonely people out there who feel absolutely helpless.  This day, and so on, let your friends know that you are there for them.  No one should ever be that alone.  Ever.  May her soul be the light that guides those in need of clarity, and her spirit be the truth.

Please remember that through tragedy comes greatness...

 

As always,

Happy Does It.

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20-03-11 Have you ever really tasted your food?  Have you ever taken the time to experience the cuisine that is placed in front of you? Myself, I have personally ingested many different types of food; beautifully designed works of art of the culinary kind that actually create an experience for you.  We are so fortunate to live in a time where we have the opportunities to have these experiences.

I remember when I was against even the thought of trying sushi.  Please, you are not going to get me to eat sushi; raw fish are you kidding me?  If I wanted raw fish I would go out and catch one with my rod and bobber, and eat it on the shoreline.  My eyes opened wide when I first tried sushi. My brother Brian introduced me to sushi, with the wasabi and soy.  To be honest, it confirmed everything that I had previously thought: yuck!  Here is the thing; it was not the fish that I didn’t like the taste of, it was the seaweed.  The seaweed is called Nori.  It kind of tastes like what dulse smells like.  Not something that you get used to very easily.  If you never experienced this, you may need a little coaching.  Wasabi is Japanese horseradish.  It is extremely hot.  When you first taste Wasabi, it will affect your nasal passage.  It is something that you have to experience in order to like.  I had to try it more than once, and now, I can pick up sushi and eat it anytime.  If I hadn’t been adventurous, I would never have had that experience.  For this, I am thankful.

Just imagine if we took the time to taste our food, enjoying the smell of the spices, herbs, and sauces.  Feeling the different textures and allowing the flavours to dance on our tongues, to mingle together, creates something extraordinary. I think that if we took the time to do this we would battle obesity.  Asking everyone to slow down, enjoy your food and not shove your face full of food and regret it later.  I am a person who is completely guilty of this.  Why do I keep eating so fast?  I really am not in that big of a hurry, and perhaps if I slowed down and took my own advice, I would feel better. I am not one who takes her time. I rush through.  There are some occasions that I do take my time, and I realize what a fool I am, and I promise myself to not rush.  But that is life isn’t it?  It always throws curve balls at you.  There is no need to get sad because we are not meant to do the same thing all the time.  That is why we feel great when we try things that are different.  What I do know is that when I taste something wonderful, I slow myself down.  Perhaps I should always make things that are wonderful and then I would eat slower. Perhaps.

Take your time.  We only have a limited time to enjoy things, so why not?  Everyone is rushing so much that they are missing their own lives. Wow!  Slow down.  Try something different, out of your comfort zone.  Try some sushi.  Unless of course you are allergic to seafood this would not be a great thing for you. 

As Always...

Happy Does It!

01-03-11  I would like to say that Spring is in the air, but it really isn't yet, although I know that it is coming soon.  I am not a fan of Spring. Actually, it is the one season that I dislike the most.  There is too much rain and mud.  The only thing that I like about Spring is that everything wakes up.  The flowers peek through the snow, like a child peeking through a door listening to their parents talking.  The grass shows itself.  First, as this brown nightmare, and then almost overnight, it is green.  The snows starts to melt.  It becomes these little icebergs on the side of the road that we see every day, melting away.  The trees slowly become green.  It starts out at first as these little buds.  Then those buds start to shed their skins, and fall to the ground.  Again, almost overnight the trees have leaves on them.  Although there is so much beautiful change, I still don't like Spring very much.   It is like a front door to a mansion except it is the door to Summer.  No one really looks at the door of a mansion once they go through it.

I am a Fall fan.  It is my most favourite time of the year.  The air is clean and crisp.  You have those fabulous colours from the trees.  It is abstract art in reality.  The leaves contain multiple colours on each of them.  They fall gently from the trees, unless of course there is this great storm that contains strong winds.  The winds blows the leaves all over the place.  Houses look like a craft done by and elementary student with leaves stuck to the sides, virtually glued to the siding.  At the end of the storm, the trees are bare, reminding us of the strength of nature. 

Did you ever notice that after the storms that there is this overwhelming sense of calm?  It is like you have experienced something, and now you have to clean up.  Clean up is what we do.  Did you ever notice that the weather always seems to be the topic of conversation?  Seriously.   Especially, when there is a storm coming.  There is usually this huge build up.  We are all watching the news, searching the websites, watching the radars.  Or at least that is what I do. Everyone, for some god forsaken reason, needs to run out to the grocery stores and buy 'supplies.'  The storm comes and then it is over.  Or is it?  No, it is not.  Everyone now needs to tell their tales of woe, what they had to go through, how much damage they incurred.  I think that it is neat how something so natural can cause people to converse.  You see, we can't argue too much about the weather, maybe the weather report, but not the empirical evidence that we experience. What a great thing to bring us together.  We have this common bond.

08-03-11  It is funny how things change in less than a week.  I would have bet all of my horses that the spring would never arrive, but as always, Mother Nature smiles.   We are only guests in her house.  She decides the venue. 

As always,

Happy Does It