Forget Reading This Post

Be present and focus on what matters most instead

This Christmas season I hope you will be with people you care about, doing things you enjoy, and taking time out to celebrate what matters most.

Why dwell on what didn't get done, what could have been, or what's missing? Whether you're alone, with a few people, or a brood of family or friends, stop time and notice what's right in front of you, who is around you, and why you're part of it. 

Cherish relationships that give you strength and take in the earth's beauty and the creativity that we are surrounded by every day. Even the snow that sometimes impedes our travel has incredible beauty if we're open to seeing it. 

As this year comes to a close, my family and I wish you many joyful moments to capture, if not in photos, in your heart and mind.

And express gratitude.  It is powerful.

(P.S. The photo above is of my husband, Bill, our daughter, Lena and son, Nolan, about eleven years ago)
 

End of an Era

Late afternoon sun streams through the sawdust covered window, and I realize with quiet relief that I'm ready to say goodbye.

Whether we like it or not, whether we embrace the concept or wrestle it to the ground, death brings change, and change brings new growth and exciting things.

My Dad and brothers have had a partnership in a business for many years and with the passing of one of my brothers, it has become necessary to clear out and move on from what was part of our lives since before my siblings and I were born.

An onerous task, clearing out decades of things that were waiting to be: tools waiting to sharpen saws, wood to turn, planks to shape into a project, parts waiting to be installed into machines that are no longer being made, the old wired dial up phone, my Grandfather's planer and tools he used as a building inspector, and some machinery that was customized and configured with belts and pulleys devised by my father and forefathers to get the job done.

Surrounded by history and memories of my past and my family's past, I help sort through dust covered items that I can only hope will make someone else happy. I come across things that I remember and find things that bring forward a story I had never heard before and am so grateful to listen to. "The darker pair of skis were ones that I bought for Mom," Dad says.  "I ordered the bindings and attached them to hers, but the lighter pair I made from scratch", telling me how he steamed the wood to curve the ski tips and made the poles too.

One last time, I look out through that dusty window and see the ballpark I once played on, the swings now gone, and the desire to stop time washes over me like the ocean tide.  

There is solace in knowing I have captured what matters most and I'll find a way to celebrate and preserve it. I embrace what will be, and patiently wait for inspiration to flow into my brain. 

Gone Fishin'

Celebrating long-lasting friendships

It is a place to enjoy the best martini after a long drive, where the food is amazing, where the camaraderie fits as well as your favorite pair of shoes that you can slip into anytime and walk for an eternity. It's an annual event that takes place on a lake in Ontario, Canada, the second weekend in July, the setting lovely and inspirational, and the people incredible.

I'm talking about Girl's Fishing Weekend.  I'm talking about friendships that have stood the test of time.  Thirty-three years of fishing weekends to be exact.

My college girlfriends and I have made it okay to share triumphs, joys, challenges, sadness, and our vulnerabilities. It's a time and a safe place to reflect on the year that has passed, milestones during the decades we've known one another, and what the future holds. It's where we discuss the latest trends in architecture, art, travel, relationships, style - or lack of it, food, and wine, health, and maybe the lighter side of politics. Turn up the music, throw in a goofy game or two and laughter ensues.

And, for those of you curious to know the type of fishing gear we use, or the bait that's best for the kind of fish in the lake... news flash: we don't fish. Why waste time?  We named the weekend because we wanted to give it validity for the other important people in our lives.

Girl's Fishing Weekend is our way of celebrating and preserving what matters most - our friendship.

I hope we all have or strive to pursue these kinds of friendships in our lives, and that we take the time to celebrate them. They are worth their weight in gold.

Bye now... I'm goin' fishin'.