Walking Spring Meditations

Spring is the best time for walking meditation. Our pathways are a hodgepodge of ice, snow and mud. One must stay in the moment and be constantly aware of each step. One of my favourite walks is along a river that runs through our city. It nourishes both our souls with its beauty and our…

The Practice of Reseeding

A friend was teaching her grandson how to grow vegetables. He didn't have any ground of his own, but she had a large property so she gave some of it over for him to grow whatever he liked. A couple times a week he made the drive to her house and under her guidance, tilled…

Toques on Twigs…Signs of Kindness

If you want to renew your faith in human kindness, go for a walk. Every day I step outside and intentionally look for signs of goodness and I have never been disappointed. Yesterday I came across not one, but two toques, that had been lost on the pathway. Someone had taken the time to pick…

The Moment You Wake Up

In his book 'The Way to Love' Anthony de Mello asks the reader to imagine they are at a concert. You can choose any kind of concert you like. Just imagine having a perfect view of the stage. Close your eyes for a second and hear the music. Or if it is a theatre production,…

I see you painted rock! Thank you to the joy spreaders.

Spotted this little fellow peeking out from behind a burl on a big tree! It always lifts my heart to see talented artists freely sharing their creations. What a wonderful way to spread joy through the neighbourhood! I haven't pocketed any of the rocks yet, but they always make me smile. I can only imagine…

Chinook Arches

Our huge skies in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains put on a show that is better than any television program. Better yet, it comes without a cable bill or subscription. This proves yet again that the best things in life are free! What you see happening in the skies in the photo above is…

Mountain Wave Clouds? What a wonderful world…

I've been on a mission to actively seek out something uplifting or beautiful every day. I am trying to be the joy finder instead of the trouble spotter. It is hard to change a lifetime of pessimism overnight, but by seeking out the everyday beauty every day, I hope to get there. Some days I…

What I Have in Common with an Ancient Egyptian…

Our world seems so different, so removed from what it was even three years ago, let alone thousands of years, but have humans really changed that much? In her book The Holistic Garden, Karen York writes of an ancient Egyptian who around 1400 BC had these words inscribed on his tombstone: That each day I…

The Purpose of Life and Fresh Starts

It snowed last night. The golf course near our home spends winter covered with snow which in turn is covered in animal tracks. Deer mostly. Last night it snowed and today the course was blank and white. It was like someone had taken an old Etch A Sketch and given it a good shake. A…

No Such Thing as Happily Ever After…and That’s Okay.

Someone once wrote that happily ever after depends on where you stop the story. My quest to "die happy" is more of a quest to learn how to deal with all the challenges, while still appreciating the beauty in life. And there is always beauty. I come from a generation that stuffed down their feelings…