Category Archives: acts of grace

Share Light | 52 Acts of Grace | Week 36

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Friday was my birthday. In the wishes from family and friends, in the messages on FB, the phone calls, emails and texts, I felt light. Breezy. Loved.

What if we were to treat everyday like it was someone’s birthday?

I don’t mean the gifts and all that jazz, but just the celebration of who they are part. How we greet them, the words we use to tell them we care…

Imagine if, we created a world where everyone felt every day was their birthday? That everyday was special and the most special part of the day was knowing you because you make them feel so special. Always!

Share light everywhere today. Shine bright. Use your smile to be the gift you give to everyone so that they feel special, welcome in your heart and oh so loved.

Namaste.

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For a listing of the 36 Acts of Grace I’ve posted to date, click HERE.

 

Breathe | 52 Acts of Grace | Week 35

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It is cold here. Frigid cold. Sub-zero, why aren’t I on a beach in Mexico? kind of cold.

It’s easy to forget to breathe when every breath feels like ice particles entering your body.

And driving?

Intersections are icy. Roads are slick.

Paying attention is essential.

So is Breathing.

Sometimes, in the middle of the day, I’ll catch myself forgetting to breathe.

Sure, I take the shallow, automatic response, let’s get ‘er done kind of breaths constantly.

But the deep, sustaining of my equilibrium, peace and calm kind of breathing?

Too often I forget.

For today, remember to breathe. Deeply.

Make it a habit to practice the mindfulness breathing below.

In through the nose to the count of four
(draw each breath deep into your lungs. no shallow breathing here)

Hold to the count of 7

Out through the mouth to the count of 8

Repeat 3 x 3 times a day.
or more if you’re so inclined!

❤ ❤ ❤

For a handy guide with links to all Acts of Grace posted to date, please visit this page.

Namaste.

 

 

 

Be at peace with yourself | 52 Acts of Grace | Week 34

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How often do you do something that ends up a mess only to create a bigger mess by calling yourself out?

C’mon. Be honest.

How often do you drop something, hear it break and then think, or say out loud, “You are so clumsy!” “Can’t you do anything right?” or words to that effect?

Stop it.

Dropping it was not your intention. It was an accident.

Treat yourself with respect. Kindness. Consideration.

To borrow from the teachings of Benjamin Zander, conductor, life-muser and philosopher, when you do something that’s a little incomprehensible to you about why or how you could have done it or it could have happened, throw both hands up in the air above you head and exclaim (with a big smile on your face) “Aren’t I fascinating!”

And then, carry on.

Clean up the mess. Make apologies and amends as appropriate. Definitely learn from a mistake if there’s a lesson to be learned, (for me it’s often to pay attention. Too often, I’m thinking of something else as I’m doing something else totally unrelated) and then, continue on. No matter the situation, don’t get stuck in self-condemnation.

Keep growing through the circumstances, don’t let the circumstances define you.

Namaste.

And bonus today!  This is one of my favourite TEDTalks.  Benjamin Zander: The Transformative Power of Classical Music. (or as I like to call it — The Transformative Power of not taking yourself too seriously.)

https://embed.ted.com/talks/benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion

Sing a song of joy | 52 Acts of Grace | Week 33

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Sing a song of joy.

I know. I know. You think it feels silly. Ridiculous. And… you can’t carry a tune anyway.

Doesn’t matter.

It’s not about the quality of your song. It’s all about the fact you sing.

Out loud. Loud and strong.

Sing a song of joy.

Practice gratitude through your song. Let gratitude be the bedrock upon which your song of joy rises up.

Express your gratitude for this one, holy, precious life. Let your song of joy lift you up.

Don’t worry about the notes. The words. The sound.

Just sing for the pure freedom of it. For the absolute joy of singing as if no one is listening.

Because the fact is, your heart is listening and it needs you to sing out loud so it can beat wildly and freely to the sound of your song of joy.

Go ahead. Sing for joy.

And while you’re at it. You  might even try kicking up your heels and giving a little leap or two for the pure joy of it all!

Yup. Life is great. Sing it out loud!

Create space for possibility | 52 Acts of Grace | Week 32

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Recently I cleared out and decluttered the china cabinet. I now have a box of dishes waiting to be donated, tidy shelves where I can find what I’m looking for and no need to move everything else to get at one thing.

Now, to not fill it up again.

I am a lover (okay maybe hoarder) of dishes. I really, really like them. I love beautiful serving dishes. Dinner plates. Glasses. Cutlery and linens.

I love to set a beautiful table. To have sparkling glassing and colourful linens.

Which means, walking into my favourite household boutique when there’s a sale on is not a good idea.

Yesterday I learned that someone I really like and admire just took a part time job at one of my favourite stores. She wants to redecorate her home and the discount offered to employees is seductive.

What a great idea, I thought. I could do that.

And yes, I could, but then, I’d be feeding my habit, not helping myself to clear my being of its presence.

But oh, it is tempting.

It’s close to home. Fabulous products. Really beautiful and not cheap so good quality too. Yes. I could do it.

See how I can rationalize my dysfunction? See how I can talk myself out of what I know is healthy and loving for me into doing what is fun but not necessarily in my best interests?

Oh. And did I mention it would save me money?

Creating space for possibility means holding space open.

It means not filling it up with things that please my senses but do not fulfill my sensual need for soul-inspired living.

Acquiring more to fill up the space I live in does not give me more space for peace, love and joy to live within me.

Declutter the spaces you live in. Create space for possibility to grow wild in your life.

 

Give your time away | 52 Acts of Grace | Week 31

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Even if you don’t know what you are passionate about, volunteering is a great way to find out what your passions are.

Check your FB feed. What ‘stories’ do you share the most? What stories create energy around you? Are you passionate about ending racism? Discrimination? making sure refugees are treated fairly, find a way to assimilate, to find their own space in your city/town/area?

If you’re like me and find that stories of animal abuse cause you to cry and weep in despair, you might want to consider the wisdom of volunteering for one of these groups. I can’t do it. I know I will take on the pain and anger too much and not be able to experience the joy of helping one animal at a time. In these instances I donate money to the cause so that I can feel like I am contributing to the well-being of the animals and those who work so hard to end animal abuse.

Anger can be an avenue to passion. so if you find yourself always posting or reading up on discrimination, for example, find an organization in your area that works with immigrants and volunteer your time.

It’s a great way to meet people, learn about what is being done to make a difference for those who have come here to change their lives, and it’s a great way to contribute to making positive change happen.

Several years ago I gave a TEDxTalk called How Volunteering Saved My life.  It reminded me of all I was capable of in a time when I didn’t believe I was capable of much. Volunteering did save my life. It helped me restore my sense of worth, dignity, self-esteem, and, I met some wonderful people while I was there!

 

Seek to find value in all things | 52 Acts of Grace | Week 29

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It can be easy sometimes to think in absolutes when skies are dark and it feel like the darkness will never end.

Yet, even behind grey clouds, the sun is shining. And even after the darkest night, the dawn is waiting on the horizon.

Fin the value in the grey cloud day — for me, I look at a cloud day as an invitation to spend time in my studio — without guilting myself into feeling like I should be doing something outside in the yard.

I love candlelight, so dark mornings are an opportunity to meditate with a candle burning.

Find value in all things, and let the value you find be your invitation to create peace, love, joy and harmony in your life.

Where Mother Nature’s concerned, every jar counts.

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I know it’s not headline making, but I’m going to share it anyway.

I cleaned out my fridge.

I know. I know. Not the earth-shattering news you were expecting, but if you’d seen the inside of my fridge, you’d understand why it’s such a monumental feat! (and yes, Alexis, I did it without you!)

I was ruthless.

Out of date? Gone.

Only a dribble left in the jar? Gone.

Don’t know what it is, even if it’s not expired? Gone.

Know what it is but have no idea when I’ll use it next? Gone.

It felt great to clear out those clogged up, cluttered shelves. But in the end,  it wasn’t actually the cleaning of my fridge that became the big deal, with the BIG LESSON attached.

It was deciding to clean out and recycle the 30 some jars I tossed.

I admit it. I threw them into the garbage can first.

And then I thought about cleaning them out and recycling.

“But that will take foreeever!” my critter mind hissed.

“Don’t you think you’re exageratting just a little bit?” my voice of reason responded.

“No!” inisisted my critter mind. “You don’t have time. You’ve got better things to do than clean out jars. And anyway. Who cares? What difference are a few jars from you going to make?”

Fact is. Those few jars could make a world of difference to the world.

And therein lay the debate.

To ignore my worldly impact in even the smallest things I do, or to accept my responsibility and the fact everything I do has an impact on the world.

Was I going to take the easy route out, or do the right thing?

In the end, ‘the right thing’ won. As it should.

Because to have thrown out those jars full of moldy, hardened and mostly unidentifiable substances would have been to contribute to fodder in the landfill. It would have meant I carried with me the knowing that I did not take the time to do the right thing by Mother Nature, the environment and my fellow human race. It would have meant carrying with me the shame of giving into the easy route, the downhill path, the road of least resistance.

I spent an hour scraping out and cleaning the jars. Some went into recycling and some to a girlfriend who likes to make jams and jellies. And BIG BONUS!  I also gave my conscience a clean bill of health. What could be better than that?

I cleaned out my fridge on the weekend and in the process, cleared out some old and hardened thinking about the impact and capacity I have to make a difference.

It may not sound like a lot, but every jar counts where Mother Nature is concerned.

Namaste.

 

Give Thanks | 52 Acts of Grace | Week 28

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It was Thanksgiving weekend in Canada. It snowed here in Calgary.

Lots of it.

I am thankful. (Even if it did look more like Christmas than Thanksgiving).

I am thankful for the moisture, the beauty of the snow covering the earth, the golden leaves sprinkled like confetti on a white blanket.

I am thankful for our family and friends who gathered round our table, sharing companionship, fellowship, good food, laughter, wine and bread and turkey with all the fixin’s.

I am thankful for new friends and old. For a young boy who joined us who, at 10 years of age, reminded all of us to be open and present and willing to participate and give thanks. Just before we went around the table to talk about the things we are grateful for, I had created feathers for everyone which had a word on it that they were to express their gratitude for) he came to my side and whispered into my ear, “When we are going around the table can we also say ‘what we like best about Thanksgiving?'”

And while sometimes, there is a bit of a groan, a bit of an ‘oh dear what am I going to say?’, when he announced what we were about to do, and added his request, everyone joined whole-heartedly in the conversation, sharing their gratitude and their favourite thing about Thanksgiving. And it wasn’t all about the turkey.

It was about gathering together, sharing, connecting. About family and friends present. Family and friends absent and the fullness of our lives because of their presence on our paths.

It was about taking time out to give thanks. To savour the moment, and to appreciate all we have in our lives and those who make it so rich.

It snowed this weekend. I am thankful for the snow. It reminded me to be aware, be present, be in awe of nature — and to not count on fresh parsley from my garden in October.

Create Better | 52 Acts of Grace | Week 27

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I wrote this post after spending the day yesterday updating my website.

I didn’t consciously give a lot of thought to how what I was doing was going to ‘create better’ for the world around me, and those in it, yet, intuitively, at the foundation of everything I did to update my website was the desire to create opportunities for all of us to live with grace and find our inherent magnificence. And thus, to create better for all.

It is fundamental to the work I want to do in the world.

To create better. To touch hearts and open minds and set spirits free to dance fearlessly in a world of love, joy and harmony.

For me, ‘to dance’ doesn’t meant how I move my feet or stay in time to the music. It means letting my spirit soar, setting my heart free, giving my soul free rein.

It means fearlessly listening to the voice deep within me calling me to untether myself from social constraints and be. Me.

Be Me so you can Be You and together we can BE all the world needs to let go of fear and trauma, anger and abuse, violence and war.

It is not an easy task but I believe we are capable of doing it.

We are discovering cures for intractable diseases. We are discovering ways to explore Mars, the deep, deep sea. We are tunnelling to the centre of the earth, building skyscrapers that defy gravity, surely we can create better for all mankind too.

For this week, ask yourself, “What am I doing to create better in this world?” And do it.

Namaste.