Daily Intention: Seek first to understand
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Category Archives: My Daily Intention
Daily Intention: October 27 — Speak Kindly
He is smiling at me. His nose crinkled, eyes sparkling, toothy grin inviting.
He is 8 months old and is seated on his father’s lap beside me on the flight to Vancouver. It takes him about a nanosecond to capture my heart and the hearts of everyone around him.
“He’s going to win a lot of hearts,” his father proudly says to me as we chat about his son. “This is our test flight,” he says. “We’re visiting my brother in Vancouver and then, if the little one flies well, next year we’ll visit my wife’s brother on the east coast.”
I don’t think there’ll be an issue with flying. His son is enchanting and as cute and adorable as they come. He’s not bothered by changes in air pressure, the noise or being confined on his father’s lap.
“Looks like he’ll be gentle with every heart he captures,” I say as his son reaches over and gently touches the flower on my shirt.
“I’ll teach him how to be,” the father says.
I believe him.
Hearts are delicate spaces that need our tender loving care.
Let’s all be gentle with the hearts around us today. Let’s all take good care of one another and teach each other how to be kind, gentle and loving with our hearts.
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Photo by Ales Krivec on Unsplash
Daily Intention: Oct 26 — Collective Brokenness
It can be hard and frightening some days to look at the collective brokenness in our world and tell yourself, “I can make a difference.”
The issues seem so large. So inexplicable. Vast.
And we appear or feel so small in their shadow.
We cannot give up hope. We cannot give into despair or the ennui of doing nothing.
Every little action counts. As Mother Teresa said,
“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”
And in every ripple there is the possibility of awakening another to the power they have to cast a stone too.
At Tales from the Backroad, photographer Mary Hone shares stunning photos of the Wild Horses she loves to visit and asks, What is the future of our wild horses? They are at risk, an endangered species because man wants their land, and the horses have no voice.
Take a moment to visit and see what Mary is doing as her part to create a healing ripple of change.
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In Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditation, he talks about the need for all of us to play our part in saving this beautiful planet. His Climate Change meditation is worth the read.
Daily Intention: Oct 25 — Live this day.
My eldest daughter and I have been working on our presentation for Circles of Hope.
It is hard, this going back into memory to dredge through the sands of time, seeking the moments we want to share.
There was so much hurt. Pain. Grief. Loss. Sorrow.
It can be tempting to stay there. To lose myself in the darkness of what was then as I travel those dank corridors where I lost myself in the throes of searching for my happily-ever-after.
And I remind myself…
That was then.
This is now.
In the now, my life is a beautiful tapestry of love and meaning, purpose and intention. Friends and family. Gatherings and walks with Beaumont in the autumn evening witnessing the sun’s beautiful departure.
In the now, there is only Love.
It is in the love I choose to live. It is in this moment, right now, I find myself quietly awakening to another day filled with possibility, hope, joy, laughter, friendship, Love.
I choose today.
I choose to cherish this moment right now, because in this moment when I choose to live my best life, I do not need to fear the past will repeat itself or worry about tomorrow’s limitations. In the now, I am free to revel in the beauty and wonder of being exactly where I am, how I am right now.
Such a blessed day!
Namaste.
Daily Intention: October 24 — take care of the earth
In small and big ways we can each do our part to take care of this planet which is our home.
I drive my car to work every day.
For several years I rode the C-train but with our new routines, I need to come home most days at noon to let Beaumont, the Sheepadoodle, out. I need my car. To do my part, I walk everywhere I can to meetings and will make a point of car-pooling with someone else if we’re going to the same place.
I eat meat and while I toy with vegetarianism, it’s not my choice.
What I do to play my part is to buy only ethically raised, local meats so that my footprint is kept as small as possible. Some may argue that’s not enough, but I like the idea of supporting our local ranchers and farmers. It’s my enough.
I take my own bags to the grocery store.
I recycle everything I possibly can and with our new Green Bin system, composting is a joy!
I purposefully try to buy products with minimal packaging or recycled papers.
I plant flowers every summer to attract bees and butterflies.
There are so many things each of us can do to take care of our world. What are some of the things you do?
Daily Intention: October 23 — There is no failure
I awoke at 3:45 with C.C. He had a 6:30am flight to LA and had to leave the house by 4:15.
After he left, I dosed off and on and finally fell back to sleep around my normal waking hour.
Ugh! That means I awoke later than normal and have to write short. There’s one thing I can’t shorten though — Beaumont’s walk in the morning. Normally, C.C. does this one as well as a mid-day break for the pooch and I do the long walk after work at the big park. This week, I’ll be in charge of all of it, or at least until I catch my flight to Vancouver on Thursday afternoon.
C.C. organized his trip to return Thursday night, so Beaumont will be well cared for, but it will be a busy week.
And in all that busyness, I often make the mistake of not taking time for me.
My morning meditation time is vital. Five minutes is better than none, yet often, in my all or nothing thinking, I tell myself ‘well that’s not enough’, so I skip it entirely.
The mistake in skipping it entirely is that when I start my day without time in the quiet, my day is not as peaceful as it can be.
I am learning from my mistakes.
I gave myself the gift of five minutes of meditative silence even though I wanted more.
I gave myself 15 minutes to write here, even though my all or nothing thinking says I need way more.
It’s okay.
The gift is, there’s no failure in sleeping in when I breathe into whatever time I have and make each moment count and add value to my day.
What about you? Do you learn and grow through your mistakes?
Namaste.
One community. One voice. One vision for our city.
In the Diary Of Anais Nin Volume 5 1947-1955: Vol. 5 (1947-1955) Nin wrote, “It is a sign of great inner insecurity to be hostile to the unfamiliar.”
Yet, everyday, we resist change, different, new.
Way, way back in the late 70s, I worked for a technology company that built and sold word processors. The goal was to put a system on the desk of every secretary. Even the scientists, the visionaries, the trailblazers missed the mark on that one. ‘No manager, or lawyer, or doctor, or engineer is going to want a computer on their desk,’ the pundits said. ‘Only secretary’s need them.’
Fast forward 40 years and the ubiquitous laptop appears everywhere, in everyone’s hands, in coffee shops, in accounting rooms and word processing pools, on planes and boats and trains, in libraries and executive offices. The laptop belongs to everyone. It doesn’t care about gender. It’s egalitarian.
When I look back on the changes to views of women, there are so many changes. Hard fought for. Hard won. The right to hold title to land, the vote, the fall of men only clubs and bars and, the word processor.
The word processing system was meant to make a woman’s life easier — the majority of secretary’s were women, and making them work faster, more efficiently, and less repetitively was the goal of getting the systems into the marketplace.
How wrong can we get on where change is leading us?
Which brings me to the point of this post.
When laptops began to take over the desktops of the corporate world, there were many, many executives and professionals of every age who swore they would never use one. Like a lion holding court over its den, there was a certain pride in not having one on your desk, in not knowing how to type.
Now? Knowing how to type is invaluable. For everyone.
Which leaves me wondering. As voice recognition continues to become ever more effective and decipherable (I love how dictating texts can create such delightful mis-meaning!), will typing become the thing that ‘the older generation’ did? Will it too become a thing of the past like the dusty Underwood typewriter I have finally chosen to let go of as I clear and cull our house?
If instead of thinking about all that I am letting go of, I chose instead to embrace this move with the anticipation of all I am creating room for in our lives, would it be easier to be less hostile and insecure in the changes. In that place, would I be able to joyfully accept the inevitability of change and welcome in its possibilities?
A meandering stream of consciousness this morning as we prepare to put this house on the market and I prepare to greet my day.
The sky is slowly lightening. The world continues to turn as Calgary faces the outcome of another civic election. Not many faces have changed on the mayoral and councillor list. Yet, so much changed throughout the campaign.
I hope as the Mayor and Council get back to the business of running this city, they see the outcome of the election, not as a statement of their need to hold onto what they’ve got, but rather, as an invitation to let go of the bitterness and hostility that bubbled up all over the campaign trail.
In that space of letting go, I hope they find the courage to give into acceptance and forgiveness, courage and possibility. I hope they can feel secure enough to embrace change as together, with all of community, we work to create a great city for everyone. One community. One voice. One vision for our city.
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My Daily Intention: Exquisite Imperfections
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My Daily Intention: Hold Space for Joy
As I continue to cull and clear, declutter and pack, in preparation for putting this house on the market, the task can at times feel daunting, overwhelming, never-ending.
Questions arise.
How can two people need/acquire/keep/want so much stuff?
Where does all the stuff come from?
Where does it all go?
Is there not a more simple, grace-filled way to live?
So many questions with countless answers.
Today, I shall live inside each question so that the question becomes the path to where grace leads me into a more simple and elegant way to live.
Today, I shall let the process of decluttering and packing guide me by holding space in my heart for gratitude (for all we have, for all we create, for all we contribute, for all we receive) and joy (for the love, abundance and gifts in our lives) fill my heart.
Namaste.
A tale of the city.
I am driving down a side road towards the main avenue near our home when I see a man, arms flailing as he stumbles along the sidewalk. He windmills for a moment at the edge where the sidewalk ends and the road begins.
He falls.
I can’t see his fall. There is a parked car blocking my view.
I drive past. See him lying on the pavement.
I pull over. Get out of my car and walk quickly back to where he is lying, face up, on the curbside. He is staring up at the sky. Eyes closed. Arms splayed out at his sides, palms open.
Me: Are you okay? How can I help you?
He opens his eyes. Looks at me. His eyes are bleary.
Man: I don’t know. I fell.
Me: Yes. I saw you. Can you move? Do I need to call an ambulance?
Man: No. No. No ambulance.
Me: How can I help?
Man: I was just going for a coffee.
He wants to sit up. I lean over to help him and he moans.
Man: That doesn’t feel good.
He lays back down.
Me: What’s your name? Mine is Louise.
Man: Wayne.
He starts to cry.
Me: Do you live near here Wayne?
Wayne: Yes. In that building. And he waves one arm towards the apartment building to his right.
His speech is slurred. His words come out in a mumbled stream. I think he has been drinking. A lot.
Wayne: I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.
Me: There’s nothing to be sorry about, Wayne. But I do need to call 911. I don’t know how else I can help you.
He nods his head. Up and down. I call.
As I wait for EMS to arrive more cars stop. A couple of men walk over to where I am sitting on the curb, Wayne sprawled out on the road beside me.
They ask what they can do to help. I tell them we are waiting for EMS.
They stay and keep us company. Wayne continues to apologize. He is crying. He tells us he sometimes has seizure.
Me: Did you have a seizure just now?
Wayne: Yes.
Me: Do you have epilepsy Wayne?
Wayne: No.
I pause and think about my next question. EMS will need to know.
Me: Does alcohol cause seizures for you Wayne.
He nods his head slowly, once. He keeps crying.
Me: It’s okay Wayne. Just breathe. Deep slow breaths. EMS will need to know about your seizure and the alcohol. It’s important.
Wayne: Okay.
He nods his head again. Up and down. His tears keep flowing.
Me: Are you in pain Wayne?
Wayne: I don’t know.
Me: Are you cold?
Wayne: No.
One of the bystanders offers to get him a blanket.
EMS arrives.
They determine nothing is broken and help Wayne get up and walk him towards their ambulance. “We’ll take over from here,” they say.
I thank the two men who stopped to help.
“Thank you for stopping,” one says. “Not many would.”
“You did,” I reply with a smile and start walking towards my car.
Another man who had stopped his truck across the street and stood with his wife on the sidelines while we waited for EMS approaches me.
“Excuse me,” he says.
I stop and turn back towards him. “Yes?”
“Did you used to work at the Drop-In Centre?” (an adult emergency homeless shelter in the downtown core where I was the Director of Communications for 6 years)
“Yes,” I reply slowly.
“I thought so. I remember you. It’s nice to know there are kind-hearted people in the community,” he adds before wishing me a Happy Thanksgiving. He and his wife return to their truck and drive away.
I walk to my car, get in and drive to the store where I was going when I saw Wayne fall.
I will be late. It is Thanksgiving Day. Our guests will have arrived for dinner and everyone will be wondering where I am.
There were many kind-hearted people out that evening. Two women who came from the condo building on the other side of the street. I asked them to go to the main avenue to wave down the ambulance.
The two men who stood watching over us as I sat on the curb and chatted with Wayne.
And the other’s who stood waiting and watching until EMS arrived.
No one had to wait but in the tale of this city, people care enough to stop and help a stranger helping another human being lying on the side of the road.
I am grateful.
Dare Boldly 