Posts Tagged ‘Drayton Valley’

I’m Ready

Posted: January 2, 2016 in Uncategorized
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So I have no ‘resolutions’. A resolution seems to have no margin for error; it’s defined as a firm decision to do or not do something. Well there are days my friends that the resolve to perhaps not eat that amazing meal may just not be that important. I’m kind of flawed so I best scrap the perfection plan. Instead I will have things I will ‘challenge’ myself to do. Some may be outrageous and some will not be. In fact I have given a motto to one of my ‘challenges’ for this year; “The thing is so difficult I can not help but attempt it.” Others will be a little more ordinary.  Can I allow myself to once again enjoy a love of reading?  That is achievable.  I just have to allow myself the time.  I’m going to be less about more and more about less. If it can be said with less or done with less than so it will be. Will 2016 be my best year ever? Every year I have lived has taught me something and helped me to be the work in progress that I am.  What I have learned in 2015 is that the value of family and friends is not cliche…it has in fact saved my life.  So my 2016 new words to live by are ambitious and resilient while never losing sight of the ones that got me through 2015; dignity, purpose and most importantly hope.

Auld Lang Syne

Posted: December 31, 2014 in Uncategorized
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My musings as the New Year begins…

  • I am definitely not the same person I was a year ago, a month ago, or a week ago.  I have to believe that I am always growing.  Experiences don’t stop.  That’s life. Sometimes there are things in my life that are not meant to stay (thank God for that).  Sometimes the changes I don’t want are the changes I need to grow.  Growth and change may be painful sometimes, but nothing in my life has been as painful as staying stuck where I don’t belong.  The bottom line is that I can’t reach for anything new if I’m holding onto yesterday.  I hope others will offer me the grace to work in that direction and even if they don’t I need to do that for myself. Sometimes I convince myself that holding on makes me strong, but more often it is letting go and starting anew in the present that has allowed me growth.  I now know if my life is going to mean anything, I have to live it myself.   No; that does not mean my family situation is changing-it just means I have to choose the path that feels right to ME, not the one that looks right to everyone else.  In honour of my late Dad who’s memoir was named ‘One Rung At A Time’ it seems appropriate that the analogy that comes to mind for me is that it’s always better to be at the bottom of the ladder I want to climb, than at the top of the one I don’t even want to be on.   I commit to at least try not to wait until I’m halfway up the wrong ladder to listen to my intuition. Yes Nancy that feeling in your gut means something.  It is a waste to always be questioning myself when I am the answer.   “I have a choice and I am here now because of the choices I’ve made in the past.”  One of my favourite expressions is ‘When you blame others you give up the power to change.’  I will live that quote.   Every morning I will try to ask myself what is really important, and then find the courage, wisdom and willpower to build my day around my answer.   No wasted time, no fluff, no regrets.   
  • I tend to  think and think and think and accordingly will think myself right out of happiness a thousand times over, and never once into it.  I know that worrying doesn’t take away tomorrow’s troubles, it takes away today’s peace and potential.  So I have to try to stop over-thinking everything.   Right now this will be particularly difficult for me.  My biggest limitations are the ones I make up in my mind.  The biggest causes of any unhappiness are the false beliefs I refuse to let go of.  I know I am capable of far more than I  am presently thinking, imagining, doing or being.  I may not be where I want to be  yet, but when I really think about it, I am definitely not where I once was either.   I have to believe I can trust myself moving forward not because I’ve always made the right choices but because I’ve survived the bad ones, and taken small steps in the right direction.  I will focus on the right things and just do the best I can.  I can’t  be crippled by stress and self-loathing.  Everything is only as it is.  There’s no reason to let it destroy me.  I will breathe and let every moment be what it’s going to be.  What’s meant to be will come my way, what’s not will fall away.  My greatest gifts have definitely not always been wrapped as I expected.
  • Sometimes my time and energy is misspent on the wrong relationships or on too many activities that force me to neglect my good relationships.  A quote from Josh Radnor says “It’s not our job to play judge and jury, to determine who is worthy of our kindness and who is not.  We just need to be kind, unconditionally and without ulterior motive, even-or rather, especially-when we’d prefer not to be.”  I promise that it will be my intent to do that for others and I will ask for the same grace.  I too often let the fear of judgment numb and silence me.  My deepest thoughts and feelings often go unspoken, and thus barely understood.   I am the sum of the people I spend the most time with.  I choose to be around people that will help me grow me into my ‘best self.’   Those ‘wrong’ people can be so destructive to my soul.  I WILL NOT let people invalidate or minimize how I feel.  No one else lives in my body, or sees life through my eyes.  No one else has lived through my exact experiences and so no one else has the right to dictate or judge how I feel.  A great deal of unhappiness comes into the world because of confusion, bewilderment, and things left unsaid.  Many times in life I’ve regretted the things I’ve said without thinking.  But I’ve never regretted the things I said nearly as much as the words I’ve left unspoken. (Yes Mum I hear you).  I will not  hide my thoughts and feelings, especially when I can make a difference.   I will be brave and say what needs to be said.  When I don’t communicate effectively with those around me, there’s a lot of important stuff that ends up not getting said and a lot of beautiful emotion that ends up not being felt.  I will work to hear others even when what they say conflicts with my beliefs or understanding.
  • As Mahatma Gandhi (with whom I share an October 2nd birthday) once said, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow.  Learn as if you were to live forever.”  Life is a book and those who do not educate themselves read only a few pages. It’s clear to me-when I know better I live better.  Period.  All education is self-education I won’t learn anything I don’t want to learn.  I believe that because I take the time and initiative to pursue knowledge on my own time I will benefit from earning a real education in this world.  When I take a look at any widely acclaimed scholar, entrepreneur or historical figure I can think of, formal education or not, I find that he or she is a product of continuous self-education.  Perhaps this year I will pursue some formal education opportunities but continued self education will be most important.
  •  Life is short.  The risk to remain perched in my nest; particularly the one I have hidden in for the past 2 months, is far more detrimental than the risk it takes to fly.  This year I will spread my wings and I will fly. (Yes Dad my goal is for this to be both figurative and literal). I’m sure some of you don’t see me as a ‘nest sitter’  but I assure you I have not reached my full potential.  To accomplish great things, I must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe. This year I will be a positive motivator, a productive doer, and a go-getter who keeps my head in the clouds and my feet on the ground.  I will let the spirit of passion and possibility ignite a fire within me to do something worthwhile today, and I won’t forget to spread my enthusiasm to those around me.    This year I will take the time to touch my dreams.   They say everyone dreams, but not equally.  Too many people dream only at night in the quiet of their own minds, and then awake to find it was all an illusion.  I don’t want to continue to be one of them.  I want to dream by the day instead.  I want to be one of the people who dreams with their eyes wide open, and who works to make them come true.  I only have so much time, and I want to spend it where it counts.  

Gratitude Began At Walmart

Posted: October 12, 2014 in Uncategorized
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BeautifulSunsetthankful               

 “As we express our gratitude we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words,                                   but to live by them. ”  John F. Kennedy

So on a last minute trip to Walmart today to buy an oversized roasting pan for my oversized turkey a gentleman in the check out line behind me said,  “Thank you for the work you do for our community.  I really appreciate it.  Politicians work hard for their constituents and are under appreciated.  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.”  I was pleasantly surprised by his comment and although I don’t know him I am very grateful for his words.  This last few weeks have been difficult politically (and I get it times 2). There have been some controversial issues and sometimes disagreements.   What am I grateful for?  The fact that I live in this amazing country where I have the freedom to choose my own point of view, honour another persons opposing views and move forward.  I’m grateful for my amazing family; a husband who works hard to support his family and children who make me proud.  I am grateful for the gift of parents who taught me the value of service, hard work and open mindedness.  I am thankful for my mentors who have forged roads I can now travel.  I am grateful for my friends and sisters who are always there; to pick me up, to raise me up and to walk beside me.  I am grateful for the wonderful community of Drayton Valley but remain grateful for my Maritime roots. Gratitude means thankfulness, counting my blessings, noticing simple pleasures, and acknowledging everything that I receive. It means learning to live my life as if everything were a miracle, and being aware on a continuous basis of how much I’ve been given. Gratitude shifts my focus from what my life lacks to the abundance that is already present. In addition, behavioral and psychological research has shown the surprising life improvements that can stem from the practice of gratitude. Giving thanks makes people happier and more resilient, it strengthens relationships, it improves health, and it reduces stress.  Gratitude helps those who practice gratitude to be more creative, bounce back more quickly from adversity, have a stronger immune system, and have stronger social relationships than those who don’t practice gratitude. To say I feel grateful is not to say that everything in my lives is necessarily great. It just means I am aware of my blessings.
I try(not always successfully) to practice giving thanks to appreciate life more fully and to use gratitude to help put things in their proper perspective. When things don’t go my way, I try to remember that every difficulty carries within it the seeds of an equal or greater benefit. In the face of adversity I ask myself: “What’s good about this?”, “What can I learn from this?”, and “How can I benefit from this?”  This is more often than not a challenging exercise for me.  But as I  become oriented toward looking for things to be grateful for, I find that I begin to appreciate simple pleasures and things that I previously took for granted.  Today, I will start bringing gratitude to my experiences, instead of waiting for a positive experience in order to feel grateful; in this way, I’m on my way toward becoming not just grateful but maybe; just maybe a master of gratitude.

Communities In Bloom-Time To Get This Right

Posted: August 4, 2014 in Uncategorized
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CIB
Today I’m a little defensive.  That feeling relates to comments I am reading on social media about Communities in Bloom.  There is criticism of the the Town of Drayton Valley  for it’s involvement in this program.  So let’s set this straight once and for all!  First of all Communities In Bloom is a Canadian non-profit organization committed to fostering civic pride, environmental responsibility and beautification through community involvement.  People, plants and pride….growing together. A Community In Bloom is one that pulls community together and speaks to economic development, social development, historical preservation and all other factors that contribute to a community in ‘bloom’.  In Websters Dictionary we find that the the verb ‘bloom’ (yes it’s a verb; not just a noun) is to change, grow, or develop fully, to mature into, achievement of one’s potential.  I have been involved with this program for 3 years as a VOLUNTEER.  There is some financial support from the town but most of the planning and preparation is driven by non paid individuals and non municipally funded initiatives.  The ‘flower’ part that everyone talks about are generally corporately sponsored flower beds.  Through our communities involvement in this program we have identified gaps in our community such as attention needed to historical preservation and an off leash park;  both of which are or were addressed as a result of this. We won Provincially two years ago with specific credit to youth involvement.  We are competing Nationally this year with our competition including town’s with significant natural beauty such as mountains or the ocean and some with history dating back hundreds of years. How do we compete with that?   If this was just about how our community looks we couldn’t plant enough flowers.  Perhaps some of you only see the negatives around you.  I came to this community eight years ago with a focus on making a difference and darn it I will keep doing that through initiatives such as Communities In Bloom. As one of the judges said when they were here in July; “It’s not what you see in Drayton Valley; it’s how you feel.”  So folks we don’t know until September if we win any award but I can guarantee those words from the judge were prize enough.

My Moncton!

Posted: June 6, 2014 in Uncategorized
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Moncton RCMP

 

 

Everyone who knows me is quick to learn that I wear the Drayton Valley banner liked I owned it.  I love this community and spend my days trying to make it an even better place to live.  But when I am out of town the first question I hear on meeting someone is almost always the same thing; “Where are you from?’  I always hesitate for a moment because I want to honour the great community where I live but almost without exception I respond, ” I am from Moncton, New Brunswick, but live in the great community of Drayton Valley, Alberta.  I have dual citizenship you see.”  Anyone who travels with me has heard me say this. And these past few days have reminded me of the community that was my home for the first 19 years of my life.  I’m a proud Maritimer; particularly a Monctonian which means I come from among other things the only officially bilingual city in Canada and the home to the Tidal Bore.  Moncton has been determined by Readers Digest in two separate polls as the most polite city in Canada and the most honest city in Canada.  It offers one of the best qualities of life in the country and darn it Moncton is ‘where I’m from’.  I’m proud of that and no one messes with it.  There are no six degrees of separation in Moncton;  maybe not even three degrees of separation.  It’s a city but maintains the feeling of a small town.

What happened in the past 48 hours will not change that feeling.  ‘He’ is not who we are!  Who we are is a community that over the next several weeks, months and years will honour the incredible loss suffered by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police; particularly with the loss of life of Const. Dave Ross, 32, from Victoriaville, Que., Const. Fabrice Georges Gevaudan, 45, who was born in Boulogne-Billancourt, France and Const. Douglas James Larche, 40, from Saint John.  We will of course raise money for their families and have memorials for them.  But what we will do to truly honour the sacrifice these men made is to be a little more honest, a little more polite and a little kinder.  Because that is what Monctonians do!

 

Goodbye 2013……Hello 2014

Posted: December 28, 2013 in Uncategorized
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2013 WHAT A YEAR!  2014 BRING IT ON!!!!

Triskaidekaphobics (literally people who fear the number 13 and yes there’s a word for everything) likely spent the year under a blanket in their apartment with all the lights turned off.  They might argue that nothing good happened. They can keep that to themselves. Plenty of good stuff happened in 2013, and people who were scared of the number 13 are biased anyway.  Yes there was a reminder of the fragility of life as I lost one of the most important people in my life. As well my best buddy my dog Tabasco was killed which leaves a void in my home. But overall  2013 was an incredible year for me.  My children are becoming young adults and my husband has decided to take on an educational initiative which has been both a challenge and a celebration.  I ran in 2 elections (no acclamation for me) and won both of them (with the dedication and support of some great individuals and my community in general). The year has been one of significant work and stress as well as great joy but as one to always put one foot in front of the other I will write about what I will try to give myself and those around me in 2014.

My musings as the New Year begins…

  • I am definitely not the same person I was a year ago, a month ago, or a week ago.  I feel I am always growing.  Experiences don’t stop.  That’s life. Sometimes there are things in my life that are not meant to stay (thank God for that).  Sometimes the changes I don’t want are the changes I need to grow.  Growth and change may be painful sometimes, but nothing in my life has been as painful as staying stuck where I don’t belong.  The bottom line is that I can’t reach for anything new if I’m holding onto yesterday.  Sometimes I convince myself that holding on makes me strong, but more often it is letting go and starting anew in the present that has allowed me growth.  I now know if my life is going to mean anything, I have to live it myself. No that does not mean my family situation is changing-it just means I have to choose the path that feels right to ME, not the one that looks right to everyone else.  In honour of my late Dad who’s memoir was named ‘One Rung At A Time’ it seems appropriate that the analogy that comes to mind for me is that it’s always better to be at the bottom of the ladder I want to climb, than at the top of the one I don’t even want to be on.   I commit to at least try not to wait until I’m halfway up the wrong ladder to listen to my intuition. Yes Nancy that feeling in your gut means something.  It is a waste to always be questioning myself when I am the answer.   “I have a choice and I am here now because of the choices I’ve made in the past.”  Every morning I will try to ask myself what is really important, and then find the courage, wisdom and willpower to build my day around my answer.  In the end, it’s not what I say, but how I spend my time that counts.  If I want to do something, I’ll find a way; if I don’t, I’ll find an excuse.  I will try to identify what’s most important to me .  I will prune nonessential commitments (I am convinced vacuuming falls in the nonessential category and maybe even cooking….).  I will try to eliminate as much as I possibly can of everything else.  No wasted time, no fluff, no regrets.   They say the mark of a successful person is the ability to set aside the “somewhat important” things in order to accomplish the vital ones first.  I will try to be crystal clear about my priorities and then theoretically I can painlessly arrange them in the right order and discard the activities and commitments that do not support the ones at the top of my list.  As a Libra this decisiveness will be a challenge but I did say ‘try’.
  • I tend to  think and think and think and accordingly will think myself right out of happiness a thousand times over, and never once into it.  I know that worrying doesn’t take away tomorrow’s troubles, it takes away today’s peace and potential. So I have to try to stop over-thinking everything.   My biggest limitations are the ones I make up in my mind.  The biggest causes of any unhappiness are the false beliefs I refuse to let go of.  I know I am capable of far more than I  am presently thinking, imagining, doing or being.  I may not be where I want to be  yet, but when I really think about it, I am definitely not where I once was either.   I have to believe I can trust myself moving forward not because I’ve always made the right choices but because I’ve survived the bad ones, and taken small steps in the right direction.  I will focus on the right things and just do the best I can.  I can’t  be crippled by stress and self-loathing.  Everything is only as it is.  There’s no reason to let it destroy me.  I will breathe and let every moment be what it’s going to be.  What’s meant to be will come my way, what’s not will fall away.  My greatest gifts have definitely not always been wrapped as I expected.
  •  Expecting that everyone will appreciate what I  do for them often causes me grief.  I need to figure out who’s worth my attention and who’s just taking advantage of me.  Discerning this accurately is definitely one of my flaws.  Sometimes my time and energy is misspent on the wrong relationships or on too many activities that force me to neglect my good relationships.  I will not settle for those who treat me as ordinary.  That sounds a little grandiose but what I really mean is that I will not settle for being someone’s “option” when I have the potential to be someone’s “first choice.”  I am the sum of the people I spend the most time with.  I choose to be around people that will help me grow me into my ‘best self.’  The RIGHT people for me will love all the things about me that the WRONG people are intimidated by – that’s what I need to look out for.  Those ‘wrong’ people can be so destructive to my soul.  I too often let the fear of judgment numb and silence me.  My deepest thoughts and feelings often go unspoken, and thus barely understood.  I WILL NOT let people invalidate or minimize how I feel.  No one else lives in my body, or sees life through my eyes.  No one else has lived through my exact experiences and so no one else has the right to dictate or judge how I feel.  A great deal of unhappiness comes into the world because of confusion, bewilderment, and things left unsaid.  Many times in life I’ve regretted the things I’ve said without thinking.  But I’ve never regretted the things I said nearly as much as the words I’ve left unspoken. (Yes Mum I hear you).  I will not  hide my thoughts and feelings, especially when I can make a difference. I will be brave and say what needs to be said.  When I don’t communicate effectively with those around me, there’s a lot of important stuff that ends up not getting said and a lot of beautiful emotion that ends up not being felt.  I will work to hear others even when what they say conflicts with my beliefs or understanding.
  • As Mahatma Gandhi (with whom I share an October 2nd birthday) once said, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow.  Learn as if you were to live forever.”  Life is a book and those who do not educate themselves read only a few pages. It’s clear to me-when I know better I live better.  Period.  All education is self-education.  It doesn’t matter if I’m sitting in a university classroom, a Board meeting, a council meeting or a coffee shop.  I won’t learn anything I don’t want to learn.  I believe that because I take the time and initiative to pursue knowledge on my own time I will benefit from earning a real education in this world.  When I take a look at any widely acclaimed scholar, entrepreneur or historical figure I can think of, formal education or not, I find that he or she is a product of continuous self-education.
  •  Life is short.  The risk to remain perched in my nest is far more detrimental than the risk it takes to fly.  This year I will spread my wings and I will fly. (Yes Dad my goal is for this to be both figurative and literal). I’m sure some of you don’t see me as a ‘nest sitter’  but I assure you I have not reached my full potential.  To accomplish great things, I must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe. This year I will be a positive motivator, a productive doer, and a go-getter who keeps my head in the clouds and my feet on the ground.  I will let the spirit of passion and possibility ignite a fire within me to do something worthwhile today, and I won’t forget to spread my enthusiasm to those around me.    This year I will take the time to touch my dreams.  I spend so much time trying to be the voice of reason that I sometimes forget to allow myself to embrace my dreams.  They say everyone dreams, but not equally.  Too many people dream only at night in the quiet of their own minds, and then awake to find it was all an illusion.  I don’t want to continue to be one of them.  I want to dream by the day instead.  I want to be one of the people who dreams with their eyes wide open, and who works to make them come true.  I only have so much time, and I want to spend it where it counts.

These will be my gifts to myself and to my family, friends and colleagues this year.   What will be yours?