Dappled Air

We are in the middle of municipal elections and a candidate came to my door. We were having a great conversation when the candidate's phone rang. The person on the phone was asked to wait and my conversation came to an abrupt end. That made me decide that I was not going to give that person my vote. With smartphones everywhere it seems to have become more important to answer the phone than keep on talking to the person you have a conversation with. The person on the phone does not know that you are talking to someone and can leave a message, but to drop everything because the phone is ringing just does not make sense. This is not new. It has been going on long before we had cell phones. I remember getting very upset when I was shopping and the cashier answered the phone rather than ringing in my purchase. In hindsight, I should have just walked out. I always thought that a bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush. There I was standing with money in my hand being ignored while ...

Being creative on a regular basis isn't that easy as there is a rhythm to it like with everything else. Some days you are super creative and then there are others when it feels like you are stuck in molasses. This morning I came across this helpful list with 29 tip to stay creative: Have you tried any of these tips? Do you thinks that some of them don't or won't work? I would love to hear from you how you work on stay creative. Do you have any tips to share?

This past week hubby and I had the most delightful summer adventure of a different kind, we went Segway Gliding . That's what it is called when you go for a drive on a Segway. A few years ago at a Health Show I had the opportunity to do 5 minutes of Segway gliding and I fell in love with it. First stop at a small waterfall on the BLT trail Then a few months ago I came across a local ad for Segway tours in Nova Scotia . I made a mental note and told myself that hubby and I would do this some time in August. Well, last Thursday was that day. It was early in the morning on hot summer's day. We met up with Max from Segway NS at the BLT (Beechville - Lakeside - Timberlea Trail) at trail on what once was the rail bed. What is a Segway Anyway? Here is the info from Wikipedia: The Segway PT is a two-wheeled self-balancing battery-powered electric vehicle invented by Dean Kamen. It is produced by Segway Inc. ofNew Hampshire, USA. The name Segway is a homophone of the wor...

Yesterday, as I was stopped at a red light at the busy intersection at the MacDonald bridge here in Dartmouth, NS I wished I had had the opportunity to take a picture of a single starling crossing the road with the green light, walking across in front of my stopped car on the crosswalk. The bird stayed within the lines and just kept on walking rather than flying. I imagine that this bird has been observing people and the traffic and then decided to to the same. Has anybody else observed this at the Wyse Road and MacDonald bridge intersection? a whole flock of starlings in my backyard photo source: Marlies Cohen

How many times are we totally devastated when something we have wanted soooo much falls through. We wonder why oh why? That's when I came across this quote and learned to go with the flow.

This week I came across a couple of quotes that reminded me that you can only make changes in the Now and to stop worrying so much about what happened and what could be. The first one points out the futility of worrying so much: The second one reminds you that holding on to things from the past, prevent you from moving forward. Events happened in the past, but they are not happening any longer, but if you hold on to them you are recreating them every time you think of them. Take action today and enjoy everything you are doing and what the day brings to you. June 27/2012 just came across this quote:

While going through my Facebook stream this morning I came across this picture and just had to share it.

I am in the middle of figuring out to describe myself and my business and have been working on it since the start of 2012. It is a slow process that seems to go in waves. March with Mercury retrograde was slow as molasses. With Mercury moving forward again on April 4 there is movement again and this morning I discovered this information  from a book called "The Tipping Point" by Malcom Gladwell from 2000 where he talks about people as Mavens, Connectors and Salespersons . So who am I? Before I even knew about this information I have been calling myself a "creative maven" and after reading the 3 categories, I have to say that "yes, I am a Maven with a bit of Connector and Salesperson mixed in". Mavens Mavens are "information specialists", or "people we rely upon to connect us with new information." They accumulate knowledge, especially about the marketplace, and know how to share it with others. A prototypical Maven is ...

Swiss Mercenaries I was just looking through my quarterly magazine called 'Swiss Review" that arrives regularly like clockwork in my house and an article about the history of Swiss Mercenaries caught my attention. In school we were taught that the Swiss soldiers had a reputation of being fierce. The Swiss guard at the Vatican started out like that a long time ago. As the center Cantons are primarily catholic it stands to reason that only catholic men can join the guard and many are from those central Cantons. I am not sure for how long this article is going to be reachable through this link as I had to go searching for it, I am putting the content here: Switzerland – a warfare service provider Mercenaries do not have a good reputation. The Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi attempted for months to prevent his fall from power in October 2011 with foreign troops. The UN recently warned of a worrying rise in the number of mercenaries in Africa. The use of “external mil...

I like watching the Mentalist TV show and yesterday I got finally around to watch my latest recorded show. To my delight and surprise Patrick Jane's character gave this tip to help you fall asleep: If you have falling asleep you can count sheep or on your in-breath say or think 1 and then when you breath out say or think 2. On your next in-breath say or think 1 and when you breath out say or think 2. Keep on repeating this and you will be surprised that when you wake up it is morning. Give it a try and then connect with me on Facebook and let me know what happened . . . counting sheep

Just recently I came across this treasure trove of a site. It is called Marc and Angel Hack Life - Practical tips for productive living . The put together lists of helpful information for a productive life. Here are just a few of tips of the list: "101 Simple Truths We Often Forget" 1.  The acquisition of knowledge doesn’t mean you’re growing.  Growing happens when what you know changes how you live. 11.  Growth begins at the end of your comfort zone.  Stepping outside of your comfort zone will put things into perspective from an angle you can’t grasp now. 20.  Having a plan, even a flawed one at first, is better than no plan at all. 33. Being successful is a journey, not a destination. 39.  Everyone you meet is better than you at something.  We all have different strengths.  What worked for someone else might not work for you. 47.  Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. 57.  Screaming at people always makes things wor...

Just came across this powerful 12 minute video about Alice Herz Summer a 108- year-old survivor of a Nazi Concentration Camp.  Her positive outlook is what helped her survive. Alice Herz Summer Quotes from the Video Complaining doesn't change things or people.  Be grateful for everything in your life. Learn from your mistakes. Learn from the bad and focus on the good. That's the way the life works. That is the essence of optimism. Smile a lot. Hatred eats the soul of the hater not the hated. Everything is a present. { [  Watch the video here  ] } I once read this quote that totally agrees with what Alice says.  "We live our lives looking forward, but we make sense of our lives by looking backward." Connect with me on Facebook  and let me know that this article did for you ...