Memorable 2011

Memorable things from 2011

1.       I started running.  After a near lifelong battle with knee problems, I began training to run a 10k.  Prior to 2011, I completed all endurance training on an elliptical machine or stationary bicycle, even during the peak of my athletic career.  My knees would become so swollen, I could barely walk, would need to receive weeks of physiotherapy and constantly wear knee braces, even under every day clothes.   The feeling of elation when I completed my first 5K on a treadmill (without knee braces or ibuprofen) was overwhelming.  I barely won the fight between composure and tears of joy.  While I have yet to complete a 10K, I no longer have any doubt that I can do it.

2.       I yelled at a coach.  My normal mild mannered, good humoured, laid back self, stepped aside and watched a crazed mama-bear rear its ugly head and lash out at injustice.  While this may not have been in any way honourable or appropriate, I was amazed with myself for actually doing it.

3.       I went beaching.  Hubby and I went with a friend on our first ever beachy vacation.  We had never been on a vacation where adventure and exploration wasn’t the number one thing to do.  The beach in Varadero, Cuba was stunning and the hours we spent in the ocean were magical.  While we had an amazing vacation, we totally reaffirmed our need to not lie around for hours on end.  Jamaica, what adventures do you hold for us this March?

4.       I started wearing makeup.  I essentially grew up as a tomboy, and had my first opportunity to be “trained” to wear makeup by our friend in Cuba.  At first, I admittedly felt a bit clownish (and seeing as I was new to applying the stuff, I may have looked as clownish as I felt).  At 34, I was beginning to feel that I had the ability to not stick out like a sore thumb when amongst “the beautiful people.” 

5.       I took the kids on a road trip.  In my family, road trips are epic.  While my brother sets the standard high on his seven week adventure escapades with only a motorcycle and a tent, I consider any “trip” with two children under ten to be just as adventurous.  This summer, magical memories were created in: Niagara Falls, Ontario (ok, that was my sisters family visiting us from Ontario, but there was still a lot of driving); Toronto, Ontario; Minden, Ontario; Oqonquit, Maine; Grand Manan, New Brunswick; Pictou County, Nova Scotia; and Louisburg, Nova Scotia.

6.       I began a new career.  After months spent searching both help wanted ads and my soul, I stumbled into a connection that set me on a new journey.  A career I had only dreamed of suddenly had a potential path laid out before me.  If it had not been for my business degree and my teaching degree, combined with my desire for writing, I would not have been introduced to its possible existence.  While I still have a fair distance to travel on my journey, I am grateful to have finally stepped out of the woods and into a clearing. 

Career Number 4 Secured. Now What?

Well, now isn't this a bit awkward?  Here I am blogging about my quest to find career number 4.  And, I've found it.  It involves my passion, my experience, and community interaction.  I have goals for advancement and a development plan in place to achieve them.  I obviously can't blog about my work, so now what?  What to do?  Oh, what to do?  Suggestions?  Click "Comment" and leave your suggestions below...  Do you enjoy my ramblings?  Then please, what shall I ramble about now?

CN4: Young and Old

Career Number 4,  you have eluded me for months now, but I have my eye on you.  You shall be an enticing blend.  I envision working with both the older (those with more refined, balanced characteristics that come with age and maturity), and the younger (the more lively, straightforward, and occasionally rough around the edges) generations.  Career Number 4, you are so close... I can almost smell you.

Finding Fraser: Gas and Time

From the archives.....

Gas and Time   (first blogged July 2008)

We spent the weekend up at the family cottage, 4 hrs away. Well, by my driving time it's 4hrs, but it's only 3-3.5 by my husbands. This time, I did the drive home so hubby could sleep, as he's woking the back shift this week. Anyway... I had recently read (I believe in Readers Digest) that a lady was religiously getting 600-630km's per tank of gas, driving at 120km/hr. Now, I've heard many times that driving between 100 and 105 gives you the best gas mileage, but I'd never heard a true testimonial on just how big the difference was. So, as I was saying, this lady averaged between 600-630kms on a tank of gas. By reducing her driving speed to between 100-105, she increased her distance covered to 770km's! Needless to say, being an unemployed soon-to-be student and mother of 3, I want to squeeze that tank as much as I can, and was determined to do just that! So, by adding 30mins to our drive, I saved almost a quarter of a tank (approx $20)coming home compared to how much gas we used to get there (at hubby's 120ish). Wow! And for a mere half hour! I must say, I certainly don't make $40 an hour, I'm slowing down.

During this drive, with hubby snoring next to me, I had plenty of time (30 mins more than usual, I might add! :P) to think about what it was that I would be missing by spending the extra half hour in the van. Hmmm... nope. Nothing.
While doing some research on "Intentional Living" recently, I came across a quote from Rainer Maria Rilke:

"…have patience with everything unresolved in your heart, …try to love the questions themselves… Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them…. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer."

and I was thinking about the essence of this quote on my drive. Why rush to my destination to get to nothing 30 mins earlier and completely ignore the 3.5 hrs ahead of me? Why not slow down, look around, and actually live during the next 3.5 hrs? Was there something so important awaiting me at home that I need to effectively lose 3.5hrs, only to save losing 30 mins later on... 30 mins I knew would be effectively wasted anyway? Having been raised as an athlete, I constantly have my "eye on the prize", (even when others vehemently swear I have no focus whatsoever) and am focused on the finish line. But I'm not an athlete anymore. And if there's a trophy waiting for me at the finish line of my life, great. But can I and I should I really ignore life in trying to get to it?

"Flying together in a synchronized wave..."

Wow, when I wrote about hundreds of birds flying together in a synchronized wave, choreographing music in the sky, (The Cricket Won't Stop Chirping, Oct 6, 2011) I never imagined it would look quite like this....

Amazing....

Wine Tasting for Beginners

So, you want to go to a winery, but you’re intimidated by the potential presence of the wine snobs?  Relax!  You can do this!  Everyone starts somewhere, and you have made the wise choice of doing a little bit of research to make your day less stressful, because really, there should be no stress in wine tasting.  There are three main steps to get through when going on your first wine tour; 1) Choose the wineries that you want to go to, 2) Choose the wines you want to taste, and 3) Decide to make (or not make) a purchase.

Choosing the Wineries:

A lot of first timers will choose to go on an official guided wine tour.  These tours are a very good option for several reasons.  First, they eliminate any need to pre-plan a route as most tours come with a set itinerary of wineries that they visit based on day of the week and time of day.  You merely book with the tour operator and they do the rest.  Second, they eliminate the need for a designated driver.  And third, they keep you on schedule.  There are also defined limitations to tours with an operator as well.  The most glaring is the loss of flexibility and control over your day.  For that reason alone, if you have access to a designated driver and are a bit of a control freak like me, I recommend planning your own tour.

If you decide to go it alone (with friends and a DD, of course), your next job is to choose the wineries you intend to visit.  You can plan on hitting 3-4 wineries in one afternoon, depending on the number of wines you sample at each winery.  Is there any winery that you’ve been dying to visit?  Do you have a favorite wine that you would like to re-sample?  Is there a particular area of Niagara you would like to visit? (Grimsby? Jordan? Lincoln? Niagara-on-the-Lake? Pelham?)  Once you have a general idea of where you want to be, choose some of the medium size wineries to start at and get your feet wet.  Going to the medium sized guys gives you some familiarity with “the process” without feeling intimidated by the potential marketing and sheer size of the larger wineries.  Finish the day at one of the larger wineries, perhaps with a light meal on their patio.  Save the smallest wineries for your second or third time out.

Choose the Wines you want to taste:

You have selected the wineries and are about to walk through their doors into a delicious new world.  Once you go through, we all know that there is no turning back.  What next?  Once inside, there will be the inevitable wall of wine for sale.  Many choose to peruse this wall, aimlessly wandering about, waiting for someone to guide them.  Don’t be that guy/gal.  Once inside, do a quick scan of the room, note any wine promotions that may be of interest, and make your way to the tasting bar/counter.  At the bar, your server will provide you with a “tasting menu”, the list of wines that are available for tasting that day.  Not all wines are open every day, they could never maintain quality tasting that way.  If you have particular preferences on what you drink and they are on the list, ask for them.  If not, ask the server what the winery is known for or if they have a “signature” wine.  Don’t be afraid to let them know you are a beginner, they will be gentle.  When tasting, don’t gulp, please sip.  But don’t worry about swirling or gurgling or assessing the bouquet, etc.  That will come with experience.  Beginners aren’t expected to do that.  Relax!  Your server will walk you through the rest of the tasting process.  They will talk about foods that pair well with each wine, whether they want to drink it in the summer on a patio, or with a big fat steak, etc.  (Note: Prepare to be hungry by the end of the afternoon.  Planning a stop at a local grocery store to purchase various cheeses, smoked salmon, and steaks on the way home is an excellent idea.) 

Deciding to Make (or not make) a purchase:

Once you have finished tasting, your server will ask if you want to purchase any of the wines you tasted.  If you decide not to make a purchase, you will be asked to pay for your tastings, told to come back soon, and sent happily on your merry way.  If you decide to purchase one (or more) of the wines you tasted (or ones you didn’t taste, too), your tasting fee will normally be waived.  You will pay for your bottles, and again, be told to come back soon, and sent happily on your merry way.  Obviously, the goal of the winery is to sell you wine, but most wineries are very respectful of the large amount of tasters that come through their doors, and there is little sales pressure.  If you have no interest in purchasing any of the wines you tasted, there really is no need to do so.  On the other hand, if you can envision yourself repeatedly enjoying a particular wine, there is no better time to buy a case of it!  (Frequently, wineries will throw in some sort of small freebie if you do.)

Once you are taken with the notion that you want to visit some wineries, there really is no reason not to go.  If chance or good planning lands you in the Niagara region, take advantage of the opportunity.  Book a tour, or choose a few wineries on your own, get yourself through the front door and taste!  There are 81 wineries in the Niagara region, each with its own unique flavour or location.  Take an afternoon and explore.  If you are still unsure of yourself or how to get started, I would be happy to walk you through the process!

Want to love what you do? Do what you love!

The best employees are those that are highly motivated.  That motivation can present itself in many forms.  For a lot of people, it is the pure desire for a paycheck.  For others, it is praise of a job well done.  Some, however, are intrinsically motivated by the pure fact that they LOVE what they do.  They want to get up in the morning and get to work because they have found the career that suits them.  These employees are the ones that can have the biggest impact on a company, not because of their education or their connections, but because they care about what they are doing.  These are the employees that commit themselves to a job and take ownership.  While they may not be the fastest or the most educated, they are bound to be the most reliable and effective.  They are the ones who, when faced with setbacks, will power through.  When times are tough, they will be the people you look to for your own motivation. 

They key to loving what you do is to make sure that you are doing what you love.  If you have the opportunity to turn your hobby into a sustainable career, do it!  YOU will then become the intrinsically motivated one.  YOU will find that you are committing yourself, taking ownership, powering through setbacks, and people will look to YOU for their own motivation.  Ironically, as a result of your newfound intrinsic motivation, that will be secondary in importance to you.  What will really matter is that you are loving what you do because you are doing what you love.

 ***(Please, don’t take this as advice to suddenly quit your day job.  Time, patience, and persistence can be required to turn your hobby into something SUSTAINABLE.  In the end, it will be worth it, but make sure you do your homework first!)***