The rain stops. The sky clears. The air is crisp and cold.
Just for one night, time stands still.
Tens of thousands of twinkling lights.
An illusion. A mystery.
A feeling of enchantment.
Children’s smiles.
Removed from everyday life.
Thankful for this moment in time.
For we are all children, in awe of the Magic.
I wish everyone a year filled with Magical Moments in 2019!
Do you remember the day your child was born?…. the birth of your grandchild?….your wedding day?.…the day a loved one dies?
The end of December is often a time of reflection, recalling many of the events from the last 12 months. 2018 was filled with many positive moments, some noteworthy and some long forgotten. I have to refer back to my photos and to my calendar to jog my memory.
The one day in 2018 I will never forget is the day my Grandson was born.
I remember the adrenaline cursing through my body when we received the phone call to rush to the hospital. I remember my daughter’s labour and how I wanted to alleviate her pain, yet how helpless I felt. I remember the love on my daughter’s face when she held her son for the first time.
I remember the joy I felt and how I was overcome with emotion hearing his newborn cries, seeing him for the first time, the miracle of life.
These memories are forever etched in my mind. I vividly remember the details of that day.
Yet, I cannot immediately recall what I did a week ago.
There has been a great deal of research done investigating the relationship between emotion and memory. We create longer lasting memories in emotionally charged situations.
This is a complex subject with many individual variations.
Events surrounded by positive emotions are usually remembered better than events surrounded by negative emotions.
Different emotional states may impair memory. Strong emotional states can result in persistent vivid memories of stressful events (PTSD).
Gender differences influence memory. Men and women may remember events differently.
Our age affects the details we remember. As we get older, unpleasant memories fade faster and pleasant memories get stronger. learn more here and here
I can look back on my own life and clearly recall details from emotional events that occurred many decades ago. I can also remember how I felt on that day and tears (of joy or sadness) can easily resurface.
the birth of my own children……. the timing of events on that day, the colour of the socks I was wearing, even what I had to eat that day…….my feelings of relief, euphoria and love
my Father’s funeral…….how my body would not stop shaking and my daughter held my hand to steady it, memories and photos shared that day, the blue sky…….an overwhelming feeling of sadness
my daughter and son-in-law’s wedding…….the beaming, genuine smiles on their faces, the look of love in their eyes, the ocean breeze…….my tears of love and joy
I think most of us have vivid recollections of events when we were in a heightened state of emotion. We can recall details from that day and how we felt.
The end of the year is often a time we reminisce on the special moments of the last 12 months. 2018 was a good year for us, creating many memories with our loved ones. What events took place? What did I do? Where did I travel? What do I remember?
I do know that I will never forget the day in April that my Grandson was born, an emotional day filled with intense feelings of gratitude, joy, and love.
What day will you remember from 2018?
Do you ever arrive at your destination in the blink of an eye, unsure how you managed to get from here to there? Do you look up and notice most of the leaves have fallen from the trees and wonder what happened to Autumn? Do you go about your weekly routine, deep in thought, oblivious to your surroundings?
This past week I was watering my Christmas Cactus plant and I noticed that a flower had already bloomed and dropped to the table. Darn! I had missed it!
My very sparse plant has only a few buds that bloom once a year. I was now determined to check on these buds. I wanted to enjoy these rare beautiful flowers.
As I would stop by my plant each day, I started to wonder, why is my Christmas Cactus still alive at all? I inherited this plant when it had only a few leaves, most of them brown. That was over 40 years ago.
All I do is give it water.
I can’t help but think about the documentary “What the Bleep do we know?!”
This movie discussed the concept of thoughts and energy specifically related to water. Although I watched this movie many years ago, I still remember how it gave me goosebumps and made me think differently.
One scene in the movie described an experiment questioning whether the molecular structure of water can change depending on mental stimulation. Positive thoughts versus negative intentions were directed at the water. Did the cellular structure of the water change? Yes, according to these scientists.
The experiments in this movie have been criticized and considered pseudoscience containing only grains of truth. I still think it is a good movie. Sometimes questions are more important than answers. It opened my eyes to a unique perspective.
There are likely many reasons my plant is still alive today. Of course, water is one of them.
Do my thoughts and intentions affect the water and ultimately my plants? Do my thoughts affect the water within my body. What are the resulting implications for our planet? “Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?”
I think many of us can agree that positive and negative energy does affect all of us.
What the bleep do I know?!
I do know that I want to navigate through my life more keenly aware of my surroundings, paying attention. I want to enjoy the Autumn leaves before they fall on the ground. I want to watch the flowers bloom on my Christmas Cactus plant.
I want to be fully present for the beautiful fleeting moments in my life.
Month 1
I call him at work to tell him I “think” the tv is on fire……..he runs the 4 minute mile and he is home before I can even hang up the phone…………He totally cares………about me?………or the tv?………likely both
Month 2
Things in common………some totally opposite………..
Toilet seat down…………most of the time………………..
Family values, kindness, respect, thoughtful, fun……
Month 20
Me in pj’s the past 24 hours……..the darn flu………..he gets down on one knee to propose……..excited to share the ring he has designed for me………I think I said “yes”………too delirious from the flu to remember………
Month 30
We make it official and get married.
40 Years Later
It’s how he still looks at me with love and kindness when I enter the room
It’s how he accepts my flaws and loves me anyways
It’s how he makes me laugh
It’s how he gently holds and plays with the grandchildren
It’s how he drops everything to be present and help when his family needs him, always making loved ones a priority
Things in common………some totally opposite………..
Toilet seat down…………most of the time………………..
Family values, kindness, respect, thoughtful, fun……
He is still the same man I married……….. except that we have grown 40 years older together.
We are a team. We have learned when to step in or step back. We support each other.
Many pivotal events have occurred over the last 40 years. And yet, it’s the numerous little things that create the moments in our day, and ultimately create our life.
I am very aware of the passing of time and the fragility of life. Our days ahead will be less than the days we have left behind. The gift of time is very precious.
I am grateful for the 40 years we have had together. I will cherish the moments we have ahead of us.
Yes……. he is a keeper!
(Happy 40th Anniversary Sweetheart…….my Partner, my Friend…….I love you with all of my heart)
I think many of us have reflected on the “sliding door” moments in our life, the what ifs?….. what might have been?…… how would my life be different now? I know I have.
It may be a split decision to take a different route home or leave 10 minutes later from work, avoiding an accident.
It may be where we decide to live, our career choice, who we choose to marry. One decision can change the course of our life forever.
I am also very aware of the butterfly effect, the ripple effect, caused by that one decision……..the family I now have and the friends I have made along the way.
A pivotal “sliding door” moment for me was when I met a very friendly girl in a cafeteria at school. We had 2 weeks left until the end of the Spring semester and we were discussing our Summer plans.
She was heading back to her hometown, Whitehorse and I was going to Yellowknife to work for the Summer. She told me about the beautiful Yukon Territory and the jobs that were available there. I reviewed the student job search bulletin board and 2 weeks later I was on an airplane heading to Whitehorse instead of Yellowknife.
My Summer job actually turned into 4 years of living in the beautiful Yukon. This is where I met my husband ……and the rest is history.
Was I destined to meet my husband, possibly at a different time and place, or through different circumstances?
We found out that our paths may have crossed in a prior year. My family and I used to camp at a lake in the Interior of BC when I was a young girl. At that time, my husband lived on this lake immediately across from our campground.
I have heard many stories like this. One couple I know spent the first few days of their lives in the same hospital nursery. They were actually born on the same day. They met years later and married. Other friends found out they had attended the same basketball game years before they actually met. A random event?……. fate?…….. serendipity?
There is also evidence of Parallel universes in modern science. Something about electrons spinning in different directions at the same time…..quantum physics. The theory is that there is a parallel you inhabiting a world that is no less real than ours, yet can accommodate different outcomes. Is there a copy of me existing right now in an alternate reality, a separate parallel universe? This concept is far too in depth and complicated for my brain……..although intriguing.
I do not know whether our lives unfold by chance or whether we are on a preordained path. Do we have certain people in our lives for a reason? Are there lessons we are required to learn on this route?
I have reflected on the “sliding door” moments in my life, especially the summer I moved to the Yukon. I will never know how my life would have turned out differently, if I had taken that airplane to Yellowknife instead of Whitehorse.
My gut on this one? I am grateful I went through that one door over 40 years ago, leading me to this rewarding life.
I cannot imagine my life without my husband, my daughters, my family, my friends. I was destined to be right here, right now.
“Heidi” Johanna Spyri: lost count as to how many times I read this book as a child and the lessons I carried with me throughout my life – when you think life is not going as hoped and planned- it’s because something better is in store for you
“The 4 Agreements” Don Miguel Ruiz: read countless times, taped the main concepts inside work cupboards and day planners, given as gifts…….yet, I still need to reread and remind myself…… especially when interacting with people in all parts of my life
“Big Magic” Elizabeth Gilbert: the concept of creativity…..everyone is creative……..art, music, carpentry, designing cakes, writing……it has all been done before, but it hasn’t been done by you
“Tiny Beautiful Things” Cheryl Strayed: I enjoy her writing in general, although, it was actually one sentence in one of the chapters that changed how I think about writing…….’what is your story…….and more importantly, what are you REALLY trying to say’
“Seat of the Soul” Gary Zukav: huge impact in my life (almost 30 years ago) ……..when you are going in the right direction, following the ‘Mother Ship’, life will fall into place……not a constant struggle……..helped me pay attention, change direction, make choices……yet, let life unfold
“The Power of Now” Eckhart Tolle: an Awareness of your thoughts being separate from actually You – tough to wrap my mind around this one – although worth trying to grasp….. staying in the present moment
“I’ve been thinking” Maria Shriver: my most recent book – many gems in this one – I appreciate her honest, succinct, relatable words: life is yours to create….and to re-create, listening to your gut, stop worrying about what others think…..it’s a huge waste of your time, learn how to turn off the critical voice in your head
Many more books on my list that have made me think differently, changed me and enriched my life.
I would love to hear which books made an impact on your life……any gems? Thank you for sharing.
We are in this life together. Thank you for stopping by.
