The Wonderful Gift

The other day, I decided to visit the Observation Deck at the airport while I waited for Kim's flight to land. I could see the huge 777 waiting to make its way to the runway. I pondered if her plane would land before the 777 took off. The 777 won. But as I watched this massively huge plane taxi down the runway picking up speed, then carefully begin to glide through the air, I realized, at that moment, how much travel amazes me. 

Travel can bring such excitement, anticipation, frustration, laughter, sorrow and joy.

The 777 was bound for England, a direct flight from RDU to Heathrow. It's a flight that Kim and I have taken several times. We're very lucky to have this easy and direct gateway to adventure so close to home.

As I waited, I remembered what a joy and privilege travel is. Through traveling and paying attention, Kim and I have become better people, expanded our horizons, and challenged our own preconceived notions.

Some people say the French are rude. We found them to be the exact opposite. In Ireland, we felt that if we dropped our wallet on the sidewalk, someone would bring it back to us. And Italians do not only make pasta!

Cappuccino is best in Italy.

Baguettes are best in France.

Tapas rock in Spain.

Guinness is Extra Cold in Ireland.

Belgium Beer is like no other.

Coffee is not what you get in coffee shops in Amsterdam.

Germans do like their pork.

Curry, pulled pints, and Wagamama top England.

The sun is more beautiful in Provence.

The people are the nicest in Ireland.

The grapes handed to you from a woman tending her vines are sweetest in Cinque Terre.

The views are spectacular in Germany and Austria.

Walking the same path as Caesar in Rome was amazing.

The bikers are everywhere in Amsterdam, and they ring their bells.

Beefeaters is not just a brand of Gin in London.

Travel connects you. Noticing the Canadian accent and asking where a family was from created an amazing small world moment. This family was from Prince Edward Island, Canada (Kim's home) and knew of Kim's family. We made these connections while we were watching/listening to a football game in Siena, Italy. Having lunch with my Mom's high school best friend at her office in Rome was a one-of-a-kind experience. Meeting (now) friends on an adventurous flight home from England and realizing that we have common friends does not happen every day. Living near them and still running into them is a bonus. We have these bonds that are not easily broken. Travel creates them - between each other, within yourself.


I feel that to experience the best and most important things in life, you just have to notice. To notice, just take a moment to stop, to sit, to watch life go by, to reflect on your life in that moment... to just be.


As I watched the huge 777 take off and pondered the gift of travel, I noticed a little regional jet landing. I saw this little plane had a beautiful maple leaf on the tail. I knew, in that instant, that I was about to receive another wonder of travel -- the wonderful gift of the safe delivery of Kim.

New and Good

Travel means connections 
- with people, with places, with yourself -
 that last a lifetime. 

Memories and experiences are yours. No one can take them away. 

Make the most of every one of them. 

Cherish them. Live them. Indulge in them. 

Notice them. Never forget them.

True Beauty

Ever since I was a little girl sitting at the "kids table" at big family meals, I always cherished the moment when dinner was over and the good conversations were getting underway. In our family after a meal, the kids could go play but I always preferred to find a chair at the "big table" to be a part of the conversation.


Sometimes the conversation was about something in the news or an event going on in town. But mostly, the conversations revolved around old family stories. I could sit and listen to my family talk for hours. Even if I had heard the stories a million times, I stayed in my seat soaking up the laughs and the memories. My most dreaded time was when someone got up to clear their plate or check the score in the game. I always feared that the conversation would end. 


The other night, a really good friend brought over a dinner and keep me company while Kim is away. We enjoyed a wonderful meal with a beautiful view of the dogwood with its leaves turning as Fall approaches. I hadn't realized the value I place in the crucial element of a meal until I was missing that part. Meals are special because you share it with someone. I was reminded of that while enjoying the wonderful conversation that naturally flowed from one topic to the next and back again. 


I now realize that so much of what I enjoy about a meal is not only preparing it, but about the conversations that surround it. The conversation is the essential part -- the butter to the bread.

New and Good 

Realizing that the true beauty of a meal is 

not in the making or the eating, 

but in the sharing.

Memories

Some people keep journals, one spot that records all their thoughts and feelings. I randomly keep notebooks. I like all different kinds of notebooks and my notebook choice changes, frequently. Kim prefers one type of notebook - a little orange Rhodia with grid-lined sheets. I can't just keep one and use it until it is out of sheets. Right now, I have about four different notebooks around the house - waiting for a to-do list or an important thought. 


Picking up an old notebook is a trip down memory lane. I love to open a drawer and find a really old notebook with gift lists from past Holidays or packing lists from previous trips. I always find some remnant of my life in the pages. It always makes me smile.


In a lonely moment the other night, I picked up a notebook to write. As I flipped through the notebook to find a blank page, I relived the past year of my life. I suddenly realized that I was smiling. My memories in the notebook helped keep me company and helped me pick myself up. 


Today's New and Good - unexpectedly finding happy memories that remind me to be thankful for the wonderful life I have. 

What on your mind? 

What is your New and Good?

New and Good? what?

You know those times when a comment or a moment just sticks with you and resonates through your soul? A thought churns, you ponder it, you make it your own? Sometimes it bugs you, like that annoying song playing in your head. Sometimes, it is the self-talk that takes you high places or sends you down spirals. The other night, the moment, that comment, was good.


I take yoga from two wonderful people, Judith and Graham. At the beginning of class this week, Judith asked everyone to think of something "New and Good"* that happened that day. Do you know how hard that is? To come up with something 'new and good' right on the spot and share it with a neighbor, especially at a time when I was struggling to find any happy anything? Judith said that it didn't have to be big; it could just be that you saw a cool cloud. The point was to think of something positive, something that you noticed.


And the result? Did I come up with something earth-shattering or amazing? Of course not. Rarely can I come up with something creative on the spot. But the outcome was great. By thinking about that positive noticing, it grounded me and put my mind in a great spot to begin yoga.


I quickly realized, though, that I need the "New and Good" more than just before yoga. The next few days, I started noticing, started looking for my "New and Good". I started journaling and found I was writing about my noticings.


The creation of this blog is the result. 
A place for noticings. 
A place for my New and Good.


What is yours?

Noticing one of the most beautiful spots in the world 

St. Margarets Beach, Prince Edward Island, Canada

*Judith practiced this "new and good" in a counseling group.