Go to the Water

Manitoba is in the middle of Canada and is known as the "Keystone" province. It is home for 1,300,000 people (about the same population as the city of Calgary). Manitoba's two largest cities are Winnipeg and Brandon. It is the home province for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Winnipeg Jets.  I have called Manitoba my home for nearly two decades and it has certainly served me well.  Manitoba has an incredible number of beautiful lakes. You can travel an hour from Brandon and end up at a different lake every time. Many Manitobans are cabin owners and they often say, "going to the lake", which lake is never included in the announcement, and it is always a mystery to me.  Manitoba has 82 hospitals and I have always appreciated the way they utilize their smaller rural hospitals.  Minnedosa & District Hospital is thirty minutes from Brandon. They have doctors that continue to perform small surgeries, among other services. Dr Rocha the ophthalmologist from Brando...

A word that is used with much caution is the word "Stupid". The google search definition of stupid is, "a lack of common sense".  We all experience a lack of common sense from time to time and I think we would be shocked at how frequently we use the word stupid to describe that situation. I have decided to write a post on fun-filled incidents that demonstrate nothing more than a lack of common sense.   A gift from someone that knows me well Several years ago, a very loving member of my family asked me "so when you turn 50 does it all just fall out of your brain?"  I was in my 50s at the time, so I knew he was not speaking about me, he was just checking in general.  He was trying to make sense of something, that he might of mistaken as something stupid or lacked common sense.  There are those people out there that just don't do "stupid" and find it very frustrating. I have moved forward since that discussion, and I have created my very own quo...

I recently had a wonderful time visiting with my family in BC.  During that visit, I helped with Strove Tuesday at the kiddo's school.  Strove Tuesday is celebrated with pancakes and my job was to make the pancake batter for the entire school.  Dan had provided his wife's Royal Royce of a stand-up mixer, just an amazing tool to prepare a large amount of batter. Although I have a stand-up mixer, it was not evident in the first few batches.  Running the mixer took some getting used to, and my sweater and the floor took a hit from time to time, but I eventually mastered how to use it. I looked like the batter, and I were at battle and the batter won. I am an organized cook but a messy one, that is a fact, which on Strove Tuesday was evident.  The best part was I had my own little assistant or, as I referred to her "my staff".  Desiree arrived and took over the sink.  She immediately filled two pails of water for any mess that may occur in the gym.  O...

I have several draft posts that are just waiting for their big day to be completed and then published. Three of those drafts have the word "good" in the title. I decided to put them all together in one post and call it "Good is Good".   Tell someone "You done good":  I received a sweet little message from a former colleague of mine.  She wanted to share a compliment she had heard about my work when I was in my healing business. She finished her message by saying, "You done good".  Her words were so meaningful to me, and so was the fact that she took the time out of her life to share her friend's compliment of my work. I was reminded of how important it is that people share the good things being said about them. The world is full of so much criticism, sharing good comments is often not done. I sent a reply to my friend and told her that she had made my day and "She done good". Anyone that has spent any amount of time at a job has a v...

The February projects all begin with "F".  If there is anything I like it is a theme and the letter "F".  It would appear I also like quotes since this post is laden with them.   Finances, begins the list. I have never enjoyed talking about money, so a visit to my financial advisor means I must talk about money.  I really like the father-son combo, I just would rather talk about life instead of the markets. My takeaway from the whole visit is that the future looks good for investments in the coming year.  So, finances are checked off the February project list.   Food  is always a great topic. I have been giving this little February project idea considerable thought lately. I have noticed I am missing my business, so, I am thinking of starting a wee food business. Baking has always been a joy for me, and I have several people that seem to get joy in eating it. I also like to help working moms and families to make their lives a little bit easier....

                                                                         Remember in 2020, during Covid when we were kind and caring, helping each other get through the pandemic.  The drive through at MacDonald's and Tim Horton's were places of incredible acts of kindness.  People paid for orders for the vehicle behind them and that person in turn "paid it forward" and it went on and on.   I have never ever got to the window at a drive through and received a coffee that was paid for. I have to add, I have never ever paid for the people behind me either.  This is a perfect example of giving is receiving. It is simple for me, I find the whole process daunting and confusing, the same reason I don't go to Subway, daunting and confusing for me.  I have decided my next drive throug...

A while back I had lunch with a friend for the first time in three years.  When we said our goodbyes she said, "I just decided I was going to spend more time with the people that are meaningful in my life".  I was really honored to be on what I felt was a dignified and important list. When I had time to reflect, I thought I don't have a list of meaningful people in my life.  Another thought was: is it possible that everyone has a list of meaningful people except for me? Although I pride myself in self-realization, at that moment I recognized that  I had no clue what the word "meaningful" even means to me.  I am not sure what unique word I use for my list of people I want to honor, probably nothing, so I think I should use the word meaningful.  I like the word, but I am not sure of its true meaning.  A quick google search states "meaningful" is serious, important and useful in some way. I realize I have a mental list of people that are "important...