A fire in the heart of a city wreaks havoc.  As emergency responders take care of the situation, a miraculous unfolding takes place not far away.  A man who is almost blind finds himself in a dilemma.  Transit has rerouted buses and the man does not know where he can catch another bus.  He asks someone passing by and they point him in a direction, one of which he is not familiar with or is able to see or comprehend clearly.  In his confusion, help comes in the most surprising way.

An elderly woman approaches him and listens to his predicament.  She responds by sharing her challenges with her vision and together, the two link arms as they walk slowly and carefully to the next stop.  Midway, they meet another elderly woman and the three converse for a short time before she joins them.  Now there is a trio walking down the street, one man sandwiched by two women, all walking together comfortably, joyfully and safely.

This true story portrays the reality of everyday life.  Sometimes we find ourselves in unexpected challenges and somehow, things work out.  No one can predict life.  Life has a rhythm of its own and we would all benefit by finding ways to dance with life, just like this trio did.  Strength in numbers is undeniably powerful!

A stern voice pierced the air: “You’re here to have FUN and get exercise!”  The little girl look inquisitively up at her mother.  From the look on the child’s face, she was having fun dipping her toes into a puddle of water.  A group of boisterous children played joyously around her, pumping water from a large hand pump and filling buckets for flooding the sandy village below.  It appeared the little girl was quite content to be on the sidelines, enjoying the fresh water that poured endlessly out of the spout.

FUN is subjective.  What is perceived as fun for one person may be painful for another!  Children naturally know how to have fun and exercise is the natural byproduct.  Adults, on the other hand, seem to have forgotten this.  When was the last time you leisurely dipped your toes into a puddle of fresh rain water or romped barefoot through a grassy meadow? When was the last time you blew dandelion seeds into the wind or swung joyously from a rope dangling under a tree?  If you can not remember, then perhaps it is time to give yourself a free day to simply explore your surroundings and follow your senses wherever they take you.  Make like a bumble bee and flit from shrub to shrub.  Absorb all the sweetness life has to offer!

A sign on the sidewalk lured a stream of people into the restaurant: “MONGOLIAN BARBECUE, Lunch Special $5.99.”   Inside, a bustling waitress guided hungry patrons to a table stacked with 3 different bowl sizes.  The smallest and most shallow bowl was the $5.99 lunch special and the price increased accordingly.  Opposite the bowls was a smorgasbord of frozen raw meat, coiled into cylinders and a variety of fresh chopped vegetables, all leading to a table of liquid seasonings.  Some people methodically proceeded through, carefully selecting their desired ingredients.  Others rushed through, knowing exactly what they wanted.  Some carefully mounded foods into their bowls while others heaped their bowls, like towering skyscrapers balanced precariously on tiny bases.  A few people even went as far as to compress the contents of their bowl with the heel of their hand so there was no air pockets or space between the frozen coils of meat and vegetables.  Heaping and stacking was an art form here, as was the thinking that “more is better”, but that is not always the case.

The chef took one heaping bowl at a time, spilling the contents onto a large hot cooking surface.  The food sizzled and popped as steam danced up and fragrances wafted through the restaurant and outside.  Once cooked, the food was transferred onto plates and not the original bowls they came from (although that would have been highly entertaining!)  The tasty concoctions brought a variety of comments from patrons.  Most said their meal was delicious.  Some said it was too salty.  Well, that’s where the ‘more is better’ does not apply.  As tempting as it is to heap, pile and douse to get the most bang from your buck (value for your dollar!), it seems that the bang was more on the taste buds, having taken away the enjoyment of natural flavours.  The joy of anticipation and creation was lost to the exuberance of indulgence!  When is too much, too much??!, I ask!

I can’t help it.  I’m hooked.  I can’t stop myself.  I can’t stop thinking about it or reaching for more.  I can’t stop doing what I’m doing!  ‘It’ consumes me from the moment I get up to the moment I fall asleep. ‘It’ has a spell over me.  Like a magnet that is constantly pulling me in one direction, I am hopelessly hooked.

17th century poet John Dryden once wrote, “We first make our habits and then our habits make us.”  What am I hooked on, you wonder?  I am hooked on learning, adventure, and fresh homemade cookies!  Not necessarily in that order though.  It depends on the flavour of the day.

What is our modern world hooked on?  After checking a few internet sites, I discover ‘teeth whitening’ as a popular habit, next to its very enemy, coffee, tea and red wine!  It appears that our habits create more habits.  We are human after all, prone to habits.

What habits do you regularly engage in?  Are they healthy rituals with long-term benefits or are they short-lived, providing only satisfaction in the moment?  Do your habits enhance your quality of day?  If not, why not?

The oven timer is ringing.  I have to go now.  The next batch of cookies beckons.

Two sisters walk quietly alongside one another on a deserted section of a shopping mall. The tiles beneath their feet are uneven and just as the younger woman senses this, the older one voices her dislike of them.  Although the two have been estranged for most of their lives, this moment seemingly dissolves years of disconnect.

The elder sister is now an octogenarian while the younger one is more than two decades behind.  Although intergenerational differences and family conflict created a great divide, the two sisters are now united, walking together, occasionally bumping into one another with spurts of laughter.  No one could ever have predicted these precious moments.  One step at a time, the two sisters walked together into the future.

Life reveals itself one step at a time.  We all have the choice of stepping out from the past and into the present moment.  Open yourself to the gifts each new moment brings.  Take one step forward, skip a little skip then click your heels as you create magical moments in your life!