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!

A giant bonfire lit up the beach.  The evening was crisp and clear as people of all ages gathered for the annual winter celebration.  City workers and volunteer firefighters oversaw the event, ensuring a safe and enjoyable evening for all.  This was a gloriously magical night, with flames shooting 10 feet and more into the night sky while a stream of decorated boats paraded by, their rainbow colours reflecting brilliantly upon the waters’ surface.  It was a feast for the senses with the spectacle of boats and blazing fire, sounds of crackling wood and pounding surf, scent of ocean air and taste of sweet hot chocolate!

The fire offered warmth while the ocean offered coolness, creating a dance of people moving back and forth from the fire to the shore and back to the fire again.  Standing too close to the fire risked overheating while standing too close to the waters’ edge risked chill.  Establishing the right balance was important, similar to everything else in life,  There is a time for closeness and connection, and a time for space and solitude.  Such is the dance of life.  Embrace life for all it has to offer and dance like there’s no tomorrow!  Cha, cha, cha!

“I’m going to Hawaii for a week,” states my friend.  “Can you watch Ella for me?”  “Sure” I respond.  Ella is a beautiful orange manx cat who is the queen of her roost.  She lives on the top floor of a condo with magnificent sweeping views.

Ella walks demurely around her home.  She holds a stately pose fitting for a queen and exudes this most of the time except for when she races wildly from room to room, as if chasing elusive prey.  Ella exudes both the grandeur of royalty and the simplicity of a fun-loving child.  She reminds us of some important life lessons, such as:

• Take time to relax and be your natural self;
• Let loose once in a while and have fun;
• Eliminate the ‘hairballs’ of life (aka stressors);
• Retreat regularly to your private sanctuary;
• Spend quality time with those you love!

Ella and I bonded in our 7 days together.  She came to trust me and be fully relaxed with me.  We gazed into one another eyes and pondered the mystery of life together.  Nature reveals much wonder for humans.  I wonder what comes next in this wonderful gift of life!

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