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!

*

Winter is fast approaching. The leaves have changed colour and fallen to the ground. The air has grown cold and become frosty at night. Darkness comes before dinnertime now as we gradually adapt to the seasonal changes. Even mother nature’s creatures must adapt to these changes.

The raccoons and crows have turned to winter foraging for survival. Every morning, I open my blinds anticipating their visit.  I know they have been here when my front lawn resembles a churned up ocean.  The crows scatter chunks of sod helter-skelter while the raccoons overturn large sections of turf, sometimes creating perfect jellyrolls.  I was once a fan of jelly rolls but not so much these days.  I am intrigued by the ingenuity of these creatures but disheartened by their destruction.

We all share this planet together.  Whether masked and furry, dressed in black and feathered, or human, we must cohabit in harmony as much as possible.  The cycles of nature reveals immense lessons for us to learn from, every moment of every day.  I asked myself how I might honour nature while honouring myself at the same time.  The result is a restorative ritual.

I begin by putting on my garden boots and embarking on a restorative dance.  I methodically stomp pieces of grass back in place, one by one, while chanting “All is well.”  My neighbours have other strategies.  One has erected a glaring owl in the center of destruction, another has laid wired fencing over ravaged areas, while still another has planted colourful pinwheels throughout.  These have become common lawn decorations for the winter season.  Soon they will be accompanied by giant nylon snowmen, luminous deer and the echo of Ho, Ho, Ho ringing through the air.  And the cycles continue.