Some things never change

I'm getting ready to present a seminar on managing stress. It's 22 years since I first taught a course - and the amazing thing is that the information I'll be presenting this afternoon is the same as what I presented in those first courses in 1989! There is little improved information available - how about that?

They're tried and true: exercise helps - a lot, nutrition is important, sleep is important, rest and having fun are important to managing stress. So is having a positive attitude - trying to see the best possible interpretation on what is happening in front of us will help us build resiliency.

Having good social connections helps - time with family and friends is vital in managing the pressures of life.

It's basic and simple stuff. And once again - I'll be suggesting changing one thing at a time to slowly change the shape of our lives in building a stress-reduced world around us.

Go for it!

When the trees lose their leaves...

When I was young, I thought trees looked their worst when they lost their leaves. I grew older and began to see the beauty of the leafless skeletal forms. Now I have something new - the secrets revealed when the leaves are lost.

The magnolia tree in our yard has lost all its leaves. And not until the leaves were gone did we see the summer's secret - a bird had made a nest in our magnolia tree. We watch that tree every day, feeding birds from our deck a metre away, and yet we never saw a single sign that there was a bird family right there.

If every day was full of blossom and green leaves, we'd never see the full picture.

I must remember that when I feel the pain of loss. Yes it hurts. But now I'm going to look for the secrets I would never have seen if the leaves hadn't fallen.

Back from the USA

I've been more than a little slack in keeping this blog going....just had some time in the USA and chose to spend time playing with family rather than the computer. It's always wonderful to go to another country, especially when you get to see family and friends again! It reminds me again of what is really important in life - it is people, it is people, it is people. Yes, it is wonderful to see some Frank Lloyd Wright and Dale Chihuly, but it will never top playing in the basement with the most georgeous 18 month old baby you ever saw, or kicking around a soccer ball with the most fabulous 10 year old! Life can get so busy, but for me, spending time with family and friends is what life is really all about.