Time

Yep, back to the issue of time again... So, how about this... time expands and contracts depending on our level of panic and our feeling of not having enough time and our feeling of being overwhelmed... So, the more frantic I feel, the more time contracts or shrinks and the less time I seem to have. But, if I consciously acknowledge that while I have a lot to get done, there is more than enough time for all of it... then time magically expands and opens up in front of me...

Is time a subjective thing... speeding up and slowing down differently for different people? Speeding up and slowing down differently for us depending on our state of mind and our relationship with time?

Some would say that time is not the issue.... it's how we relate to time that is the issue. If we feel chronically time-crunched, then we are going to experience time as something that is lacking... when in fact we are creating that lack ourselves... in the way we are holding time...

If we see time as something that there is an abundance of... then time expands to fill our space, to give us more than enough time to achieve all that we want to achieve...

It's all about how we hold it... how we relate to it...

Windows

So, we've got 32 year old windows in our place... and they leak cold air all winter long... Time to get new windows, perhaps??? We asked two window companies to come in and give us estimates... The first guy gave us a $12,000 estimate (AH!!!). The second guy gave us a $7800 estimate with a $500 rebate... (EH!!!??) The second guy represents a well-established window manufacturer in Edmonton that has CSA approved windows and Energy Star certification, and the whole nine-yards... So what's the difference??? Well, the first guy represents a company that installs windows, but doesn't manufacture them... so they are sort of middle-men... Interesting...

Just goes to show you that it's best to go straight to the source if you can... To a place that manufactures and installs what they make... At least it gets rid of one level of price-raising!! It should be interesting to see how the installation goes... We'll have to lock the cats in a windowless room which would be... the basement or the bathroom... poor little guys!! Hopefully no squirrels manage to sneak in....

Winter

Winter usually sneaks up on me... Every year, I am away or busy and I procrastinate on puttin on my winter tires until... you guessed it... the first snowfall!! And then everybody and their dog wants their tires done and I have to wait a few days and well... it's not pretty!!

This year though... it worked differently!!! It was mid-October, I was going to be away for a week, and I thought... hmmm... I bet it'll snow while I'm gone and then I'll really be hooped!! So, I went to the tire shop and got my tires put on... The next day, the very next day, it snowed! Yup... Was I a ever a happy camper!! I was doing a little happy dance and smiling at the snow outside, knowing that this year I had beaten the snow by a day!

Mind you, our tomatoes outside were not doing a little happy dance! They've been tucked in at night, but during the day, it was quite warm... but that was it for the little guys! They did their best and it was time to say good bye to them...

Drawing a Blank

Sometimes I sit here staring at this blank screen and I can convince myself that I have nothing to write about! That there is nothing to communicate, and I might as well just minimize this screen and turn to something different. That's a subtle form of procrastination, isn't it?? Of course it's a load of crap that I have nothing to write about!! Of course it's a load of crap that I am drawing a blank! That's just a game my mind likes to play with me... And I believe it sometimes which drives me nuts!!

My mind tells me certain things through thoughts... and I believe them... I believe that what I am thinking is the truth or is real or reflects reality, or is accurate... But who says??? Somebody else might be thinking the exact opposite about something and they believe that they are right... or what they are thinking is true or real... But who says??? Well, we each do... We each believe that what we are thinking is the truth or is real... but is it?? We don't often think about what we are thinking... or how we are thinking... or the process of thinking. We just accept that our thougths reflect reality...

We have been hijacked by our minds and are asleep most of the time to what is really going on... We just blindly accept our thoughts at face value without any question... It's easier for us that way.... we don't have to challenge ourselves which can sometimes be uncomfortable... and we don't like discomfort at all!! So, we avoid it...

Did you know that 95% of the thougths you have today, you also had yesterday and the day before that and the day before that?? Wow... not a lot of room in there for creativity and something new to show up! We are like a broken record, replaying the same thoughts over and over again.... ick!!!

Writing

Well, didn't I have a full day of writing yesterday! A plethora of newsletter writing to keep me busy... RTS and the community association. I know I said I was a writer... but... when all these writing opportunities show up... you just know that the universe is out there conspiring to support me in writing!

Mind you, I had my own hurdles to overcome... namely... here it is again... procrastination! Yup, that nasty little puppy raises its head yet again and bites me in the butt... or tries to. I have to admit, I was able to challenge myself over and over again to "just do it"... I would sit there and start the conversation that I don't know what to write or how to start and maybe I should wait a bit for inspiration to strike me... Well, you know where that usually leads!! Anyhow, I just did it... I just started writing and the things all worked out fine... Better than fine in fact... So, that just goes to show me that procrastination is really just an excuse for not writing. Whenever I am postponing things, I can be pretty sure that what I really need to do is just tackle whatever it is head-on... I keep trying to do the two-step around it, but when I do that too much... I find that I end up doing the two-step around 10 things and getting myself completely tangled up...

The other thing I've discovered is that when I just do things, when I complete the things that are in my space... I create a little bit of space into which I can then complete a few more things, creating bigger space... and it snowballs that way... Very nice!!!

The Unknown

There are a couple of things that happen to me when faced with the unknown... excitement and sheer terror! If I'm honest... the terror often seems to get the stronger hand! Heading off into the unknown, jumping off the cliff, soaring into the sunset... call it what you will... There is an uncertainty in that... not knowing what is coming. Not knowing how I will handle things. Wondering if I actually CAN handle things... There's also an excitement... the quest of the explorer... heading off into new, uncharted territory... Excitement for the new... excitement for something beyond what I've known. Wondering what's around the next corner... wondering what amazing, new things will be discovered...

The difference between excitement and fear is huge... and paper thin... It's huge because where each of them takes me is... well... totally different places! Fear takes me to one place... Excitement takes me to a totally different place... And the end point difference is huge... The difference between fear and excitement is also paper thin... because at the beginning, I can make the choice to shift from one to the other... and very quickly and very easily... Catch it at the pass... and it's a snap to shift from fear to excitement... And move forward from there.

But again, I have to make the choice to shift. And the shifting occurs in my thoughts, in my conversation, in how I hold the experience or the event. My choice... I can see it as exciting or terrifying... I can shift from one to the other... Or choose to wallow in fear!!

Distracted Driving

Alberta is supposed to introduce distracted driving legislation this fall... And it can't come soon enough in my opinion!!! There is nothing more anxiety inducing than being in heavy traffic and being tail-gated by someone on their cell-phone... someone who is distracted by the conversation... someone who isn't paying attention to traffic ahead of them or around them...

The other day, I was standing on a busy street corner of a 6 lane thoroughfare through Calgary, and I counted 12 vehicles and 5 of the drivers were on cell phones. That's almost 50% which is kind of scary!

But it's not just cell phones... I've seen people using both hands to shove a hamburger in their mouth while they steer with their knees. I've seen people adjusting their hair with both hands while steering with... knees? And these are just the things that can be seen from outside the vehicle! Imagine what's going on in the cars... Kind of scary...

We drive one tonne vehicles around the streets with consummate confidence... but not always a high level of skill... Don't even talk to me about people not signalling lane changes!!! Bane of my existence...