The benefits of cultivating inner joy goes well beyond the development of your own personal well being. Personal joy becomes an opportunity to influence humanity when it transforms into a source of inspiration and positive action. When you are sharing your joy within your community (the people you work with, your family, your neighbours, or…
There are some simple, daily rituals I look forward to, like savouring a cup of my favourite herbal tea, while enjoying the quietness of my own company. Usually, it’s mid-afternoon and I’m seated in the living room so I have a view of the outside, while giving my busy head a rest. That serene, sometimes…
Having very recently lost my husband, I live with my grief everyday, but I take much comfort in the fact that I was blessed to have 40 years with a man who made me laugh everyday, who inspired me, and supported me through all those years. We talked about him leaving before me, and clearly,…
At the beginning of every season, there’s a unique feeling that comes over me, which I affectionally refer to as Seasonal joy. It’s a specific feeling of happiness and contentment that encompasses a combination of childhood memories, traditions, and sensory elements associated with each season. For example, the snow melt in the spring triggers memories…
Let’s be real. We’ve all had some days when we’re “ not feeling it” and being joyful is a stretch. We all get in a bit of a rut now and then. Usually, we can pull out of one with a little self-care. Anything longer than two weeks and you might want to check in…
All year long, we look forward to the first weekend of December for the annual Christmas parade. Many communities host their own parade but the one we like to attend, is organized by caring individuals in a small town where my daughter grew up. I have to say, the people there have found the right…
Here we are again, on December 1st, connected for the next 24 days by this daily Advent Calendar Blog started three years ago. I am very excited at the prospect of what will transpire from our daily contemplation. I am inspired by the opportunity to rejoice, find gratitude and share a moment with you. I…
Shashti Poorti is a Sanskrit word meaning completion of sixty. In Hinduism, it marks the completion of half the years of one’s lifetime, as 120 years is considered the life span of a human being. The sixtieth year in one’s life is therefore a significant milestone, where one stands looking back at the rich life…
Has it already been twenty-four days since I started on this year’s Advent Calendar Blog? I intended the topic for 2022 to be a reflection on change, and how to face it with courage and dignity, whether it was brought in intentionally or not into our life, yet it seems there were a few other…
I was listening to Steve Harvey being interviewed on a podcast about gratitude the other day, and he said a few things that stayed with me. For those of you who may not recognize the name, Steve Harvey is an American comedian/actor and television host of the long running Family Feud game show, who has…
We’ve all been given the advice to « just do your best » at one time or another and I wonder if like me, you are left pondering what exactly that means. Do we even have the same definition of doing « my best » because I am not the perfectionist that my friend might…
How often do you take the time to sit with yourself and take stock of where you are in life, and assess if you are on track with your life goals? Im curious, because I am wired for planning and the need to measure myself against targets ( I admit that’s not necessarily healthy), so…
We’ve often been given the metaphor of making our way down a road or path as a comparison to going though life. I agree that in many ways, there are similarities, for example the final destination is unknown, but we have a map, general knowledge of points of interests along the way, and we have…
If living through a pandemic has taught us anything, it’s to be grateful for what we have..and what we had. Living the past 18 months under restrictions has allowed us to appreciate how much of life’s blessings we took for granted, and how much we wanted them back. For many it has cultivated a greater…
More than three weeks have passed since I started this Advent Calendar blog, faithfully delivering a post each day to follow through on my promise. It has been a very interesting experience, and I confess that I had not considered all the challenges an Advent Calendar blog could present when I came up with the…
