Seeking Meaning, Finding Answers

Riding the Roller Coaster
The weekend is winding down, and I am preparing ((mentally and physically)) for another busy work week. By Sunday evening, I find that I am just starting to relax, but unfortunately, it's already time to rev up the mental processes again -- I have checked my office emails via iPhone, for example!

Don't get me wrong, I'm not sure what I would do without the complex mental challenges that work provides for me, but the last year and a half have been especially taxing ((insert deep sigh here))! The Energizer Bunny is still hopping along, but her sparkle is all battery power, with no soul.

Team of One
With a pared down team at our office, there is nowhere for slackers to hide, no ability to dodge bitterness or moody behaviour and no opportunity to call a life line to catch a breather. We each have to hold our own and every minute of every day is jam packed. There is little margin for error and any minor flubs are compounded into global disaster sized reactions, as every bit of business is so critical to our viability.

On the up side, there is something exciting about having to perform in this way -- like Survivor contestants we are pushed to be resourceful and creative in the way we approach our days.

What I wonder is whether this pared down trend will pass, or if this is the way I will be forced to work for the rest of my life? I am concerned by a number of characteristics that I see with clients, colleagues and suppliers in my industry.

1) Denial: "Oh, no -- our revenues aren't down, in fact the opposite is true..."

2) Rudeness; impatience

3) A general lack of appreciation -- in my book, "Thank you" is not optional

4) Accountability and ethics

We're all somebody's baby...
This has been a surreal year for global strife and calamity: Haiti, floods and fires in North America, the horrific British Petroleum off shore oil well disaster, etc. etc. In my city there is terrible child poverty, abuse and neglect -- much of it focused in our aboriginal population. As a loving mother, I wish I could take them all in, feed them warm and nutritious meals and hold them in my arms. On the other hand, there is a huge boom in infrastructure construction -- a new airport, the Museum for Human Rights, a new United Way headquarters, executive homes in posh new developments and pricey riverside condos. The
contrast between the haves and have-nots is becoming more vivid.

And in the midst of this confusion, all I have is "Me" -- my Creator tells me that is enough, but I want to do more, be more, achieve more, because it's the right thing today, because we all deserve to worry a little less and live with some comfort and joy. So off I go, road weary but determined to pour my love and goodness out -- universally, without prejudice and until I do not have another drop to give.

Autumn Beckons!

Brrrrr...ing on the HEAT!
Oh we prairie dogs who love the hot summer are cowering in our burrows today! Don't be fooled by the celestial blue skies and cotton ball clouds outside your office window, the wind is brisk and smells like harvest time. Where did our summer go?

Bake-A-Thon
Over the weekend I was caught in this crazy pattern of baking to warm the home (emotionally and physically) -- heating my small kitchen and filling the place with aromas of toasty oats, cinnamon and such! On the roster were oat and flax scones (part of my cool-the-hot-flash-dragon nutritional remedy!), flourless peanut butter cookies and (drum roll, the ole family staple) banana nut bread with chocolate chips.

Herbal or Horrible
Given the choice, I chose herbal -- I ventured to my small, rain-sodden herb garden and gathered fistfuls of basil and oregano to fashion an Italian-inspired salad to take to friends on Sunday evening. Mesclan greens, fresh mozzarella, ripe tomatoes, garden market bell peppers, home-made (ultra garlicky) croutons and a vinaigrette of balsamic vinegar and olive oil! All devoured within seconds at the "receiving end" of its short life journey. And then, as we prepared to go home and rest for the next work week, the delinquent sun made a "neener neener" appearance!

July 2010 Post-Mortem

It seems like July would never come (I was sooooo ready for a break!) and now it's long gone and I am facing the last day of my summer vacation - those lazy days just vanished in time, just like a puff of smoke; shazam!

Camping was highlight, of course, and we lucked out with exceptional weather. But for the second year in a row I found myself saddled with a very picky, conniving kid - my son's buddy! (arg!) Next time we "fly solo"! My little guy makes friends easily at the campground, and I am just not willing to deal with the drama/dynamics of some unbalanced little personalities.

I feel a bit badly as I was raised to be generous and gracious, but I am
NOT a child psychologist and this is my holiday time -- only three weeks off a year to spend with my kids, so they are very precious. So... no whiners, party poopers, thankless, mannerless passengers allowed in my holiday space -- NO MORE!

Treasure Found
Week Two I escaped to Las Vegas with a girlfriend. It was impromptu -- found a great hotel+flight bargain and seized the opportunity to get away. I had never been to Vegas and haven't a hot clue about gambling.

I soon learned why they call slot machines "one-armed bandits" LOL! But we did enjoy walking and seeing the sights and managed to save a bit of $$$ to bring back some fun souvenirs for friends/family :)

The Bellagio is really a wonderful hotel/resort with exceptional staff, service etc. The food was surprisingly affordable and consistently delicious. I was impressed at the consistent delivery of excellent guest services at the Bellagio -- really commendable, given the size of the place and the complexity of the demands placed upon the staff; so "bravo"!

Highlights of Vegas and our Bellagio stay were the fountains, the conservatory and the Cirque du Soleil show, "O".

Weird and random musings... I was gobsmacked by how many families were dragging kids in strollers through the casinos. Vegas is still Vegas, and little kids do not belong anywhere near a casino -- just wrong on so many levels!