I love everything about the maritimes , so I am often inspired to design maritime swag. Today I played painted and created new designs. I hope you are inspired to create and play too. It’s ok to play even as an adult. Now that I am retired I get to play in so many ways. It’s the kind of freedom I love having,
I am working on finishing a book called Nova Scotia Hugs in which all paintings /pics will be done by me. I’ve always wanted to do this ,but was never able to do all the painting until now.
So go ahead and play away. I think I’ll have a summer of doing just that.
Everyone needs a friend that will call and say”get dressed we are going on an adventure”
Many of us have felt stuck in our homes the last while, so I suggest get a friend and explore your own city, province, state or country if you are allowed (making sure you are following health regulations) during Covid19. I am very fortunate to have friends that I can be spontaneous with. I love deciding to see or do something new at a moments notice. A few years back a friend of mine and I had such a fabulous time . We bought new clothes, new hats, borrowed her mother’s convertible, and went on a road trip to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Oh what fun we had with such great memories to look back upon. I smile from ear to ear and remember the joy it brought us both as I think about that time. So get out there with friends and make memories. Everyone needs that kind of friend.
Every now and then I can get off track and do not celebrate each day. I think most of us know how precious life is , but sometimes we take it for granted. I have experienced too many losses in my life not to be fully cognizant of the value of each day. Each day I am reminded of the people in my life that have struggles and life may be cut short for them due to medical concerns.
Today, I embraced life fully. I appreciated all the moments of this beautiful day. I did not think of the sorrows, but of the joys of living and I need to remind myself to do this as often as possible. There are some I know who look at life as if they are dying instead of truly living. I want to always truly live each day no matter what life places in front of me.
I just started painting in the last eight years and I have to say it brings me so much joy. I love to play all day just exploring texture and color. Painting brings me flow like no other experience. Especially during this time I love to escape and paint as much as possible.
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A sample of the hundreds of paintings I have done
You can also find me on redbubble in my shop. A few years back my son told me to join and I thought if he thinks it’s cool it must be and so I did. I have donated hundreds of pieces of my art , because I believe in giving back and the truth be told I just had too much art. I got on a violin painting kick during covid19. I love everything about the violin, the way it looks, the way it sounds and especially the way it can be painted. It was an opportunity to donate some to those who love the violin as much as I do.
I hope you too find something during this time that can bring you as much joy as painting brings me.
I love lacrosse! Thanks to my past team mates Jane Walsh and Elaine McMullin Descoteaux for inviting me to do a keynote for female national box lacrosse championship players in 2017. It was an opportunity for me to give back and share my love of the sport. Lacrosse always has been my most favourite sport of the many that I have played.
I started playing lacrosse around 47 years ago (yes, females played lacrosse back then) in Shannon Park Wallis Heights with coaches Cliff Friesen and Donald Koharski. I have so many great memories of those days, We were lucky enough to play lacrosse in Ontario ,the CNE and in Vancouver, We went on to win the NS championships in 1973, so many fun memories.
Today I am a registered Psychologist, I was an educator for the past 40 years and I retired as a School Counsellor in a self- directed High School in Calgary three years ago this June.
None of that would have been possible without lacrosse. In 1976 I was awarded a lacrosse Scholarship from Canada Fitness and Amateur Sport . It paid for most of my University Education. I am so, so grateful for that today!
Lacrosse shaped my future.
I stopped playing lacrosse a year ago, but would play drop in if it were still on today. I joined again as an adult in 2008 and loved every moment. I am 61 years old and I played for the Calgary Women’s Master Lacrosse league until I was 60. I can’t run …. but boy can I shoot Tracy Klusky past captain of the Calgary Roughnecks once told me I had golden hands! I’m also really good at being a cherry picker …
Here is a video I put together a while back about the love of the game.
I hope all young lacrosse players think about these 5 things
Find your purpose
Play for the love of the sport , play for a lifetime
Be Passionate
Persevere
Pay it Forward
Find your purpose and be the leader you can be. You can be a leader on and off the floor. I would like to encourage young women worldwide to play this great sport!!!! Not only young women, but moms too. Yes, and dad’s too.
If there isn’t a team where you live START ONE . If there isn’t a scholarship to be found CREATE ONE or find someone who can. We live in a world where social media CAN be used for good SO DO IT be a good digital citizen and connect with others who want the best for young women in sports.
Did you know that 44% of girls between the ages of 3-17 don’t participate in sports? 84% of adult women don’t participate in sports at all. WE CAN CHANGE that stat TODAY. For those of you playing, you are the lucky ones because you get to play the greatest game on earth. So get out there PROMOTE this great game. YOU CAN BE A LEADER. According to Anita Franklin of the IOC “When a young woman athlete triumphs, she has become a role model for her family, her community and even her country” I KNOW YOU CAN TOO!
PLAY FOR THE LOVE OF THE SPORT and do it lifelong IF I CAN … YOU CAN TOO! Play fair , play respectfully and play hard.
BE PASSIONATE and always be kind. Life will give you back tenfold what you have given out.Passionate people according to research are happier and experience greater well being. My passions have afforded me great friendships, lifelong friendships that I treasure to this day. We have had so much fun together because of sport.
PERSEVERE when you persevere in sports and in life you get back up and keep going. Life throws us all challenges. We are all going to make mistakes and that’s OKthat is the way we learn. Lacrosse taught me to never give up!
PAY IT FORWARD you will learn many lessons through lacrosse. You can pay it forward by helping others. Maybe you will coach or volunteer in some capacity or maybe you will find small ways to give back, but make sure you just do it!
ONE PERSON CAN INDEED MAKE A PROFOUND DIFFERENCE that person could be YOU.
OUR NATIONAL SUMMER SPORT IS THE BEST.
I hope you as young women who play lacrosse go out there and make a difference not just in lacrosse, but in life and remember all the things that lacrosse has given you.! Sports helped me become a better human being and i hope some of you who read this will find that sports does that for you too be it lacrosse or any other sport, many of which I have loved and played like lacrosse, ringette, hockey, basketball, volleyball, baseball, and my latest love pickleball.
I hope you just play … it’s great for your overall well being. and it’s just plain fun!
It isn’t always easy living each day to the fullest especially when life throws you some unexpected troubles or sorrows. However, when life becomes uncertain, it can be the best time to breathe deeply and take life one minute, one hour or one day at a time.
Self talk comes in handy when I am feeling uneasy. I focus, take a deep breath and say to myself, I can get through this next ten minutes if I just remain calm and remind myself that I am strong . If I focus on just getting through the day it helps. Just for Today I can … makes life more manageable for me.
Just for Today I will look for the moments to be grateful knowing that living each day with gratitude helps me to be the kind of person that I wish to be. I am grateful I got on an airplane today , even though I was nervous about doing so. I focused on my breathing and other things so that time would fly by and it did. I arrived safely at my destination knowing that I would be in my little piece of heaven Out on The Mira.
What are your best tips for living each day fully?
Whether it is singing in the shower or singing in a virtual choir the joy I feel singing means the world to me. In the past couple of months I have been very fortunate to participate in two virtual choirs and I loved the experience. Let me tell you it is not as easy as it looks. It challenges me in a different way , but it was worth it to be part of these experiences. We Are The World Nova Scotia has special significance as it was finished during a tragic time for a place and people that I love.
Enjoy…
Second Chants Lean On Me can be watched here. I hope you get a chance to sing and experience how music can make a difference in your life. If you’d like to learn more bout Youth Singers and Second Chants check it out here.
So today we took a stroll in Edworthy Park. There truly are so many different places to walk in this city. It’s great to break out and explore Calgary and get exercise too. I am loving the outdoor spaces , fresh air and the places to unwind the mind. Who knew Calgary offered so many great places to walk?
If you know me you know how much friendship means to me. I am so fortunate to have walked along with so many friends during this time albeit from a distance. No matter, I have been able to connect and feel during those moments that everything was normal (well sort of) . I don’t know where i would be in life with out my friends. They bring me such great joy Friendships make everything in life look better. Even from a distance i have been able to maintain friendships. Thanks to zoom, facetime, email and phone calls. I miss those friends that I cannot physically be with but I would never want to lose those friendships as they make me a better person.
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One of my best friends lives away and I miss her every day, but when I see her it makes it even more special . I treasure those moments and I will even treasure them more from now on. I said to one of my friends who I saw just before the pandemic if I knew then what I know now ( that would be the last time we would see each other most likely for a long, long time) I would have stayed longer, hugged longer and just be present longer.
Friendships are so vital to my well being and I need to nurture them whether I can physically see the person or not. It’s been a bit tougher to do during the pandemic as I used to get together weekly with a group of friends I treasure, not so much now. As I move about through this pandemic I need to find ways to reconnect knowing that my life is enhanced when I do.
Friendship lifts me up, I hope it does for you too.
Each day I walk I am grateful for the ability to do so. So many cannot or are unable to. I have the privilege of being able to walk and so I do as much and as often as I can. When I am out and about it allows me a space in my day to enjoy the outdoors , reflect on life as well as connect from a distance with friends. So many have wanted to join me on this journey this year and while I absolutely enjoy my walks alone, I also love walking along and talking to friends. Such a great way to catch up and get exercise too.
I never take my life for granted knowing that each day is precious. Walking daily adds special moments that I look forward to each and every day. I get to explore my city and am going on paths that I have not taken in my forty years of living in this beautiful city. What makes walking so special ? It clears my mind and nourishes me physically, mentally and spiritually. I hope it can do that for you too.
Counsellor Talk : Connecting with those who want to make a difference. 