Sunday, February 28, 2010

I Am Canadian!Eh


When I first heard Vancouver was going to host the 2010 Olympic Winter games I knew it was going to cause alot of problems. I knew there would be protests and I knew it was going to cost ALOT of money. Even knowing this I was still shocked when I heard of all the cuts our government was making. It is nothing short of devastating to see how it has affected so many important organizations that really need that funding to survive. Seeing this angered me and I was never able to fully support the Olympics because of it. I actually didn't even plan on watching any of the events after all the negative decisions our government was making. Two weeks ago when the games started I turned on my TV and tried to find something to watch. I really had no choice... the Olympics were on almost every single channel I turned to and it was either I watch the weather channel for two weeks straight, or I took a look at what billions of dollars can buy you these days.
It's been two weeks since I reluctantly began to watch these festivities that cost our country so much more than money. Although I can't say that I fully support the Olympics coming to Vancouver, I can say that it has taught me a few things. First of all... who knew that Canada had so many good looking athletes? Actually, it's not just Canada. There were alot of good looking athletes from all over the world that I was surprised to see! And I can honestly say I now understand why people find accents so sexy. Another thing I learned is that there is alot more to curling than just throwing rocks down the ice. What I thought was the most boring event of the Olympics has now become one of my favorites. I found a new appreciation for each sport I watched. I learned there really is more to winning. It's not always about placing first, second or third. Although I have to say, getting the most gold medals in Olympic history sure does feel good! The best thing I believe that came out of these Olympics was the Canadian pride I saw everywhere I turned. We really do live in a beautiful Country and it really is something to be proud of! I don't think there is anywhere else I'd rather be. There is no replacing our Rocky Mountains, our lush green forest and our abundance of beautiful lakes. Our wildlife and scenery is really something amazing. It's our outdoor living that helps make us who we are. I don't know if this awakened Canadian spirit was worth the billions of dollars it cost to evoke, but what I do know is that there are probably alot of people out in the world thinking about how interesting and beautiful our Country really is. People are seeing beyond the canoes, beavers and igloos and they are no longer just jokes. I hope that just because the Olympics are over, our Canadian pride doesn't fade away. I am very proud of our athletes and the records we set over the past two weeks. I am even more proud to say that I am Canadian.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Words

I love reading and I love writing. I love how much impact words can have. I read this quote about a year ago and fell in love with it. It speaks so loud to me. I hope whoever reads this will find some value in it.

"Whoever you are, there is some younger person who thinks you are perfect. There is some work that will never be done if you don’t do it. There is someone who would miss you if you were gone. There is a place that you alone can fill." ~ Jacob M. Braude

Thursday, February 18, 2010

The Never Enough Syndrome


This is something I've taken time to think about more than once in my life. It's looked me straight in the eye and told me to evaluate my life. I've seen it in friends and family and felt sad for them. It's something I'm sure every one of you have seen, just maybe didn't recognize. Or maybe you have? I'm not too sure where I'm going to go with this post. But here it goes...
There have been many times in my life when I've felt dissatisfied. Even when I had many things in my life to be happy about I still didn't feel "full" inside. Sometimes when I'm feeling down I go shopping. Sometimes I go for a walk. During these times I'm writing about it didn't matter how many new shoes I bought, or how many miles I walked, it didn't make me feel any better.
One Sunday after a week of feeling this way I found myself sitting in church. Let me just make it clear that I did not go to church looking for answers. I do not attend regularly or because I thought it would make me feel better. It just so happened I had some friends who went often and I had decided to go with them. You can imagine my surprise when the Pastor started talking about this empty feeling I had been experiencing. Although he was referring to this empty feeling as not having God in your life, he said a few other things that really hit home for me. One of the things he said was that we all have spirits in us that need to be nurtured. Although I was neutral to the debate on whether there is a God or not, I do believe that we all have spirits within us. So, I continued to listen. He then went on to the topic of how materialistic our world is. How we want and can have the best of everything in our homes, the nicest cars money can buy and the nicest clothes on our bodies. But in the end, we will all leave this world and none of that will mean anything. We can't take it with us. I left the church that day really thinking about life and how I lived.
Years later I still get that empty feeling inside. Every time I feel it I stop and think of that day when I found myself in church. I can't help but think that those words were spoken to me for a reason. If no other reason than to plant the seed of what would grow into be a very strong belief of mine.
It is important that your life is one of substance.
In the end it doesn't matter how much money you had in the bank. What kind of car you drove. How big your house was, or what exotic materials it was made of. It doesn't matter how many pairs of stilettos you own, or what designer bags you carried. You will not be able to take it with you. In fact you might not even have these things 5 years from now. But one thing that does stick with you are memories. Things you can think about that leave you feeling happy inside. Experiences.
So when you are sitting there surrounded by all these things you've bought that are supposed to make you feel happy, but you still feel empty inside, please remember that you are deeper that just the surface. Remember that there is more to you than just the flesh. Take some time to breathe. Explore your spirituality. Take a mental vacation and really look inside yourself. You might be surprised where it takes you.
I'm not saying don't indulge in the finer things in life. I'm just saying there's more to life than just the finer things. There's people to meet, places to see and a part of you that takes some work to satisfy. So if you find yourself surrounded by reasons to be happy, but constantly saying "If I just had a...(nicer house, better job, more money etc.) take a look at yourself, you could be suffering form the never enough syndrome. And nothing you buy will be able to fix this, you will have to look deeper.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Success


Success is an interesting word. As defined by dictionary.com,

1. the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors.
2. the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like.
3. a successful performance or achievement: The play was an instant success.
4. a person or thing that is successful: She was a great success on the talk show.
5. Obsolete. outcome.

As defined by certain members of my family... going to school, obtaining a high paying career, having a family and a home.

As defined by me... being happy with whatever you are doing. If you are truely happy, you are successful. I don't care if you work at a gas station. If you work hard at something, and enjoy it, that creates the value in it. If you are a single career woman and loving it, kudos to you. If you are a stay at home mom, raising beautiful children and making nice dinners, great. If you are all of the above and more, a super person that has gone to school, work, have a family and are working at saving the world, thumbs up! I don't feel that one of you is greater than the other, you are all successful.
I've never felt like I was meant to be famous, or overly successful. When I realized this last night I had an "aha moment." Just because I don't feel this way, doesn't mean I can't be this way! No no... I'm not going to audition for So You Think You Can Dance or Canadian Idol. I know I can't sing... or dance, and I sure as hell don't want to be famous. I just want to be happy. And you know what? I am. And that makes me successful.

"Fake It Till You Make It"


I confess. All my life I've had confidence issues. I've always felt awkward. I've been the subject of ridicule more than once. In Elementary school I was teased for having dark skin... funny how these days all those whities try their hardest to be dark and end up looking orange. I've been called a penguin because apparently my feet do not stay perfectly straight forward when I walk. In high school, I gained a few pounds and was subjected to rumours that I was pregnant. Which lead to rumours that I slept around. I grew up in a lower class family. This meant I could not afford name brand clothes, I could not afford to play sports, or drive a brand new car when I turned 16. Of course, I was teased for this as well. Even today, no matter what I'm wearing, name brand or not, I can't help but feel awkward in it. Like I don't pull it off as good as the next person. Sometimes I still look over my shoulder and expect to see someone laughing at me like I'm back in school.
Although being teased definitely isn't fun, it has taught me something. When you have a lack of confidence it shows. When you are a child, people see you as an easy target and pick on you. Sometimes you lash out and tease the person beside you in attempts to make yourself feel better. When you are an adult, it can truely affect your success in life. Employers will look at you and see that you don't believe in yourself, and if you don't, then why should they? Men will sometimes see you as someone who is either "weak" and an easy target to control, or they will see you as someone who has issues. Again if you are seen as someone who doesn't think they are anything special why should anyone else think differently? Of course there are exceptions to this. Some people see beyond your confidence issues and see the gem inside. But that's not what this post is about.
Lately my confidence has been bruised. I've had time to reflect and see just what has happened in my life lately as a result of my lack of confidence. I don't like it. So, now that I can once again see the light, and my eyes are open, I'm going to follow the famous saying and "fake it till I make it." That's right. Even though I haven't fully gained my confidence back, I refuse to let it show anymore. At the risk of sounding corny, it's true what they say, you can do anything you put your mind to.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

I Like To Eat...

When it comes to resisting temptations... I'm usually pretty good. However when it comes to food... I literally have no defense. I like to eat. And by eat... I don't mean munch on carrots and salad. I like meat. Meat and potatoes. And Cheeese...
Lately I have no control. I mean, I will feel stuffed, but then I see something else that looks too yummy to resist, and even though I already have a stomach ache... I eat it. Lately I can't resist:

Cheesecake
Dads oatmeal cookies dipped in milk
Pizza
Chicken (Here I would like to recommend Montana's Herb Rotisserie Chicken with garlic mashed potatoes, gravy and steamed veggies) Also... I've been making homemade strips by cutting up chicken breasts and shake'n'baking them with a touch of sweet chili seasoning and basted with hot sauce.

I have started going to the gym to offset all the calories I take in. For those of you who know me, I've always said I will never deprive myself of good tasting food because of the calories and that is still true!