I lived in Windsor, Ontario for 3 years before I moved to Calgary in September 2007. An old boyfriend brought me there. Thank the blessed universe for that! The magic aka growth that’s unfolded in my life since (meeting the most incredible group of ladies, during those 3 years) has been nothing short of perfect. A blossoming of the soul began during that period. It hasn’t slowed. It is to you, my Windsor beauties, I credit much of this life I live and love. The ideas of synchronicity, fate, and spiritual growth were born with your love and friendship, and for that, I thank you profoundly.

(When I departed ways from my soul-mates in ’07, they threw me a huge going away party. It was one of the most special times of my life. The generosity did not stop there. They presented me with a scrapbook filled with love, cherished memories and words that are tattooed on my heart forever and ever. This photograph is one I took of a page in that scrapbook - a quote a very dear friend found fitting. It makes so much sense.)

Alice in wonderland

Often I feel I’m Alice in Wonderland. During my walks, which I describe as being meditative, I’m frequently overwhelmed by how beautiful everything is. And I mean everything. Either I have the ability to be this present (which I realize, may be a gift), or the rose-colored lenses you can usually find me wearing have kicked into overdrive. I’m infatuated with trees, shrubs, grass – and they’re all leafless, decaying or yellow as it is still very early in the spring and it is Calgary. Yet, I’m just over the top pleased with how amazing these lifeforms are! I observe my feet take steps on the earth before me and am fascinated by the vast array of terrain my soles see. I see our frozen river and imagine the rush of bubbly water flowing below. The air feels cool and crisp and refreshing after a long day spent inside. I smile at people I pass by. They smile back and I just know it’s true. Smile and the world smiles with you. After a long day of making people happy with my work, this is how I like to unwind and let go. Try it.

Spring feelings

What a great time of year! I am so in love with Spring and all that comes with it – sunshine, earth smells, puddles, warm breezes, muddy trails, dry sidewalks, light jackets, and the knowing of an approaching summertime. But even moreso, I love the feelings it brings up in me. Spring has always been my very favorite season mainly due to the renewal I feel within. With this time of year comes a clear, focused mind that’s happy to be alive and thriving!

Spring usually marks a trip for me as well, and in just 5 days I will be embarking on one! My plans are feeling very loose – and, in some moments, I’m telling myself that they’re too loose, I should have more planned, I should have done more research, yadayadayada. I’ve freed myself of that judgment now tho! This is who I am and the way I am doing this trip. We can be so hard on ourselves sometimes hey? We’re our own biggest critic without a doubt. Proceeding in a forward direction, I am going to be A-OK with my free bird travel plans! These free bird travel plans, I’m sure are going to prove delightful:)

A friend of mine told me about couchsurfing.org awhile back and got me really interested in the idea. I spent some time and built a profile for myself, and ended up sending out about 15-20 requests for couches in the Rome and Barcelona area. After not hearing back from anyone for about 10 days I was getting pretty discouraged. While, yes, I could easily just stay in a hostel every night but not really appealing to me a) costs and b) why, when there are so many lovely people out there with free space in their homes. Nevertheless, on Wednesday night I prayed to the couchsurfing gods and voila! Nina, a lovely fairy in an ivy head-wreath appears in my couchsurfng inbox stating: “Ok and Let's go....I'll host you with great pleasure. You are coming Rome for a wonderful week-end. There are a lot of things to do and to see in Rome. I'm going to accept another couch request for that crazy week-end - 2 girls from Poland coming here by hitchhiking. I think it sounds very very good!” I’m so happy to have made a connection and with someone who I hope is as beautiful of a person as her profile and 7 outstanding references make her out to be!

I have a feeling I’m going to have the best of my life! More accurately put: I trust that I will make it the best time:) I am going to try and blog about some of my experiences throughout my journey – maybe not as frequently as my soul-sista Miss Materi – but stay tuned fans!

Much love,

Carrie

These days...

I’ve been spending a lot of time lately blissing out. I guess it’s only fair now to share some of that bliss with my fans.

I’ll begin with my quickly approaching trip to Europe. Only 7 weeks to go! I do have quite a bit of planning left but the structure of the trip is feeling pretty well-established. I’ve cut a couple of things out - for example, I won’t be visiting Venice afterall and am even considering cutting south France out as well. Reason being, I don’t want the trip to be about visiting as many places as I can in one month, but rather about getting to know a few places the best I can given the short time. Simply put: quality vs. quantity. I can just predict I’m gonna get to some of these places and not ever want to leave! That said, here is the new structure:

I arrive in Liverpool on April 21st. I will be there until April 30th. On that day, I have a flight booked to Rome, where I plan to spend about 4 days. May 5th - May 9th will be spent in Florence, Pisa and Cinque Terre. Uncertain here if I will take a train through South France, or simply just fly to Barcelona. Regardless, I will spend 5 days in Barcelona, Spain - so approximately May 9th - May 14th. The last 5 days of my trip will be then spent in south Spain, Malaga. My flight back to Calgary (from Malaga, Spain) is on May 19th.

Next topic, happiness. There are lots of things that make me happy. Here are some things that have been keeping me happy.

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Lacey bought me the new Hey Rosetta CD. Anyone who knows me well knows I am a HUGE fan, (and perhaps even their biggest fan!) The new songs are bringing me great joy, and so much joy that I’ve even been brought to tears by a couple of them. Isn’t that amazing – that music can stir the soul like that? Hey Rosetta songs and I – we just really get along. They’re always there for me, they always treat me well. It’s a good relationship.

Last Sunday morning, for the first time in a while, I visited the Centre for Spiritual Living. They had a guest speaker, Sig Taylor, a local relationship counselor who really left an impression on me. So much so that I registered for a 2-part seminar with him. While I feel I’m in a pretty healthy and mature relationship right now, I do believe there is always room for growth and healthier habits. Having already completed half of the seminar, it really would be too much to share right now with you everything I’ve learned but perhaps my next blog post:)

But another positive aspect that this experience has brought is the feeling of inspiration. What Sig Taylor does, how he does it and why he does it, really inspires me. Everyone has interactions, and is in relationships, of all sorts, and they’re all unique. I just feel it would be an interesting career – to study relationships. Reflecting back on my university career, sociology of gender courses were really the only thing that tickled my fancy. Is that a sign that maybe I should take more seriously? Should I, like Sig, head back to school and get me a masters degree in social work and become some sort or relationship therapist? Hmmmmm.

I’m loving being alone these days. It’s actually something I’ve grown fonder and fonder of over the years – but just rarely speak aloud about. I really like my own company and feel time alone is essential to my personal well-being. It’s therapeutic, it’s healthy, it’s perfect, always. And, I feel I’m getting just enough of it too, not too much nor too little, it’s just about right these days.

Alone, I like hiking alongside the river for hours, most times without my ipod, but occasionally with, just being, just enjoying the moment, the scenery, the frozen water, the dried flowers
Alone, I like cleaning my house with Phoenix blasting on the speakers, sippin’ on my hot lemon water that makes me so happy
Alone, I like to play with Fisher and learn from the beauty of her simplicity
Alone, I like to meditate occasionally, especially when the gusts of gratitude just become so overwhelming
Alone, I love to create, create valentines cards with the prettiest, most romantic paper, create Christmas cards or postcards for my friends and family
Alone, it’s just so nice to reflect and soak in the beauty that is now

Well put.

Leo Babauta, creator of Zen Habits, urges his readers to find simplicity in this age of distraction. I couldn’t agree more.

I’m busy but also always seem to have time to goof off online. So how do I free myself from distraction?

Create space in your life. Cancel a few commitments, add space into your schedule, get rid of some to-do items and focus on fewer projects. Make space to breathe, to find solitude, to create. It’s one of the most important things you can do.

What can the world at large do, collectively, to free itself?

Promote minimalism. It’s not a life where you live with as little as possible. It’s a life where the focus isn’t on consuming and spending, but on connecting with others – creating, enriching your life and the lives of others. It’s also a life where we consume less and have less of an impact on the Earth.

Love yourself...

Love yourself.
Make peace with who you are
and where you are at this moment in time.

Listen to your heart.
If you can't hear what it's saying in this noisy world,
make time for yourself. Enjoy your own company.
Let your mind wander among the stars.

Try. Take chances. Make mistakes.
Life can be messy and confusing, but it's also full of surprises.
The next rock in your path may be a stepping stone.

Be happy. When you don't have what you want,
want what you have. Make do.
That's a well-kept secret of contentment.
There aren't any shortcuts to tomorrow.
You have to make your own day.
To know where you're going is only part of it.
You need to know where you've been too.
And if you get lost, don't worry.
The people who love you will find you.
Count on it.

Life isn't days and years.
It's what you do with time
and with all the goodness and grace
that's inside of you.
Make a beautiful life...
The kind of life you deserve.

...good 'ol Hallmark just always has a way of getting it right!