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Week Seventy-nine

Magical Monday # 79
Curated by Liz Fryer
Restore * Create * Connect

Finding Gratitude and Balance in the Tension

It’s the first Monday in October and I want to say hello and remind you to stay Grateful….no matter what. There are small moments of beauty in everything and with the changing of the seasons and the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday, here are a few things that are filling me up and making things brighter in my world.

What I’m Watching

I have to say, Ted Lasso is probably making me smile and laugh more than anything. If you haven’t watched, I strongly suggest you do. Even Brene Brown is finding him worthwhile – she typically doesn’t interview celebrities but Jason Sudeikis and Brendon Hunt (the stars, writers and producers of the show) talk with her about their thoughts on everything about the show. What I love best about the interview is that the stars aren’t even aware of how many lives they are touching! Basically they say: “If we want to not be influenced by the bad reviews, we also have to hold the good reviews lightly.” A delicate balance (and more to explore in my “Down the Rabbit Hole” section (below).

I love that they embody the kindness and the empathy I think we all can use – and it is not forced or trite. I think it comes from people who have seen hardship and don’t want to sugar coat it – but face it head on. If you haven’t watched yet, it is definitely worth the watch!

What I’m Reading

I read Karen Armstrong’s book “The Spiral Staircase” a couple of decades ago and loved it. It is her memoir about her dissatisfaction with organized religion and her personal thoughts and reflections at the time. Recently I picked up her book: “A Case for God”. It is so fascinating to consider, particularly in our polarized society, that the monotheistic God many of us have as our overarching theology, is actually a fairly recent phenomenon. It really has me thinking about how much society’s narrative influences our own personal narrative. Beyond religion, I’m needing to read it slowly and really think about what it means to cling so desperately to “my story”.

What I’m Eating

I’ve discovered the most amazing cookbook and have been sharing it far and wide. Super Simple a great addition to any kitchen for sure! The meals are easy to make, often using ingredients that are already in your kitchen. The book has great pictures and my family of extremely picky eaters who rarely all like the same meal, have found many, many meals we all enjoyed. If you want to sample before you buy – or even just sample, you can check out her website (link above) and sign up for regular emails with delicious, seasonal recipes.

What I’m Listening to

I dusted off my Cat Stevens “Tea for the Tillerman” album and took a listen. The songs take me back to the late 1970’s and I am loving listening again. In my ‘Highwomen” playlist on Spotify, I also discovered this new to me song: March March. Man, I love it!

Where I’m travelling

I’m pretty excited that on Sunday we are leaving to go to Newfoundland for a few days. It’s been a long time since we travelled anywhere and so we are off to Fogo Island. I’ve copied it here in case you’d like to take a mini-vacation from your desk. We fly into Gander (yes…Come from Away) and I plan to take my Dad’s memoirs there as he was in Ferry Command during WW II and flew through Gander regularly. Did I mention I’m excited?!?

Wishing you all an amazing Thanksgiving weekend and a beautiful month of October. The fall was my friend Alex’s favourite time of the year and a time of letting go. I often think of her – even more so this year as I contemplate what I need to let go of that I often so desperately cling to.

May you find the magic in all that you do!

Liz xo

Down the Rabbit Hole

This past month has been a month of action, with little time for reflection for me. I’ve started back to teaching and prepping for lessons for my Kindergarteners. I’ve been planning my next Gift Box whose theme is “Into the Forest I Go” and meeting with some amazing artists and artisans who are contributing to it. I will be excited to see it come together and it should be available in later November.

I’ve also been involved in hosting some events at our Cottage and am excited to let you know that my friend Crystal is hosting a retreat at Sunfish on Saturday, October 23 entitled “Feeling Your Best: A Women’s Wellness Day” and Val and I will also be hosting another one on Saturday November 6. Our theme is “Make yourself Cozy”. If you’d like information on either event, please let me know.

I’ve really found that this past month has been tough. We are all entering back into life and all it’s demands from being somewhat isolated and independent to being more interdependent. That is requiring more of us not only physically, but also emotionally as well. It’s interesting that others are finding this a tricky and tiring time to navigate. In a lot of cases, it’s harder than lockdown because we are needing to learn how to communicate more effectively and navigate many differing needs. We need to (re)learn how to set boundaries and how to take care of ourselves in this rapidly changing climate. Most of us have not been taught the art of how to communicate well.

We have forgotten that it is actually really healthy to have different opinions and disagreements. It is what makes our lives richer and more diverse. Disagreements bring a tension that allows us to find a common middle ground. They help us to stay in check and allow for a broader and richer experience. Recently I heard that in relationships that 80 percent of what you disagree on, you will ALWAYS disagree on. This means that we need to learn to agree – truly agree – to disagree. Silence builds resentment. So agreeing to disagree to silence the other person, or worse, make yourself smaller, is an incredibly unhealthy option. I’m fascinated by these thoughts – particularly in light of our current social and political climate. It has huge implications if we can all learn to be better communicators.

This month, let’s travel slowly and learn to rest when we need to, to speak up when we need to and to set some healthy boundaries for ourselves and most importantly take care of ourselves with care, because, after all, as Annie Dillard says: “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour and that one is what we are doing.” Let us let go of what no longer serves us and welcome in a fresh new perspective – maybe something we never considered – through healthy communication, first within ourself and then beyond in the world.

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