Category: #business

First Time Awe…

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Our office is Full of New Potential Associates at our Law Firm.  They stand at the window in our Reception area and excitedly speak of the views.  The Calgary Tower looms directly in front.  The Views truly are remarkable.  When I was here for my first interview, the boardroom faced the same view.  I remember it was hard to focus with so much beauty awaiting my eyes out the window.  Now I Breeze By.  Now and Again, there’s a Quick Glance.  It’s more now to check the weather for my walk home.  It kinda makes me sad How Quick things Become Old News.

So how do we Stay Enthralled?  How do we not Grow Calloused to Beauty?  Why do we always need new?  In what we View?  In our Careers?  In our Relationships?

Is it not to take a Moment and Let it Be New Again?  Where we can take off the Grey Glasses of Accustom and put on the new shiny Glasses of Appreciation.  Where we stop and even revel in the memory of the First Moment we saw it.  Our First Day at our Dream Job.  The moment we saw the One we Love.

Take a Moment and Savour the Old.  Make it New Again.  Your Happy Heart will Thank You.

Cheers!

The Sound of Silence

~ blacklilymusings ~ 2 Comments
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Snow acts like a Great Insulator.  I’m No Scientist but it seems to Absorb Sound.  When I opened my front door to walk to work there was a Blanket of It over the City.  My Walk to Work seemed Muted.  Serene compared to the Hustle of a Clear Day.  Maybe a lot of people took a Snow Day.  I Don’t Know.  But I enjoyed the Hush.  I could Hear the Little Rivers Meandering down into the Grates of the Already Melting Snow. The Squishing of my Boots in the Slush.  My heart felt as Light as the Little Snowflakes dotting my hair.

Some days the Gift of Being Alive is Extra Real.

It was not lost on me that as I entered Bankers Hall where I take the elevator up to the 35th floor for work, Simon & Garfunkel are singing their Famous Song…

The Sound of Silence.

In Restless Dreams I walked Alone. Narrow streets of Cobblestone.  Neath the halo of the street lamp.  I turned my collar to the cold and damp….

I Sometimes Marvel at the Little Things in Life that Coincide.  One can look at Life as Everything just being Meaningless, or Everything Having a Meaning.

Today, although not a deep spiritual meaning, I smiled that the song that Welcomed me to my Work, was in keeping with my musings as I banged the snow off my boots in the atrium.

Life…!  You’re Cute Sometimes.

xoxo

Warm Happy Chatter Is My Favourite…

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There’s  a group of caterers setting up for a University of Calgary Seminar for First Year Law Students. When I Hit the Kitchen, I Realize I’ve Hardly Ever Heard Such Happy Chatter.  Reveling in the Last Wedding in Canmore.  The Old Mine being the Venue.  How Beautiful the Bride was.  How the Rain Stopped Miraculously.  One Server is Talking about her Diploma Course in Supply Management she’s Completing.  Another her Darling Daughter.  I’m Warmed by the Rapport between Them.

Then I watch Their Boss.  His Eyes are Kind.  He Smiles Wide and Genuine.  He Describes  Each Canape on His Menu with Excitement.  His Passion for His Craft is So Evident in His Demeanor.  He Engages with His Staff with True Interest.  He Stops in the Chaos to Offer Support and Encouragement. Even before I met the staff,  his words were “You’re going to love my staff.  Every one of them is great!”

He’s a True Leader.  He’s Kind.  Empathetic.  Energetic. Self Sacrificing.  Encouraging.  His Staff Glow with Their Love for their Job.

Once Again, a Lesson is Learned.  Bosses Set the Tone.  Like Attracts Like.

We All are Leaders in One Way or Another.  Unless You Live Under a Rock.  We All are in a Place of Inspiring Others. We All are Either Helping or Hindering the Journey of Others.

Thanks, Catering Boss From Food Works.  You’re My Hero Today.

xo

Loving Life Today…

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Not Everyday is Stellar.  I don’t Mean That because Things Go Wrong Some Days.  Some of our Best Days just don’t Feel Good.  Our Attitude is Off.  Our Brains are Dehydrated.  The Cat Missed the Litter Box Again.  Simple Things can Set Up our Thoughts for the Grumblies.  Then other Days it’s Polar Opposite.  Today to Be Truthful I’m Feeling Sick.  I’m Achy and Painy. My Brain is threatening another CSF Leak.  But Honestly, My Heart Might Just Float Away if it Wasn’t Tethered.  I feel H.A.P.P.Y….I feel positively Happy.

Life is so Crazy.  It’s a Multicolored Roller Coaster.  Some days there’s a Dark Tunnel.  Some Days it’s the Spin Wheel.  Upside Down and Backwards.  I Want to  Learn to Munch Nonchalantly on my Multi Colored Cotton Candy in the Tunnels.  Because Pretty Soon, it’s out in that Crazy Wonderful Summer Air.  The Awesome Spin Wheel Section.  The Gut Twisting Smile Enducing Heights and Extremes of Joy.

Life, I Love You.  You Crazy Wonder.

xo to all My Crazy Lovin Cotton Candy Nonchalant Tunnel Riders.   You’re my Favorites.  You know Who you Are.

So You’ve Been Bullied…

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Everyone at some point has Dealt with a Bully.  Taking your Gentleness as Weakness, they Push You Around.  They Need to Feel Powerful.  Loving to Oppress.  For a Moment they Feed their Need for Power and Relevance through You.

Silently Observe…

Look in their eyes….

You’ll Often See Fear.  Bullies are Afraid Insecure People .  When you can Understand this, it takes their Power Away to Hurt You.

Disarm them with Your Quiet Confidence.  Stay Comfortable in Your Own Skin.  Two Things Often Happen…

Their Attention goes Elsewhere…or as you Role Model Strength and Courage

Sometimes…

The Fear in their Eyes Melts away.  Confidence finds a New Spring in Their Step.

They’ve Become Inspired…

and…

The World Becomes a Little Kinder.  A Little Brighter.

One Bully at a Time.

It’s Worth a Shot…

The Proper Kinda Shot…

 

Writing Your Life Objective

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I feel we should be able to describe in a few sentences our Life’s Objective.  When the Dust Settles Over our Finished Lives, what will our Lives Accomplished?  The Ripple Effect of our Lives we Cannot Deny.  Whether it has been One of Good or Not So Good is the Only Variable in Our Control.

So Here’s Mine…

The First Draft Anyway…

I want to Walk Gently.  Love Fiercely.  Be a Lifelong Learner.   Open Minded.  Not Bitter.  Always Grateful.  Ever Hopeful.  To Smile Always.  Cry when Necessary. Embrace Change. Pure in My Thoughts Towards Others. Courageous.

Most of these Characteristics are States of Being.  Because if we aren’t these things, our Accomplishments Don’t Matter.

Accomplishments come to those who first have learned….

To Be.

Here’s To Being!

Let me know your Life Objective!  Can’t Wait to Hear!!

xo

 

The Ruins of Rushing

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Sometimes we have an Urge to Utilize Force.   We see Waiting and Patience as the Enemy to Fruition.  Not understanding the Actual Word.

Fruit.ion.  

Fruit starts as a Tiny Little Bud.  Then Passersby enjoy the Beauty of the Bud, then the Fragrance of the Flower.  We Find Hope in the Unripened Fruit, and Love the Memories of the Taste of It.  We enjoy the Wonderful Butterflies of Anticipation.  We Dream of the Possibilities of the Fruit.  It Gives Hope for the Future.  Of Sustenance.  Of Enjoyment.

Everything in Life is a Process.  Whether it Be Personal Growth.  Our Careers.  Our Relationships.  Every Stage is Beautiful.  Culminating in Gorgeous Fruit if all Stages are Embraced.  With Patience.

We are a Society of Rushers.  Instant Gratification.  We are those who Cut Down Trees of Possibility because of our Own Impatience.

Let’s Enjoy the Processes of Life.  In Ourselves and In Others.

Our Dreams will Come to Fruition.  Let’s Create an Environment Conducive to Growth.

No Rushing.

Just Diligence. Warmth. Faith.

 

Hinchcliff & Lee

~ blacklilymusings ~ 1 Comment
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The Greatest Gift I can give myself in our Lovely City of Calgary is to take a little wander down to Hinchcliff & Lee. To visit  John and his Shop Dog.  Cash.  After a lovely meander through the Farmer’s Market with Helen yesterday, we met Beautiful Julianna at The Eden for a Delightful Lunch (a blog on that later under restaurants I love).  A few doors down is my  Favourite City Treat.

It’s the most amazing Trip through Asia at Hinchcliff & Lee.  A Second Generation Establishment.  John’s Mama’s Dream Child come to Fruition.  Always greeted by the most gorgeous caramel floaty haired dog, he’s Shop Dog Number Two.  When I first discovered This Gem, Doggie Jack was meeting me at the door.  Now Cash has taken up the torch, a Little Wilder and Floating His Freak Flag more than Jack.  Cash buries his nose in my purse looking for “Cookies”.  He pulls out my passport and has a solid hold.  I’ll Treasure the Teeth Marks.

John is a Gorgeous Soul.  I can’t even Explain It.  So Earnest.  So Engaged.  As Full of Character as his beautiful Asian Antiques.  I love the way he crosses his arms and gets that faraway look in his eyes and you know a Great Story is going to be Told.  An Asian Tattoo (I’ve yet to ask the meaning) scrawled up his forearm.  He pushes up his dark rimmed glasses with his middle finger, and tears fill his eyes.  His Papa has Passed.  We stand sharing his sorrow, tears rimming our eyes as he Gathers his Emotions.  He’s one of those People who make you Glad to Be Alive.  Enjoying this Journey of Life. He’s Got Passion.  Heart.

We wander through the Pergolas.  Paintings. The Heavy Wood Tables and Armoires in the Asian Reds and the Gorgeous Blue and White Porcelain.  Downstairs is another Treasure Trove.  The Weight of History of both the Old Building and Asia Mingling in the Summer Air.   Upstairs the floor is Creaking So Lovely under the feet of other Happy Saturday Wanderers.

I’m Glad it Graces our City.  I Highly Recommend a Trip to Inglewood to Hinchcliff & Lee.  Behind the Wooden Door is the Cutest Shop Dog eating the Sales Tickets.  The Shop Owner John and His Glorious Tales both New and Old.  Asian Antiques that will Take your Breath Away.

It’s Worth the Trip.

 

 

 

 

 

Morning Serenades

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I awoke to the electric guitar floating over the morning airwaves.  Two houses down is a garage band.  It’s an odd time to be practising your chords, and if it didn’t Stir My Belly maybe I would’ve been a little annoyed.  After all, the electric guitar is rather ear piercing more than it’s melodic.  But it Stirred Me.

When I pondered why it awoke  Butterflies Of Excitement in my stomach I realized it made me Grateful….

Grateful for Music.  For Passion.  For Those Who Dream.

It made me grateful for another day to Ignite My Own Passion.  To work towards my dreams.  To embrace this beautiful land of promise.  To allow Hope to blow its soft gentle wind into my sails again.

I Inhale and listen to his Happy Although Screechy Chords, and I Smile.

Thank you Garage Band Electric Guitar Player.  Thanks for the Inspiration.

I’ll Sketch My Dreams Today.  Because of You.

 

Dreaming Big Starts Little

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We all have Big Dreams.  We all want to Go Places.  We dream of Reinventing, Rejuvenating, Restoring.  Along life’s journey hobbies Get Shelved.  Dreams Too.  The Pertinent and Immediate becomes all consuming.

So Here’s to Starting Little.

Do you want to Climb Mountains?  Let’s Start with Practising Endurance. Without Grit, no mountain can Be Scaled.  Practice Endurance.

At our Careers. In our Homes. In our Relationships.

 Pushing past Comfortable and Into Excellence.

 

Do you want to be an Artist?  Be okay with Failure.  With the Outcome of your Pursuits being a Caricature of Your Vision.

 Be Okay with Starting Over.  From Scratch. Next time you’ll be Closer to your Masterpiece.

 

Do you want to be an Inventor?  Be a Creative Problem Solver.

Every Day in the most Mundane Tasks.

Think Outside the Box

When you Clean Your Car.  Do Your Laundry.  Shop for Groceries.

The Greatest Ingenuity comes from Rethinking Old Patterns.

 

Let’s Start Little to do Big Things.

xoxo