Staying In…

“Home is where the heart is.”

“There’s no place like home.“

“Home sweet home.”

While we are surrounded by an abundance of messages pertaining to the importance of ‘home’, the average person spends the majority of their life AWAY from the household due to education, social lives, careers, and travel.

One of the most common societal goals is to one day acquire your very own home; yet once we accomplish this significant accomplishment, why then do we spend so much time making plans to escape it?

We were fortunate enough to buy our house almost 4 years ago. Like all substantial investments, it requires tender loving care and attention to detail. My husband delves deep into the structural care – to ensure its strength, safety, and durability – whereas my care flourishes inwardly, to all the spaces between the walls. Together, we have established a beautiful home permeated with love, warmth, security, and joy.

There are nights we go out to dinner, concerts, social gatherings. There are weekends we spend away at the cottage, visiting friends and family, traveling. Yet no matter where we go, or how long we are away, our house remains our sanctuary.

I thrive on my time spent in our home – dancing in the kitchen while I concoct meals, reading in the living room with the fireplace on, suntanning on our expansive back deck, doing laundry in our newly renovated basement, inviting friends over for a BBQ or Games Night, taking a nap in our bed on a languid Saturday afternoon, shoveling out our long driveway, playing with the dog in our backyard, colouring at the dining room table, exercising in the spare bedroom, pampering myself with a long hot shower, cozying up with my husband (& dog) watching a movie…

Though I know the world outside has much to offer, I am so grateful for days when I can just stay inside and bask in the comforts of the Home we have created.

Simply, joy.

Daily Dose of Optimism

At work we have a whiteboard beside the main door which was originally used for announcing staff birthdays. (*note: I do maintain this tradition, for the record)

As I am one of the first people in in the morning, it irked me to see a cold, empty, sterile whiteboard every morning when I arrived. So back in November, I decided that colleagues should be greeted with a joke or inspirational and/or motivational quote.

Each morning I write a little message on this board to make others smile.

The feedback has been very positive and our work environment has benefited from the wee dose of daily joy.

Yesterday, my colleagues wrote back:

Simply, joy.

Practicing Hygge

Hygge (pronounced hoo-ga) is a Danish term roughly translated as coziness.

Danish winters are long and dark (sound familiar fellow Canadians?), thus the necessity for hygge – essentially creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying the simple joys in life with good people.

Hygge is more than a cozy room full of candles, company, and good food.

Hygge is a philosophy; a way of life that has helped Danes understand the importance of simplicity, time to unwind, and slowing down the pace of life.

Create space and time to do nothing but enjoy the simple joys with family and friends.

Simply, joy.

Igniting that Holiday Spark

December hit fast’n furious this year.

Last week (mid-December) a colleague and I were noting the lack of holiday cheer throughout our office and, well, our entire floor. She suggested coming in when no one was around and decorating the whole floor as a surprise.

On Friday morning, our department was treated to a beautiful breakfast celebration put on by the Social Committee. It was lovely! We were greeted by staff dressed as elves, received with genuine smiles, served candy canes, and brought together in a simple, yet festive, decorated hall.

After eating, I decided to pull out a few boxes of decorations from our storage closet. I was amazed at how much there was!

As I began to modestly decorate office doors, bosses & colleagues trickled back from breakfast – their faces lit up as they saw the holiday decorations.

It wasn’t long before each and every co-worker participated in some way to help make the floor more festive. Some helped hang ornaments from the ceiling, others set up & decorated the tree, while some preferred to simply don elf and Santa hats whilst working at their desks.

It was most fulfilling and inspiring to witness the ignition of festive cheer spread and lift the spirits of my colleagues.

It doesn’t matter how old we are – it’s essential that we never stop spreading joy, nor cultivating the spirit within each of us to flourish and thrive.

Simply, joy.

MegaMix (for Sarah)

In the summer of 2004 I met a girl who would change my life.

Her name was Sarah and she was to be my new roommate. I had never met Sarah before but we shared mutual friends/acquaintances (our third roommate being one of them).

In a matter of moments we connected in ways unimaginable. How could this complete stranger know exactly what I was thinking, enjoy the same range of music, finish my sentences, share similar views, find humour in the same ridiculous scenarios, and be able to mirror the way I was feeling at a glance?!

It didn’t take long to realize we were ‘Twin Souls’; long lost friends/sisters from another lifetime united together once again at last.

Sarah and I were inseparable. The only time spent apart was when we were either in class or sleeping. Every other waking moment was filled with walks, Open Mic nights, adventurous bus rides, shopping, pub crawls, singing, reading magazines, people-watching, painting, eating popcorn, attending concerts, and laughing. There was so much laughter…

The following summer Sarah returned to her home in southern Ontario for a full-time job. It was devastating to think that we had finally just reconnected and yet here we were being separated again.

While we may have physically parted ways 11 years ago, we’ve maintained our Twin Soul connection to this day. Life has thrown many curve balls at us over the years but we’ve fought to preserve the special bond between us.

Tonight I stumbled across an old mix CD I made for Sarah when she left. The musical selection took me back in time to our days together and filled my heart with light and joy.

I am so grateful that she’s still in my life today. I love her dearly.

My life would feel incomplete without our abundance of ludicrous inside jokes…

Simply, joy.

Evening Extravaganza

It was one of those nights when I should have just gone to bed. But I wasn’t tired. I was stressing about what to wear and how my presentation would go the next day.

I debated heading under the covers but thought I should sit outside for a few to clear my head before retiring. Oh the irony.

The moment I opened the back patio door the dog shot out into the dark and attacked a force unseen. She came back with something obviously in her eyes, and I feared a porcupine attack. I let her into the house and hollered for my husband.

It wasn’t until minutes later that the smell made its way to my nostrils – skunk…

(*Note: this was the inaugural duel of skunk vs. dog; we’re quite fortunate that it hadn’t happened sooner!)

We hastily ushered the poor dog back outside and rinsed her with industrial vinegar and the hose. Not an easy task when the targeted area was her face (i.e. eyes, nose, and snout). After dousing her numerous times outside, we brought her in to give her a good shampoo bath.

Naturally at this precise moment someone knocked on our door requesting a boost for a dead car battery (parked directly in front of our house). Bless my husband for his patience and endearing kindness as he forged outside, again, to help these people at 10 p.m.

Post-bath, all windows had been flung open wide to rid the heavy musk of skunk that somehow seeped into the house. Terrified of smelling the next day at work, I sprayed my outfit with vinegar and hid it in the bedroom – the safe room which had been closed to the pungent scent.

Sleep finally found my husband and I; the dog passed out immediately after her bath.

This morning only remnants of the odour lingered, yet I was still extremely paranoid that the smell had gotten in to my clothes, my hair, my skin (yes even after showering). I gingerly set out to work, watching each passing person to scan their face for any sort of reaction to a bad scent as they passed. There were none.

I asked various people at work to smell me but none could identify anything other than soap. Thank God!

Though our house still offers whispers of skunk-butt, the dog is healthy and happy and smelling pretty good for having been sprayed in the face.

It could have been worse… It could have been much, much worse.

Simply, joy.

The Wonders of Leaving Your Phone at Home

Wanting to take advantage of this incredibly summery day, I headed out with the dog for a long hike. I packed my pockets with the necessities (keys, poo bags, and treats) and left my phone where it was on the kitchen table.

The dog was exhilarated to be outside, after a full day of rain yesterday, so much so that we ultimately ran to the park along the river. Knowing it very well could be her last swim of the season, we spent half hour at the beach playing fetch.

It was while she was swimming out to retrieve a stick that an enormous blue heron swooped down and nearly landed on her head! I’m not sure whether the bird thought the stick was a fish or what, but it was pretty incredible to witness. The blue heron proceeded to land on the shoreline beside me and another blue heron came dancing out of the woods to greet it. (The dog did not give them any notice)

On our walk back from the beach, I spotted a huge majestic white swan swimming towards us. The dog, again, was oblivious as she fervently looked for fish in the shallow waters along the shore of the river. The swan swam over to where we were and floated merely 5′ away. I stood in sheer awe of its size, the brilliance of white glistening feathers, and the elegance of its fluid movements.

I witness the most beauty in the world around me when I leave my phone at home.

Simply, joy.

Reveling and Reckoning

Wow. Here we are in the midst of September…

This summer was brimming with events, reunions, football, weddings, cottage weekends, road trips, and an exciting new job. Last weekend was our first weekend at home since May!

While I have much to be grateful for and many joys to share, I am currently reveling in the comfort of being quiet and cozy at home.

More to come soon. Promise.

Simply, joy.

Safe Space

Though Summer is being postponed by a lengthy Spring, there’s been more than enough sunshine to christen the deck. Yesterday was no exception.

While my husband was away at the cottage doing hefty indoor renovations, I opted to stay home to putter around the house. Upon finishing up some morning gardening, the sunny deck beckoned.

After a lovely, quiet visit with my sister-in-law, a good friend stopped by to join me in the afternoon sunshine for a long overdue visit. She’s the type of friend I don’t see often, nor even keep in touch with on a daily basis, yet within seconds we pick up where we left off. Following several hours of laughter, tears, wine, and life reflections, we capped it off with BBQ-ed hotdogs.

It was a perfect day in a safe space with a beautiful friend.

Simply, joy.

Moulting

Ah, the promise of a brand new month. Flipping the calendar to a clean page. The ecdysis of all events and emotions that took place in the month prior. Another opportunity to go forward with a fresh slate – mentally, spiritually, and physically.

March was a most difficult month for us. However today we put March behind us, and embark upon new life adventures with renewed spirits, stronger hearts, and eager grins.

Beneath every tragedy lies some semblance of light; you just have to be willing to see it.

Simply, joy.