For earth hour, my sister and brother in law and brought sushi and we played board games with Loik in the candlelight. It was loads of fun and it felt great to take part in a global event such as this one.

I’m happy to report that there are lots of positive new things happening around here… I’ll be sharing all the goodness with you as I roll into a more regular posting schedule in the coming weeks!

I hope life is treating all of you well! Sending bright beams of positive energy your way.

Peace

Yan

The Earth Hour Movement was created last year by a group of people who wanted to inspire people to take action on climate change. Their idea was to ask the people of Sydney to turn off their lights for one hour.

Well, 2.2 Million people and 2100 businesses joined forces, powered down and reduced Sydney’s energy consumption by 10.2% for one hour which they say is the equivalent of taking 48,000 cars off the road for one hour.

Astounding!

This year promises to be bigger and better as their aim is take make Earth Hour a global movement. I signed up the other day and thought I’d help spread the word.

I love this kind of initiative because it’s easy for people to participate and show solidarity for a very important cause.

So find out more about Earth Hour 2008 taking place on March 29th 2008 at 8PM, sign up, and spread the word!

(Thanks for the heads-up Stephan!)

I’ve been pretty busy with life and I’ve yet to blog about it as some of you may have noticed. I just wanted to sign in and wish you all a wonderful weekend!

Now go and play outside!

Yanik

It seems like I’ve dropped off the face of the earth and in some ways I did. I tend to get introspective during the holidays… **coughs** who am I kidding, I’m always introspective but my introspection does seem to intensify as I reflect on the year that is about to end and as I set my intent for the new year.

2007 was an extremely challenging year for us. In many ways, it was the hardest year we ever went through personally and as a family. But as we sit here in the comfort of the calm that always comes after the storm, the struggles are distant fading memories and we are able to see the tremendous growth we experienced and the positive changes that have emerged; we both feel older, wiser and stronger.

Although we have no idea what 2008 has in store for us, we know that it depends completely on what we project into the Universe. Living consciously and being mindful has taken on a whole new dimension for us now that we understand that our thoughts create our reality. I think that realization has been both frightening and inspiring.

With that in mind, I’ve been going around asking people what I should wish them for the new year. Some people have asked for a new home, other asked to have more time to themselves, one woman asked for world peace and another wanted good health. So, what can I wish you for the new year?

If you were to ask me what I want for the new year, I would ask for courage: The courage to always speak from my heart. The courage to take my ideas and toss them into the pond without waiting for the ripples. The courage to create joy and abundance and the courage to graciously accept it in my life. The courage to accept and the overcome my failures and weaknesses and the courage to take a stand for the greater good.

Above all, I would ask that we all have the courage to create peace in our hearts so that we may create peace in our world.

I believe 2008 is going to be a year of great changes for all of us! May people of “light mind” unite and make this world a better place for all.

Namaste

Yanik

A few days ago, she asked her readers what they would do if they had unlimited time to work on their blogs … for some reason, this really spoke to me and I just started typing a response… my fingers were racing over the keyboard as I somehow began to share the ideas that have been in my mind for months now.

I’m not going to reprint it here so please do visit the comments section if you want to hear about my dream project. (My comment is under Yanik)

I have no idea where this will lead but you know what? It feels great to just put it out there.

But things don’t always happen as we plan them. Loik absolutely wanted me to play with him in his snow castle, the dog was going crazy running after the cats and there was a good 2 feet of packed snow to remove from the balcony that wraps around the little pink house.

I would have loved to indulge in my need for a peaceful, meditative moment… and ultimately, I did.

I’ll admit that I felt a twinge of frustration because I knew I’d be shoveling snow for an hour or so and I secretly wished that Loik would play with Jack for a few minutes but I learned a while back that I don’t have to be sitting in a lotus position with incense burning to be able to meditate and center myself.

So, I played “princess, knight and snow dragon” for a while as Jack, Bonsai and Willow became friends again and then, when everybody was content, I headed over to the balcony to take care of the task at hand.

I took 3 deep breaths and 2 different shovels and I began to meditate; clearing my mind and the balcony all at once. How’s that for multitasking! The bonus was that I meditated for much longer than I would have had I sat in lotus position (my legs tend to fall asleep) and a really unpleasant and back breaking job became a cathartic experience! The snow became a metaphor for the heavy negative feelings I’d been accumulating.

I think I’ll start applying this technique the next time I wash the dishes or clean out the cat litter! Try it! Let me know if it works for you!

Namaste

Yanik

Just thinking about it makes me feel better.

Try it! Take the time to breathe. Look around and take it all in. Listen to the wind. Feel the sun on your face and just enjoy the moment.

Laura started her wonderful project in memory of her Grandfather who taught her about leadership and the importance of making a difference in the world. Laura reminds us that little actions go a long way… reading her blog entries gives me hope for the future. Good job Laura!

Now, for the meme …
1. In your opinion, what does it mean to make a difference?To me, making a difference is getting up and doing something to help another person. We all have different talents and abilities and I believe we are here to put them to work for the better good.

2. What is an example of a unique way to make a difference?

I think a unique way to make a difference is to listen to people with our hearts. We live in a really fast paced world and I think that many times people feel their voice is not heard. When someone speaks, it’s easy to be distracted by a million different things… but when someone speaks to me, especially about something important that is going on in their life, I like to really focus on what they are saying; I give my full attention to their words and to their body language and I can often “hear” things that they haven’t expressed yet.

3. Who has made a difference in YOUR life this week?

My son Loïk has made a difference in my life this week because he always invites me to play, paint, sing songs and laugh at silly things. He has brought joy into my life from the first moment I knew he coming into this world.
4. If I didn’t have a blog, would I still be making a difference?

Yes, I would still be working at making a difference. My blog is like a journal I use to remind myself how important it is to contribute to making the world a better place.

5. What is your favorite thing about the internet?

There are so many things I love about the internet… I love the fact that there is no limit to what I can learn. I love the fact that there are little or no boundaries  and that I can get to know people from different parts of the world. I love the internet because it’s a place where my soul can roam free and find other souls who are of like mind. I love the internet because it brings an unlimited supply of new ideas and images into my mind and unlike tv, I can pick and choose exactly what I want to focus on. And finally, I love the internet because I hear of wonderful projects like yours Laura.

Have a great day everyone!  Sending positive thoughts to you and yours.

Here at the little pink house in the mountains, we knew the weather was bound to be frightful, so we had stocked up on old movies, delicious hot chocolate and of course, Francis made sure our fire was extra delightful. Let it snow - we said! After all, we had no place to go!

But when it comes to snow, 5 year olds have other ideas in mind… they don’t want to avoid the storm… they like to play in it! So while I chose to start a new painting and warm my toes by the fire, the boys went out to play.

That’s when I started thinking … first I thought about how fortunate we were because we didn’t “have” to go out that day… my thoughts went out to people like my sister (she’s a bus driver for the city of Montreal) who were out on the road yesterday because they didn’t have a choice.

Then I thought about how reality is different for everyone… it’s a question of perspective. For some people, the storm was a major inconvenience, for others it was a reason to play and have fun! Some people were injured and/or died as a result … while others stayed home, made love and created life.

How does our attitude affect the outcome of a negative event. Is there really such a thing as a negative event? Or are there only opportunities for growth?

We all face life storms at one point or another… it’s a part of life. The real question is how do we face the “storms” that happen in our lives?

My theory, for what it’s worth, is that humans react to natural storms in the same way that we deal with storms in our own personal lives.

Based on yesterday’s storm, I realized that I’m a person who likes to get comfortable, philosophize, and wait for the dust (or in this case snow) to settle while Francis likes to face it head on (he was shoveling snow off our roof at the height of the storm) and Loik is always looking for a way to play and have fun while the storm rages on. And my sister the bus driver? She went out into the storm with her smile and positive attitude and brought people to where they needed to go.

So how do you face storms? Does my theory hold water?

Here are the quotes that lifted my spirits yesterday.

An obstacle is often a stepping stone.
- Prescott

“The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.”
- William James

I think and think for months and years. Ninety-nine times, the conclusion is false. The hundredth time I am right.
Albert Einstein

We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided each by a private chart, of which there is no duplicate. The world is all gates, all opportunities.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Attitudes are contagious. Make yours worth catching.
- Unknown

Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes but don’t quit.
- Conrad Hilton

Remember that happiness is a way of travel, not a destination.
- Roy Goodman

I know for sure that what we dwell on is who we become.
- Oprah Winfrey

Ahhh… I feel better already

Have a great weekend everyone!