October 8, 2023 – Gaining Perspective

What an incredible day!!! What an incredible week!!! What an incredible life!!

Sounds like I’m feeling INCREDIBLE… and I am. It’s nothing special or spectacular to make note of, but it’s the ordinary that I am celebrating. I am so grateful for the last week. I am approaching the end of my birthday week and I have nothing but gratitude. I just came back from a 2.5 hour session this afternoon and I have the clarity, courage, and will to move forward with my life and career. I am happy.

My kid started my birthday month a big birthday brunch at White Spot after we spent a few moments recognizing the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation downtown. The next day, my kid brought home my favourite meal from the Keg after work for me… fillet mignon, garlic mashed potatoes, asparagus, and wedge salad. Dang. The best!!! This birthday meal lasted me 4-days. It was so delicious.

My birthday was Monday and we had classes at the university (because we took the statutory holiday on the Friday). I had a class Monday afternoon and I am so grateful for my colleague who was able to join my class to facilitate the blanket exercise. Apparently, I’m a “mild” European in the role play, which makes sense. I felt like I was trying to make sense of what I was doing. I’m glad it worked out.

My kid made my class cupcakes to celebrate my birthday, which I brought out during the break, but my class in turn surprised me with a card and birthday present. They got word that I am a Squishmellow fan (from one of my kid’s friends) and searched high and low for “Cam, the cat vampire” to no avail. So they ordered one from Amazon. I got this little Cam during Thursdays class. It made my day!!

The work week is incredibly busy. I have night classes on Tuesday and Wednesday. The work week ends with my Thursday morning class and the rest of my time is spent catching up, getting organized (i.e., catching up on emails) and slowing down. On Friday, one my friends underwent major surgery and I am so grateful that the operation was successful. My friend is now recovering. I am hoping for the best.

Friday concludes with a walk with another friend, a gorgeous fall day (see image above), and dinner out. We always have good conversations and she bought my dinner (for my birthday). The salmon was delicious. The next day, I went out for lunch with another friend. We pivoted and we brought our kids. Mine is 20 and hers is 3. LOL. We had a great conversation and my friend bought my lunch too.

That said, she had no idea that it was my birthday, but I must have been giving out birthday-vibes. My kid went to a local play with me, then makes dinner for us. Instead of a turkey, we had chicken with all if the fixings. It was an amazing meal. I spent the evening washing dishes and cleaning up here and there. I love taking my Saturdays to ground myself, to rest, and just be a person. This is a staple for me.

And here we are… one week later. I am reminded about “being human.” Life has ups and downs. The goal is to know who I am, what I value, and what’s important to me. There will always be unexpected moments, but I have the strength and capacity to PIVOT, adapt, and stay the course. I can’t protect myself from danger but I can find the courage to move forward and try. Yes!! I am always learning.