Monday's Mindful Moments

There is much on my mind today. It's actually Tuesday and as I've come to edit this post, I find I have too much I want to include. This post will actually be three key thoughts in one lengthy post!

• A great big thank you to Robert and Florence Filberg for their donation of their spectacular nine acre, waterfront property and home to our community! This park is one of my favourite places to spend time. I used to bring my kids to this park's petting zoo every summer when they were little. The gingerbread display was set up in the Filberg Lodge which was once their home from 1929-1977. It's beautiful rustic interior is warm and inviting. My favourite room is the "breakfast room" located off of the dining room. If I were to have been so fortunate to live in such a place, I'm sure I could have been found sitting with my tea, in that room, several times a day, gazing out at the ocean and wildlife. There were many gingerbread houses that were creatively made and decorated. We were allowed to vote for our favourite houses.

I liked this one the best.

This lighthouse was a very close second.

• I am a huge fan of Anne of Green Gables (I own all three on VHS) and last night the prequel was on TV. I read the first book of the series to my kids about six years ago and then we watched the movie. Sometime soon after that, we watched the other two. The first movie was very close to the book. The actors were superb as was the cinematography. Having watched the prequel and finding out that a lot of what I had known about Anne's plight wasn't entirely true, deeply saddens me. The scene where she and Marilla are filmed from behind walking down the dirt road, holding hands now takes on a different meaning for me. In fact, much of the trilogy is now different somehow. I haven't fallen into the "depths of despair" about it, but I feel like I'm close to the edge. I'm shattered. I tried to tape it, but the tape was old and it didn't record well enough to watch. I'm going to buy the movie if it becomes available for sale, then have an Anne marathon and maybe I'll feel better. I'm wondering if it was the film writers who wrote it that way or if it was Lucy Maude Montgomery as I've never read any of the other books in the series so I don't know?

• Some Myths and Half-Truths - From a woman who is passionate about and greatly intrigued by social behaviour and social science.

1. Balance ~ This is something I keep hearing time and time again. Trying to find "balance" with life (family, career, extended family, interests, hobbies, exercise and everything else that is a part of life) is a myth. It's a myth because individual lives are always in a state of change. Someone's balance is another's imbalance. There are always factors that can throw a day, any day, everyday completely out of balance. Expectations and perceptions come in to play here. Balance is in the eyes of the beholder.


2. Quality Time ~ Another good myth. Any time is time together and what might be perceived as "quality" by one person might be seen as boring or a bother by another. Just being together is all that's required.


3. Perfection ~ Here's a half-truth. Yes, there is something called perfection, but this too is in the eyes of the beholder. Self-imposed expectations surface with perfection and the setting of the bar is an individual perception too. I had a perfect week with my eldest son. He was home sick all week, but our relationship was fabulous - to me. Another might think - how can she think it's perfect because her kid is on academic probation so he must be a trouble maker - he's a bright kid and the grades are subjective and in accordance to learning outcomes only. We worked on his project together and had a wonderful time discussing the subject. No letter grade is going to make my experience over the week anything less than perfect. My house isn't clean, it's organized and uncluttered(most of the time), but that's what I need in order to function and it's my perfect. Walking into woman's house which smells of bleach is "way over the top" clean for me, but maybe that's her perfect.


4. Well-Rounded ~ This term just makes me feel sick! Who the hell came up with this one?Exposing your kids to many experiences will make them a well-rounded person - barf! Who deems which activities and how many will make for a well-rounded person? This term is the epitome of someone else's perfection and I want nothing to do with it!

Mailbox treat = Dunkaroos; Note = we'll make ginger cookies for Dad today - he was reminded of these cookies while at the display of gingerbread houses.

Most of the change we think we see in life is due to truths being in and out of favor.

~Robert Frost~