WISHCASTING WEDNESDAY

In response to Jamie's question this week,

What do you wish to give yourself permission for?

I would have to say that I,

Marisa,

would like to give myself permission to

take more risk

and not always choose to

make right hand turns!

Check out more wishes at Jamie Ridler Studios.

WISH CASTING WEDNESDAY

Today's Wish Casting question is;
"What doors do you wish to open?"

I wish to open the door of acceptance...

I’m not talking about the “You made your bed now you lay in it” type of acceptance because I’m a firm believer that we do not have to settle with the hand that was dealt us, and that we can strip the bed and remake it, or if need be, just go out and buy another damn bed.

I believe that we have the power to make changes in our lives, the power to adjust, and to determine what we are willing to tolerate in our life and set limits, and that we have the ability to evolve even though it may seem insuperable at times.

While I can bring about change in myself in my own life, I need to accept that I cannot bring about change others. It is up to them to make that decision for themselves if, and when they are ready.

We are all on a journey, and we each choose our own path to follow so if someone chooses the “shit head” path, it is their path, not mine.

It is my responsibility to keep my own path clear and let others be responsible for maintaining their own paths.

…but please just give me the strength to resist the urge to clip them on the side of the head now and then just to smarten them up a little.

MY "DO LESS"ODYSSEY

Welcome to my two day hiatus from my usual routine. I'm a little slow getting there, but I recently joined the DO LESS REVOLUTION over at Magpie Girl. It's all about“Choosing the Essentials” and doing less to accomplish more because you are doing what matters to you.

The concept of Choosing the Essentials is all about picking the things you must do and want to do in a way that reflects your values so that more of your hours can and will be spent doing things you enjoy - things that nourish you, inspire you, and leave you feeling satisfied at the end of the day.

Offered two days off this week, my mind immediately started compiling at list of things these two "free" days would allow me to accomplish. It started like this:
1.Make doctor's appointment
2. Scrape and paint basement foundation
3. Scrape and touch up paint on veranda railings and post
4. Buy strawberries and make jam
5. Weed flower gardens
etc. etc. etc.

But wait, did I not just sign up for the "Do Less Revolution"? What was I thinking? Except for my doctor's appointment, a must do, I quickly trashed the above list...and so began my "do as little as possible" odyssey. It started with just a few bumps, but all is flowing nicely now.

Day one I found that doing nothing could be a lot of work. Retraining your mind to let go of old ingrained habits is not an easy task. It started with my skipping my morning walk, which I shouldn't have as it just didn't feel right. I felt somewhat guilty for not going, but I also realized I actually missed it. I will not do that again, the point here being that I should be doing only the things I really have to or want to. Who knew that walking would make it onto my list of "want to". The dishes sitting in the sink crying out for me didn't help either, but since that's on the "have to do" list, as was packing my hubby's lunch for the following day, they had to be done. Once finished, I was able to enjoy a nice bath before heading for my appointment and an afternoon of Frenchy shopping which I really enjoyed. I found two really cool skirts for my belly dance lessons. With supper under my belt and an evening with hubby and TV, I slipped off to bed to complete day one of doing less.

Day two and doing less is getting so much easier. I postponed my early morning trek to have breakie with hubby before he headed off for work and then caught up on my blogging while grooving to my new Belly Dance CD. Then off to the farm market in town where I spent way too much on natural soaps and lotion and enough organic vegetables to cook a big pot of Hodge Podge for supper. Home again, walk in and a pot of veggies simmering on the stove...and I'm liking this Do Less concept. As for the painting and weeding, it'll be there for another day when I get tired of doing nothing and doing these chores begin to matter to me.

TRULY CANADIAN EH!

Tomorrow being Canada Day, I have to put out a plug in for a wonderful independent Canadian film"One Week", directed and written Michael McGowan.
We watched it on the weekend and I have to say it was one of the best movies I’ve seen for a long time . I loved it for its simplicity and its “Canadianism”, not to mention the oh so handsome lead actor Joshua Jackson who plays the part of Ben Tyler, a young man diagnosed with terminal cancer. Faced with the knowledge that he has at best two years to live, Ben buys a vintage motorcycle, and against the wishes of his fiancée Samantha who wants him to start treatment right away, sets off on a week long quest to find some meaning to his life. With help from a great Canadian icon, he heads west.
On his way he meets several characters that force him to reassess his life choices, and rediscover things he had missed growing up. The scenery and music in this film is wonderful. Also featured is a guest appearance by a well known maritime singer Joel Plasket, who plays the part of a street busker.
While Joshua Jackson is fantastic for this film, the man acts with his eyes, it is Campbell Scott as the narrator who brings warmth, humor and those heart melting moments to the movie, like having a best friend.
The movie is about death, love, and living. What would you do if you had only one week to live? Don’t leave this gem sitting on the shelf.

Happy Canada Day!