A Mini Moment.....

I think we can all agree that the pace that we move at today can at times be overwhelming! Up at 5am, out the door by six, first conference call at 7:30am, meeting, another meeting, emails, phone calls, trying to leave work on time, go to the gym, get groceries, make dinner, do laundry, clean the house, climb into bed at 10:30pm....and repeat the next day.

I will admit, there are some days where I feel like I can't catch my breath, let alone take a few minutes for myself. I know how unhealthy that is and the irony of this is that I've spent most of my career helping others take care of themselves (insert here: do as I say, not as I do). I then refer back to one of my old blog posts about when on a flight, if something should occur, to put the oxygen mask on yourself before helping others. We MUST care for ourselves first and foremost....

As I was driving to the office the other morning with a dozen different thoughts running through my mind about the day ahead, the sunrise was absolutely beautiful!! So...I decided to pull over into a park, get out of my car with my coffee in hand, turn off those thoughts and just sit and truly enjoy that sunrise for a few minutes. That 'mini moment' not only got my day off to a great start, but refreshed my way of thinking about taking care of oneself.....

Let me explain.....

This guy is the master of taking a 'mini moment'! He had been out sniffing every square foot of the backyard as I was bqqing one night. Then...all of a sudden, he went up on the deck and just laid there, looking around and taking it all in. There...that was his mini moment. He went from 'full steam ahead' to utter peace and tranquility in a matter of a minute.  

Now, how can we do this? How can we take that moment to recoup our sanity, refocus and allow us those few moments to breathe?

I walked into the barn one evening after a great session with the Big Guy. My time with him is supposed to be my escape, a time for me to focus on nothing but building my relationship with this amazing 1000lb creature. But....for some reason, I found myself distracted that night. I was actually angry with myself that I had allowed outside distractions to seep into our time together. As I walked down the aisle, the horses poked their heads out of their stalls and I just had to snap this photo....I had distracted them from their dinner and I'm sure every single one of them hoped I had a  wee treat to share with them (a mini moment for them). I then realized, I had spent an incredible hour with LTN and it had been full of fantastic mini moments and I should be grateful for that! Yes, at times, some outside thoughts and distractions creeped in...but...I'm human...that will happen.... and what mattered most was that time with him, those moments of pure contentedness and tranquility like the one below....

I can assure you that at the moment I snapped this photo, I was only thinking what a beautiful evening it was, how gorgeous my guy looked as the sun set behind him and how grateful I was to be in that moment....and that's enough. I'm sure that in the 5 minutes of him munching grass, I had many other 'outside' thoughts enter my mind, but at this moment, my only thought was pure enjoyment of the moment. My mini moment....

Whatever you're doing...find those mini moments just for you. Enjoy them, immerse yourself in them (if only for a minute), allow them to re-energize you...and.... if you're like me and have a passion for photography, capture a few of them so you 'have them' as a reminder to take that time for you. 

RR

Spring Has Sprung!

There's something special about the way the light floods into my home that signals Spring has finally arrived.

I was sitting on the couch one day in late April (under a cozy blanket as there was still a wee chill in the air), looking through magazines while sipping on a latte and as I looked around my living room, I noticed 'that light' was filling the room and a huge smile came across my face! SPRING!!

This is from our first sunset at the lake this Spring....we lost Dad two years ago and we started a tradition of going to the lake (one of his favourite places) on his anniversary. It was such a beautiful night and this handsome guy enjoyed the quiet and tranquil evening just as much as Mom and I did.

I'm a huge fan of visiting lake/cottage towns on the 'off season', before they get crazy busy. A good friend and I did a road trip to Muskoka a few weekends ago and we had to stop in Bracebridge to get a closer look at this insanely fast running/crashing water! I posted a video on my Instagram and the sound alone, let a lone the sight of it, was enough to take your breath away!

This is one of my favourite sections of the sideroad, just down the road from the Country House. This span of trees looks amazing in any season, but we happened to drive down literally just as the leaves had 'popped'. Soooo pretty! And....the farm on the right has a Clydesdale foal that I have to stop and say "Hi" to whenever I drive by. 

This is my first Spring with this handsome guy and it's been interesting to watch the transformation of his coat through the seasons. He went really dark, almost black, over the winter, but now that he's shedding his coat (and my goodness, I had forgotten how much fur a draft horse grows for the winter), he's turning back to his reddish/bay colour I knew from last summer. As he was standing there in the rays of the sunset the other evening, I couldn't help but capture this image as it really hilights the beautiful tones of his coat.

Spring is also a time of surprises. Whether it's tulips that randomly sprout up after being 'relocated' by the squirrels, or a plant that made it through the winter that you were afraid wouldn't, it's always fun to see what 'springs up' this time of year. I moved into my home in August and when the next Spring came around and I realized I had this beauty outside of my front door, I literally squealed with delight! From what I can tell, its an ornamental crab apple tree and its blossoms are absolutely GORGEOUS!!!!! Just as they're wrapping up, my beautiful and fragrant Korean Lilac on the other side of my front entryway comes into bloom...... Oh how I LOVE Spring!!!

RR