Our Fabulous Canadian Chaos

We are perched as a nation for this next month of April to actually achieve the mysterious miracle of having 3 prime ministers rule over our beloved Canada within the same calendar year.  

Yes, tis true. We are unfortunately unfamiliar with so much international attention...and squirm in the limelight.

Being Canadian has it's strengths.... born through the natural struggles of living in this land....battling the constantly changing weather but fiercely and unapologetically proud of all it's magnificence.

Other nations have historically underestimated us, and we have been quite content with that arrangement. (There is nothing more annoying than someone brilliant who needs constant assurance, that yes, they are indeed.... smart.)

My fellow Canadians, what are we going to do with this newly found attention? Are we going to learn to enjoy some more light....some more press...more inquisitive international travelers coming to check out our beautiful nation?

We have been an undiscovered gem for so many decades, we wrongly assumed that this would always be the case. And so, a loud world leader has uncovered some of our potential and we are in shock. 

Hidden seclusion is a luxury we can no more afford.

Rise up my friends....rise up my fellow Canadians. We must learn to dance in the spotlight and endure this newfound attention. If we dance well, the songs will be exquisite and the rewards unlimited. But if we shrink and try to go back in our virtual cave.....we will have missed out on some of the biggest opportunity we never knew we were waiting for. 

Wallflowers no more, we must embrace this new path and forge a new stronger fence around our country. But we must also build smooth and lucrative entrepreneurial paths so that those who wish to engage in trade with us, can do so, without tripping or feeling unwelcome. We can not get gruff and grumpy and assume that the world will just "let us be" as we have been for so many years.

More investment and participation in public global trade will bring better opportunities for us and our children and grandchildren, who won't have to leave our country to find juicier hunting grounds. We will learn to embrace entrepreneurs and honour their risk taking ways.

We can always hang onto our identity as a solemn solid dependable resilient work horse, but that can not be all that we are. Without innovaton and a willingness to learn from strangers, the brain drain will grow deeper and wider. 

Plus that drain, my friends....we need the shakers and investors to move here, not move out.

We have more clout, with a doubt, than we ever gave ourselves credit.

Time to shine.

Carla

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Actors Actresses

I don´t know if y´all watched as much tv as I did as a kid. It was a welcome get a way from the chaos I sensed around me.

But with those hours inspecting and enjoying so many films, I began to curate a list in my head of my favourite actors and actresses. Do you have your own list too?

And so without further ado, permit me to share this list of legends, some living and some having passed on already...

Phillip Seymour Hoffman

Toni Collette

Al Pacino

Edward Norton

Gene Hackman

John Malkovich

Noomi Rapace

Michelle Pfeiffer

Hilary Swank

Kathy Bates

Juliette Lewis

Some of the above are so wonderfully quirky....and brilliant.

What qualities craft your list of faves?  do tell :)

Peace,

Carla

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The Beauty of a Rough Draft

It doesn't have to be polished. You don't always have to shine. 

When one is learning a new skill...it's supposed to be messy, sloppy and imperfect. 

Step down off that pedestal my friends. 

The mitten pic is my very human

Example of how I learn. Finally now at middle age, I know how I learn. I am not the kind of human who can pick up a technical manual or 2 dimensional pattern and learn a new skill. I often need to watch someone else do things in person....as I learn by osmosis and then I learn by just doing it over and over again myself until I work the bugs out.

The ways we learn can change and morph.  A bookworm today may be a tactile learner tomorrow and next year a fabulous combo of both.

I have learned to be patient and proud of myself and my unique ways of mastering things. 

I preserve my confidence as a treasured jewel. It is so easy to hang around the wrong kind of folks...folks who are not meant to be a part of your journey. They will bring u down and steal your confidence.

Not every thing u create needs to be picture perfect or Instagram worthy. GIVE YOURSELF THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN FROM MISTAKES....MISTAKES CAN BE JOYFUL AND INTENTIONAL.

Life is not always linear. It is multi dimensional.

What u don't understand today may become something you grow into next week. 

Be good to yourself friends and followers.

 Sometimes you can live in an imperfect moment and be at perfect peace with God and man.

Carla.

WInter is Gorgeous if You´re Brave

Winter in my neck of the woods....is gorgeous if you can put on your grown up pants and face the monster. The monster is the subzero temperatures...with possible windchill and unknown possibly black ice lurking underneath whatever fluffy white snow you are traversing.

My City is chock full of paths, trails and trees and a fabulous waterfront whose bay has still not frozen over yet.

What our city lacks in intellectual hobbies .... it overcompensates for with public parks and trails. The amount of money that our city spends on maintaining all these trails and the attached parking lots next to these trails and public spaces must truly be shocking.

But hey, can you really have too many parks and trails? Can a city spend too much on trees and perennial gardens? I doubt it.

And so I look out my window at the possibilities and realize that if I am to truly enjoy this crisp weather that I simply must stop squealing and just invest in warmer pants, possibly even the legendary ugly puffy snow pants.

So, friends, what weather are you stuck in today? Sun...rain? Sleet or ice? Do tell.

Peace,

Carla