Increasing My Mobility in a Small City that Hates Walking

It's true....folks in my city hate walking. Ok, ok....i'm exaggerating a tad....but you hear me right? I live in suburbia in a smallish northern Ontario city. There are lots of places that are walkable....or at least bike-able with a fairly cheap bicycle....and yet.....99% of the residents of my town drive or are driven EVERYWHERE they go. Ugh.

And so.... back to my dilemma. I knew that increasing my mobility was going to do wonders for my sense of wellness and not to mention my muscle tone and can-do spirit. I knew from experience how even ten minutes in the sunshine on a sunny day could improve my mood measureably. But yet..... it still feels odd, that when I do these outdoor activities....walking, hiking,. sunsitting on the grass....and biking....that I see very very few folks doing the same. And yet, the gyms are full of avid athletes and the sports teams are active on every weekend for the younguns. Sports is a big thing in my town...but non-registered casual physical activity for the purpose of getting gracefully from a to b....is not real trendy.

And so, I have a problem I have not yet solved. How to make walking and biking cool again? I did my small effort the other day, when I noticed a local food store did not have a bike rack. So I contacted the head office of that shop and complained that they needed  a bike rack for their location in my city. I was successful. The head honchos were glad to receive my feedback and promptly had their landlord install a brand new bike rack a couple steps from the food shop. Well done Carla! 

In my city's defense, they have recently put in more bike lanes on newly updated roadways near my suburb. I applaud this. But the social climate has not really changed. Ladies in my age phase and snappy style are not often seen on bikes. It just isn't perceived as the thing to do.

The only time I see really stylish folks biking are those who spend thousands on ultra sleek racing bikes and join bike clubs and wear neon spandex and sharp helmets. That's not the kind of societal change I am seeking.

I'm seeking the notion of biking the way it was when I visited Holland often as a kid. My relatives let me bike around their beautiful dutch city on a great big black bike. Bikes were common. The land is nice and flat so the rides were not stressful. To see adults on bikes is normal in Holland....or at least it was those years ago when I  traveled there.

Biking, when you are not huffing and puffing is a graceful activity, especially if you have a well maintained bike with the tires pumped to perfection.

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And so...my friend, I plunder on and take the blessings along the way that all this activity brings to me and my life. I have learned to recognize several plants this year that I didn't know were edible before...such as mullein and sumac.

I have take some of the best wildflower pics I have to date. I have discovered that even when I meet a small hill, that if I shift into the highest gear that I don't have to get off my bike and walk to make it up the hill. The gears make the bike ride enjoyable and my muscles thank me later.

Peace friends, and bike on......

Carla

What It all Means...

Truth be told, I have been accused upon occasion of being ¨too deep¨....and that may be true once in a blue moon.....

Today my deep thought was about what these summer rains gushing into Ontario might mean.

Our city is overgrown with all kinds of planted and ¨volunteer¨ plants that just pop up without invitation. It´s like one small shrub finds a juicy spot to grow and then it sends a wire over to it´s cousins to come take over the place.

There is all manner of everything growing up here in Simcoe County. Wild apples, planted apples, wild raspberries, planted domestic raspberries....wild mullein. And then there is this weird looking invasive vine-ish plant that is trying to climb up and over almost every tree in every forest or meadow.

It isn´t that I need to hear a mysterious reason for this affluence of growth....but the rains have been a blessing. There is no better word for it....than a blessing. Why? Because rain means growth for plants means more food for animals and ultimately for the many humans that grow in my city and the surrounding territories. While we are not considered a ¨bread basket¨ of Canada, we might be referred to as corn row. There are farms that circle the outskirts of my city....with tidy rows of machine fed corn.....towering high into the fluffy blue clouds.

In the business world, of which I am a part, mankind feels so powerful, that every little decision weighs so much and is so important to the present and future tense of the business.

But when we step outside and walk quietly on an overgrown path in a dewy forest that fosters exquisite wild birds calling out to the stranger in their midst, we are reminded that we ain´t that big a deal. 

At the end of the day, it isn´t us that controls the rains here. We don´t have the forest fire smoke anymore that haunted us a few weeks ago....We don´t have rampant unemployment. We don´t have floods.

We have loads of ¨normal¨.

Normal days of normal work and plans for normal school years. We eat normal foods on normal days and watch somewhat normal news on the telly.

We send normal cards to normal folks on normal days of celebration. We pray for rain and then we pause. Oh ya, we already have that....loads of that.

And so, dear God, in case I didn´t mention it....I thank you for the rains....the extravagant growth that reaches into all corners and up to the wooded hills. Thank you for the cooing doves that sit on our fence in a pair. Thank you for the hand drawn picture of a blue jay from my nephew´s little one.

Thank you for growth and thank You for normal. Loads of growth....and loads of normal. Amen.

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If You Are A Woman and You Have Goals

If you are going to be a woman who sets goals and actually accomplishes them.....you just might come up against some opposition.

Folks will be offended by your ¨driven¨ qualities and may even call you the ¨b¨ word.  You are going to have to learn to carry on in spite of that stuff. They are just distractions trying to keep you from your chosen path.

I want to encourage you today ladies. I see how even today a woman resented my confidence and productivity and proceeded to call me an offensive word in a public place. Of course, this was not what you would call a ¨glamourous¨ place I was at, but still, it was a bit shocking to have such a loud and unpredictabl outburst from a total stranger.

But there is a verse in the bible (Ephesians 6:12) that talks about how ¨we do not fight against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities and against the rulers of the darkness of this world...( there is more to this verse...but you get the general idea)

What does this mean? It means that what seems to just be a weird natural occurence, may actually be a malicious movement by the powers of darkness. 

Now why would anyone care about your success or feel threatened by your movement towards your goals? Perhaps because the devil knows when you get some momentum going you are going to be unstoppable! Unstoppable goal oriented women are POWERFUL! Unstoppable goal oriented women CHANGE the WORLD!

So, if someone starts behaving differently towards you since you started making new progress in life, please don´t be  alarmed. They are just part of that ¨ old structure¨ that resents change and likes to hold women in obscurity.

Sisters, friends, cousins, mothers, daughters, please write down your goals and do not loose sight of them.

Know that the time you invest in pursuing your goals is not wasted time or money. Don´t give up! Go full force! Don´t let anyone stop you! Don´t let any emotion or ¨feeling¨ or weird occurence slow you down.

You are powerful because you know the power of a certain decision, a focused choice.

Someone who can stay on target and move with all their heart towards one written goal is a force to be reckoned with!

Well, friends, that´s all I got for you today. 

Be blessed, be powerful....be good.

Peace,

Carla

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Calm and Earthy....Sand and Gentle Suns

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There is a certain kind of nervana....not sure if that is the right word....but sounds just about right. It´s not nervous energy....not flighty thoughts of paradise or hyper productivity, but a certain quiet peace that comes when all is right around you. When communications with friends and colleagues are pleasant and patient....and when the sun has a chance to bake through the cosmos of our little suburban haven.

I am growing Mullein, that beloved herb that most folks think is just a weed....but it is valued highly among my people. I bought the tea bags of organic Mullein leaves from online....and using it to heal the coughs that afflicted me some weeks ago. Have been gently surprised that it works.....so quietly. You forget the power of a gentle herb. You forget the power of prayer and quiet contemplation. 

I walk slowly through my neighborhood, nodding ever so subtly at those who recognize my gait. It is nice to be known...to feel the hedges of shelter by those who have grown familiar with the sight and presence of my thoughtful meanderings.

I hope the neighbors also feel that sense of peace, of quiet confidence and security that comes from being recognized...of someone knowing and recognizing their soul. Some neighbors I have never known nor thought to ask their last name. It doesn´t matter. Their souls have inhabited this block of modernity for more than a decade. Their children have grown up with my children.

There is a blessing in the clouds, and sometimes in the valleys. When it rains too much, we hunker down....we don´t go out. We prep the furnace and hide the furniture from any outdoor sprinkles.

To slow down is serenity. To slow down is the let the world stop spinning. To pause the spin. To enter in...that peaceful place of calm and quiet observation. 

To say to the Lord, of heaven and earth, that we exist in peace together, not yelling, not raising our voices, but no....staying quiet and entering in. There is a verse from deep in the scriptures...that says ¨Be still and know that I am God¨. This is where I rest. This is the sacred rock of truth.

I have all that I need. 

Peace.

C.

Are We Alone?

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As a church goer, I thought i would have a little chat with you, my friends about the possibility of ¨alien¨ or other kinds of creatures living on other planets.

The approach I want to take is simply to address what I feel needs to be said about Christianity and the possibility of the existence of aliens.

I am going to keep this chat really short, because I feel strongly that we need to come against the weird fear that seems to creep up on those consider themselves to be people of faith.

So, in a nut shell, this is my humble opinion. I have no idea if there are any people or creatures living on other planets other than earth. But I do know this....that if we as a human race, begin to interact with people or creatures from ¨elsewhere¨...then, the christian folks will simply explain the story of Jesus Christ to them, in whatever manner or language that they can understand. It would be a grand privilege to share the existence of Jesus with another type of being. It does not change the message. Jesus´s love and awesomeness does not change if there are other creatures that exist that we have yet to meet.

Knowing Jesus is the greatest honour of my life. I am not afraid of the unknown and I don´t feel that any other Christian should be afraid of what is or what will be. We are people of faith and courage and joy. We have the great gift to know our Creator and our Saviour.

We live by faith, not fear. And no, the existence of aliens would not shatter my faith in God. It would merely give us another frontier in which to spread his beautiful message of love, healing, peace and joy.

Peace out,

Carla