Author: Margaret Murray

What an absolute haven…reading my book on iPad at Fools and Horses cafe. It’s a cool rainy day. Many colourful umbrellas have come through the door of the shop. The coffee shop is filled with people of all ages. Many of them are engaged in purposeful conversations whereas others are typing away at their laptops. A mother and son are bonding at the table while they are both colouring. This is a beautiful family moment.

This past week I made two major changes in our life. The first one involved trading my 2007 Acura for a 2016 VW Golf Highline. I had been with HondaAcura since 1994 and it became time for a change. Decision was made May 26th.

Second decision we made was to change to a new hair stylist after 22 years. Reason being that we wanted a stylist close to our home. We introduced ourselves to Olivia and time will tell if we made the right decision.

Sometimes it is ok to break away from the norm. Decisions are made to make us happy and not to experience regret. Take action and simplify life.

Bif Naked also known as Beth Torbert recently launched her memoir I, Bificus. She is a songwriter and a memoirist at the age of 44. She was born in India, put up for adoption and Missionaries adopted her. Later they moved to Winnipeg. Bif is a former graduate of John Taylor Collegiate. Her stark black hair and tattooed arms make her an icon that no one can forget. She never thought she had anything worthwhile to write and also some of her precious stories didn’t always get published. She loved poetry, acting and dancing. During her teen years she was rebellious and ran away a few times. She lived on the wild side and finally her mother convinced her to see an addictions counsellor.

She is a breast cancer survivor. She firmly believes in the journey and not necessarily the destination. It’s important to carry these words while living your journey and treasuring the memories. Her mindset  about developing a positive mental outlook on life despite the hardships one endures along the way amused and engaged an audience. Her life story was told through songs at her sell out concert at the Park Theatre. Her best songs include “I love myself today”,”Spaceman” and “Tango Shoes.” A few times my eyes teared. She was jovial and mentioned several times on stages that she is a romantic.

She once was married to a sports journalist which ended in divorce. However, she said there is someone out there for everyone. Her guitarist who is named Snake proposed to her three years ago and they are getting married in July of 2016 in Vancouver.

I am a regular sports fan especially NHL. In the 70s, my favourite hockey player was Bobby Orr who wore jersey number 4 and he played with the Boston Bruins. I kept a few hockey scrap books during my teen years. Don’t ask me why but watching hockey was a great past time.

Now Darryl and I watch a few games here and there at The Grove and Mona Lisa. We have met some wonderful people while perched at the bar. You never know what the bar tenders are going to talk about and that’s what keeps the patrons returning. Their pleasant smiles welcome us several times.

This past week I was a participant at a school literacy action planning with Sandra Herbst and Brenda Augusta. One of the questions asked was what have we learned while spending time with our base groups and travelling groups. I valued our conversations and the creative ideas that  were generated around literacies.

We were all learning together about what counts and what matters…leadership.

Last evening we spent ninety minutes rocking out to some of Hedley’s top songs. Some of their songs are intriguing, easy to absorb and include some amazing messages.

The lead singer, Jacob Hoggard began with Canadian Idol and he is such an enthusiast and crowd energizer. Some of their songs can move you to tears including: For the Nights I Can’t Remember, I’m not perfect, but I keep trying, One Life…seize the day, I Can Do Anything, and my favorite is Hello…is anybody listening now, does anybody miss me know, what can I do, to get through to you…

Music is powerful and we all have stories about our lives that we can relate to through music and words. I think the idea why I love the song HELLO is that I enjoy connecting with people and creating meaningful relationships with individuals who matter most to me.

I also liked the message from Hedley’s lead singer that it’s important for all of us to push ourselves and let our music…stories evolve. Be the change!

January 2016 arrived and I made a commitment to write one blog weekly and it’s on Sunday’s. This is a day of relaxation and what better way to sit, read and write a blog entry.

Setting goals and reflecting upon them is important. Also, when an idea comes to me I try to record it in my notes page.

I am encouraging myself  to read more memoirs this year so I can inspire my students to write their own memoirs. Reading nonfiction is crucial. We all have a story to tell.

In addition, blogging is an artful way of developing content. Over the year, I should see some definitive patterns surfacing.

A blog is a learning opportunity to utilize words to improve my writing skills. Writing is communication.

Blogging encourages me me to think deeper into what matters. I attempt to write content that would attract an audience but then again blogging is for pleasure and I can write whatever I want.

“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” Marilyn Monroe

How does one define perfect? Isn’t it beautiful to have a few imperfections? In addition, we are all unique in our own beauty. They say: “Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. It means that you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.”  Unknown

We have to work at being perfect. To me, it’s best to appreciate who I am as an individual and accept some flaws because our paths in life aren’t meant to be straight and narrow. A few curves here and there adds beauty.

Our differences are what makes us special and we should hold onto them. It is worthwhile to work on our flaws and strive to reach improvement, not perfection.

Now go and indulge with your favorite chunk of chocolate and glass of vino.

Rituals define some of us including myself. Saturday mornings are reserved for reading the newspaper whether it can be located online or purchasing it.  Having a cup of coffee and catching up on the latest local or world news coupled with fashion and sports is a ritual for me.

It is important to be informed because it creates conversation with many people when we are out watching sports or dining at a familiar spot in the neighbourhood. Continuous learning occurs for me and I love it. I have met so many unique individuals by striking a conversation over local and world events and of course sports.