I admire this phrase and thought it’s time to express myself. Sipping a cup of coffee, reading an intriguing ebook, or a strolling through the neighbourhood expresses my true self. It is amazing the number of people that I see and know when I am out reading during the day. Friday, I sat with a friend at Starbucks and we exchanged stories for over an hour. She is great at recommending new titles to read. We have a lot in common because we both are gym junkies and are into new routines.
Later in the day I decided to treat myself to a power breakfast at BerMax cafe. I sat and read a business magazine for a few minutes and then walked over to visit another friend at her fashion business. She brewed me the most amazing espresso. We exchanged some more stories about our aging parents.
Walking in the neighbourhood is peaceful. Noticing all the Monarch butterflies fluttering in my footsteps has one wondering about the sense of nature and its beauty. I continued on walking to our local farmer’s market and here, the kids enjoy a little snack from the homemade muffins or banana bread table. I, too couldn’t resist the tasty treats.
Both Darryl and I love the local pub and here, we chow down on the well known Danielle pizza altered to our perfection. Once again we were surrounded by well known people who enjoy a brew and a chat. Of course, we had to sample the night life at the old market square where some guitarists and soloists were entertaining the locals. Our destination was to reach the newly opened PEG Beer Co. close to the waterfront. We were amazed with this establishment and the story went on and on about a former teacher who went to Korea to gain experience and returned to his hometown and started this new adventure…brewing company. Now you catch a narrow glimpse of how I express myself.
This past week I tuned in and watched a few of the women’s and men’s Wimbledon Tennis finals. Exhilarating news when Milos Raonic beat Roger Federer in the semi-final thus making history at Wimbledon and became the first Canadian man to make it to the finals. Milos is 25 and showed confidence. He was coached by the former Wimbledon champion John McEnroe. I really felt for Milos because 99% of the applauses were directed at Federer…a well known player.
Today, Raonic faced the famous Andy Murray age 29 from Scotland and he didn’t show his best. Therefore the Canadian professional lost Wimbledon to Murray in three difficult sets. Murray was a much more polished experienced player than Milos. Milos was convinced that he would make history by becoming the first Canadian ever to win the Gram Slam title. In 2014, Eugenie Bouchard also made it to the women’s finals but lost. Milos wanted to be the youngest man to win the title however, half way through the sets the pressure was getting to him according to his coach. He definitely has to work on the mental aspect of the game.Tennis in Canada is really becoming noticeable and is beginning to take off.
Defining luxurious is not easy however, I clearly love a good cup of Americano. The atmosphere must be relaxing whether it’s at home, Starbucks or at another upscale cafe.
Luxurious doesn’t have to be expensive but I do like elegance and simplicity. That is the reason for me spending an extra loonie for the top brewed espresso. I get great pleasure from the enjoyment of this rich flavour poured into a grande cup.
Today has brought many changes to the weather including rain showers, sunshine and wind. However, when I look out the windows here at Fools and Horses Cafe, I see many facets of nature and people of all ages walking briskly with their colourful umbrellas and sporting tall Hunter rain boots.
Flowers and shrubs fill several steel boxes outside the cafe and the patio is empty due to inclement weather. Sometimes we need to have a day here and there to stay inside and peer out through the window where we catch glimpses of children, teens and adults scurrying to get to their destinations. A few retro bicycles are securely locked to the bicycle stands and the owners bring their backpacks inside where they sit at the communal table pouring over various work related projects while others lean in closely to carry on engaging conversations.
Today, we ran the Manitoba Marathon Relay Race in 3:46. Our team was called Laidlaw Laggards and we placed 64 out of 464 teams and also we placed 27th out of 220 in the coed section.
We were stoked about our results considering we entered the team two weeks ago. I am so proud of myself for persevering with running and cheering Darryl on as well. We were good teammates!
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.
