Odacava

My computer froze last night when I published this so this is yesterday’s post

I am grateful for community. Every Monday and Wednesday morning our town hall has a drop in for toddlers and parents to come play in the gym from 9:30 – 11:30 am. I’ve tried to take Taylor to this since the New Year, but she naps at this time. Today, she slept in and I was finally able to take her!! It is great to get out of the house give Taylor the chance to interact with other kids and for me to visit with other parents in the area.

I am also grateful for the mountain views from Calgary. On our walk to to the town hall we took a path that has a high elevation. Luckily it was  a clear day, with blue skies so we could enjoy the majestic mountain view.

Lastly I am grateful for movie nights with my husband. I have a long to do list but my hubby got me to put it aside and chill out for the rest of the night. I had a terrible sleep the night before (coffee at dinner time was not a good idea) so I fell asleep as soon as the movies started. Laying in my husbands arms is the best feeling.

Please feel free to post what you are grateful for too!!

Hello ODACAVA, Its been a long time. Sorry I’ve neglected you. I’m back and hopefully for good!!

Life has been busy since I last wrote here (almost two years ago). I quit my job and then went back to it, I read some amazing books, I went on a 10 day canoe trip in the Tundra, I went on many snowboarding excursions, I was pregnant, I started a business, I had my first child, I had struggles in my marriage and got through them, I tried new recipes, the list goes on. All amazing accomplishments, however it is hard for me to keep track of it all and remember them.

Very often I find myself thinking, I need to get back on ODACAVA. I saw a TED talk Shawn Achor: The happy secret to better work and was re-inspired.

Motivated from the video, I want to share everyday positive experiences with you. I want to share stories about the amazing people in my life. I want to share what I am grateful for and my passion for being healthy. I am a doer, but I realize, I need to share my experiences and stories as there are so many great tools out there now to do so.

Here goes, I am grateful for:

With it being Valentines day, I am grateful for Love. I rediscovered Love in the last year. I read the Love is patient, love is kind… (bible verse) every night when I brush my teeth. I’m not a religious person either. I started this after I went to a wedding. My 21 year old young cousin asked me, “What is marriage like?”, I replied, “It’s a lot of work”. As the ceremony began, the new priest started (It was his first wedding). He was not  married himself so he asked the same question to married people he knew, “”What is marriage like?”,  Coincidentally, most replied, “It’s a lot of work”. He then continued on to read the Love bible verse. I had heard it before at previous weddings, but it really hit me hard this particular day. I went home, printed it, and I look at it everyday. Everyday different words stick out and I learn something new about myself everyday.

I am also grateful for my daughter. She is almost 9 months old now. She is sooooooooooooooooooooo much fun!! She makes me laugh. I chase her around the house, she giggles, she is learning so fast. It is amazing to see all the new discoveries she makes every day. She’s our little “day maker”.

I am also grateful for my husband, I have been resentful towards him in the past. Through the love reading I realized this. Just becoming aware of these feelings I am able to control them and stop them and it has really helped our relationship as I have control over negative feelings. My husband is amazing. He is incredibly smart, handsome, athletic, funny, caring, loving, and he does everything he can to take care of our family.

That is all for now. Please don’t judge my writing. In the past I would get hung up on editing and then never publish posts. I’m not going to do that anymore. I want to publish something everyday. It is easy to journal what I am grateful for, so if that is all I have time for each day then so be it, but I want to share as much as I can, so I believe it is a matter of getting back in the habit and to stop being fearful of what others will think and to stop being so knit-picky about editing.

Cheers,

Krista

I recently gave myself homework to re-tap into myself and my creativity. My first assignment was to read “IGNITE the Genius withing”. It turns out the book suggests you download this “free soundtrack” to continue on in the book. Only the first 2 minutes were free and if you wanted the full experience you needed to download the rest for a small fee (ah marketing). Since I was interested and committed I bought the soundtrack and I’ve been enjoying it. The sound track is supposed to help you achieve a meditative state that awakens creative parts of your brain. I’ve been listening to the soundtrack as I go though the book which is full of pictures and questions that ask you to reflect on the images, close your eyes, and see where your thoughts take you.

As the book states, “If you experience anything at all by looking at an image, you are experiencing a reflection of yourself” (Ranck, Nutter. p. ix). I’ve been experiencing a lot, not just in the book though. In everyday life.

I’ve realized I am a creative individual as I see beauty everywhere. I understand the things that make me smile are reflections of myself. For instance the other day on the bike path there was a Kevin Costner look a like fishing on the blow river, smoking a cigar. He reminded me of my dad as they look a like and my dad used to smoke cigars that smelled similar. It reminded me of going to the lake and just seeing that man enjoying the afternoon made me happy.

Another time I ran into an old East Indian couple. The wife was using a cane to walk and the husband was right beside her to support her. He seemed like a very positive support for his wife as he was smiling, gave a big wave up in the air, and said hello to everyone that passed them on the path. It was sooo cute!

It was also cute to see young teenagers crushing on each other. There was this girl and boy and the girl was completely invading the boys space. It was hilariously obvious she really liked him. Oh the many crushes I had growing up, fun fun.

In everyday life, I want to continue to reflect on what I’m enjoying, and what makes me happy.

I really appreciate everyone’s support and thier feedback they’ve given.

As Eric (a man I work with) signs his emails,

“I  hope you have the best day of your life”

Krista