“So life’s year begins and closes;
Days though shortening still can shine;
What though youth gave love and roses;
Age still leaves us friends and wine.”
— Thomas Moore

The shortening days of autumn are, indeed, upon us. I love the fall season. It is full and ripe. It is the culmination, harvesting and reaping of all that we have sewn this year.

And, so, it is time to celebrate. Fall harvest celebrations are happening in every corner of our continent. Images of grinning children, huge pumpkins and corn stocks come to mind. Here in the Okanagan Valley, we have just celebrated the Fall Wine Festival. So much bounty!! (So much wine, so little time….)

A time to give thanks. This season is the cornucopia of life. How can we not pause to take stock of all our blessings? We live in such a hurried environment these days, that sometimes we forget to stop and appreciate all that we have. We pass by those moments where we can bask in the warmth of accomplishment and fulfillment.

It’s a time to reflect on the past, and gaze into the future. Busy, chaotic Christmas/Holidays will be here before we know it! And, then the New Year is come and gone. Resolutions made in haste are soon forgotten.

I find this is the ideal time of year for crystal ball gazing. It’s more of a dreamy, soft sort of look ahead as opposed to the hard, by the numbers goals that I would set in January. The challenges and successes of this year are still a fresh taste in my mouth. I am savouring my victories, my accomplishments. I can still catch the bitterness of the disappointments. I have a generous sense of my potential.

So, I would invite you to sink into this season, and gather it around you like a warm blanket. See your glass full to the brim, and make a toast in celebration. Smell the aroma of all you have achieved this year. With each sip, say a word of thanks, appreciate the bounty you have created. And then, as you savour the lingering finish, dream into the future. Picture yourself in the rosy glow of next autumn. What will you be celebrating and giving thanks for then?

What is it about spring that urges us to clean and shine, get rid of clutter?

Maybe it’s the sun finally shining its light on the things in our life that are no longer of use to us. Maybe it’s the sunlight showing all the streaks on the windows and the dustbunnies in the corners. We want to scrub everything shiny and new.

Fresh.

Spring is about freshness. The sense of a new start.

We’re all familiar with Spring cleaning our homes, yards, offices. Our actual physical environment. Many people also use this time to do a cleanse of their physical bodies. So, what about your mental, emotional and spiritual environment?

Take a couple of moments now to let the sun shine on you…… Where are the cobwebs? What clutter is there? What “junk” do you need to get rid of? Where could you use a little polishing?

How good would it feel to do a personal “spring cleaning?” To have a fresh, new you emerge along with the blossoms?

Here are a few places to start. And, I’m sure you’ll find some others along the way!

Who do you need to forgive, so you can get rid of some old baggage?

What old habits are no longer serving you?

What strength do you have that could use a little polishing to let it shine?

What inner grime can you clean away to let the warmth of your relationships really touch your inner core?

What lost dream do you need to dust off and bring into the light?

How could you bring more spring “freshness” into your life?

You get the idea! There’s a program developed by Coachville called “Clean Sweep” that provides a complete checklist of 100 items which, when completed will give you added vitality, balance and personal strength. If you want me to send you a copy, email me and I’ll send it to you!

Happy Spring!!

I watched this 15 minute video, and it kept me smiling all day! Well worth the time.

5 New Year’s Resolutions for Wine Lovers

I am re-committing to these resolutions for 2009. I tried to live up to them last year, but I know I can do better! So here they are again….. Care to join me?

1. Drink less wine. I don’t know about you, but when I look back at this past year, I have drunk a lot of wine!! And, most of it has been generic, everyday wine for generic every day kind of days. Not much that has been notable. Often, I drink it without even really paying attention. This, when you think about it, is the way I spend a lot of my time. That’s wine and life passing me by! How about you? So, resolve to drink less wine, but to really pay attention and make every glass count.

2. Drink more, better wine. My theory is: if you going to drink less wine, you can afford to drink better wine! And, I know from my own experience that when I drink really good wine, I do slow down and savor every sip. Imagine if every glass of wine you had were an occasion to note. If every sniff and sip were worth making a memory?

3. Use your best glasses. I have a cupboard full of Riedel glasses. What good are they doing in the cupboard? If you are going to be drinking the best wine you can afford, doesn’t it just make sense to enhance the experience with wonderful glasses?

4. Expand you range. Make a point of trying wines from other regions or made from unfamiliar varietals. I know very little about Italian wines. So, this year I am going to make a point of discovering the world of Italian wines. Make it fun! Do some reading, do some tasting. You might just discover a new favorite!

5. Keep a journal. How many wines have you enjoyed and planned to buy again, only to find that you’ve forgotten what they were? I love the journals that have space to record the occasion and who you were with when you had that special wine. And, what fun to go back and re-live those memories later! The journals become treasuries of precious moments in our lives. Good wine, good food, good company….. does life get any better?

This is one of those “pass it on” chain emails that we get way too often. Except this one has a very powerful message that relates to my previous blog post.

The question is: What do we miss when we are in such a hurry to go (where?)?

have a read…..

This occurred Jan 12, 2007:

A man sat at a metro station in Washington, DC and started to play
the violin; it was a cold December morning. He played six Bach
pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush
hour, it was calculated that a thousand people went through the
station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle-aged man noticed there was a
musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds,
and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a
woman threw the money in the till, and without stopping, continued to
walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to
him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again.
Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3-year old boy. His
mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the
violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued
to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by
several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced
them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and
stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk
their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and
silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was
there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best
musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces
ever written, with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at
a theater in Boston, and the seats averaged $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro
station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social
experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The
outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate
hour — Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we
recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best
musicians in the world, playing the best music ever written, how
many other things are we missing?

You pop the cork. Pour a stream of crimson fluid into your glass. Inhale deeply the aromas it offers up. Taste the richness and notice the complexity. Feel how it glides over your tongue towards your throat. Hold your glass to your ear. And, listen. Just listen.

This wine has a message for you.

I was contemplating wine the other day (ya think?). And, I was wondering what messages it might have to impart to us. What does the wine have to say to you and me?

I think it says: Stop. Pay attention. Savour the experience. Really tune into the moments in your life.

I think it says: Celebrate! Life is good. Enjoy what you have and rejoice in the small successes that are offered up every day.

I think the message is: Take care. Take care of yourself. Take care of the place you live. Be careful to nourish your body and soul. After all, what is wine without the soil, water and sun?

I think it says: revel in diversity. Enjoy the differences. Just as wines come in different colours and flavors, so do people. Appreciate the variety of the human race.

And, I hear something about changing, and growing. And, the process. Creating something beautiful.

I hear: Cheers! The importance of family and friends, being in good company. Choosing to be “cheer”ful and bring cheer to others.

Am I hearing things? Maybe I need another glass!

I don’t know why, but for some reason as I was laying awake in bed at about 2:30 this morning, I thought about the desiderata. Remember that poem that was popular in the late 60’s, early 70’s? I looked it up this morning, and it is still so relevant. So, I pass it along to you!

 desiderata - by max ehrmann
Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.

Take kindly to the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann c.1920

I just watched Randy Pausch’s “Last Lecture” a couple of days ago. Man o’Man that is a powerful video!

You may have heard of him: he was a professor at the Carnegie Mellon University who gave his “Last Lecture” to the University this past fall. The “Last Lecture” is traditionally a chance for professors to give the lecture they’d love to give if it were to be their last. For Randy, it really was. He found out just weeks before the lecture that he had incurable pancreatic cancer.

That lecture has now become famous. It has been watched by millions of viewers on YouTube, was reprised on Oprah, and has been made into a best selling book. Of course I’d heard of him, but only just took the time to watch the video (all 104 minutes!).

Randy died a few weeks ago, but has left an enduring legacy in his message about fulfilling childhood dreams that he wrote for his kids and delivered in that lecture.

One of the many things that he said that really stuck with me was that you can decide if you want to be a Tigger or an Eyeore. That is so true!! You have the choice to be happy right now, today. Or the choice to be mopey, sad, and downtrodden.

I’ll take the bouncy, cheerful, fun loving Tigger any day!!

Take the time to watch the video. You’ll be glad you did. Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo

“Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance.”

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

“Green Harvesting” is thinning out the grape clusters before they ripen to improve the quality and concentration of the wine. The excess clusters are cut from the vine and discarded.

It makes me think about what we need to “thin out” of our lives. Clutter? Tolerations? Energy drains? Those really annoying people?

Having such densely packed lives these days, we tend to want to keep it all. How much more rich and concentrated would our lives be if we cut off and discarded a bit of our own excess?

I did just that these last few weeks. I cleaned out a lot of junk! I cleaned out my closets and drawers and got rid of all my “skinny” clothes, I cleaned out the bathroom and linen closets. It was a literal purging - and actually kinda fun! I was ruthless.

And, I am noticing that I am feeling much lighter, more optimistic and energetic. I’m more focused, creative and productive. Wow!! I feel GOOD!

Give it a try. What have you got to lose?