In Pursuit of Passion and Purpose

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to accompany my daughter, Samantha, on an Eat Play Love puppy delivery (Eat Play Love Animal Rescue) out to the West Island of Montreal.  I was commenting on how happy I was for her that she had found her passion in rescuing abandoned dogs and cats and finding homes for them.

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Here are a few of the rescue's adoptable cats.  All are vaccinated, dewormed, sterilized and looking for their forever families.

         "Minuit" - Charcoal Domestic Long Hair

"Max" - Adoptable Brown & Orange Tabby

"Tiger" - Marbled Brown Tabby

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I've read a lot  about finding one's passion and purpose in life.  I've done workshops, online questionnaires, read countless articles and many books, listened to sermons, visited websites all aimed at helping people to determine what their passion and purpose might be. And still I sometimes wonder if I'm living my passion and fulfilling my purpose.

My daughter suggested that my passion/purpose maybe painting and being creative.  I agreed that I love those pursuits, but that everything I've read suggests that your passion must also be of service to people.  We were quiet for a bit.  I added that the only thing that I feel really strongly about and even frustrated over is how many people spend their lives running after things that don't matter and that in the end won't make them happy or fulfilled even if they achieved or acquired them.  I find it sad that so many have swallowed up the media's message that what they have or what they do isn't sufficient.  They don't realize that what already is, is enough.

And that's when Sam turned and gave me a little smile, "Why don't you take your own advice then?" 

"How? What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, you are looking for something more, your passion, that you think you should be pursuing, just like the people you want to help are chasing after bigger vacations, televisions, homes and gadgets." 

Her comment really brought me to a halt. So unexpected was this insight that I actually asked her to repeat it to me a couple of times before I could fully absorb it. 

"So, what you're saying is that maybe I should continue to write my blog, sharing both my victories and failures at living more simply and authentically." 

"Yeah, and maybe you should write about this conversation." she said.

Thank you Sam, consider it done.

Thank you for visiting My Turquoise Kettle Life today.

May you find that what you have is enough today,

Sandra

Quiet Corners

In this world without quiet corners, there can be no easy escape from history, from hullabaloo, from terrible, unquiet fuss.

Salman Rushdie



Does this quotation ring true to you? How challenging it can be to find your quiet corner of the world. Interestingly he says there is no "easy" escape, inferring that there is a way to escape the hullabaloo of the world but you may have to put some effort in to find or create it for yourself.

"Ah, finally.  My Quiet Corner"

When my daughters were little and I was working full time I had a short commute to work by car. Many mornings were a blur of lunches, school bags, arguments and often tears as I rush rush rushed my girls out the door. Sometimes as I strapped them into the car their little hands were still clutching pieces of toast that they hadn't had time to finish eating.

"What am I doing wrong??"

Once they were both safely delivered to their respective school/daycare the car became my quiet corner on wheels. After a difficult morning I would often cry, "What am I doing wrong God?" I would be filled with remorse for having been impatient or cranky with the girls. I'd vow to do better tomorrow. Often the commute was also where I could catch my breath before my work day began. I avoided using the radio and tried to use the time to be quiet, to pray and to listen. Sometimes on my lunch hour I would escape to my car again and listen to a radio program, "In Touch Ministries". I'd eat my lunch there listening to God's message of love and his promise of hope. Just that little 30 minutes of stillness and escape from the fuss of the office fed my body, mind and spirit.




These days I find it beneficial to escape into the quiet corner of my home office early in the morning. It centers me and connects my spirit to the Divine. Lately God has been reminding me that he is quite capable of handling everything and that he doesn't require my help to control situations or people. I don't need to fix everything or have all the answers or be the one doing all the doing. It’s a lesson I've learned before, but it seems that I'm on a refresher course.

"Excuse me, I'm going to my quiet corner."

Having a quiet corner is like having a good place to study; a place that is quiet where interruptions are unlikely and where my mind and spirit are freed to absorb the lesson of the day.

Thank you for visiting My Turquoise Kettle Life today,

May you find your quiet corner today,

Sandra

The Winter Season



I was out taking some photos this  morning; the brittle lifelessness of the landscape  and some recent visiting to seniors' residences inspired this poem.

The Winter Season

Broken brittle branches stretch their boney arms out, reaching, longing.

She is strapped to her chair. Frozen in place, arms cast upward grasping at nothing.

 

Snow covered hydrangeas their withered heads swaying at the end of spindly branches.

He is hunched low in a wheelchair.  His grey head bobs rhythmically as he stares at a silent television.

 

Snow laden conifer branches rise and fall in the biting wind

Stooped and swaying she creeps along the corridor.

The wind blows and reveals a bit of withered grass.

I find my friend sleeping beneath a thick white blanket.

I bend to touch a frozen leaf

I reach for her hand, veined and frail.

 Ice on the ground

A tear on my cheek.

The End

Thank you for visiting My Turquoise Kettle Life today,

May you have a day that is filled with warmth and love,

Sandra

How to Refurbish a Child's Rocking Duck

Here's my latest curb-side rescue; a real ugly duckling that ended up being our Christmas gift to our little grand-daughter.  This poor guy was rescued last spring from a neighbour's garbage.  I should have taken a real "before" picture prior to getting out the red spray paint so that you could appreciate how ugly "Ugly" actually was.

He was originally bright yellow with a red seat and a navy blue beak and eyes.  He had a few rough edges which my husband sanded down.  I spray painted the entire duck with several coats of red paint, it took a lot to even begin to cover the navy blue beak and eyes.

I bought one sheet of gorgeous wrapping paper from Omer DeSerres (artist/craft shop) and a bottle of Modge Podge.  The background of the wrapping paper almost perfectly matched the red paint I had chosen and I loved the flowing floral motif.


Cutting carefully around various flowers, stems and butterflies, I was able to create shapes that suited the curving lines of the duck.

I positioned and re-positioned the cut-out flowers until I had a design that I liked.  I strategically placed the cut outs to cover the beak and eyes that were still visible through the paint. 

Using a soft paint brush I applied the flowers using the Modge Podge both under the paper and over.  I painted the entire surface of the duck with the Modge Podge so that there would be a shiny finish throughout.  I let one side dry before proceeding to the second side. I also put motifs on the inside of the duck where our grand-daughter would sit and see them.

The end result?  This once ugly duckling has been transformed into the most beautiful duck under the Christmas Tree.

Thank you for visiting My Turquoise Kettle Life today,

Wishing you a most beautiful day,

Sandra

How to customize a tank top

While I was organizing/editing my wardrobe last week I came across a plain white tank top. I am a lover of white tanks, tees and shirts. This one however had only been worn a couple of times because it had almost instantly become wide and shapeless after laundering. I put it in the donate pile and then reclaimed it thinking that taking it in a couple of inches on each side would fix the problem and give me another shirt to wear to the gym.

While I was at the sewing machine I came across a bowl of red and white beads and began thinking... what if I just sewed some of these beads around the neckline of this tank... it could be interesting.

Measuring the front neckline I calculated how many white beads I had and how many red beads would go in between in order to create an almost symmetrical design.

Using regular white polyester thread (doubled) I began to thread the beads onto the needle, securing with a knot after each white bead and after each fifth red bead.

In about twenty minutes I had the beading complete.

I'm looking forward this year to creating some clothes that are more unique and personalized. If I come up with any fun ideas I'll be sure to share them with you. Likewise if you re-fashion anything from your wardrobe, please send me a photo and your how-to. 

Thank you for your visit to My Turquoise Kettle Life today.

Wishing you a day customized to your liking,

Sandra

Visualization and Dreaming "What Could Be"

In my last post I wrote that I was in the "dreaming what could be" phase of planning for the coming year.  It may sound funny to say that I take this "dreaming" very seriously. 

close up of swirly blue glass

Dreaming and day-dreaming have a  carefree lazy-day image and it is exactly this state of mind that is so condusive to conjuring up an image of the way I want to be and the life I long to create. I try to reduce the inner chatter of my logical, responsible self by telling her, "Relax, I'm just day-dreaming.  I just want to play with this image in my head for a little while, to play make-believe, to wonder what if?". 

My grown-up responsible side is resistant.  She has seen how powerful this exercise is; how ideas, images and desires that I have visualized, cherished and focused on have been reproduced in my life.  Of course my logical self supports my healthy eating and gym routine but she gets nervous when the images become bohemian beach cottages and summers spent in artist retreats playing with paint and words with no schedules or responsibilities to keep me hemmed in.  I hear her stern voice saying, "Sandra, get back to your senses this instant!"



day dreaming helps to unlock your secret longings

We probably all have a life time of "voices" telling us to:

• grow-up
• get your head out of the clouds
• do the responsible thing or the safe thing

These voices may say that:

• life isn't fair
• we don't get to do what we want
• we owe it to them to stay stuck (okay the never say "stuck" but that's what they mean)
• they are depending on us to help them cope
• counting on us to keep them happy
• a good friend (wife, mother) would never ________________ (fill in the blank with your dream)
• that is a waste of money, time.

Whisper to that stern voice, "Go away, I'm just playing. I will come back when I am ready to."

Record your mental wanderings.  Draw a little sketch to remind you of what you saw.  Jot down key words, phrases, titles of movies or books, or the names of people that embody the qualities, lifestyle or activities  and ideas that have come to you. 

Next week I will be putting together a new vision board to help support my mental musings.  Check in with me then to see what my dreams are up to for the new year.

Thank you so very much for stopping by and visiting My Turquoise Kettle Life.

Wishing you a new year full of dreams, joy, health and love,

Sandra

Planning for a New Year - Review, Redo, Renew

I absolutely LOVE the week between Christmas and New Years. The main fireworks (Christmas) are over and there is this wonderful quiet week-long lull before the last little firecracker (New Year's).

Frost on a window

It is also the time when my husband and I individually and collectively review the past year, re-establish what our priorities and goals are and renew our commitment to them. If you have read my post October Review & Renew you are already familiar with the format I use to record and track my progress through the year concerning various areas of my life.

Individually we review the year. I look through the journal where I have set aside one or two pages for each of the following categories: Finances, Health and Fitness, Spirituality, Marriage, Family, Creativity, Work, Home and Community Service. During the year I have been recording progress made or the lack thereof in each category.

For instance in January I have recorded anything that has contributed to the above categories which included meeting with our financial wizard to review retirement planning (Financial), having my annual check-up (Health), and making cookies for an elderly woman who is shut-in (Community Service). In May I began my blog (Creativity) and we paid off our mortgage (Financial). In August we moved my mother-in-law from Ottawa to our town and spent the rest of the year helping her to get settled, (Family). Every month has many entries both big and small. This allows me to have an honest and more complete assessment of the year. It is so easy to forget all the small achievements and gestures and to feel that nothing of any worth was accomplished.

Winter Berry

The next step is to really feel the emotions associated with the review. Do I feel sad, frustrated or excited over any lack of accomplishment or area of my life? For instance I feel a little sad that I didn't do a very good job of protecting my creative time. I left myself vulnerable to other people's wants/needs sometimes at the expense of maintaining a positive environment for creativity. I need to listen to the emotions to know where to make adjustments.

Maybe the emotion is indifference. Something that felt important in January may no longer hold my interest or circumstances may have changed so that it is no longer a factor (I had planned on working 2 - 3 days a week at the high school but by September I decided to leave the job entirely).

Next I let myself dream, what would I like to have accomplished in the next 12 months? Where do I want to be? What do I want to be doing? What can I get excited about? What established habits have I grooved that I need to maintain that allow me to function at my peak? (My spiritual, eating and exercise routines help to keep me physically, mentally and spiritually healthy and therefore able to dream about what might be next.)

When my husband and I have our reviews in place we meet to go over everything together. We look at the good, the bad and the ugly. We share our achievements and our failures. We ask "What went right? What went wrong? and Why?" This can take a while as we both like to talk and while we sometimes get off topic it often produces interesting insights.

Finally we record our dreams, desires and plans for the new year asking "How can we encourage and support one another? What can we accomplish together?"

Some people would consider this entire exercise sheer agony. I agree it sounds intense but the reality is that it works for us and when something works the rewards outweigh the effort. For example, years ago with kids at home and working, I was happy to make it to the gym twice a week. Now I see that hauling my butt out of bed and going to the gym every weekday morning has given me a level of fitness that exceeds what I had ten years ago. Yes it takes effort and requires establishing a routine and protecting the routine from being sabotaged either by myself or others. That is why going at 6:30 am works, I'm on autopilot and the rest of the world is sleeping.

It's December 28 and I'm still in the "dreaming, what could be" stage of the exercise. I'm feeling the emotions and letting them lead me to form routines that will allow me to be truer to myself and to more joyfully do the work that I'm called to do in my corner of the world. 

Thank you for stopping by My Turquoise Kettle Life today.

Wishing you a new year full of wonderful accomplishments and above all, love,

Sandra