Walk With The Confidence To Fail.....

Hi!


Okay just a reminder to my fellow snow dwellers, this is what the world looks like when it isn't covered with that seemingly endless white stuff. You know, the time that usually shows up weeks after Calendar Spring, Actual Spring.

In case you no longer recognize the objects captured in these images, allow me to refresh your memory.

The top two feature something referred to as flowers. They are usually quite colourful with some known to emit a pleasant fragrance. Different variations of these wonderful blossoms seem to be enhanced with mystifying powers. They have been known to brighten rooms, cheer a foul mood and encourage early releases from dog houses. Their clipped counterparts also have been utilized in decorating the hands, wrists, and lapels of countless brides, grooms, and prom dates. Their spent pedals, then, sometimes dehydrated and pressed between the pages of a heavy book,  tiny, fragile whispers of the blooms they once were, still with the strength to carry the grandest of memories.

The third photo features what is generally known as a deck with deck type furniture. In the snowless weeks between winter and the next winter, this is where we generally scorch/cook and share our food and drink with family, friends and an exciting assortment of flying, crawling and biting creatures looking for their share. This space also contains mystical powers of a sort. This table and surrounding chairs have the ability to turn frowns into smiles, then, into laughter. This assemblage of glass and metal have the ability to soak up stress, create silliness, and inspire water fights.

The star of the final photo is what we like to call, a leaf. The most basic, precious symbol of hope. The delicate beginnings of its tiniest sprouts signal the promise of long, warm days filled with bike rides, bonfires, and trips to the lake. Upon reaching maturity, the leaf becomes the provider of shade and shelter, the musical plaything for every summer breeze, the seasonal predictor, and indicator of the beginning of the end of our hiatus from winter.


These photos represent what awaits us on the other side of the snowbank. Hang in there. We're close.


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So, because I have an amazing friend who is kind enough to think of me when good fortune comes her way, I had the honour of spending an evening with some pretty incredible women one of which was Michelle Obama.

It was interesting to hear about her time in the Whitehouse and some of the challenges of raising their young girls in the fishbowl that comes with it. The struggles of trying to provide some sense of normalcy while simultaneously taking the obligations that go along with being the First Lady very seriously.

My take away from the evening?

As women, we need to give ourselves permission to not be perfect. We need to give ourselves permission to ask for help. We need to give ourselves permission to say no. We need to give ourselves permission to not internalize other people's opinions,

We need to walk this earth with the confidence to fail like a man. Fail, and not attach it to our worth, but rather just treat it as something that didn't work, learn from it, and move on.

It's always awesome to hear the perspective of someone who lives a life so different from our own. Although we can only ever see life through our own lens, live it through our own filtres, it's invaluable to walk alongside someone else's shoes, even if it's only for a short while.


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Thank you all for your overwhelming response to last week's ramblings. You never know where your words will land, you simply hope they land softly. Thank you for finding and holding on to the light.

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Until next time...

May the thoughts of the Spring to come, carry you over the snow.
May the increased warmth of the sun follow you wherever you go.

May you soon be occupying the blue-skied space beyond your walls without the need of a coat.
May you soon find the swift-moving aftermath of a melted bank on which to race your paper boat.

May you trade in your ski pants for splash pants, and your mukluks for rubber boots.
May you trade in the slowcooker soups, for things with dirt still clinging to their roots.


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