A Life Both Big And Small

Hi!

Have you ever felt your life was tickling the edge of being too big to handle, then witness something so magnificent it suddenly makes what had seemed so huge, a pebble on a mountain range?

A life both big and small.

Perspective is a wonderful thing.


Have you, at the end of a long, exhausting day, been completely ready to finish it off with a glass of good wine paired with a generous helping of whine, then find out about a bus accident or some insanity driven by evil has eliminated multiple lives from their loved ones, injuring even more to the point that their new normal will be unrecognizable from the day before, making your aches, pains, and exhaustion a birthday candle in a forest fire?


Perspective.


On a somewhat related, yet still different topic, about the guy who rammed that vehicle into people in Toronto.....what in the actual hell?!


Incel..... a new term. Involuntarily Celibate. Seriously? Where and when I grew up that was called a  frustrated virgin.


To think that there is a whole "community" revolving around the idea that women who don't want to have sex with you are evil, guys who are successful with women are also evil, that basically, everyone on the planet who are happily getting laid are somehow evil and are intentionally leaving you out of some exclusive club, is a special kind of ridiculous.


I, for one, am claustrophobic which, in turn,  prevents me from taking part in the convenience of underground parking. Would I love to be able to park underground? Absolutely! It's out of the weather, it's more secure, everybody else seems to do it without an issue. But, alas, I can't. It's a personality trait, a part of who I am that makes it next to impossible to do so.

Now, I do have options. I'm sure if I pursued help through counseling, took time to get to the bottom of the problem, I could likely conquer whatever stands in the way of my successfully parking in the underground lots.

I don't blame all of the people who park like there's no tomorrow for my inability to join them. I don't blame anyone for the fact they all seem to park down there together without me. I don't blame others for not instinctually being aware of my issue and offering to park my car for me, then retrieving it at my convenience.

I haven't tried to create an InOv (Involuntarily Overground) rebellion, nor do I have the remotest desire to cause harm to the parking unchallenged.  Go figure.

So, for now, I simply don't park underground.

Again, so what the actual hell?!

Some have put it out there that the individual who inflicted this horror in on the autism spectrum. That is a completely unfair stigma to attach to those who live within that spectrum. People who actually live under that particular umbrella have enough to deal with without being attached groundlessly to this horrible act of violence.

Personally, I believe labeling people is dangerous in the best of situations, labeling without merit, in a situation such as this, is dangerously ludicrous.


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To those who lost loved ones in this latest, hate-filled tragedy, my heart breaks for the senseless pain you are now left to endure.

To those who were injured, may you recover fully, quickly, and as painlessly as possible, with all of the support you could possibly want or need.

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We live in a world where Mother Nature's astounding beauty and Humanity's worst ugliness coexist. Where the worst of what Mother Nature can put forth brings out the best in humanity.
Let's create communities that foster kindness instead of hate. Let's bolster a rebellion against violence.

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May you live a life that is full, beautiful, bright, and as bold as you dare to dream.
May you, when trouble strikes, take a step back, for worries are never as big in the grand scheme.

May you live a life that brings you joy, lifts your heart, and fills your soul.
May you live a life where cherished moments, love and fun are the favoured goals.

May you live without the horrific hand of hatred reaching out to steal your bliss.
May you live a life of perpetual, persistent, peace, most of all, I wish you this.


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Roadtrip to Colonsay tomorrow, see you there!!!

www.margyreidbooks.com

The Proof Of The Landing.....

Hi!

So, there are some out there who doubt the schizophrenic weather we get in this part of the world. Here, there are the standing jokes of hoping summer falls on a weekend, and about how if you don't like the weather, wait ten minutes.... they are standing jokes for a reason.

Well, the first and third photos were Tuesday, the second and last, Wednesday. 

Enough said.

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Ya know, this whole writing thing takes me places I would never have gone otherwise, leads me to people that I would have never had the occasion to meet, and presents opportunities I would have never imagined even existed.

Whenever someone walks up to my table at a tradeshow, or approaches me in a mall, or restaurant etc, it always blows me away. Sometimes it's someone who has found a connection to these ramblings, sometimes it's people who have related in a personal way to "Everyday Wishes For Your Extraordinary Life," sometimes it's heart-touching anecdotal stories involving one of my kids' books, sometimes it's about "Once Broken," and sometimes it's because they themselves have a story they would love to tell, and are looking for help in how to make it happen.

No matter the context, it floors me every single time. 

When you write, you never know where anything will land, how it will land, or if it will land anywhere at all. 

To have the proof of landing greet you with a hug is everything. 

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Funny thing about dreams...

Dreams come in different shapes and sizes, not a 'one size fits all' kind of thing.

Dreams evolve, shift, melding to coincide with the journey brought forth by our choices.

Dreams can sneak up on you, disguised, unrecognized, revealing their truth only when ready.

Dreams for one can be nightmares of another, it's all in the perception, the perspective.

Dreams tend to colour outside the lines, live outside the norm, and have an allergy to comfort zones.

This is why we have to seek them out, chase them down, capture them, own them, polish them, and make them shine. 

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These ramblings are hitting a bit early this week for a reason!

Thanks to a generous friend. who extended an incredibly generous invitation, I will be in beautiful Kelowna, BC this weekend! We will be celebrating, and welcoming an awesome woman into the "50" club. There will be wine, food, some sightseeing, and, in all honesty, there is a fairly high likelihood of some shenanigans. 

Definitely something outside of my norm, outside the lines, who knows what might be discovered....

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May you find some time to spend, wisely, with whom, and on whatever you treasure.

May you see that time "wasted" catching up, laughing, resting, is precious beyond measure.

May you let the birds sing you awake, the sun kiss your face, the breeze brush your hair.

May you take a few moments to look up, hungrily breathe the incredible Spring air.

May the vibrancy of the season engulf you, infusing you with renewed vitality.

May you embrace all of who you are, this confidence, this strength, let it be your reality.

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www.margyreidbooks.com 

For Most Of Us It's Difficult To Imagine A World In Which....

I took these photos a couple of days shy of a year ago. Although not actual flames, this living sky phenomenon must be what it may look like if your actual world were on fire.


Maybe this is a breathtakingly beautiful, metaphoric representation of what stress would look like if it had a physical presence. A physical presence other than wrinkles, high blood pressure, grey hair...


Life has been especially heavy lately, tragedies here at home and all over the world have taken place, lives taken, connected lives no longer recognizable through no fault of their own.

Through no fault of their own.


When life gets this heavy, the need for some form of comic relief is almost palpable. We have to remind ourselves that the heavy isn't all that there is. Give ourselves permission to smile.

I could probably blame my upbringing, or just myself, but regardless of from where it stems, comic relief, for me, tends to lean toward the satirical. It can tend to hand out in the shadows... on the dark side.


Case in point.....



It tickles me to no end to witness unkind people stew in the putrid juices of their own making. The shit disturbers licking the proverbial spoon, so to speak.

I would entertain the thought that this makes me a bad person if the turmoil weren't completely self- inflicted. If the consequences that are now being enjoyed, at least by me, weren't completely and absolutely avoidable if said spoon licker had ever made it a practice to live a life filled with slightly less douchebaggery.

For most of us, it's difficult to imagine a world in which we need a "fixer"/lawyer, where our lawyers need lawyers, and where there may or may not be evidence of participation in some sort of Russian hooker pee party.

For most of us, it's difficult to imagine a world in which the least of our problems for this week, and I reiterate, this week, is being forced to make a now hurried decision on whether or not to drop some actual bombs on actual people. A decision not only created, but then exacerbated, by our own inability to keep our fingers off of the keys of our twitter feeds.

For most of us, it's difficult to imagine a world in which we flick our fingers and set into motion the tumble of a complex, intricate pattern of dominoes, a pattern we had a close hand in designing, then proceed to throw a monumental tantrum because they actually fall.

For most of us, it's difficult to imagine a world in which we feel slighted because our accomplishments are not being celebrated, unable to recognize the reason we can't hear the songs of our praises is because of the choir of screaming monkeys fleeing from our circus on fire.

For most of us, it's difficult to imagine a world in which we spend our entire time on this earth eating caviar on our K-fry with a golden spoon, then tell the entertainer who, starving, ate leftovers from our plate, working years to become an "overnight succes," that they are the disengaged "elite."

For most of us, it's difficult to imagine a world in which no matter how often we say things that are proven over and over again to be untrue, an army of Rumbullshitskins take their positions to defend us, spewing enough verbal diarrhea to choke to death any shit-eating grin.

Even if I could imagine such a world, I wouldn't want to live there.

I know I likely should leave this type of subject matter alone, leave it to the experts, but, as a writer, a life observer, and a smart-ass, it's pretty impossible to continually see a parade of open doors and never walk through. 

I guess it comes to this. If you don't want us to laugh, quit being funny.


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Road-trippin' tomorrow, heading to Craik, Saskatchewan for some selling and signing of some books! Looking very forward to meeting all the new faces!


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For all those who could use a breath.......


May you find a reprieve from this news heavy world, find some laughter, find a smile.
May you find a reason to giggle, a way to de-stress, let your heart relax for a while.

May you find a way to see the funny, even if rooted in things that can steal your grin.
May you find a way to catch a chuckle, in a world so sober, any heehaw-snort is a win.

May you find  a way to seize the snicker, reach for the "laugh til you cry."
May you trap a tickle that leaves no choice but to cackle and slap a thigh.


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www.margyreidbooks.com

The Enormity Of The Nightmare.....

Hi.

Yesterday, in the late afternoon, a group of young men boarded a bus. They were likely excited, a bit rowdy, and maybe a little nervous, as they were on their way to a must-win playoff game in their hockey league.

Before they could reach their destination, tragedy, in the shape of a semi truck and trailer, hit hard.

A collision that claimed 15 lives thus far, and put 14 more in hospital. Some are injured worse than others, but all will forever carry the scars of the trauma.

Our hearts ache for your loss, so we send our thoughts and prayers.

All of the thoughts, prayers and deafening moments of silence, no matter how many, no matter how poignant, no matter how heartfelt, no matter how far-reaching, can never bring back the echoes of their laughter.

Thoughts and prayers and moments seem too small, but please know they are sent sincerely.

We send our thoughts and prayers, in hopes that you feel our support. In hopes you know you needn't go through this alone. We, as a human community stand beside you, ready to help in any way we can.

We, in those deafening moments, honour the memories of your sons. The hopes and dreams that will never come to be. The unlived what ifs. Although we may not have personally known them, we grieve for you and what could have been.

The thoughts, prayers, and moments seem small, but, I fear any response could only be dwarfed by the sheer enormity of this nightmare.

May some semblance of comfort find you when you are able to feel it.

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Life shows us all too often how quickly it can be upended.

Hug often, hug hard, and mean it.


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May every soul touched by this tragedy find what they need to greet each tomorrow.
May they, at some point, feel they aren't being completely consumed by their sorrow.

May you forgive any wrong words spoken, for no right ones really exist.
May you find a way through, through the fog of shock, the grief-ridden mist.

May you, one day, once again, smile without pain, without thought, feeling genuine joy.
May this day come sooner than you ever thought possible, when it does, embrace and enjoy.


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www.margyreidbooks.com