Time to Celebrate!

Time to celebrate! It's the Chinese New Year and 2011 is the year of the Rabbit. Which means that we're in for a time of diplomacy, peace, harmony, luck and prosperity.

The colour and pageantry that accompanies the Chinese New Year couldn't come at a better time. And if you're fortunate enough to live in a city that has a Chinatown, there will be all sorts of events to celebrate this most important of Chinese holidays for you to attend. Check your local listings as they will surely spill into the coming weekend.

Pictured here is the Ottawa Chinatown Royal Arch completed in October 2010. The blue central panel reads "Ottawa Chinatown". This beautiful arch was painted by artisans from Beijing.

Because it is the year of the Rabbit, I couldn't resist buying some creamy White Rabbit candies to share. I was first introduced to these yummy sweets in high school when my friend, Heather, took me to her parents' grocery store in Montreal's Chinatown.

Aren't the red "Lee See" envelopes gorgeous! Traditionally, money is placed into these envelopes to be given away for luck.

Change Your View

Welcome to February. Now don't flinch. Yes I know, this most challenging of months is upon us. But fear not, for as I mentioned in yesterday's post, I have an idea a day at the ready to help see you and me through this month with a little less angst. These wee suggestions are simple things that hopefully will make this time of the year a little more bearable. And in 28 days, we'll be out the other side!

Let's begin the month by finding an alternate view of these wintry days. When it's cold we tend to walk about, head down, with only the goal of getting to our destination in mind. The view of our surroundings narrows considerably. If you look closely enough, you'll find that we are, in fact, surrounded by beauty. So grab your camera and go outside. If you have some woods, or other natural settings close at hand, off you go. If not, don't fret, there is beauty right under your nose. You just have to see with different eyes. These photos were taken in my garden, only steps from my front door.

So, has this altered your view at all? Will you go and seek the beauty in winter and record it?

The Strength of Words

Since we're not quite finished with January, there's still time to give the year ahead some thought. I set aside some time this weekend to think about the words that described what I would like to see in my life this coming year. I then picked out some smooth flat stones and wrote one of these words on each stone in either silver or gold. You could pick one stone a day and reflect on what that word means in your life. Recognise the ways in which it is already present, and ponder how to draw more of it to yourself. What would your words be?

Around the Bend

With the arrival of my birthday tomorrow it’s only natural to look ahead and wonder what might be around the bend for the coming year. After a challenging summer with family health issues, hopefully life will settle down a little to make space for challenges of the happier variety. It’s always good to allow oneself the room to try new things, as well as to re-acquaint oneself with old passions that have for one reason or another fallen by the wayside. And of course it is human nature to also look back at what has been and reflect on the paths taken and not taken. But if one does take the time to look back, then it better be with the intention of learning what one can from what has been and then look forward once again, to plant oneself firmly in the present and do things differently or at least strive for growth and development. Here’s to a year of new discoveries, treasured memories and lots of joyful creativity.

Beyond the Door

What a lovely old door this is. Wonderful old patina, making the fissured varnished surface look like leather that's dried out and cracking. And the beautifully weathered metal door knob... I would love to see the type of key that fits inside this old-fashioned keyhole. Where does a door like this one lead?

Is it still early enough into the new year to continue with a spot of introspection a wee while longer? A lot of doors felt like they were shutting in 2009, so I’m hoping that many doors will be opening this year. Doors that lead to new opportunities, to be grasped whenever and wherever they may appear... doors that guide the way to new avenues, just waiting to be ventured down... and doors through which new experiences can be found that invite exploration.

Happy New Year

Wishing you a wonderful year filled with sunny days and happy days!

Back and Forth

New Year's Eve. A time when one quite naturally looks back on the past but also has one looking to the future at what lies ahead. Time travels backwards and forwards. Which brings me to pine cone magic. I used to think that once pine cones had opened up, that was that. But I recently learned otherwise. Dried pine cones can open and close, seemingly going back and forth in time. Don't take my word for it though. Give it a try. Take an open pine cone and place it in water. In a couple of hours it will close up tight. Out of the water it will open again after about a half a day. Magic!

New Beginnings

Spring is officially here… according to the calendar anyway. And with spring comes that feeling of newness, renewal and possibilities. For many, it’s the New Year that signals a chance to start over, to begin anew. For others, it’s the coming of spring with its abundance of examples of rejuvenation in nature. But for me, it has always been autumn that puts me in the mood for fresh starts and opportunities to go in unfamiliar directions.

Who can’t remember setting off to school that first morning in brand new shoes, carrying a school bag of unused school supplies? Excitement and nervousness all mixed up together. The pristine exercise books, brand-new crayons, and unsharpened pencils held such promise. I always made the same vow to myself... this year I would fill the lined pages with the neatest handwriting I could manage. And oh, the sense of disappointment the first time I made a mistake and had to cross out something I’d written.

Truth be told, I have been seriously thinking about blogging since last fall — my time for new beginnings. The project has filled my mind for many months but somehow never made its way to the top of my “To Do” list. Perhaps the promise of spring has me hankering to move on, to go somewhere different. Whatever it is, I am feeling the prod to get going stronger than ever. I have some idea of what I want to do here, but only time will reveal where this undertaking will eventually lead me.

And so... with a deep breath, I don my new shoes and set off on this journey, all the while hoping that I manage do so without marring my entries with mistakes that need to be scratched out!