Although it was never my intention to participate in six weeks of complete silence, zen monk style … I may reconsider, after five days of very dynamic meditations several times a day!! Just kidding … sort of 😗. Osho believed very much in a Zorba-Buddha existence, where pleasure and spirituality walk hand in hand. It is fun certainly and I do enjoy dancing … the whirling not so much. However there ARE at least a dozen meditation styles available, yes many incorporating vigorous movement, but completely silent sitting meditations are also available daily to suit every palate. I purchased a ‘silence badge’ from the compound shop the other day. I may use it yet 😊. I observe many here do indeed participate in silent days, hence the buttons.

The agenda above on a typical day at Osho ….

Osho International University of Mindfulness, implements some rather strict rules within the commune, ashram, resort …. 😗. I was not expecting that for some reason. I naturally presumed a more relaxed atmosphere on rules at a place of spiritual learning. Aahhh … that valuable lesson resurfaces … never make assumptions! It would hardly be the first time I have skimmed over the fine print. What surprised me is just how far the maroon ruling extends! We wear maroon robes during the day, exchanging them for white robes for the evening meeting and the evening meeting only!! … my first faux pas 😗 … I walked over to the cafe after the two hour meeting hoping to enjoy a bedtime ginger tea and was told to change back into my maroon robe … the server looked surprised that I would even consider walking into the cafe wearing my white robe!! Oh vey!

(Found a fellow Finn wandering the meditation halls … born in Liperi in the township of my own birth! Never in all these years in Canada or on my many global travels, have I ever come across another Finlander born in my home turf!! Liperi is a rather tiny community!!! What are the odds …)

The ‘maroon by day rule’ also applies to the swimming pool. Only maroon suits allowed! I argued that no one would see my black swimsuit under the water while swimming and I would throw on my robe in the blink of an eye after my swim. Didn’t wash … the office manager was not amused and merely frowned at me while saying ‘no madam, absolutely forbidden 😗!!! The Ashram shop had a few teeny tiny women’s suits that may have fit my seven year old granddaughter!!! Is this why perhaps there are rarely more than two people in the pool??? … maybe there is an ulterior motive with a hidden message involved there somewhere 😗.

Off I went to the recommended Phoenix shopping mall, hailing a local auto rickshaw or more commonly known by tourists as tuk tuks. After a long harrowing ride through Pune’s chaotic road system … typically no one in India pays attention to lanes whatsoever … motorbikes, tuk tuks, cars, buses, trucks move along, all vying for an extra inch of space, weaving an interesting moving tapestry of vehicles that, incredulous as it sounds, manages to propel the traffic forward with few accidents! Horns are honking constantly … strangely, drivers rarely if ever get angry or lose their temper when cut off … it is the accepted way of driving here and only foreigners think it crazy! I breathe a sigh of relief as I finally arrive at the most grandiose modern mall, full of shops with all the globally recognized brand names!!! The middle class continues to grow in India and sadly, in my opinion, modern malls are part of that growth. No secret to anyone who knows me that I am not a fan of malls in general. I did note, there were only locals in the mall … perhaps the 5% of the population that can afford it! I was the soul tourist in sight … interesting to be the minority of one in a crowd of hundreds!

For a few hours, I was led on wild goose chases throughout the mall by kind, well meaning, helpful shop keepers including the young man manning the mall information booth!! Given I only found five swimsuits (alas, nary a maroon one in sight) in a mall twice the size of Chinook Shopping Centre in Calgary, I would surmise swimming is not yet a popular sport for women in India!!! At least I managed to get 15,000 plus steps in 😊!

Back at the ranch, as a last resort I chanced to check out the outdoor kiosk a five minute walk from Osho’s. Murphy’s law prevailed! The lady just happened to have a room behind her stall, full of maroon robes, shirts, swim suits, scarves, shawls and oh yes, women’s swimsuits in all manner of sizes!! Cashing in on the Osho maroon mania 😗. I did wonder why the office did not guide me to the kiosk in the first place?? … hmmm … being led astray by well meaning folks, who love to help foreigners is so typical of Indians. Even if they really do not have the answers to your questions, they try regardless to help! I wobble my head side to side, Indian style and say to myself … ‘oh well’ 😊

The country remains one of mind boggling contradictions and this little oasis in the muddling middle of Pune is no exception. As is my norm, I adjust.

Another rule … absolutely no photos anywhere inside the compound!!! I took a few very early one morning before I was told in no uncertain terms that it was forbidden … the grounds are so beautiful I wonder why they do not want us to share this with friends and family?? The marble meditation pyramid and silent hall are serenely stunning but alas one must go on the Osho website to view.

So yes, the rules continue to confound and annoy but I shrug them off, hoping no more rules surface to confront! Stay tuned as invariably, if there are, I will surely bump into them just as I am breaking them 😗

Maroon swimsuit in hand, I head towards the pool and spa area for a welcome break from the meditational whirling to enjoy the cool pool waters. Heaven answered my call … the ‘resort of many rules’ has a true Finnish sauna!! My faith is restored! I finish of a great swim with an even greater sweat in the sauna!!! Restoration complete 🙏

After a long and somewhat arduous journey (arduous primarily because of the weird transit in Frankfurt … a two hour connection turned into two km winding walk, two security checks, lots of confusion from the airport staff etc. before finally arriving at the gate ready to board asap … no time for a bathroom stop!! …… very unorganized for Germany … this was followed up with an unanticipated two hour fuel refill stop in Azerbaijan, necessitated by the tiny plane with only twelve passengers on board although it could have accommodated a hundred …. obviously this all played into the confusion at the airport … so a Frankfurt-Delhi connection that should have been a 9-1/2 hour flight turned into one almost 12 hours 😗!!) Aaah the travails of travel 🤪

It was a pleasure to arrive at the serene ambiance and gardens of Osho International Meditation Resort … instantly restores and soothes the spirit. As I walk through the gates into this little oasis of calm in the middle of Koregaon Park, it is hard to believe what beauty exists in the midst of the chaotic streets of Pune, a city of somewhere between 3 and 9 million souls … hard to get a definitive answer on population count from a local! Over the years, I have learned to shrug ‘Indian style’ in the face of these kinds of discrepancies 😂 … Indeed I may have almost perfected the musically wobbly side to side head shake/shrug myself!! It is brought into play when one does not have an answer to a question, or does not wish to commit to an answer or just simply does not wish to address the question period!! … the list for the ‘usefulness’ of this gesture could fill a book 😂! Truth be told, after a few trips to India, I have actually grown rather fond of it .. charming in its own way 😗. First time around I found all this head wobbling more than a little annoying particularly when requiring a response but over the years, less so. Embracing and understanding, or at the very least, accepting cultural quirks helps enormously when travelling. Eventually, I have learned to adjust to all the differing customs and quirks around the globe and for the most part appreciate their value even if I do not always agree with them. What is a great casserole or soup after all, without a zillion different ingredients to create a unique and delicious flavour?

So yes, over thirty hours of airplanes, airports, breathing in stuffy recycled air, compounded by little sleep, can leave one a tad cranky … not the best part of travel by any means but a necessary one. I adjust 🙃. The negatives shift into history as soon as my head hits the pillow in my, happy to note, very clean zenny room in Pune … home away from home for the next forty days.

Tomorrow … a zen living ‘adventure’ begins!!

Fall’s orange and yellow hues were not quite yet in full ‘bloom’ as I drove through the Rockies towards Calgary. What was unexpected however was the early very heavy record breaking snowfall a few days later … wow … 😲

Mother Nature’s snow dump made for some interesting days … mostly spent shovelling and attempting to dig my car out from under a few feet of snow …. it kept snowing for days! No sooner had we cleared a path, than it would once again disappear! Being Canadian, we learned to go with the flow … errrrr … snow 😂!!

Also made for a wintry white family weekend in Kananaskis …. I personally love being in the mountains any season … the snow and piercingly stunning blue skies created a magical landscape!

Love time with family ❤️

A beautiful weekend followed by Thanksgiving dinner at Sarah and Rob’s where we were treated to both a roast turkey and a smoked turkey! Rob and his brother Jackson were the ‘turkey chefs extraordinaire’! A most delicious feast indeed!

Never keen to leave these munchkins and no sooner do I arrive back in Kelowna, than I find myself missing them 😙 Yes, children grow up so fast and no where is it more noticeable than in the lives of grandparents who are well versed in the quickening trajectory of our lives ….

Fall is certainly in full bloom in Kelowna!

Early fall was perfect for a return to Vancouver Island with my good friends Mickey and Gordon. I always enjoy the ferry ride over and the fresh sea air after this particular smoky Okanagan summer felt nothing short of heavenly! I breathe deeply, letting the freshness wash through me. We visit Mickey and Gordon’s grandchildren Tiernan and Georgia and their partners Jay-Lynn and Connor in Victoria and Mill Bay and move on to the amazing ‘Bridge House’ at ‘Point No Point” a short drive from Sooke. The small seaside cabin we had booked earlier, was undergoing renovations so they put us up at no additional cost into their largest ‘cabin’ … stunning views surrounded us … A wonderful soul soothing West Coast week in every respect! Mickey, Gordon and I have been friends for almost five decades … in four short years, we will indeed hit that milestone and I hope we can celebrate in some fine fashion exploring some remote corner of our world. Travelling has always been a passion for us! Over many years, we have explored countries together around the globe … some research would be in order for something fitting for the 50th milestone of our friendship! At times I feel my friends know the ‘real me’ better than anyone in my life. They accept me, warts and all … oh yes, no rose tints here … they DO call me every now and again on various things but kindly so, well ok, not always kindly 🙃 … Mickey remains as candidly outspoken as I am 😙 but the acceptance is never questioned. Fall, my favourite season, finds me usually in quiet contemplation …. no exception on this rainy fall Kelowna evening! I feel such gratitude for the gift of friendship❤️.

My sister Raija Tyyne Maarit Leppanen passed away in the late evening of July 30th, a few short months after her 63rd birthday, cancer having taken hold in her throat area, compounded further by early onset dementia. My sisters Margaret, Maija and I had been sitting with her since early morning into the late afternoon, sometimes singing songs from our youth, or I, chanting my favourite Sanskrit Gayatri Mantra, sometimes reminiscing, sometimes just sitting in silence. The air was certainly tinged in sadness … so much potential now slowly fading into a quiet death. I cradled Raija, lying beside her as she passed. It was my first time holding someone as they took their last breath. Three months later, I remain in awe of the moment and am slowly moving into yet another new awareness of the preciousness of our lives. How important to love and accept rather than judge and critique. Negatives and positives live within us all! Death is such a teacher … Accept, breathe deeply … let the good prevail! I was very touched by the memories both my children and husband shared for the memorial service … humorous memories. How fitting for my sister, who in her finer moments, her early years, always had a great sense of humour! The memories everyone shared including a wonderful letter written by an old friend were heartwarming. It was a memorial tribute at its finest, to pay homage to the good in all of us. I was happy to see Raija’s sense of humour return in her last year of life. Today, three months later, I picture Raija’s soul flying … saying “well that lifetime was a bit of a weird ride but cool to be back here flying free again, waiting for the next lifetime of lessons” 😂!

My son Tim and his partner Liseanne made it to the memorial service in the nick of time, which warmed my heart no end. They stayed to visit for a few days, treating my sister Margaret and I to a wine tour of various small vineyards in the area. A most enjoyable afternoon sampling tasty local wines, including mead wines 😊! Tim and Liseanne’s visit ended far too soon. However, the positive side of that left me much needed quiet time for reflection, contemplation … life, death and all our various incarnations.

No Summer feels complete, without a visit to Linda and Court’s piece of heaven on Kootenay Lake. Linda was recovering from a knee replacement operation and was not totally mobile yet but we still managed a side trip to the Yasodhara Ashram, always a great outing where we sit in quiet meditation and chant. Our friendship has always had that something extra special … it sometimes seems we have known each other forever … living our whole adult lives as friends, sharing, always sharing … through decades of dinners and theatre nights, from drumming circles to the infamous Mackid New Year’s Eve parties, or ‘girls’ trips to The Kingfisher Spa … those Vancouver Island spa weeks were some of my favourite times with Linda … a memory from such a spa week still warms me … we had been laying down reading for a long time after a spa treatment and realized we had not spoken a word for hours!! … the comfort of true friendship!… knowing we do not always have to fill the silence with words, that our presence is all that is required ❤️

Sarah, Aliana, Oliver and Sarah’s sister in law Lisa and her daughter Brooklyn came for a ten day visit in July … the moms were enrolled at a university course for a week, while the kids and I enjoyed a lot of beach and park time in addition to the various Kelowna entertainment offerings of mini golf, Enerplex, bowling, kangaroo farm etc. It was certainly a whirlwind week of swirling youthful energy to spare 😊

Watching morning cartoons 😊

A Webb, Overmann, White, Gauss, Cuddie (the Exner arm and a few Webbs from Calgary were missing this year) picnic was held at Tim and Angela’s. Steve and Jenn were housesitting at Tim and Angela’s who generously allowed our troop to invade their gorgeous yard! Goofy Uncle Otto kept the little folk amused in and out of the pool … he remains a big kid at heart and of course the little folk love that 🤪!! Maija on the other hand, loves her photo bombs 🙃!!

Newest addition to the family is cute little ‘Nila, a sister for Meelo … Margaret and Brad’s grand-doggies! A great second annual get together!

Lisa and Brooklyn head for home and Sarah, the children and I head for Vancouver Island where we found a great little gem of an Airbnb home on Glen Lake! Managed to fit in a beautiful afternoon at Butchart Gardens, complete with high tea. The week was a most perfect finish to a BC summer holiday.

Thankfully the wedding week for my niece Jennifer and Steve was blessed with clear blue skies and sunny warm weather … the relentless summer fires had yet to take hold of Kelowna, where for most of July and August, the air quality rivalled that of Beijing and Delhi.

A gathering of generations of family came from all directions to Steve’s Dad Tim and his wife Angela’s beautiful home for a meet and greet barbecue extraordinaire the night before the wedding. It was an absolute delight in every respect … the adults enjoyed getting acquainted and the little people enjoyed mingling in the pool, hot tub and play center! Tim and Angela sure know how to throw a party … wonderful generous, warm hearted hosts!

Onward to June 2, 2018 Wedding Day! Held at Sunset Ranch, a historically significant spot for the White Family. Margaret and Brad lived and raised their children on that golf course where they were regular golfers for many years. It was certainly an appropriate and beautiful spot for Jennifer and Steve to seal their wedding vows. More than a few tears of joy were shed that day! I love weddings ❤️

A It was great to have Mickey and Gordon at the wedding and have them stay with me a few days for a well overdue visit!

A delicious luncheon at Mission Hills Winery with Mickey, Gordon, Jordan, Sarah, Rob, Aliana, Oliver, Aunt Marg and our Los Angeles arm of family, Johanna and Devendra ❤️

The White and Webb arm of family, together with our newlyweds, gather for a dinner at Cactus Club before everyone disperses for home. A most wonderful wedding week indeed!

In the fall, I am taking a course at the local college on WordPress Development, (yes, such a course exists 🤪!!) hoping to troubleshoot the problems I am experiencing with posting pictures and take my blog/journal to another level, more for my own sense of satisfaction at learning something new once again, as anything else. My computers skills have started to lag over the last few years. I have become far too comfortable and complacent embracing the state of “being” over “doing” 😗 lately … a finer balance would perhaps be in order. In the meantime, a blog entry coming soon of a rather emotionally charged summer … a summer that held many moments of celebration, beauty, goodness, joy, laughter, love, albeit interwoven with moments of sadness, disappointment, grief.

Meditation remains my ‘go to practice’, reliably guiding me to a fine and peaceful balance when life goes off-kilter, as it sometimes does 😗 Hari Om Tat Sat❤️

October 27th …. well, here I am back in Kelowna, ready to head to Okanagan College for my WordPress course today! It was cancelled … I was the only one registered!!! The travails of life in a small city 😗. Guess I must muddle my own way through the glitches for the time being ….

• For many years, photo albums and scrapbooking of all family events and travels were my record keeping ‘go to’ creation. I thoroughly enjoyed the process, putting these memories into a format. Today however, these treasured
• ‘creations’ remain neatly stacked and tucked away in my garage for lack of space and shelving in my new home!

• In addition, as if the actual physical space is not sufficient, my iPad holds well over 8,000 photos of the past several years of events, global volunteering and various explorative travel, albeit all organized in cyber albums 😊. A solo nomadic year from 2010-2011 is further documented on a USB stick … thousands more pictures!! 😗. Yikes …. this qualifies as overload!!! I console myself that at least there are no further tangible albums to add to an already overly cluttered world!

• It would appear this blog, this rather old fashioned journal, has evolved into a modern day record keeper … I occasionally refer to it, if only to recall where I may have travelled both geographically and internally. An interesting journey in itself 😗

April, May and June were brimming with family moments, birthdays, parties and a wedding! As the saying goes, pictures tell the story ….

Sarah and my little loves fly in for the baby and bridal showers.

Carmel hosts a baby shower for her daughter Kristine … drats, forgot to take pictures … just a few 😗!!!

Read the rest of this entry →

1. Four straight years of participating in the Holy Week of Easter in San Miguel left Bev and I opting out of too much mingling and moving with the masses this year. In years past, we had often followed and photographed to excess perhaps, the many somber and celebratory processions that flow throughout the city. San Miguel comes alive at Easter, with Mexican tourists flocking here from all over the country, intermingled with a handful of Europeans, Americans and Canadians all eager to experience the legendary Easter religious rituals performed by locals every year. Sometimes it is enough to just enjoy the general ambiance. That often meant staying behind, enjoying our peaceful garden patio with a good book in hand :), or enjoying a meal or drink at a cafe near the Centro and viewing all the hullabaloo from a distance. One can still catch a hint of mastranzo (a minty herb) and chamomile wafting in the air … masses of these herbs are used over the two holy weeks … inside homes, lining the streets for certain processions, in churches, businesses, restaurants, decorating the various altars depicting the seven stations of the Passion of Jesus Christ. Need I say, San Miguel is a very religious city, high on Catholic rituals. For some reason, Mexican Catholic celebrations sit more comfortably with me than they do in other countries and generally I do enjoy the religious ambiance that prevails here at Easter … hmmm. However, it WAS a pleasant feeling to not participate as a harried tourist, frantically trying to capture every moment through a phone lens. I have certainly done both in my day :).

We did manage to find our way to the awesome Monarch Butterfly Migration in late February! Every year, we were either too late for it or we just didn’t feel like taking a day away from San Miguel! Great experience to share with Bev and her sister Jo Ann! Long twelve hour day though … comprised of almost eight hours of driving, followed by a steep horseback ride and hike to the site. There are times when iPhone photos do no justice whatsoever to a nature phenomenon such as this! Wished I had brought a good camera … such is life … a rich imagination is required to view my photos to get a feel of what we experienced 🙂

Up close and personal with a few monarchs that landed near us … tried to post a video …. not able to unfortunately … maybe weak wifi at our place 😗.

Adios mi amigas and amigos … swell having time to share some films, various concerts and impromptu gatherings! Til next year …

Adios also to the Queen of San Miguel … the most photographed church in Mexico … The Neo-Gothic Parroquia!

Air Canada recently added a direct flight to Mexico City from Calgary …. yeah!! No American security and long lines to deal with as is the case when flying via Houston to Queretaro! Initially Bev and I were sold on the idea and remain in that ballpark of thought for the time being. The singular negative issue was the necessity and cost of an overnight at an airport hotel in Mexico City, coming and going, combined with a longer shuttle commute to and from San Miguel … a two way cost factor involved … will weigh the pros and cons for next year with a tad more thought! ….. !! The tedium of travel issues and concerns disappear quickly however, the minute my feet land on the cobbly streets of San Miguel de Allende, and adjust to the pleasant rhythms of this charming colonial town in central Mexico!

Ahhh, how invigorating it is to be back … a restorative shuffling begins within hours of arrival! Back to the multitude of joys that continue to draw me here, year after year …. reuniting with my friend Bev, the warmth and friendliness of the Mexican people, church bells ringing throughout the day, continuing to preserve their long spiritual history, long walks everywhere, excellent alternative films at tiny pocket theatres, complete with a margarita and a bag of popcorn included in the admission price of roughly $9.00 Canadian dollars, great local restaurants, fresh mangoes every morning, stimulating talks at the local gringo based bibliotheca/library, musical concerts held in parks, canyons, local restaurants or churches, reuniting with a handful of friends we have made here over the years. Oh my, and the best of all, yoga classes with Antonio Elugardo, a Yoga maestro extraordinaire … I could take up residence in his classes and be totally content the rest of my days! The list of joys continues to grow yearly …. helping out in the rural community schools outside San Miguel where poverty remains a constant will hopefully grow into a regular involvement …. joining in every Sunday morning at the Universalist Community for music, celebration and interesting talks given by people of all faiths, who work together to build a community based on justice, equality and compassion for all …. yes, the many layers that make up this magical city continue to reveal themselves. Pictures tell the story to some degree, of my life and respite here during the dark days of a Canadian winter ….

Front row seats to a Media Luna concert at Paprika ❤️ … thank you Melissa and Donna!! A local band, comprised primarily of two young brothers and a few cousins. They have recently added an accordion player and a violinist … the addition adding to our musical enjoyment! These young men have ventured to playing in various venues in Puerto Vallarta this past year … more financially lucrative I imagine than playing for tips on street corners in San Miguel. Thankfully, they came back to play at our charming local restaurant Paprika, for the many fans who supported them over the past five years! It remains a highlight to hear Media Luna every year, wherever they play. A desire to expand their horizons was inevitable …. still a tad sad to lose our folksy little street corner band to the big city lights and tourism of Puerto Vallarta!

What I continue to miss during these long Canadian winters are the ski trips to the mountains! While my

children were growing up, ski weekends to Fernie, Whitefish, Sunshine and Kananaskis were a welcome and wonderful addition to a country ‘blessed’ with long winters :). Thankful to my daughter Sarah, who knows how dearly I love being in the mountains, for orchestrating a weekend in Kananaskis with Aliana and Oliver … felt undeniably exhilarating to be breathing mountain air once again !!

A California kind of month … from social time with friends, to quiet quality time with family, to the bustle of Disneyland!!! A fabulous month in every way!

Sarah, the kids and I … hmmm (well, okay okay, Sarah and Google Maps who are equal partners, equally competent!!) navigate our way from Joshua Tree through the freeway madness of LA surprisingly smoothly and we meet up at our hotel in the heart of Disneyland with more family! Rob, his mom Linda, sister Lisa, kids Brooklyn, Ethan and Addison arrive within a few minutes of our own arrival … timing is everything! We chuck our bags, complete toiletry due diligence and head straight to Laguna Beach nearby, to shake off the bugs of travel. Lunch and beach walking is in order! Best decision yet! I could happily have dumped my bag at the nearest beach hut available and stayed indefinitely … on a bare bones sleeping bag! Amusement parks are not exactly my thing as anyone who knows me, knows 🙂 but I will pretty much do anything for Aliana and Oliver! I loved Laguna Beach! It was a great way for everyone to shake off remnants of an early morning flight and the commute from Calgary or even our own short bit from Palm Springs. The kids all unequivocally (and adults too, especially me!!) thoroughly enjoyed our long leisurely stroll along the beach … the children ran in and out of the surf exploring tidal pools, revelling in beachside nature, digging in the sand! We stocked up on healthy snacks and fruit for kids and grownups alike at Wholefoods nearby and head back to Disneyland. A great week of fun for the young and old, well, older, not old 🙂 ensued … pictures tell a better story than I …

Laguna Beach at sunset …

Onward and forward to Visionary Walt’s Playland …

We all bid adieu until the next adventure beckons …. a fabulous January comes to a close.

Sarah, Aliana and Oliver arrive to defrost from Calgary’s blisteringly cold winter. We splash about in the pools for a few days, enjoying the desert warmth and just savouring time together. A peaceful relaxing ambiance prevails. … We leave the lush Palm Desert vistas behind and drive onward to Joshua Tree National Park for a little hiking and exploring around the stunning rock formations and boulders … this area has always been one of my favourite parts of the desert so it was nice to share this with Sarah and the kids. We opt for a night in an Airbnb trailer on the edge of the park, hoping to catch a starry sky, far removed as we are from the distraction of city lights. The evening’s overcast sky left us a little disappointed. We fall asleep “listening” to the silence and stillness of the desert. Winds moved in at some point in the middle of the night pushing the clouds westward! Sarah wakes up Aliana and I, leaving Oliver to his deep slumber! A fully lit, constellation rich sky our reward for climbing out from under warm comforters … the desert gets quite cool at night making it hard to crawl out from the warmth but glad we did! It is a deeply spiritual experience to gaze at the beauty of the twinkling heavens above us. Certainly a sense of Godly magnificence fills our hearts. More than twenty years ago, while holidaying at a bed and breakfast farm in Prince Edward Island, Brian and I woke up our sleeping kids to experience one of nature’s finest gifts of the night … the Milky Way!! … undoubtedly that memory lives strongly in Sarah and she wants a similar experience for her own children … prompting a return next year!ear

I was fast asleep when the bells ring in a new year, my granddaughter Aliana snuggled beside me. Party animals we were not! No major resolutions other than a promise to continue making health a priority. Eat healthy, exercise daily … do something, anything and go back to reading books more frequently. Simple and doable …

A quick Westjet connect and voila .. I am breathing in the desert warmth of Palm Springs! Hari Om … life is good! Mickey, Gordon and I meet up at the airport and drive off to La Quinta to settle into our cosy Casita Del Nido and thaw out from Canada’s relentless winter. Our friends, Carole and Gordon from Phoenix drive up for a visit a few days later. Lots of wining, dining and connecting followed. Reinforced the value of good friendships and how important to keep in touch. We commit to a return trip next January. Maybe meet up in Sedona for a change of pace? All in all, a fine way indeed to start off a new year. Mickey remains my older sister in so many ways, Gordon, the brother I never had … they probably know the real me better than most anyone I know. They have been around me at my worst, at my best, through thick, through thin and they still love me :)!!! Incredibly, our friendship spans 46 years … we thought of doing something special when the 50 crops up and man, that will happen quicker than a blink of an eye … have to start plotting and planning something.

My favourite part of any visit, remains the early morning walks in the prehistoric Santa Rosa Mountains that loom over the desert landscape …..

November found me flying to Vancouver and on to Crescent Beach to Mickey and Gordon’s home to celebrate their daughter Michelle’s 50th birthday …what a fun blast of a weekend … I met Michelle when she was barely four years old ….. aah these milestone birthdays that mark the passage of time. The eighties theme party was a sea of aerobics instructors, Village people, Forest Gump characters, rockers, even Tom Selleck made an appearance and ahh yes, our girl of the hour, Molly Ringwald 😂

A Gablecraft Christmas party in early December marks my second year in Kelowna … a great evening, full of good cheer. Happy I had the good sense to sign up for the Social Committee as it was a lot of fun organizing the party with the other five ladies … felt good to be part of a community once again. A few days later, I bid adieu to my new neighbours and head back to Calgary for a busy December, full of kids Christmas concerts, birthday parties, family dinners and of course Christmas festivities.

It is not always an easy transition to leave the old behind, be it locale, friendships or your favourite coffee shop to embrace the new at any age but particularly at my age! I am working on weaving all these fibres into this tapestry that is my life, a life that has at times held more complexity than I may have wished for but the threads are gradually softening and evolving into a simpler pattern, more in tune with the emerging me of recent years.

I fly into Calgary’s frigid temps from a Kelowna that has appeared to live on the fringe of winter these past few years … lots of snow with minus two temps but hardly the typically warm Okanagan winters of bygone years, when one had to drive to Big White Ski Resort to catch a glimpse of winter. Despite Calgary’s blistering -25C, Alberta’s welcoming wide open blue skies make the temps bearable but barely 🙃. Spending time at Sarah and Rob’s home with my grandchildren trumps all! Oliver’s third birthday set the stage for the weekend. Sarah had opted for a yoga/meditation party for Oliver … this is a relatively new addition on the party horizon … hope the trend continues. Hullabaloo has its place but quiet is nice too. My sister Margaret and nephew Jordan arrive for the weekend … a weekend full of fun brunches, dinners, visits and parties. Thrown into the mix was a surprise party for my nephew Bruce’s 50th birthday hosted by his new partner Rebecca and sister Susan… the family continues to evolve and grow.

Warms my heart to see Oliver and Aliana love building and playing with this old train set … it used to be a favourite of their mom and Uncle Timmy’s thirty years ago! Happy it survived storage in a Rubbermaid over the decades 🙂

Christmas as well, is evolving in our family. It seemed quiet with Tim and Liseanne in the Philippines. Sarah and Rob masterfully managed to keep Christmas gift mania of past years to a minimum …. I say it every year … little kids do not need a zillion gifts!! … it so very obviously overwhelms them, as it should anyone. But we live in this consumer based society … what is a grandma to do? Even though I continue to cut back, I still contribute to that pile of stuff that accumulates every Christmas … Well, what to do? … sit back and enjoy and repeat my daily mantra … ‘we are an evolving society’ …. everything in its own time 🎄🙃Fitting end to a wonderful year …. dancing! …. posting a fun video I took of Oliver and Aliana dancing to Hawaiian music in their makeshift Christmas light disco that they set up and decorated together 🙂

It is a truism that life can speed up as we age. Who does not remember a childhood where days stretched endlessly and seemingly moved along at a snail’s pace? With every decade that followed, the speed dial increased.   It is only with my ever growing interest and participation in meditation and mindfulness that I have, if not exactly slowed the dial back to a snail’s pace, I have certainly managed to stop and savour moments, linger longer, breathing in, slowing down, appreciating more, judging less.  Where once judgmental moments could erupt all too frequently, they have become increasingly rare.  The consequences of a harshly critical childhood left many scars that have taken me most of my adult life to soothe and heal.  The scars have faded over time into barely discernible lines.  I realize they were part of the whole, stepping stones that helped forge the person I am today … a far from perfect human being, but certainly a kinder more compassionate one.   Yes, fall remains my favourite season …. a time for settling in with a warm bowl of hearty soup and enjoying the reflections that flow.A fun afternoon with Gablecraft Social Committee at Vibrant Vines

A fun week in Mill Bay and Victoria with Mickey and Gordon, Tiernan and Jaylene, Georgia and Connor ❤️Good fall fun time in Calgary with family … caught Aliana in a mid air jump in her Taekwando class! Oliver reads to his babies!  A gorgeous fall day hike to Grassi Lakes ❤️. Love fall!!

Thanksgiving moments at Sarah and Rob’s

Our Sarah Liisa was born June 25, 1982 … memories take me back to those early months when I became a mother … what I remember very clearly from the first moment Sarah was placed in my arms, is the exquisitely tender protective love that washed over my whole being …. the blossoming of the heart valve, opening to the unconditional love of a mother for her child!   Brian and I spent those early months in awe, sometimes just watching Sarah sleeping!  Children are a gift so extraordinary that any descriptive somehow falls short.  Perhaps this is as it should be … ♥️

Flash forward, and here I am in Kimberley, British Columbia with Sarah and her family!    My own early all encompassing years of parenting, a long ago memory:)!!!   As beautiful a mountain setting as any, to celebrate her birthday … it appears the Kimberley Run may turn into an annual event.  It is Sarah’s second 10 km mountain run and Aliana’s second 1 km bike and run.  Rob may be encouraged to start training for next year, making it a family affair when Oliver turns three and qualifies for the 3-7 year category :)!!   I could hike it :)!!  Sarah and Rob’s friends the Jobidon family all joined in and completed the race as well.  Bravo to all!  

Had some fun park moments with the kids on the weekend … Keiran, Amie, Aliana and Oliver were fascinated by a little fawn that followed us back from the park to our condo …. it was quite sweet …. almost felt like he wanted to join them in their play ….  very endearing ♥️

  

The little ones were excited to surprise Sarah with birthday balloons, pie and ice cream!  I had a hard time finding 35 on a single balloon …. a 3 and 5 balloon worked!  

As if a birthday surprise to the South of France with my children was not enough to celebrate a 65th birthday, but a bonus weekend in Vancouver with my dear friend Linda thrown in? …. Wow!!  Linda and I have known each other for so long, we can scarcely remember a time we were not friends. We have been there for each other through life’s many joys and many challenges.  Our decades of theatre nights were always less about the plays than about the dinner before the play … a time to catch up, share, cry, celebrate, or laugh together.

We had a wonderful weekend of wining and dining, coffee stops, quiet moments people watching and savouring the coastal ambiance on a park bench at Kits Beach, or chatting benchside with the entertaining Kits Beach resident Tony Swain who, with little encouragement, shared his life story, a story worthy of a movie!   Adventurer, long ago pilot, journalist, author, race car driver … the list grew as he talked …. Tony had worn many hats in his working years  …. a man who dared to live by the seat of his pants for his whole life and apparently is still doing so :)!   Meeting this remarkable man reminded me to always remain open to others …. what we miss when we shield ourselves from interacting with strangers!!  Everyone has a story …. a story worth listening to.

Our weekend set sail with the Deva, Miten, Manose concert at Vogue Theatre …. an evening of pure Sanskrit chant magic and concluded with a solitary Stanley Park seawall walk (Linda flew home Sunday, I Monday night) …..  The pictures weave a weekend story … Namaste



1. The final leg of my birthday extravaganza found us entrenched in freeway traffic for seven hours!   National holiday week, Cannes Film Festival and the Grand Prix all major contributors to the jam!  After inching our way on freeways, all the while being charged a king’s ransom in toll fees, we finally arrived in the rather lovely mountain village of Chamonix.   Summer crowds had not yet materialized leaving the town pretty much to ourselves.  Only a handful of tourists and the hearty hiker crowd in town!  Decades ago, Brian and I had flown there from Kuwait, to meet up with my eldest sister Pirjo and her husband Bill for a ski week!  The memories were overwhelming and poignant.  We were two then, just really starting out on our married lives, 25 and 27!   I return with two children, their partners and two grandchildren … ‘we’ had grown from two to eight!   Memories flooded my heart and mind … I had many tearful moments as I walked the back roads in the early morning mist that first day!   The memories of a long ago Chamonix, coated in winter’s snowy landscape was replaced by the stillness of a mountain sunrise and a field of wild flowers, reminiscent of a Claude Monet painting.  

The chalet the kids had found yet again on trusty Airbnb was everything one could wish for in a mountain setting!  More rooms than we needed certainly but utilize them we did!   Thrilled to find a true Finnish sauna and cedar hot tub outside!!!  And once again, a child’s dream yard where Ronan, Quinn, Oliver and Aliana could play and squabble in equal measure with abandon, or soak in the warmth of the hot tub, or just enjoy a patio surrounded by mountain views one could only dream of. 

 

We all took turns with the various activities available in Chamonix … hikes without youngsters, hikes with them, (all of us taking a turn with childcare),  even a day of shopping in town for hiking boots for some 🙂 or a Gondola trip to the dizzying heights of 12,000 feet for others.  Brian skied down this same hill above the clouds forty years ago!  My sister Pirjo and I, being rather ummmm, tentative skiers at the time, had opted to stay on the lower slopes :).  Somewhere in a dusty faded photo album, I will find those pictures of that long ago time in our personal history.  I loved it at the top …. feeling cradled in the heart of a mountain.  I was loathe to leave, wanting yet again to linger longer. 

A final evening fondue was in order as we bid adieu to Chamonix … finished off with, what else??? Gelato for the children 🙂

 

Leaving Chamonix behind we sped  along the Italian Rivera, going through so many tunnels, we lost count.  The six km long one through Mount Blanc alone was incredible …  a fait accompli!!  The toll stations were everywhere at an ever increasing cost … paying the price for the engineering feat of long tunnels bored through whole mountains,  I guess!  

We arrived in Nice for our final day, minus Tim and Liseanne who took a bus from Chamonix to Geneva for a day,  continuing on to Spain for an additional week of holiday.  

A final early evening walk along the sea, an extravagantly delicious dinner at La Petite Maison, a restful sleep, a morning walk to the market for berries and we were off again for the long commute home!  Thank you my children, my grandchildren, Jenn and Gary et al for a most memorable trip!  Love them all very much.  Au revoir français c’est un voyage amusant!  

We bid au’revoir to seaside Cassis and the Mediterranean and hit the inland freeways, where cruising speeds of 140 – 160 are the norm …. toll stations appear to be part of every road network, thus far, ranging from a few Euro per use to well over twenty … beautiful roads but costly to drive!  We arrive at our next destination, a converted farmhouse in San Remy …. a touch of tranquility in Provence!  A place to stretch out, chill, swim, let the kids, big and small kick a soccer ball around the acres of grass, jump on a trampoline, explore a quaint town teeming with restaurants and the many nearby vineyards and oh yes, give everyone a chance to do laundry as well 🙂 ….  

A wine tour with Olivier through parts of the Rhone Valley proved to be a totally interesting, informative and fun day.  Olivier, of both French and English heritage is totally bilingual … the British side prevailed.   A delightful man, full of knowledge, and funny to boot.  We sampled our way through various vineyards …. white and rose Vacqueyras, red Gigondas, red Côte du Rhone, red and white Chateauneuf-du-Pape and various other wines that I have forgotten :).   We learned the importance of ‘terroir’ …. weather, wind, soil type, and a myriad of other conditions and situations that influence and determine the quality and taste of a wine.  The day culminated in a delicious late day luncheon at a restaurant located in the unbelievably bucolic tranquil countryside.  Again, we lingered long, savouring the day.  As I sit here today, in a cafe in Kelowna, typing this, my thoughts and mind easily float back to France.   I feel so blessed to have had this experience with my children, their partners, my grandchildren, Jenn, Gary and their children …  How kind and thoughtful they all were to arrange all this.  It is not easy planning and carrying out an overseas trip for adults, never mind one with young children to consider  …. a Herculean effort surely and one that succeeded brilliantly.  

A most enjoyable dip into life in Provence … a bit of education, a touch of exercise for all, relaxing homey ambiance, lots of wining and dining …. good fun!  Onward … en avant … to the French Alps! 

One would think that eleven people, four of them young children aged one, two, three and five all living under the same roof for two weeks would create a totally chaotic and crazy experience but strangely, it was relatively peaceful and enjoyable for the most part, with only a few moments of slightly frayed tempers … well actually that would be me one evening on day twelve as I recall 🙂 …. I was bone tired from not too much solid sleep … two kids went to bed early and woke up at the crack of dawn with much fanfare … two stayed awake as late as possible with equal fanfare … the young adults seem to handle this situation better than I, perhaps because of an abundance of energy at their age versus that of someone my age …. they forget I need my sleep or the cranks move in :).   Mostly smooth sailing though for everyone, thanks in large part to Sarah and Liseanne researching and finding awesome Airbnb properties with yards, play centres, trampolines, pools and dirt for the kids to play in and with 🙂 … when the little ones are happy, far easier for the rest of us to be as well!   Any concerns about moving house every three or four days were quickly abandoned … everyone handled it like seasoned pros.  

Tim, Liseanne and I decided to venture into Monaco one day …. a twenty minute drive away from our home in Nice.

After squeezing our car into the smallest parkade ever, space being a premium, we did a walkabout through the town/country (Monaco is roughly two square kms, with a population under 40,000).   Lots of opulence in that wee country by the sea …..  Albert II is the reigning monarch of the Principality of Monaco and head of the princely house of Grimaldi. 

The Grand Prix was to take place a week later …. the place was buzzing with prep activity.  Massive yachts lined the bay, as the uber wealthy moved into town to participate in the big race … a sport for the one percentile!  We sat by the water’s edge and savoured truffle cheese, a charcuterie platter and the ubiquitous glass of wine, thoroughly enjoying some relaxed time. 

 

Villefranche Sur Mer has a special atmosphere with the warmth and charm of a small fishing village from a bygone era, allowing for a pleasant slower pace of life.  We had planned to tie up with the others in this village but they were leaving just as we arrived …. we had lingered longer than planned in Monaco!  The little ones had apparently had quite enough car and restauarant time at that point and were antsy to head back to play at the villa :)!   Tim, Liseanne and I opted for a quiet seaside dinner in Villefranche before hitting the freeway craziness back to Nice.  I remain impressed with Tim’s handling of the French road system without the aid of GPS.  Liseanne admirably handles the manual navigating with very few blips … Rob and Gary did admirably as well and despite using GPS, it still required vigilance and help from their trusty navigators, Sarah and Jenn!  All in all, I was thrilled to have the back seat in this regard … my sense of direction or rather lack thereof, would have found us going in circles 🙂

The following day found us all exploring the streets of the once thriving fishing village and port of Antibes, now known as much for its luxurious homes that dot the landscape as it is for its reputation as the cultural heart of the Côte d’Azur.  Within the old castle walls, sits the Musee Picasso … he lived a spell in Antibes, hence the honour I imagine.   We explored the cobbly old town streets, stopped at the local outdoor market (love these!!) to replenish produce supplies, taking time for a leisurely lunch to munch on a delicious French version of a club sandwich, accompanied of course by a glass of Rose!   Afternoon seemed like a good time to dip into the Mediterranean for a swim in a quiet little bay and soak in some rays.   Another charming village by the sea where one could most certainly linger longer … my life motto 🙂  

A short drive from Antibes, we arrive at our villa in Cassis.  We were all in agreement that Cassis was a favourite stop for all of us!  A most charming small coastal town with a relaxing vibe permeating the air.  A favourite part was being able to walk into town … a nice bit of exercise!  The villa was superb with a well equipped kitchen …. inspiring Rob to cook a meal for us all … a nice break from restaurants!  Shrimp, chicken, pasta, veggies … delicious!  

The little ones loved the ‘merry go round’ by the sea not to mention another large yard and pool to play in!  Totally loving the French Riviera … Côte d’Azur ❤️

Sarah, Jenn, Tim and Liseanne all hiked the majestic Calanque ‘range’ one afternoon … Gary, Rob, the kids and I stayed behind enjoying the amenities at the villa. 

Tim, Liseanne and I took in a boat excursion on our last day in Cassis to view the Calanques up close …. unbelievable formations and a view up close that was not possible hiking from above …. the Calanques of Cassis are a unique geological formation usually comprised of limestone or granite, made up of deep, narrow valleys with sharp edges, partly submerged in the sea … the shapes apparently bear resemblance to those of the Norwegian fjords. 

Another great day in France! 

Last year, my children asked me to set aside May 18 to June 1st, 2017 for a surprise 65th birthday trip.   Amazingly, the surprise was kept right until check in at the airport!   To add to the surprise factor, was seeing Jenn and her family at check in!!   We had a veritable party assembled.  The Magic begins …..  Destination … Southern France …. the luminous Côte d’Azur!   A long day of travel ensued, including a hurried Pret a Manger food stop at Heathrow!  They serve the tastiest healthiest airport food ever!!   A short connector flight to Nice and we were in business!!  A bit of a scramble followed, picking up cars, children’s car seats, with valiant attempts by the guys to stuff our waaaay too many large bags into these vehicles and find room for the humans as well 🙂 …. somehow a miracle happened and we all fit!!! …. Not one of us obviously pays much heed to travel guru Rick Steve’s advice …. simplify your needs … carry on bags only!   I should have taken a picture of the lot of us and our stash … it was a sight to behold!  Off we drove to navigate our way from the airport to our villa somewhere in the hills of Nice!  We arrived very late to our rather sprawling first Airbnb home, our first stop on the Côte d’Azur adventure.  Tim and Liseanne had kindly gone out early in the morning, bringing back breakfast fixings for the rest of us!  So considerate ❤️ To climitize our minds and bodies to a new time zone, the first order of the day was a walk along the seaside, savouring the turquoise Mediterranean, exploring the ambiance of Nice.  The fresh sea air felt heavenly!   Sarah had organized a street food tour for our second day, complete with a fabulous outdoor market!  Nadia was as cheerful a host as one could possibly wish for … she had a rather persistent smile.  She introduced us to local delicacies, such as pissaladière, my personal favourite – a pizza but not exactly … more a tart topped with onion, anchovies and olives, ratatouille which originated in Nice, petits farcis –  a classic Niçoise specialty takes vegetables such as eggplant, tomatoes and zucchini and stuffs them with ground meat, garlic and bread crumbs and can be served hot or cold, various different breads, sweet rolls, cheese, pestos and tapenades, crisp local Rose wines ..  a classic accompaniment, we were told, with every summer meal in Nice.  We all concurred and followed suite with local customs :)!!!  Did I mention gelato?!   A daily stop encouraged by our four little folk …. big folk did not complain :).  We all passed on the local cheap wine poured from large barrels into Evian water bottles … we politely sipped the sampler but quickly chucked it discreetly into the garbage when Nadia’s back was turned  …. this remained our only unanimous reject 😙 The food tour finale was a sampling of local Rose served up with a tasty platter of the various appetizers!  A fine start to our culinary explorations of Southern France …. à votre santé!

The berries were beyond tasty and in a league of their own … all sun ripened local produce!

What remains a mystery to me, is how I could possibly have come to San Miguel for all these years and never discovered Life Path and the most awesome yoga teacher there, Antonio Elugardo … a nurturing, beautiful, kind, gentle, deeply respectful, highly intuitive human being.  His methods are very holistic in nature.   A delightful mix of meditation, breath work, qigong, chanting, deeply effective stretching and poses …. there is a rather appropriate saying I have always liked and applies … “when the pupil is ready, the teacher appears” …..  Bev and I will surely miss Antonio and his extraordinary classes when we leave … understatement!   

Yoga aside, our days have flown by … we savour the ambiance, the music, the friends, the food!   We never tire of the fresh array of avocados, mangoes, juices!  Fresh lime margaritas? ….. a daily treat!  Evenings often find us enjoying Netflix in the comfort of our villa, at pocket theatre, or a terrace dinner with friends.  All good 🙂 

One afternoon, Bev, Donna and I ventured into a park within the Bellas Artes Center for an outdoor music concert.  A perfect sunny warm afternoon to stop awhile, soak in the music and atmosphere.  A couple spontaneously broke into dance along the walkway …. delightful!  

We take in the music of Gil Gutierrez, and his jazz band one evening, on another, a concert with my personal favourite, Media Luna … whose music quite simply transports me :)!!   Their music style flows easily from Latin jazz to flamenco to gypsy jazz to classical to even a hint of Santana style rock.  They are a great group of young musicians who played in the central Jardin for tips just a few short years ago, until Gil Gutierrez “discovered” them and took them under his wing.  Gil, San Miguel de Allende’s most celebrated and talented musician was once a young street musician himself.   They now entertain weekly at Bistro Mi Casa, at the Instituto Allende, no longer having to rely on tips for their livelihood!  

Yes, this little city in central Mexico continues to reveal its many layers of magic, for those willing to walk through the doors and discover the surprises and awakenings that await …

I have eased back into life here in amazing time, barely a blink of the eye … but it is my Mexican home away from home after all.   Not sure what I can actually call my home these days anyway … hmmmm …. to some I suppose I appear to flit about much like a hummingbird … happy to connect with family, friends, savour a meal, a warm shower, a place to rest … the life of an itinerant flitterer …. 

Lately, I have hesitated typing my blog for some reason …. well, I DO know what reason!   It feels somewhat pretentious to document my days!  It seems such an egoistic pursuit and I have worked so hard in recent years to lessen the hold ego has on my thoughts, actions and words.  At times, I have considered going back to a written journal format for my eyes only.   I do enjoy going back to re-read and review my travels, experiences, musings and hope my family and friends do as well …. so easily accessible on an iPad versus lugging around journals and albums.   It took a decade or so, but it would appear I am embracing technology. 

San Miguel is busy preparing for Semana Santa.  Slight understatement to say Easter festivities are big here in this country of Catholic converts!  It will be a steady stream of parades, fireworks and renactments of the crucifixion of Jesus and all that it entails ….  “Las lágrimas de Mary viernes” (Tears of Mary)  fill a whole weekend of renactments alone, prior to Easter week!  The crowds are huge and we often opt for a quiet evening of Netflix instead.  I guess we have made the transition from tourists to semi locals :). 

Bev and I walk along the familiar cobbly streets, slipping into our comfortable routines …. meeting up with friends, or huffing (well at least I do 😙) through our morning yoga classes at Life Path with yoga teacher extraordinaire, Antonio Elugardo, stopping in at the Biblioteca for an informative talk on the progress of the cooperative initiative in Cuba, or savouring a margarita fuelled pocket theatre evening.   By all accounts we have settled in 🙂

LIG … enjoyed a restful sun soaked beach week here in Banderas Bay, Puerto Vallarta with my daughter Sarah and grandchildren, Aliana and Oliver!  Well perhaps not much beach time for Sarah, who had meetings all week with the Mexican staff for O Hotel Suites, but it certainly was for the kids and I  😀).  O Hotels have acquired several dozen new properties to manage in Puerto Vallarta, necessitating some organizing and brainstorming on both the Canadian and Mexican fronts.  The week flew by … one minute I am playing tag with the kids on the beach and far too soon, hugging goodbyes at the airport early Sunday morning!!   My love for these two dear grandchildren is surely one of God’s most precious gifts … my heart continues to expand ❤I  relished and welcomed the week that followed, despite missing the little ones immeasurably … the nourishing silence … the beach walks at sunrise, early morning yoga stretches, leisurely swims, afternoon meditations that flowed with great ease into naps, sunset beachside massages by beach roving ‘maestro massesuse Ernesto’ …. (borderline torture sessions at first blush, but always felt so good afterwards … after the pain subsided 😗)  …. sipping delicious fresh lime margaritas as I watched the sun setting into the Pacific Ocean.  Time also allowed for viewing a variety of FB you tube videos that I had filed away for that time when I had more than fifteen  minutes to myself,  a brief catch up on my blog and best of all …. Finishing Gablecraft Bookclub book for February! … “A Man Called Ove” by Fredrick Backman   … excellent read …. had me laughing and crying simultaneously throughout!   ‘Hari Om’ … that ancient universal mantra,  keeps running through my mind as I savour these many moments … feeling at peace with all that is … Namaste 🙏

Age certainly allows for a broader perspective on the emotionally charged Christmas family holiday!   I flash back to all the hoopla I was so pulled into as a young mom of two children in the 80’s, 90’s, and well into the new millennium!!!   Christmas was often way over the top …. a month of creating a festive atmosphere, functions, concerts, plays, gifts …. oh far far too many gifts!!   Memory takes me back to my own humble childhood …. Christmas Eve saunas for everyone, proceeded by the delicious Finnish  ”Kalakukko” … an oval loaf of rye bread with a pork and fish filling  … a delicious bread cocoon with pork, fish and pototoes simmering inside for several hours in a low temperature oven … this was a traditional Christmas Eve meal in Finland that my parents carried with them to Canada … thankfully!!  My sisters and I, to this day, remember how much we all savoured our mother’s Kalakukko!!  Strange and sad that not one of ‘Aili’s’ six daughters ever learned to bake it!   The gift opening that all  children relish, was endless hours (or so it seemed to young children) after the early evening meal and when the last family member finally emerged from the sauna!   Aaah … beautiful poignant memories.  Times have changed …. Nostalgic longings for more simplicity seem to always surface during the Christmas season  …. there is little doubt that my children and grandchildren are my joys today and undoubtedly will continue to be, always taking some form of centre stage in my heart … I am attempting to encourage a cabin Christmas somewhere once again for next year … will see … I remind myself  I make valiant attempts every year,  with little success 🙂   Many years ago, Brian and I organized and hosted our family (Brian’s side of the family chain actually) to three cabin Christmases in Fernie, spaced out over six years … I personally always thoroughly enjoyed them.   Will see if we can pull that off next year with my children and their families.  Posting some pictures of various Christmas functions from the Webb/Overmann/Hawkes/Cullen/McMechan potluck Christmas gift exchange at Sarah and Rob’s, to Christmas Eve festivities back at Sarah & Rob’s and onward to Christmas Day at my niece and nephew’s place … (Sandra and Bob) … The Webb/Overmann arm of our family had earlier enjoyed our traditional Finnish pancake breakfast on Christmas morning, courtesy of Brian’s talents (something I encouraged my mother to teach Brian to make so very long ago … I thought it wise at the time to bring in the male side of the family into the tradition 😗 … hopefully Brian has taught Tim well ?? )   All were beautiful warm family functions to close off 2016 … onward to a peaceful 2017 🙏

1. 

1. A joy every year is meeting up with Mickey and Gordon in La Quinta … seems most November finds us walking the Santa Rosa Mountain paths, enjoying sunshine days by the pool and indulging in happy hours at Stuft Pizza!    My good friend Linda usually joins me as well but sadly, not this year!! A fun day exploring Joshua Tree … Mickey clicking away to capture all the interesting rock formations and joshua trees  …. Bid adieu to the Gibsons and booked a Tesla commute (a new service from Palm Springs) to the hectic pace of Los Angeles!  Met up with Sarah, Aliana and Oliver at the airport … Sarah attended the Airbnb Conference while the kids and I played … despite insane freeway traffic, we still managed to explore Santa Monica and Venice Beaches before and during the conference … gorgeous … makes the freeways tolerable!The Grand Finale for our California adventure???  Well Disneyland of course!! Rob and his mom Linda join us on the weekend to surprise Aliana and Oliver with their first Disney Day … I have a feeling it won’t be the last 🙂   Good fun weekend!! … twenty five years (wow) since Brian and I took Sarah and Tim to experience Disney’s magic!  The crowds were crazy … but this may well be the norm now … after a great whirlwind month of friends, family and fun, the quiet of Kelowna was a welcome respite … resting up in preparation for the bustle of Christmas in Calgary at the Overmanns next month! 

How precious are the moments of our lives when we slow down enough to breathe them in.  Nothing brings this realization home so much as does  interacting with my grandchildren, Aliana and Oliver, when time almost ceases to exist … young children live in the moment almost all the time … they laugh and giggle more, play more, share their hugs and love with such ease!   Sharing fall experiences with them in Alberta and British Columbia was just plain beautiful in every way!   

Back at Kitsilano Beach ❤️

A birthday lunch for Margaret !  Sisters celebrate at Eldorado in Kelowna!  

Hanging out with uncle Timmy and grandpa in Calgary selfie fun …Hiking Whistler Trails Oliver and Aliana mesmerized at the Vancouver Aquarium 

An afternoon Calgary hike with Auntie Lisa, cousins Brooklyn, Ethan and Addison 

I have remained a nomadic sort these past months, despite having a condo in Kelowna to hang my hat.  At times, I feel it is little more than a glorified storage bin for ‘stuff’ collected over the decades .. stuff I may feel mildly nostalgic towards but surprisingly not as attached to as when I unpacked months ago 😙!!  Perhaps it is a natural evolution as we grow older for some of us … we are less attached to our nests and the ridiculous amount of  ‘stuff’ we acquire in these Western countries.  Life becomes more about the moments and experiences we share with those we love, and in my instance, also volunteering around the world and connecting with people of all different cultures …. it is all good and warms the heart immeasurably!  Much as I adore the decadent comfort of sleeping on my new king bed with it’s glorious Egyptian cotton sheets … I continue to yearn for the open road after a week of creature comforts!  The nomadic mindset continues its relentless hold over me.

 When I am at my daughter Sarah’s home, my days are often full, lending a helping hand with all manner of household chores while caring for one year old Oliver and five year old Aliana … they are surely the darlings of my life but at age 64, I fully recognize the need for quiet and solitude at the end of a day … not even remotely possible with Aliana who is a perpetual night owl and ‘charms’ me with her night time scenarios and rituals every night :)!  A week or three to myself by September was in order 🙂 … time to get back to a bit of solitary time and the rhythms that sustain me … daily meditation, restorative yoga and long leisurely walks … posting poignantly precious summer memories and moments with family and friends … my blog does double duty and has become my modern day photo album … who prints pictures anymore??  Cannot believe that for years I actually scrapbooked 🙂 !!! 

Friday night, we hugged and said our goodbyes to Tracey and her daughter Meghan as they left for Nepal to do a little sightseeing before heading back home.  Early Saturday morning, the rest of us opted for a weekend bus trip to Puducherry, formerly known as Pondicherry.  Stephen shares that India continues to change names of cities to something more ‘Indian’ …  further establishing their independence from former colonies.  Puducherry was a French colony for hundreds of years and the streets still bear French names.  

 

Enroute, we stopped at a town of temples, Kanchipuram, one of the seven holy cities of India and the only Southern one.  Everyone walks barefoot along the streets connecting many of these temples … shoes are not allowed inside Hindu temples … Stephen had prepped us about wearing socks if we wished … most of us did :).  It was not particularly a goal of mine at all,  but I have now walked the streets or sat and chanted in the temples of three of India’s holy pilgrimage cities … Hardiwar/Rishikesh, Varanasi and now Kanchipuram … may necessitate a return trip to discover the other four 🙂

We luxuriated at a great hotel for the night in Puducherry, enjoying a bit of space, reliable air conditioning, swimming pool, gym, spa and great food!  The twenty somethings of our group explored a bit of the night life near our hotel.  An evening walk along the beach of the Bay of Bengal, an early dinner was all it took to finish off the older generation :). We were all also slightly exhausted after a week of volunteering in the humid hot weather of Porur!  

We walked the streets of Puducherry in the morning, taking in the street scene and markets, walked in silence through a lush flower laden ashram, where folks sat quietly in meditation … pictures not allowed unfortunately for us but not for the community of meditators 🙂 … it was quite peaceful and beautiful inside.  Hari om.   To cool off after our explorations we stopped at a streetside truck stop to savour freshly cracked coconut juice and pulp … delicious and refreshing!   

The bus driver took a different route back to Chennai on Sunday, part of it along the Bay of Bengal, facilitating a stop at one of the most surprising sights I have seen in India!    Acres and acres of rock carvings and formations at a town called Mamallapuram.  Some of these carvings are thousands of years old, amazingly not fenced off for protection, available to all for climbing, touching etc.!!!  I wonder why it hasn’t been declared a world heritage site?   We wandered amongst the rocks for a few hours, walking up to a light house in the midst of it all, for a better view.  So here I go, peeling of yet another historical layer of India I had no idea existed … this country continues to fascinate!   

As I sit at my iPad, attempting to document my time here, I find my mind wandering, wondering yet again, will I return??  I was sure that after six weeks, I would reach saturation point …. well, perhaps not just quite yet :)!!  Discovering more layers of this vibrant, colourful, welcoming, often contradictory and at times totally chaotic country may still be in the cards!  Volunteering added a whole new dimension and at some point I would love to go back and work with Stephen and Sheeba, the children and teachers at PRS school, or tutor young Augustine and Rohitkumar or any child or adult for that matter … all are welcome at my table.  

 Now if India would just do something about the garbage problem!  Read in the local paper that Prime Minister Modi is appealing to every citizen to take responsibility and clean up their own spaces!  There are trash bins and containers scattered about here and there and they always appear to be overflowing, proof that at least some are using them!!    India experiences major problems with flooding during monsoon, the drainage systems not being able to handle the onslaught of torrential rainstorms … possibly outdated systems that could benefit from an upgrade, but personally, I think a lot of the plastic and garbage overwhelms the drains and plug things up!  It is highly likely to be a major contributor!   Let’s hope this starts to improve under the Modi government … by all accounts they appear to be taking the initiative on this important issue.  

And so I bid adieu once again to India, savouring my last delicious mango feast at breakfast before flying home.  Vanakam.  

After many years as Facebook friends, I finally meet face to face with Stephen Raj and his wife Sheeba, our Global In-Country hosts in Porur on the outskirts of Chennai! …. a delightful couple with a sweetheart of a chatterbox son, eight year old Rochon.  They instantly charm us right from that very first handshake, that so naturally and effortlessly shifts into a warm hug.  They are friendly, loving, giving people.  They have added Augustine, a ten year old boy who was once a student at Assisi Illam into their fold.  A very bright sweet child I would adopt in a heartbeat if I could :)!!!  Giving back to the dissadvantaged, the marginalized in Indian culture (and really …. they exist in every society, every culture!!) …. working at this job is as natural as breathing to this couple.  Inspiration from people such as Stephen and Sheeba, is why I in turn choose to do what I do here in India, reaching out a helping hand in some small capacity :)!!   I place much faith in small steps … I am not looking to move mountains and have long since come to truly understand and appreciate the value of Global’s objectives and goals of bridging peace and goodwill through volunteer postings around the world.   I am an itinerate nomad, a travelling global student and adding volunteering has been a most natural, appropriate and welcome addition to my travels.  Connecting with a heart wide open, sharing just a small part of ourselves, helps open the doors to understanding, friendship and eventually love and peace …. yes, highly idealistic goals from a long ago hippy generation and era but every bit as relevant today.   What I have come to know well in all these years, is that we are all one. Our circumstances and cultures may differ but our need for happiness, love, acceptance remain the same.   

Augustine … 

When I tenderly hold the tiny hand of an orphaned baby in a Romanian hospital, or take the time to talk and share a sandwich with a homeless person on the streets of my hometown Calgary, or share and laugh my way through a silly children’s song with adult students in Cuba, help out the barefoot students with spelling lists in Rarotonga, or discover a heart connection with the soulful eyes of an Indian child in Porur, I know that my tiny ripples of interaction matter.  

The rest of the team arrive at various times over the weekend, tired from long commutes.  We are a team of nine and bond within days as seems to be the case more often than not on Global postings.  Linda, once upon a time a litigation lawyer, switched careers and is now happily teaching at a high needs elementary school in Florida, Tracey a medical doctor and her teenage daughter Meghan, Caoimhe (Gaelic name pronounced Kiva) and her partner Thomas both college students from Long Island, Evette and her son Jonah from Delaware, Neha from California has an Indian background, will be visiting relatives in Mumbai after our post.  Within days, we are into the swing of tutoring high school, elementary and adult students, in addition to basic childcare with children as young as two at Assisi Illam … the pictures tell the story … the nuns, teachers and students are all so warm, welcoming and enthusiastic that we all effortlessly fall into a rhythm, making the learning as much fun as we can, incorporating song and dance, games and drawings :).   Evette, Jonah and I were invited to join in a grade eight yoga class … the teacher takes to us and when the students are dismissed, continues to teach us various meditation techniques!  Our team is spread out amongst a middle school and daycare/elementary school run by the kind Sisters at Assisi Illam for orphaned children or some whose parents simply cannot afford to put them in school or childcare.  Linda stays behind at our homestay guesthouse to tutor two young adults, once students at Assisi Illam.  We all agree that education is the key to rising out of a poverty cycle and help out as best we can, where we can.  Our days start with Rani fueling us with her delicious breakfasts of noodles, sambars, eggs, dosa, iddli, chutneys and various fruits … oh yes, mangoes definitely  :). … still in season until the end of June … horray!!  Sharing some photos of our time together .
Barnabas, our cheerful ‘go to’ guy, prepping banana tree leaves for a feast organized by Sheeba and Stephen one afternoon.  We eat only using our right hands, Indian style … the leaf is our plate …. 

The charming grade 8 ladies at PRS Middle School … 

Rohitkumar, my 8 year old evening student … took a bit of effort but I finally got him joking and laughing with me 🙂

Evette doing her thing … singing her signature song …. ‘Sew’ … kids love it! 

 

Sweet cheerful math and science teacher Bhavana .. 

Stephen and Sheeba, our most awesome team leaders and hosts … 

Linda with her students ….

Evette, Jonah … Stephen, Sheeba and their son Rochon

Morning Kriyas, shortly after sunrise .. Ayurvedic start to the day …. nasal salt water neti pot flush, salt water gargle, rosewater eye flush 🙂 … 

Cashew fruit with nut at bottom … loved unaltered fresh from the tree cashews!  Had a small bowl with breakfast every morning  … mixed with dates and raisins! I am not quite sure when this quiet stillness set in, but I like it!! … I guess a full month of virtual solitude, daily yoga, meditations, vegetarian food and the absolute quiet of Devaaya Nature Retreat will do that!!    It is a small place that could probably host up to eighty guests but during this monsoon off season period, rarely were there more than six or seven guests … at one point only a Swiss/Romanian couple, Max, Gabriella and I were the only guests.  Needless to say, the staff of fifty were doting on us!!  Divar Island, with about 7,000 friendly folk, is so removed from the rest of India … a calm oasis in the midst of chaotic crowds!   Everyone working at Devaaya also live on the island.   I feel as though I am on some alternate universe most days.  The owners keep all staff employed year round even though business slows to a halt for monsoon months, June to the end of September.  This generous policy makes for very loyal staff.  They are all busy repairing or working on maintenance projects during this slow time.  Winning formula!  

My cottage 🙂

As anyone who meditates regularly is aware, a peaceful quiet moves in, much like cool fresh air replacing all the endless chitter chatter and preoccupations that generally take up residence in the mind … after a long meditative retreat, a quote by Leonard Cohen, comes to mind … “the less of me there was, the happier I became”.  He became bored with his own dramatic storyline and embraced what was around him instead …. I totally get that!!  We become so immersed in our own stories, our self absorbed lives that it is easy to miss the miracles happening all around us every day.  

On an evening walk I came across this happy lady fishing … no words necessary, just smiles

A veritable mini UN on my last day at Devaaya …. Daniela and Elsa from Italy, Mohammed from Saudi Arabia, Volha from Belarus, Saravana from Dubai and Canadian me :).   A family from Delhi arrived later in the evening.  Waiters Antonio and Mario never cease to put a smile on my face …. friendly funny guys … Mario knows some Finnish he picked up over the years from tourists, giving me an opportunity to practice mine :).  With Mohammed, I revived a few words of Arabic, surprisingly retained from my past life in Kuwait :)!! 

We were invited to join in a prayer session with the staff one evening … Christian prayer service in Sanskrit 🙂 .. learned Volha from Belarus is a professional violinist! … she picked up the violin of one of the staff who had played for us as we chanted prayers and entertained us all further, playing the Beatles ‘yesterday’  beautifully!  

Most travel brochures of tropical Goa and India in general, do not show the garbage that line so many streets!  Few are comfortable discussing this problem … but impossible for a clean freak like me to ignore!   Everyone assures me there are government initiatives in place addressing this problem.  Devaaya, on the other hand, is spotless … the outside maintenance crew is always working hard, tidying, sweeping, picking up, keeping the retreat in pristine condition!    I take a few street pictures in the capital of Goa, Panajim … The Portuguese colonized this part of India five hundred years ago leaving behind a lot of very old churches … resulted in many converts to Christianity (build and they shall come) .  My pictures are not works of art but they are real street scenes.  I do not gloss, edit or attempt to make something over … I leave that to artistic photographers :).  My pictures are just ordinary … exactly what I see as I walk along ….. had a few guys offer me their sugar cane juice bought from a street vendor 🙂

Max, Gabriella, Claudia (a young German lady who joined us at Devaaya for a week) and I exploring a tiny island beside Divar

An unusual abandoned bird nest … Max took it back to Switzerland with him … a bird watcher …

Scenes around Panajim, Capital city of Goa

An iconic view of Old Goa and below … ….. the garbage strewn area I had to stand in to get above picture 😦

A unusually clean Goa beach!   

I will surely miss this location for morning yoga 🙂

And I will never tire of Alfonso or Mankurahd mangoes ❤️

Mohammed and Volha enjoying the sunset ….

Churches are full on Sundays in Old Goa … I sat awhile savouring … 

India, a country with an astounding diversity of religions, languages, and cultures … unique and unparalleled, continues to captivate.  The vibrant colours of the market flowers, saris, local bazaars, intoxicating incense, the ochre forts, shrines, temples, the warm people, wedding scenes ….  it all fills my senses and forms this cornocopia of a particular kind of crazy that I love!    India, that ancient civilization, the largest democracy in the world, home of my hero Mahatma Gandhi, who envisioned a modern day India that would embrace his highly idealistic dream of equality for all.  There are so many more reasons to love this country than there are to ever dislike it and yes, I do tend to gloss over the negatives though I remain well aware of them … the caste system, the abject poverty of many, the disparity and inequality between the sexes and oh, the garbage everywhere!! …. the list could grow but what is the point in that?  I prefer focusing on what I love.

It is a nation undergoing significant political, economic, and social change, while at the same time struggling to maintain many of its traditions and customs.  India with a billion plus people, one sixth of the world’s population, is emerging as one of the fastest growing economies of the world.  A vibrant youthful consumer society is taking shape and urban population is exposed to massive changes in life style, consumption habits, and cultural conditioning.  Western conditioning … Gandhi ‘s nightmare realized!  

It may appear puzzling to my friends and family, why I chose to travel to such a chaotic country for a meditative silent health retreat … the humour and irony do not escape me ….. but here I be, in Goa, Southern India, on tiny Divar Island, at the unbelievably quiet zen like Devaaya Ayurvedic Nature Retreat, accessible only by a short government run ferry over the Mondovi River, on the outskirts of Panaji, Goa’s capital city.  The many touristic beaches of Goa feel a world away from Divar Island, although less than 100 kms away! 

A return to India was to have originally been a return to Parmarth Niketan, the yoga ashram in Rishikesh, Northern India with my friend Madeline and where we had so enjoyed our yoga retreat four years ago, but for various reasons, she had to cancel.  I had so looked forward to the spiritual ambiance of the nightly ‘Ganga Aarti’ at Parmarth … perhaps another year!   I decided to rework my trip and go it alone, head South instead of North!   Sometimes fate intervenes on our best made plans and the route changes lead us to where we need to be.  

Just a short ten days ago, I flew into a bustling, sweltering Delhi, one of the most polluted cities in the world, where temps sat steady in the low 40’s C …. At that point, I was seriously doubting the sanity of my decision to come here in May!  For one most comfortable with temperatures hovering in the teens and low 20’s C, it appears I continue to test my ability to handle situations I find uncomfortable at best :), excruciatingly intolerable at worst.  However, I’m doing okay ….

An interest in Ayurvedic medicine was the catalyst and Devaaya is reportedly one of the more authentic Ayurvedic retreats in India.  The monsoon discount  (I love a bargain so yes, of course I would ‘pay no never mind’ to the looming presence of monsoon season!  Indians look forward to monsoon time so, congruent with my philosophy of respecting and often embracing local customs, so will I 😙!   

Ayurveda is a field of medicine thousands of years old and reportedly used at some point by 75 – 80% of India’s population.   Ayurveda translates as  “Ayu … life”, and “Veda … knowledge” … the ancient science of life with the emphasis and motto being … “prevention is better than a  cure”.  Many of the plants, roots, nuts and seeds used in Ayurvedic medicine all grow right here in Goa and the Kerala areas.  Healing or at least abetting the growing discomforts of creaky knees may be a side benefit … giving it a go!

I rarely go a year without a Global volunteer post booked and as luck would have it, Chennai had a time frame that works perfectly!  I will tie up with the country hosts Stephen Raj and his wife Sheeba in mid June.  Can hardly wait to meet up with them and the children I will be playing ….. errrrr working with 😗!!   

Perhaps more importantly on a personal level, I needed space from everything familiar to gather my thoughts and feelings  about these recent unsettling years of my life and what increasingly had started to feel like broken pieces of me floating around with little grounding focus.   Did I really need to go to such extremes as picking a place halfway around the world to do so??  No, but I did anyway 😚.    So, Southern India is where I have chosen to gather those fractured pieces, give them some tender loving care and redesign them into something that feels whole and complete again.  Isn’t it in China, where broken pieces of pottery are used to create new and beautiful works of art?  Well, for me it will be in India.  … A jiggle juggled newish inner landscape.

Through the aid of the nurturing nature of Ayurvedic treatments administered by kind caring warm hearted therapists, a delightful sense of wholeness fills my senses ….. I am massaged, pummelled and wrapped daily in hot oils and muddy or powdery concoctions of all description … they are goopy, slippery, sloppy and messy … feel like a kid playing in mud 🙂 ….  A twice daily dose of yoga and meditation sessions complete the healing circle.   Early one morning as I approached the Vedic Center I came upon the therapists chanting and singing by the altar table with its bowls of various herbs and meditative paraphernalia!   Perhaps I should not have been privy to the ritual but it was beautiful and I am glad I was early for a change!  It may be that the therapists set their intentions for the day in that manner. How perfectly lovely! 

An unexpected bonus … it’s mango season in India, home of the tastiest mangoes in the world?!!  Only Cuban mangoes are a close contender!   If my daughter Sarah, grandchildren, Aliana and Oliver or friends Bev and Dave were here, we would all be gorging ourselves silly on the king of fruits …… we are all mango aficionados … 



March, April and May this year were certainly times for contemplation on the passage of time.  We celebrated Pat’s 75th birthday (my sister-in-law) at her son Bob and wife Sandra’s home in April.  It was quite simply wonderful to share the family warmth and connection with a low key afternoon family party.  My dear friend Mickey celebrated her 75th as well while I was in Mexico in March and unable to attend her party.  Mickey, her husband Gordon and I often call ourselves the three musketeers … so often we have travelled together, exploring the world.   I love them both dearly.  We will simply have to celebrate anew this summer when I see them!!  I met both Pat and Mickey in 1971 when I was just a 19 year old, often naive, often giddy, young woman… I met Pat shortly after I started dating her much younger brother Brian 😗 …. Mickey, during an adult ballet class we fortuitously, had both signed up for … The Russian School of Ballet in Calgary!!   A friendship forged in such an auspicious setting, could only have evolved into this wacky crazy friendship that I value dearly today …. a friendship that has endured over the decades … so much fun the two of us had in that class … I can still laugh out loud today at some of our antics during class time …. we are both as far from being elegant ballet artists as one could imagine but for some inexplicable reason, at the time, we thought we had little ballerinas living inside us :)!      Life hardly flows in one direction for any of us  … so much meandering  and checkpoints are necessary along the way for growth, personal power and evolving to take place.   Musings for another day perhaps ….

May heralded my own 64th birthday, so graciously organized, celebrated and hosted by my children and their partners and oh my, my little Aliana and Oliver, always in the center core of parties!  They continue along, wrapping and weaving their little selves deeply into the fibers of my heart.  May 13th is our son Tim’s 29th birthday …. his last year of the twenties … wow where do the years fly … my “baby” 29??!!  There are many March, April and May birthdays on my side of the family, in addition to the above  ….. my darling son, two brother in laws,  two sisters, two nieces, two nephews, my father!   Lots of love must have been in the air from August to September in previous years :)!!   So yes, many birthdays brought many reflections this spring.   Life is truly a bounty of goodness if we just take the time to allow it in.  I do.  

     

  

It is apparent from the very first time an expat or tourist walks the narrow cobbly streets and sidewalks of San Miguel, that there is a preponderance of American and Canadian women over men in this city and women of a certain age particularly … retirees primarily, enjoying a new focus in life.   They have raised their families, been married for decades and find themselves now widowed, divorced, or perhaps have always enjoyed a solo lifestyle  … the fact remains that women generally outlive men!   As San Miguel has an overall artistic vibe, for many, a new focus surfaces via artistic endeavours, be it photography, writing, painting, composing music or simply living a life of grace, which can often seem like artistic expression in itself.  There are many who get involved in giving back to the Mexican society in some format, a country that so generously welcomes gringos into their midst.  We are a scattering amongst the indigenous Mexicans who are indeed the rightful residents of Mexico and the rural folk that come in every morning to work the shops, the restaurants, to purchase goods, sell their goods or sit a spell in the town square, the Jardin.  It is a pleasant mix of people and one immediately feels comfortable … many define it as the magic that pervades the air of San Miguel.  I have attempted to define the draw, yet fail to do so.  Instead, in an increasingly zen like state, I just accept the comfort that washes over me here and wander about, savouring the ambiance.  There is an abundance of informative, interesting lectures and conversations at local theatres, musical events, plays, movies, parties, luncheons.  

Yesterday, Bev and I attended an entertaining fundraiser … the entertainment consisted of a short comedic play, a book reading, a story shared of an ordinary/extraordinary life, complemented by a most delicious luncheon, all cooked, served and hosted by ‘Mujeres en Cambio’, a dedicated group of women invested in helping young San Miguel girls receive an education via scholarship funds.  It is a joy to attend so many interesting, stimulating, heart warming events here in such a short time period!  The mild weather of course, makes everything very conducive to do so.  We walk everywhere and the distances to functions are never more than a ten or fifteen minute walk away.  Many come here to learn Spanish. I take a few beginner classes at the library … a slow go for me but I remain content to pick up a word here and there every year … seems hurrying is not my thing much anymore.

  

  

An evening of music with friends at Los Milagros across from the Jardin and the always stunningly beautiful  Parroquia 

  A group of us enjoyed a fabulous musical afternoon in the countryside a few weeks ago at ‘Zandunga’ …. translates as ‘celebration of life, full of grace’ and so it was.  Gil Gutierrez and his Media Luna band entertained as we dined and danced, sipping and savouring the ubiquitous margaritas.  

      
  

   

  

    

   

It is the cheerful chirping of birds I hear first as I slowly wake up on a San Miguel morning. This is followed shortly after by the pealing of church bells.  For some reason, both these sounds evoke powerful memories of my childhood.  Attending church weekly was a big part of that childhood and to this day, wherever in the world I am … (and for some reason, my travels seem more often than not, to coincide with Easter) … I sit quietly in churches of all denominations, with services held in various languages.  I pay ‘no nevermind’ to whether I understand the language.  I have sat through services at the Vatican, where Easter mass was held in Latin by Pope John Paul II, to services in Greek Orthodox churches, Romanian, Hungarian, Spanish, Hindu Ashram Ganga Aartis, Buddhist temples and yes, I have even once sat on the floor of a mosque in Egypt.  Sitting down, whether in church pews, marble stairs, or floors in temples and mosques, never ceases to fill me with comfort.  Religions at their finest should bind and join us as members of the human race and should never divide us.  If I have discovered anything in my many years as a nomadic waunderer, it is that we are all connected, whatever our languages, customs or religions.  We all aspire to the same comforts in life … to love and be loved, kindness, compassion, companionship, comfort from outside and inside forces, nutritious food to fuel our bodies, a roof over our heads or perhaps not, as many prefer the outdoors if weather complies.  

I am not particularly a religious person in any formal sense and the only church I attend with regularity, other than my restful stops at churches around the world, is located in nature … the mountains, the oceans, the forests, the deserts, the pristine mountain lakes and rivers … places that replenish and restore my heart and soul, filling me with peace, “a peace that passeth all understanding”.  So rest my thoughts on this quiet Monday morning, following a week of Easter processions and celebrations in this most religiously Roman Catholic of cities, San Miguel de Allende.   
     

 

 To be back in this little cobblestoney city of San Miguel is as comfortable as sliding my feet into a pair of well worn Birkenstocks.   Every corner I turn fields a well worn path to a favourite cafe, wine shop, mercado, farmacia, restaurante, a textile shop, art gallery, yoga studio and my very favourite, the biblioteca, where I regularly attend interesting talks on global issues  … I breathe it in and count my blessings, happy to be back here for another month, leaving behind an unseasonably warm brown landscaped Canadian winter.   My good friend Bev and I, along with her husband Dave, who arrived a few days ago, are as comfortable as good friends should always be, exploring anew, our favourite little central Mexican city.   We often head to the Jardin, the life centre of San Miguel with the grand dame of churches, the Parroquia, proudly declaring its ruling presence.  Built in 1555, refaced in 1880, remains the most photographed church in all of Mexico.  It is where everyone gathers, locals and tourists alike, to meet up or just to sit a spell, savouring the ambiance.  When alone, I often walk into the Parroquia to sit quietly in meditation.

Instantly we are drawn into the culture of the place … a musical concert in the canyons of the Botanical Gardens, was in itself a mystically magical experience! ….  the ‘alternative movie’ margarita popcorn nights, in a twenty seat theatre, remain a favourite!  We hosted our first party last night, feeling very much like San Migueleze residents :)!!   I remain surprised at how much I really enjoy living here … yes, it has its share of pollution, crowds of sorts, sometimes grumpy gringos, but the overriding draws remain the overall quiet understated charm of the city and the energy produced by the friendly happy kind local Mexican residents …. the indigenous, the Mayans, the original inhabitants of Mexico!   As Mexico City is only a two hour drive away, the streets of San Miguel are teeming with Mexico City residents most weekends, wanting the fresher air of SMA much like we in Calgary head for the mountains.   I have no idea if I will always be as enthralled  … I am living in the very zen like present moment here … it is enough.    

   

  

  

    

  

  

   
  

Sarah and Rob’s Christmas gift for our family this year was a weekend at the Banff Springs.  If there is a better way to enjoy time with my kids and grandkids than a winter weekend in the perennially majestic Rocky Mountains, than I have yet to find it!   What a wonderful idea for a Christmas gift, made doubly more enjoyable and relaxing in late January after the hustle bustle busyness of the season had subsided!  The older I grow, the more precious and poignant these kinds of moments together become.

I remain thankful that our family continues to keep the ritual of the Sunday dinner.   Little did I know decades ago, that this simple act of gathering family around a dinner table would grow into the tradition it enjoys today.  From those early years, when both Brian’s and my parents were still alive, we have accumulated a lifetime of many fond memories, sitting around that Sunday dinner table, sharing the stories of our lives.  Extended family sometimes joined us … lively political debates were often the order of the day … all such good fun!   As we continue to evolve as a society, where communication in this fast paced electronic age can too often be limited to a text or a brief phone call, how comforting to know that on a Sunday evening, we can gather, face to face, break bread, savour a glass of fine wine, or a tasty stew, a casserole, a roast, all the while sharing our week’s adventures!  Viva la family dinners!!   

    
    
    
    
    
    
    
 

Family ties, family times