Slow Brew

I subscribe to a newsletter called Slow Brew Sunday, a wonderful weekly reminder to slow down and take life at an easier pace. The creator, Jules Acree, is a new mom—an entirely different stage of life than this grandma—but her words of wisdom and approach to mindful living often resonate with me.

It’s been a hectic few days, and now that I’ve reached midweek, I find myself being overly critical for not accomplishing all the goals I had set. Do you ever do that? Even when others reassure you that you're doing just fine, you still feel like you’re falling short?

I think it’s the creative person’s curse. My mind is always buzzing with new ideas and projects, and when I don’t get to them all, I beat myself up. Instead of recognizing everything I have done, I fixate on what I haven’t.

This blog is often a source of that inner struggle. I want every post to be meaningful, to truly connect with my readers. And sometimes, that pressure keeps me from posting as often as I’d like. If it’s not deeply inspiring, is it even worth sharing? Is this topic “blogworthy”? Is this conversation valuable enough to justify the effort?

On top of that, my day job has been particularly demanding lately. I work in a busy university office, and the pressures of administrative work can be overwhelming, especially at certain times of the year. At the moment,  I see my coworkers feeling the weight of it too. I want to support them, but it can be  exhausting—worrying about my friends and their struggles in addition to my own.

The Slow Brew Sunday newsletter arrives (you guessed it) every Sunday, but it wasn’t until today that I finally took a rare coffee break at my desk to read it. And I’m so glad I did. It had exactly the message I needed to hear.

Jules Acree reminds us that it’s okay to share simply for the sake of sharing. She encourages letting go of overthinking, embracing the joy of expression, and trusting that creativity flows more freely when we stop putting so much pressure on ourselves.

I can relate to that. I’ve never considered myself a perfectionist, but I suspect that my own expectations—especially about the quality of my writing—sometimes hold me back from even starting.

So, I’ve decided to take her advice to heart. I’m going to share more of the small, joyful moments in my life—just because I feel like it. Hopefully, along the way, I’ll write something that resonates with you, something you can carry in your heart for the day.

But I’m going to try not to overthink it. I’m going to step out of my own way.

Because really, isn’t that what this is all about? Just sharing myself with you. I'll just be here. And that's enough. 

Four-Legged Angels

These are strange times. Many of us are self-isolating, or working from home.  Even those of us that still have to work, are home more than ever before.

But one thing that I have noticed with any of my family and friends, and in my own household,  is that our dogs (and other animals) are happier than ever.  Instead of spending their days waiting for their owners to come back, we are with them all day long! Dogs are getting walks several times a day.  A friend told me that her dog follows her all around the house.  She said to me in a video chat, "to be honest, I am not sure if she followed me around before - I think I was too busy to notice!" That little pup (along with her other puppy) are a bright light in a trying time of self-quarantine.

For those of us that are working from home, our pets have become our "co-workers."  My office online meetings often have us saying hello to everyone's animals. We finally have had our "bring your pet to work" day!

I know that as someone who has dealt with anxiety and depression, my dogs have given me comfort at times when really nothing else could.  They truly have been the best medicine on many occasions.

I believe that dogs are truly angels on earth. They come into our lives and bring nothing but unconditional love and joy.  And at the moment, during our terrible pandemic, they have been giving their people companionship and comfort at a time of anxiety and fear.  But there is a silver lining in this dark cloud. The drastic measures we have had to take have allowed many to slow down and appreciate these special beings more than ever.  And our dogs are so happy that they get to spend more time with us, because that is all that they ever really want. In a way, we are getting to say thank you to them for their devotion.

Sadly, I am writing this only hours after we have had to say goodbye to our big dog, George.  We had almost 11 years wth him, and now my Molly Beagle is alone with me, a warm heartbeat at my feet.  The tears fall, for another four-legged angel that was with our family for what felt like such a short time.

I am glad that for the last few weeks of his life, he had us all around him. That is what always made him the happiest.

What Does Your Garden Look Like?

Months ago, I took a wellness class through my employer.  In that class, we did an interesting exercise that still resonates strongly with me.  We were all asked to imagine what our dream garden would look like.  We wrote down some notes, and then compared what we had written.

I have been thinking about converting this exercise into an art piece, to frame and have in my art room. So this past weekend, on a wintery day, I decided to pick up some of my favourite art tools (pen and watercolour pencils)  and put it together. It was very calming for me to forget about Covid-19 for a little while, and dream about a summer garden.

My dream garden is sunny, with a gazebo filled with a sofa, and some comfy chairs.  The gazebo is a lovely place to draw knit, and have tea parties with my granddaughters.  My husband and I can sit there and enjoy our morning coffee, rain or shine.  Do you see the coffee cup?

My garden has music playing so that the grandbabies and their parents can always dance in the grass. 

My garden is also full of flowers, favourites that invoke wonderful memories.  There are marigolds and lilacs, like my mom had when I was growing up. She said that the marigolds always reminded her of her grandmother on the farm. There would be pink roses for me and although I did not draw it, there would be a lavender plant that I could take cuttings from. The scent of lavender is my favourite, it reminds me of my Grandma Vincent's perfume. There would be lots of lilies for my husband, they are his favourite to grow. Last but not least, there would be gladiolas like my Grandma Dubitz always grew in her garden.  Sometimes after Sunday dinners when I was a child, she would cut some of them from her flower beds for me, and I would get to take them home and put them in a vase in my bedroom.  

So what was this exercise really about?  It was about identifying our CORE VALUES.  

We had just finished going through a list of values, and identifying which values most closely represented what was important to us.  

While some people chose adventure, entrepreneurship, mastery, and environment, among many other things, my list was the following:

Family

Creativity

Relationships

Tradition

Nurture 

Love

Kindness

For everyone in the class, it seemed that their dream garden really illustrated a lot of the core values that they had chosen. For example, I realized that all my flowers in the garden were about childhood memories, and relationships.  I guess you could say my roots run deep! (Excuse the pun.)

My garden would be a place where I could be creative, and nurture my family, with love and kindness. 

What does your garden look like? I would love you to share it with me!