Just heading in to Toronto

Hi there. Can’t get the iPad to post in WordPress here in Toronto. Strange. I checked clock in Athens, 10:25 pm and 3:25 here ….12:25 mid day in Victoria. Same day. Friday 10 May.

Weather here cool, grey and glad I am inside with sporadic rain showers. I seem to recall now why I live on an island in the Pacific! Love living in Victoria, the weather, the people, the ocean waves, sea gulls…. My life.

Guess I will keep on writing for a while till the Internet works. A flight just left for Halifax but I guess there was no room for me. Mine is in another hour or so. I should check.

I just checked Facebook and lobsters available in Halls Harbour down home … Um, Nova Scotia! Lucky me, I hope. Mom sent me a note there is a lobster snack for me waiting …. Been a long time since I have had fresh lobster, I guess since I saw her last. Well, going to change that in a few hours.

In the meantime I am unable to get on to the Internet for some reason. I am so not a techy! I was connected, not sure what happened.

Oh well, I will just keep on keeping on and hope for some energy to shift and my connection to be easy.

Mine is now the next flight to go … In maybe an hour …. In the meantime I people watch, took a picture of some planes and bright sky that peaked out.

Wish you were here.

Pam

Clothes and mindfulness

Hi there, I take a look around the airport, seeking fashion advice. I notice a woman my age, wearing my lulu jacket. Ok. It is not mine, because mine is rolled nicely in a ball in my carry on.

I carry lulu in my in my bag rather than checking it in my luggage. I also wear layers of Lu Lu when travelling. Lu Lu is my staple travel wardrobe because the sleeves are long enough, the leg length is always perfect and the fit is body flattering and comfortable. A great product and I am always grateful for my daughters for introducing me to lulu long ago, as now she is an old dear friend.

I go to a last minute washroom stop and see another very well dressed stylish woman my age donned in lulu pants, also that I own. Do I only notice Lu Lu lemon clothes or is that all there is?

On the plane now, enjoying a few glasses of room temperature water while others are enjoying coffee, soft drinks and goodies, not gluten free. I am listening to my iPhone audible book on mindfulness, with Sylvia Boorstein. She makes it sound so easy and everyday.

I have been on silent retreats, I am happy to recall, and remember how the energies arise and pass. So often the mind wants to tell a story about how the energy came to be or what to do with it next. If I can just be with the restlessness of the energy then it will pass, it always does. Falling in love, excitement, irritation, and awe…. Wave upon wave.

The sun is bright out my window as the plane flies over the Rockies and heads toward Toronto. I will have a few hours to practice in the airport waiting for the next leg of the journey taking me to Nova Scotia and in some ways, home.

Home is where my mom is and also where I was born. Home is where my early memories of returning on special occasions such as summer holidays to spend time in the arms of my extended family. Now my brother and mother live in Nova Scotia and I live on Vancouver Island at the other end of this vast country. Now my home is where my children live, and where my life is with Steve. Home is where I feel love and safety. It has never really been about geography for me. I have been in transition all my life, moving about.

I am experiencing a sensation and I will call it the joy of flying. If I sit with that feeling and energy it will shift to another and another. If I must name it, let it be love and positive language.

Thanks for listening, reading and travelling with me. I am on my way!

With love

Pam

Greek adventure pre blog

Hi everyone, so sorry I have neglected you.

It is 549 am on 10 May and I am at departure gate 2 in yyj Victoria airport. On my way to my next great travel adventure. Remembering Mothers Days from my past and anticipating this upcoming one.

I have to take a minute and applaud Westjet. The Captain stopped, took a few minutes, crouched down to speak to a very little boy. He introduced himself with a big welcoming smile. It was like out of a movie only I witnessed it in real life. Wow!

Going through security brings on anxiety. Some people, I have discovered, don’t do well with their anxiety! It causes them to not play well with others. I have to wonder how hard it must be for airport security to stay positive fresh and upbeat for an eight hour shift. Wow. People can really complain. I make a point to be grateful for security. To be grateful that my jewellery does not set off the alarm, grateful I have remembered my passport. Grateful I live in this country and get to travel freely around the world.

This blog and travel session will have overtones of mindfulness. Not really wanting anything to be different, witnessing what is. Can I be with it? Can I be present to my life over the next few weeks? Can my presence bring some kind of peace to my fellow travellers ?

Be with me now, hold me accountable and enjoy the ride. I am heading out on this Mothers Day weekend first to Halifax to see my mom. I reflect on how long it has been since I have been in her presence. Since we did that drive across the country a while back, the longest we have ever been apart in my 55 years. I am looking forward to being present with her and embracing our precious vacation.

The itinerary will unfold … Fly to Athens Greece. Spend a few days exploring little Greek islands. Then a fabulous luxury cruise aboard the Azamara Journey for 10 nights, back to Athens, back to Halifax and then home.

Thanks for joining me … I encourage and look forward to your comments.

Much love to all,

Pam