Turning junk into food...

I remember being told that the older you get, the more quickly time seems to go by. I'm now a believer!! I cannot believe that we're already into the last full week of June... and that I haven't posted in over two weeks. I suspect the blogging may slow down as the outdoor summer activities beckon.

We had our second (ever!) yard sale yesterday. After holding one about seven years ago - when I was an unhappy suburbanite - I swore I would never do it again. I couldn't believe that people would try to haggle down from one dollar, especially when the item was clearly worth 10 times that much. Nope. Never again. Not me.

Then I came up with an idea that would allow us to keep the best of the yard sale concept (ie. our junk = your treasure) and forego the worst (ie. It's $1? Oh, would you take a dollar for these six items instead?!). My solution: No set prices & all proceeds go to a local charity. I set up shop and placed several small signs saying: "What's it worth to you? ALL proceeds will be donated to the Westboro Region Food Bank..."

It was interesting to watch people's reactions! Some were obviously disappointed... Others chided me for making them feel guilty about the amount they were about to offer... The majority seemed to be pleasantly surprised and often didn't ask for change when they extended their Twoonie or 5$ bill. One fine gentleman paid $20 for an old wooden birdhouse that I found in the backyard when we moved here in 2003. The final result? We got rid of a lot of "your treasures" and raised $270 for the local food bank! And I'm already thinking of next year's edition... :-)

Overall, life is good, Friends... We're getting ready to go on holidays so I likely won't be posting much for a couple of weeks. I'd like to give a nod to my Mad Chatters group for another wonderful, thought-provoking Chat last week. I am blessed to have these funny, intelligent, curious, open-minded, fascinating friends in my life!

Remember, you have all the time there is. Fill it well...
Pace e bene,

Object of my Obsession...

Well, it's official. I am in the throes of a musical obsession. Seems I can't go a day with a fix of Jason Mraz. :-) My iPod now has over 50 tunes from this talented singer-songwriter. Check out his latest video to see what all the fuss is about!



Hope you enjoyed that... However my dream is to see Jason and his partner-in-music, Toca Rivera, live and ACOUSTIC. Maybe something like this one:



Hearing how the crowd knows the lyrics, I guess I'm not the only one caught up in this particular musical obsession!

Pace e bene,

Looking back...

So here we are... June. The snow is finally gone :-) and the days are noticeably longer. And the world is green, so green you can almost taste it. Welcome June.

The month of May carried with it an anniversary: 3 years of blogging on jag e*space. I find it interesting to go back and read random posts from the past years. I noticed that I write in waves... waves that are sometimes shallow and other times surprisingly deep. Waves that are dark as the ocean floor... or infused with the Sun's light. And what ends up being washed ashore are moments of my life as I see & experience them. At times my life is one of doing - busy, busy, busy, gathering experiences and adventures. At other times, my life is one of being - times of healing & reflection, nourished by solitude and silence.

If there's one thing I've learned, is that I need them both. This spectrum is sacred to me and, no matter where I may be sitting at any given time, I experience fullness of Life. I experience the paradox of wanting to do everything... and wanting to do nothing. Like a Holy desire, I burn with the wanting to do God's will.

A friend recently told me I was "fully engaged with Life". I love this! I am thankful for his comment, for surely this is God's will for me. To be AWAKE in this world... to be fully engaged...

Thanks for letting me share these last three years with you... Thanks for listening to the waves as they come crashing in.

Pace e bene,

Life IS good...

Today, I was asked if I had a good weekend. I thought about it:

• yoga & meditation class...
• first run with new local running club...
• riding my bike...
• reading my book...
• watching a movie... and another movie...
• Sunday brunch with Hubby...
• phone chats with my parents and with Sis...
• a nap on a rainy Sunday afternoon...

Hmmm, good weekend? I'd say so! How did Life get to be so good?!

Pace e bene, amici...