jag & the daily click

A very cool thing happened this week. One of my photos was featured on the Shutter Sisters Daily Click! I was absolutely shocked and thrilled!! Every day, the web site owners dive into the Flickr pool of Shutter Sisters photography; there are currently over 1,600 members and over 20,000 images. This is certainly great encouragement for me to continue exploring my photographic art... I call this one "Conversation Space":

It's amazing to see what interest groups are part of the Flickr community. I've even joined a group that specializes in Doors & Windows! (I've always been drawn to taking pictures of windows and doors - now I realize that I'm not the only one!! :-))

If you're interested, I invite you to spend some time swimming in my photostream on Flickr. Enjoy!!

Pace e bene,

Checking in...

Here I am! Here I am!

I shall blame computer woes at home (Hubby is currently shopping for a new one), an obsession with Flickr as well as the Summer Olympics for my absence these last couple of weeks. :-)

I've been having a lot of fun with my photography and have become braver in sharing my art with like-minded people at Shutter Sisters and on a variety of Flickr groups. It's amazing when one of my photos engages someone enough for them to leave a comment... such an honour!

Here's hoping you are choosing to have a good day today... I'll leave you with a few recent images from my photographic wanderings.

Pace e bene,

Sending you hugs...

Recent cyber-wanderings brought me to this video. I had seen it before, but this time, it made me cry & laugh-out-loud. I was struck by how the colour changes once hugs are exchanged. Isn't that so true? Hugs can change the world. I would love to do this sometime...



Hugs to you!
Pace e bene,

Messengers & Messages...

I found out yesterday that Randy Pausch passed away on Friday. He's the Carnegie Mellon University professor who became famous through his "Last Lecture" posted on YouTube last fall. He was 47 years old.

He had an important message to share... and he did so with grace and humour. But here's the thing: he's not the first, nor will he be the last, to tell us what we already know. Whatever we're living, this too shall pass... Whether it be blessing or burden, this too shall pass... Question is, are we fully engaged with it, in that moment of presence?

Yesterday, I also read this short post from No Impact Man, Colin Bevan, in NYC. He, too, is a messenger... telling us what we already know. But I'm not sure we, as a society, want to hear it told in such simple, clear terms. We'd rather complicate it... and analyze it... and debate it... and eventually ignore it.

We are surrounded by messengers and messages... Which ones are you ignoring today?

Pace e bene,

La petite séduction...

OK, so this is cool. There is a French TV show on Radio-Canada called La petite séduction. From what I understand, small towns (less than 3000 pop.) try to "seduce" a celebrity and make them fall in love with them! It's likely inspired by one of my favourite films, La grande séduction, in which a small Québec town tries to convince a doctor to establish a practice there so that they may qualify for a new factory. (Too funny! If you haven't see it, you must. The DVD has English subtitles...)

In any case, this week's show will be featuring my hometown: St-Louis-de-Kent, New Brunswick! Find out more about this week's episode here - broadcast is Wednesday at 8pm. The timing is perfect, as I'm heading home this weekend for my 25th high school reunion. J'ai tellement hâte!!

Viens voir l'Acadiiieee...
Viens voir le pays...
Le pays qui m'enchante!

Pace e bene,

Sanctuary...

"Why do we assume that being authentic involves exiting from the circumstances and momentum of one's actual life and striving for an elevated plane of existence somewhere else? The prevailing wisdom is that the clutter and stress of daily life brings out what is most artificial in us. Why do we believe we're above it all, destined for so much better, if only there was time to think, meditate, and get really tactile with the land, the elements? Why must we stand on cliffs or stagger up monastery steps or kick our toes through the sand in order to feel in the moment? Why can't we be authentic in the authentic moment itself?" (from Safe Haven: The Possibility of Sanctuary in an Unsafe World by Larry Gaudet, p. 66)

Yeah, why is that?! I picked up this book by Gaudet at the public library. I had never heard of it, nor did I seek it out. It was just sitting there on a shelf... and it called out to me. I was hooked when I read the following on the inside flap: The book (...) dips into Gaudet's own Acadian heritage of displacement, and the ethnic cleansing of his ancestral family. As an Acadian, how could I resist joining in on this exploration?

I'm about a third of the way through and am enjoying it thus far. There are so many books out there just waiting to be discovered. What book has engaged your interest this summer??

Pace e bene,

Viva Italia...

Last year at this time, I was here. So hard to believe! Most days, it seems unreal... like it was someone else's life experience. But no! T'was me... It really was my dream come true.

Pace e bene,

Tears for André...

The start of my work day will never be the same. André, a homeless man who sat in the same spot every day, passed away of a massive heart attack while I was away on vacation. I didn't really know André, but I was still touched by his cheerful spirit and mischievous grin. He always had a greeting for me as I walked by. If I wasn't smiling, he'd ask me where my smile was. If I was smiling, he'd smile back and offer the encouraging thought that Friday was just around the corner.

I attended a memorial in his honour today, near a park where he'd often sleep. There were easily over a hundred people there: members of his family from the street, as well as downtown residents and office workers. People were invited to come forward to share their favourite "André stories". One woman reminisced about a time when she was going through a particularly difficult time. André and his friends passed the hat and gathered enough money to buy her a cup of coffee... :-) Over and over again, we heard how people were touched by his smile, good humour and gentle teasing. Tears were flowing freely, staining both suits & silk blouses, and dirty jeans & scruffy shirts.

One of the great joys of attending this memorial was reconnecting with my friend John. I hadn't seen him for months - and he didn't hesitate to remind me of that fact! Since moving to a new office in the fall of 2006, I don't walk by his corner anymore. In reconnecting with him today, I realized how much I miss seeing him regularly. So I'm making a commitment to myself to make a slight detour once a week so that I can bring him back into my life. As I left the gathering, he said: Love you! I responded with an unexpected and spontaneous: Love you too, John! Funny thing is, I meant it - my heart was overflowing with Love for all those around me.

As I was heading back to the office, I sighed a heavy sigh, looked at the woman beside me and said: How's that for perspective? She patted my arm and wiped a tear from her eye. We chatted a bit until it was time for each of us to go our own way. We stopped, exchanged our first names and bid each other a good day. Then, quite spontaneously, we took each other's hand and gave a loving squeeze. We were two complete strangers, brought together in a moment of shared appreciation for Life and for Love. Thanks André.

Pace e bene,

Pittsburgh Pics...

The rain has finally let up and we've had two wonderful days of sunshine... Here are a few photos from yesterday's explorations.

View of downtown from Mt. Washington (from atop Duquesne Incline)

Proof postive that we are indeed in Pittsburgh!

From this vantage point near the Convention Centre, I could count 9 bridges crossing the Allegheny River. How many do you see here?

I was happy to see this nod to Canada Day at Shenley Plaza at The Pitt.

We spent several hours at the Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens - and we still didn't have time to see it all. I was thrilled to discover several installations by glass artist Dale Chihuly, fully integrated to the space. I'll post more pics of these later!

Pace e bene,

Celebrating from south of the border...

HAPPY CANADA DAY from... Pittsburgh?!

Yep, on this July 1st - Canada's 141st birthday - I'm celebrating from Pittsburgh... We're here on vacation and arrived safely yesterday. We encountered some major rainfall along the way! The worst one was on Sunday, just past Belleville along Lake Ontario. Cars that were speeding along at 120-130 kph suddenly faced white-out conditions and had to slow down to 40! For the first time, our little Mini Cooper got to use its four-way flashers. Cars were pulling off to the side to wait out the storm, but we moved steadily - and slowly - along. Then, almost as quick as it came, it was gone. We've encountered a lot more rain, but nothing quite as dramatic as that!

As for Pittsburgh? What a pleasant surprise so far! When hearing of our plans, many friends looked at us with a puzzled expression: Pittsburgh?! However, you'd be amazed at all there is to see and do in this city of 2.4 million. We're here for a specific gathering with friends, and will have some free time - like today for example. Museums with world-class collections... amazing architecture... shopping districts... eclectic neighbourhoods... Botanical gardens... trails for running... bridges, bridges and more bridges... LOTS! Who knew?!!

So today, as I walk around with my Canada hat on, I'll be taking in the local sights... but my heart will be celebrating CANADA!!

Pace e bene,

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...

Scenes from Mississauga...

CONGRATS to Hubby who successfully completed his 12th marathon! What a great weekend; seems like all we did was run & eat... and eat... and eat. Accompanied by such a fun group of friends, I really couldn't have asked for more. Hope you enjoy these few pics from the Mississauga Marathon Weekend...

jag's post-10km salute

jag & shiny gold medal (in my mind, I came in first :-))

Mississauga marathoner friends (l-r: jim, heather, mark & Hubby)

more medallists (Hubby, John & Vanessa)

the Mississauga Gang (l-r: jim, lin, jag, ros, Hubby, john & vanessa)

Pace e bene,

Pushing the limits...

I just ran my first 10K race and it felt amazing! *I* feel amazing!! I am so pleased with my accomplishment. The farthest I had run before was 8K last fall in Philadelphia, but now, I have a new "record" for distance. As soon as I passed the 8K marker, I let out a little whoop! because I knew that anything above that was new territory for me.

I'm especially pleased with how consistent I was during the run. I finished in 1:04:19 and managed to sustain an even pace throughout the entire race. Although I don't have a timing breakdown for each kilometre, I believe my last one was my fastest. There's just something that kicks in when the finish line is in sight and people are cheering. I have to say, I enjoy the race environment!

Tomorrow is an equally exciting day because Hubby will be running his 12th marathon. We have several friends who are here as well, running the marathon and the half-marathon, and I also look forward to celebrating all their successes. Pics to follow once we get home...


Pace e bene,

Leaving Las Vegas...

After leaving Las Vegas, here are a few things I learned...

Never underestimate the amount of walking you will do in Las Vegas. The tour books will tell you... the web sites will tell you... people who have been there before will tell you... and yet you cannot hear it enough: BRING COMFORTABLE SHOES! I traipsed around Tuscany for three weeks last year, with nary a blister. Five days in Vegas and my tootsies were toast.

Everything is most certainly further than it appears. The Strip is one big optical illusion. You'd swear that the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino is "just over there". In fact, you can see the sign from where you're standing. Back home, a sign that size is about a block or so away. In Vegas, however, letters on the building are three stories high. The MGM Grand is in fact a mile (1.6km) away. That's a loooong block.

Don't go to the Wax Museum by yourself. It's not much fun. There are only so many pictures of waxy celebrities that you can take on your own. And it's a pain to ask a nearby tourist "S'cuse me... can you take a picture of me with George Clooney?" "S'cuse me... can you take a picture of me with Elvis? ... with Jon Bon Jovi? ...with Bette Midler? ...with fill-in-the-blank??"

DO go to Tix4Tonight for discounted tickets to a show... to an attraction... to restaurants. I saved 50% off my ticket to see Nathan Burton (magician), 10$ off my ticket to Madame Tussaud's as well as 25$ each off our tickets to see Cirque du Soleil's KÀ.

The two best freebies in town are the Big Elvis Show at Bill's Gamblin' Hall & Saloon and the Fountains of Bellagio. I kept coming back for more of these two very different forms of entertainment. Hey, the price was right! :-)

Take the time to chat with your fellow tourists. You never know what might come of it! While standing in line at Tix4Tonight, I met Catherine & Éric from Paris, France. They gave me their email address and invited us to come and visit them sometime, perhaps for the Paris Marathon?! (Eric is a marathon runner, as is Hubby of course.) And my favourite acquaintance was no doubt Albert. He & I shared a table at the Nathan Burton Magic Show. He had a twinkle in his eye, a hearty laugh and a genuinely kind smile. He told me about when he used to come to Vegas in the late 40's - things were quite different back then! After the show - which featured a lot of illusions - he turned to me with a wide grin and said: "I suspect we've been duped, but for the life of me, I can't figure out how he did it!" :-)

And finally, Vegas (or the Strip, at least) is one gigantic, excessive illusion.
The Statue of Liberty? Fake.
The Eiffel Tower? Fake.
The Piazza San Marco? Fake.
The green lawn at the Wynn Las Vegas? Fake.

And yet... the fun experience I had exploring this "shadow's playground"? REAL!
It was a hoot and I'm grateful for this opportunity that came about, quite unexpectedly. Life is good!

Pace e bene,

Greetings from Las Vegas...

...and so began my Las Vegas adventure. :-) Luckily, it seemed to be an easy case of "luggage-left-behind" rather than "luggage-gone-on-solo-journey-to-places-unknown". By the time I woke up this morning, my suitcase had been delivered to our hotel. No major inconvenience...

We've had a very full day! It's our only day fully together, as Hubby's conference starts Monday. I'll be pretty much on my own after that. So, we decided to sign up for a bus tour to the Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area. What a great decision! The dramatic landscape of the desert took my breath away. The few pics below provide a glimpse, but fail to convey the sheer vastness of the space.

The rest of the afternoon was spent on The Strip - a stark contrast to the first part of our day! More about The Strip later, as I will certainly be returning there on my own.

All for now! Signing out from Vegas...

Pace e bene,

Extremes...

I have returned from Silence... only to learn that I will soon be taking flight for the other extreme: Vegas!

Two days after returning from my retreat, Hubby learned that he was being sent to a work-related conference in Las Vegas. Dutiful wife that I am (ahem), I have decided to accompany him. :-) We had to flip our upcoming holiday plans around, but it all works out in the end, non?

We leave on Saturday, so needless to say, it's been pretty hectic making plans... changing plans... confirming plans... My retreat already seems so far away, and yet, it's only been a week or so. Luckily I took photos - many, many photos. Here are just a few that best convey the beauty and peacefulness that was mine for the taking:

Pace e bene,

Getting away from it all...

It's time to retreat into silence once again.

Although I have been in a good space overall, I have also been feeling disconnected... dispersed... disorganized... distressed. I am grateful that there was availability at my healing place, Stillpoint. I'll be there four days in all - four days of blissful, love-filled silence.

Sometimes, we just need to get away from it all and give ourselves permission to get re-energized... re-connected... renewed... replenished.

See you the other side of Silence.

Pace e bene,