In many things a lesson is found...

I have to share something with you: I'm learning really interesting things!

On Saturdays, I'm learning to do yoga. Since most of my friends are yogis to some degree, I feel like I'm a late bloomer in this regard. But I decided to take a class, and I am learning to move slower, with more intention, and with more focus on my body, and what it can do. I like the opportunity to rest, to think, to breathe, and to de-stress. I also like the opportunity to think about the things that are important to me.

At work, I'm learning to appreciate the positive, and focus less on the negative. I'm not doing really well with this one, but it's a journey, and I'm trying! I'm also hoping that there is a potential for a major work learning opportunity in the next couple of weeks - but I'll keep you posted on that!

On Mondays, I'm learning what it means to be consistent. That's a strange thing to say, when I could learn it any day! But on Mondays, my mom and I, along with friends, are learning what it means to live like we belong to God. That means I'm learning how to align myself with what is intrinsically true in my life. And how to live that without pretension, with honour, integrity, and purity. 

At home, I'm learning to find a sense of peace by organizing and planning. My husband has been learning how to make our home more beautiful through renovations, and I am seeking to make it more beautiful by bringing peace and order to it.

On Thursdays, I think I'm going to learn how to cook with a new group of ladies. I'll have to fill you in more after this Thursday, because I'm not exactly sure how it works yet!

Through school, I'm learning how easy it is to work in a team of people that I respect and adore. Our class, Organizational Communication, is not simple material, but working with Alex and Lynette is about as good as life gets.

Learning is passion for me. So, between eternity and where I am now, I hope that there are many more opportunities like this, where my life is tinted by learning opportunities in all different shades and colours.

I'm singing in the rain...just singing in the rain!

I HAVE written something in each of the last two days - honest!  It just really sucked, and I didn't want to be on the record (or at least on my blog) talking about the Qur'an burning...I have nothing to contribute to the discussion, except for my pleasure that he won't do it.

Onto bigger and better things...!

I'm experiencing a peaceful state today, brought to me partly by a good sleep, a wonderful yoga class, and reading a particularly interesting text book. Oh, and that a team full of wonderful people who actually want me to join them to make organizational communications history!

This could only be a better Saturday afternoon if I was at Disney World on Splash Mountain with my favourite of all ride-partners... 

So, today in Calgary, we are experiencing the "previous-to-summer-2010-strange" phenomenon called "rain."

Now, to other provinces in this great nation, that's not a strange phenomenon. No, you enjoy this many times a year, often in lieu of the white stuff we welcome called "snow." You also tend to enjoy things called "flowers" at a time of year when us Calgarians are mired in brown gravel-muck. I'm jealous of the fact that you probably had better flowers in January than we had all summer.  But that's beside the point!


Calgary, with my 33 years of anecdotal evidence, has never had this much rain in a summer. I don't ever recall a summer where the grass wasn't dying in late August, and

Now, I am not a raving fan of any kind of precipitation. But today is such a beautiful day, and the rain is coming down in heavy sheets with some thunder, and a bit of sun hoping to poke through the clouds. It makes me wonder if there is anything more beautiful than the colour of things glistening with moisture and reflecting a hint of sunlight. Right now, the only thing I can think of is a bit of blue sky and a colourful rainbow. Those are the kind of moments that happen so infrequently, but when they come, bring me so much joy that I can hardly contain myself.


Side note: The most fantastical thing just happened...the blue sky came out. Still waiting for the rainbow, and I'm ready to jump out of my skin with anticipation about that!  Can you see why?  Here's how my street looks right now...

 Pretty, wet, and sunny. That's my kind of rain!

in which karen learns the discipline of writing even when she doesn't feel like it...

The conviction: To desperately want to be a better writer.
The challenge: To just do it.
The benefit: Confidence and clarity.
The plan: Get my words out there.
The inspiration: Reading and hearing other words that have become immortal.
The mode: A new phone that lets me express my thoughts on the move.

Reading my life in someone else's words...

"When I’m incredibly passionate about something, I tend to be stubborn. And when I recognize a problem, I’m not one to keep it inside. As a result, I have had some situations with teammates and clients in which I have been rather abrasive with my delivery of a no. 

Fearful that I won’t be heard or understood, I have overemphasized my position to the point that people don’t hear what I said but how how I said it.

Having been made aware of this issue and given the opportunity to fix it, I can freely admit now that it was getting in the way of my ultimate goal—helping people."

How did a random blogger describe so perfectly what my life was like this week? Maybe it's because it's a lesson I need to learn. Or maybe it's just about time that I learned it.

Or maybe a little of both.  Either way, I'm grateful. 

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