This should be the first thing we see every morning and the last thing we see every night

I came across this Eckhart Tolle quote this morning and I can’t get it out of my mind: “Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.”

WoW!

Never has it had more meaning than it does now. The last year and a half has made it so easy for us to feel sorry for ourselves — not necessarily to wallow in self-pity constantly, but it has been difficult and challenging and scary and our lives have been turned upside down and inside out. We’ve all had to make changes and sacrifices. We’re justified in being out of sorts, I’m not criticizing. And frankly, just between us girls (and boys), the Trump years weren’t exactly a picnic either.

The good old days …

Just looking at this photo has brought back all kinds of great memories. It was back in the 90’s — ’93 I’m thinking — and I was at an Ogilvy worldwide creative directors’ meeting. Jim, who’s  in the shot with me, was the creative director in our LA office.

He and I had met a year or two earlier, in New York, at David Ogilvy’s 80th birthday bash. Which is a whole other story. We (Jim and I) got along like a house on fire and we became fast

For Canadians, a time to count our blessings …

Yesterday was Thanksgiving in Canada. It’s when we pause and reflect, to remind ourselves how fortunate we are, to be grateful for all we have. But this year, at least for me, it’s taken on even greater significance.

I could be wrong, but I don’t remember a time when the world was in worse shape, in more turmoil.

Natural disaster after natural disaster, decimating cities and towns and villages, destroying homes and taking lives, leaving nothing but sorrow and rubble in their wake. Discord everywhere you turn — at home and abroad, between rich and poor, men and women, gay and straight, black

So much nicer than an alarm clock …

I enjoy my sleep, always have.  And truthfully, I’m one of those people who really prefers a gentle wake up call in the morning.  Alas, I’m a heavy sleeper, so I do set an alarm — the louder and more shrill the better.

Not for my psyche, or my nerves, but to ensure I hear it and, more importantly, can’t ignore it.  And I probably have some masochistic tendencies.  However …

As the mother of two four-legged babies, I am usually up before the alarm goes off, because at least one of my fabulous felines gets to me first.

And let me assure you, there is nothing as sweet as being awakened by a cold, wet nose pressed against your own

Accentuate the positive …

My resistance must be lower than normal.  Either that or for some reason I’m being tested.  Because I can’t remember any other time in my life when absolutely everything I tried to do turned out to be unnecessarily challenging, difficult, trying and frustrating.  But that’s the way it’s been lately.  Jeez!

Thankfully I’ve got some very good friends who are okay with me calling and venting, getting it off my chest.  That and I’ve been taking one helluva lot of deep breaths, let me tell you.

Rather than dwell on it though, I’ve decided that every day I’m going to think of something good, something positive, something to be grateful for.  No, no, no, not the obvious, you know, for my parents, for my family, for my career, for waking up in the morning. Of course I’m

Despite all the gloom and doom …

Last week I wrote about the sorry state of the world. Ironically, at around the same time I was feeling overwhelmed by it all, a ‘gratitude’ challenge was making the rounds on Facebook. It was really interesting, and inspiring, to see what people were sharing.

I’ve been thinking about it ever since — and about the coincidence of the timing — and realize it’s for an important reason; and it carries an important message: No matter how bad or challenging life may seem we must acknowledge the good, what is working, what’s right, what’s positive.

Which doesn’t mean to say we should stop questioning, or paying attention or ignore what’s wrong or never feel sad or turn our backs on those who need our compassion and help. But we do have to learn to be grateful, to thank our lucky stars.

In my case, there’s a lot to be thankful for. Starting with the fact I woke up today. I know that sounds cliche,

Day 61. Give Thanks

Here, in Canada, we’re celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend.  Sometimes I think we get so caught up in all the food we’ll be serving, the menu, the recipes, the shopping and cooking (myself included), we forget what this celebration is really all about:

A time to take stock of our lives and give thanks.

The world is in such turmoil now. Politically, socially, culturally, religiously, economically, environmentally, every which way.  So there’s probably never been a better time to remember how grateful we are (or should be) for all our blessings, whatever they might be.  It’s different for everyone.  Some are small and might be considered