Making changes Part 1: Say Yes to Life

Say Yes to Life

Many of us get stuck in that "day-to-day", following the same routine which feels safe to us. But when you think about it, time is precious, so shouldn't it be important what we do with that time? It's okay to stay in a place where you feel safe, but we shouldn't restrict ourselves based on fear of the unfamiliar.

My aunt once told me "Yes! You have to say yes to life!" And what she meant was say yes to opportunities when they come up. If there's something you really want to do, don't let someone hold you back from it (even if they're not saying it to your face).

I hate sayings like "YOLO" or "life is short". Of course it's short. We all know that, and "YOLO" shouldn't be an excuse to do something stupid or potentially dangerous. But when a new opportunity arises, well... it's kinda nice to think that you're filling your own life with new memories and creating your own adventures.

My boyfriend and I are flying out to BC this fall/winter, somewhere I've never been, and I'm so excited. It'll be an adventure on it's own, but it comes with the possibility of falling in love with BC and moving there. The unknown is exciting. Just because I was born and raised in the Greater Toronto Area, doesn't mean I have to stay here. Having roots is amazing, but I also like knowing that I'm not permanently fixed in one place in my life. Who says that you can't do something?

On a smaller scale, I used to look up to women who ran and did yoga. They were always so relaxed, so happy, so fit. I thought, I want that to be me. I want that endurance, that strength, that serenity. So I made the choice to try. I've been practicing yoga on and off for 4 years now and this summer was the first time I started running. It's a feat of endurance and each time I go out, it gets easier: I can run longer without feeling tired or getting out of breath. I decided to make that change in my life and try something new, and it has been incredible!

Another example: my sister wrote a children's book. She's a stay-at-home mommy with two amazing, beautiful children, and baby #3 on the way, and she took the initiative to have her book bound and made available on Amazon. (Click the link or search for the Bubble Dragon on Amazon.com).

The Bubble Dragon. Graphics by Laura Ireton

She made the choice to invest in her creativity. She reached out to one of my friends who is an incredibly talented illustrator, and she made her vision come true.

The idea of freedom is liberating. We make choices everyday and those choices shape our lives. I just like reminding myself of that: I make the choices that shape my life. It's a very powerful responsibility... with the potential to have amazing adventures, no matter how big or how small.

Dance like no one's watching

I've always supported the idea of dancing like no one's watching... and literally doing it. It's one of the ways I deal with the stress of city driving and being in a car for far too long. If I drive alone, I'm usually playing my music at a volume loud enough that I can't hear the squeaking of my car's link stabilizers. I'm wearing my super fun purple Florida sunglasses. I'm dancing in my seat with hands moving (except for the one on the steering wheel), my head bobbing back and forth, singing along as I please.

Well, I finally got caught... by two guys in another car, one of which gave me a huge thumbs-up and completely approved of my car dancing behaviour. And the thing was that I really didn't care. I actually laughed at the whole situation and gave the guy a thumbs-up in return, then continued to enjoy my singing/dancing car time.

Maybe that's one of our problems... why some of us are so self-conscious. When it comes to self-expression, why do we always care what other people think of us?

On Wednesday, some friends and I drove up to Peterborough to see Walk off the Earth at the music festival. Usually concerts are pretty lively, however, due to the nature of this being a free concert in a small northern-ish city (well, it's north of Toronto... so to all the city people you could call it "northern"), it was packed with families and older couples. I have never been to a concert where the crowd was so stagnant. I mean, a lot of people were standing, but hardly anyone was moving, or dancing or really seemed to be enjoying the music. So I danced, because I couldn't not. I think I would actually feel more awkward standing completely still during a good song.

It's liberating to be able to move however you want. And I really couldn't care less what anyone else thought. I actually thought it was soooo weird to have a crowd that huge gathered around to listen to music and no one really looked like they were fully enjoying it.  If they weren't so attentive to what was going on on the stage, you would have thought they were bored. As OMC once said, "How Bizarre"?!

I think there is actually something mentally and emotionally different between those of us who feel free enough and comfortable enough to dance in public, and those who are just too shy or embarrassed. I'm not quite sure where it all stems from, but that whole mentality can be changed. The next time you get the chance, you should try it and notice the difference in yourself on the Bubbliness scale. Dancing to music you love is totally bubbly-making.  I mean, geez... even my Nana does it, and she's one of the most hilarious and happy people I know.

I've just gotten to the point where although I'm trying to maintain a professional image, I also need to keep my soul healthy and happy, and that comes through self-expression. 

Case and point: the president of our school just walked past the student lounge, where I alone am laying on one of the couches laughing out loud while watching How I Met Your Mother on my laptop (and yes, I'm on clinic shift right now). And although I was pretty surprised to see him in this area of the school, it didn't stop me from continuing my morning lounge time.

Sometimes (and I mean everyday) you need to do something that makes you happy, no matter who may be watching.

Dance, because it feels amazing. Laugh, because it will make you live longer.  Put them both together and that's bubbly :)

Sarah's Guide to Arctic Survival

So my brother is up in Alaska right now for work, and he left so suddenly that I forgot to make sure that he was given the right training to be safe. Honestly, I've never been that far north, but I did go to school in North Bay, Ontario... so although it doesn't make me an expert per se, I think I'm well qualified to write a guide on arctic survival. Although, according to me, I'm qualified to write any type of guide - all of which cannot truly be taken seriously, but I like to try.

So here is my survival guide for the great north:

1) The population is so small up there that you NEVER have to worry about population-claustrophobia. I am one of those people who actually gets claustrophobic if too many people crowd around me. Please don't test this theory... I will probably cry... and then someone will have to throw a EJCTFD card at me (to get this reference, read yesterday's blog post). So mentally prepare yourself for wide open spaces and fresh air.

2) It's pretty damn cold up there. Make sure to wear proper attire. At least 2 t-shirts and 2 sweaters under your down-filled jacket. And remember when you were a kid and you mother told you to wear your hat outside? Well, yes, you should probably listen to that advice. Otherwise you could lose a limb or a head.

3) Speaking of childhood advice, there are many animals up north that are specialized for the climate. They look at you and laugh at your down-filled jacket and big Sorel boots. Although normally we would discourage bullying and harassment, we have to be more accepting of the arctic creatures and if they laugh at us, do not make eye contact... just walk away slowly... Unless you are being chased. At at that point, refer to #4.

4) Always carry bear repellant with you. If you don't have polar bear repellant, pull out a full-size picture of a dinosaur. If a full-size dinosaur doesn't scare a polar bear, I'm not sure what will.

... maybe a house cat... those things are dangerous.

5) Attach a string to your mittens so you don't lose them. There is nothing worse than being in the great north and losing a mitten in -50 degree weather... except being eaten by a polar bear (refer to #4).

6) No matter how beautiful and clean the ocean looks, do not be tempted to go swimming in it. You will likely get hypothermia and all of your bits and pieces will be frostbitten when you come out of the water. If you speak whale, you'll have to do it from the surface.

7) About 3.5% of people in Alaska speak Spanish at home. So if you're bored up there, learn some Spanish and then go talk to 3.5% of the people in Alaska with your newly acquired skill.

8) They are well-known for their seafood up there. So take advantage of the local food for a healthy dose of fish oil straight from the source. If you are trying to catch the fish yourself, do NOT dress up like a polar bear in order to blend in with your surroundings. Fish are afraid of polar bears - as everyone should be. But don't dress up like a dinosaur either. Maybe if you're just really quiet and still, a fish will jump out of the ice water and into a bucket for you. But you might need to dress up like a fish so he'll trust you. Yeah, I would try this first... or hire an experienced fisherman.

9) If you are thirsty, do not attempt to chip off a piece of ice and eat it. The reasons for this are twofold: 1) The icecaps are already melting due to global warming, so it would be ill-advised to contribute to their demise. 2) Ice is cold... and your down-filled jacket is working so hard to contain your body heat, so eating ice would really be counter-productive.

Image from fineartamerica.com

10) Before you leave, you may wish to host a going-away party. If you don't, there may be some long-standing resentment among the peoples and the arctic foxes. The arctic foxes are amazing because they form monogamous pairs and stay as a family group for multiple generations in complex underground dens. Can you say "secret society" anyone? You definitely want to make these connections before you leave.

Seriously, how cute is that lil' fella?

I would like to play an "EVERYONE JUST CALM THE F@$% DOWN" card

Okay, so you know how in soccer they have those yellow cards and at any time the ref can wave one or throw one down or hand it to someone? I'm pretty sure this is how it happens. I mean, I'm no soccer expert, but I swear I've seen referees with these cards and when they use them, it's a big freaking deal and everybody stops what they're doing to give attention to the card.

I also have one of these cards... it's between a yellow card and a red card and I like to call it the "EVERYONE JUST CALM THE F@$% DOWN! - card."  (Will refer to it as the EJCTFD card.) I also like to imagine that this card has Dumbledore's face on it. Because in times like these, I think Dumbledore could easily be elected as the spokesperson for calming the f@$% down.

You know when everyone is freaking out around you and it just gets to be so overwhelming? Maybe it's on the 401 when people are acting like idiots on the road, or honking for some absurd reason. I once saw a woman honking at a car in front of her that was stopped at a red light. As if she thought that the car in front of her had a traffic control panel with them and could change the light to green. I mean, seriously?! Calm the f@$% down lady.

www.guardian.co.uk

Man, just look at those guys in the photo to the left... that one guy in front looks like he's going to lose his mind. It's madness and chaos, but that referee says nothing and just holds up that card. Final answer.

I find that on the day of an exam the environment is just toxic in the school because everyone is stressed out, and they're all comparing notes and quizzing each other and I just want to scream and find a cave to hibernate in until it's all over.

Other times there might just be a really heated discussion going on within a group... too many people are talking at the same time, all trying to get their own opinion across, and nothing gets resolved.  

But usually it's just people who are angry at such little things. Yes, it's hard to see the big picture when something doesn't go your way, or something is maybe done unfairly, but at the same time do you really need to blow up around everyone else in the universe? Some people are happy and content and don't need an energy-sucking black hole of misery whizzing about. And that is the moment I would like to pull out my EJCTFD card.

We all need to be the referees in our own lives. If someone is taking too much from you (energetically, emotionally, etc), it's time to blow that whistle and give these people a time-out. I'm still learning about setting boundaries - and will continue to do so in clinic- but it's important not to let others drag you down.

It's always great to vent and get your emotions out, and on the other end, we need to have good listening ears; but where do we set the boundaries between helping someone and just being a dumping ground for them?

Maybe it's okay to have big rants but then we should take a deep breath and move on. Easier said than done though. Until then, I think I just need to be aware of those boundaries - be a great listener and a good friend, but recognize when people are taking advantage of the "energetic vulnerability" of myself and others. As well as recognize when it's necessary to remove myself from those situations (not as easy when you're stuck in your car on the highway).

How to Impress the Ladies

This post is dedicated to a friend of mine who was given terrible advice on how to pick up women.

Guys think that women are complicated ... like a sphinx! It's like we give you a riddle that needs to be solved, but every girl likes to tell a different kind of riddle. And sometimes we like to trick you, and other times you just don't answer the riddle in the right tone of voice - which pisses us off. Or you didn't deliver the answer to the riddle at the right time - again... seriously? Yes.

But like any sphinx (or fox or kitten), we get happy over the little things. You just have to know your lady friend and figure out what makes her happy; So when you screw up, have a good distraction ready.

Here are some excellent ways to impress the sphinx ladies: (Disclaimer: these do not work on every sphinx lady; do not expect positive results with each attempt. Choose your words, actions and delivery very carefully... but otherwise it's a fool-proof plan.)

1) Dancing videos on YouTube. Seriously. Who doesn't enjoy a good video of people dancing on the internets. Saxaphone guy, Nathan Barnatt... take your pick. Plus, at school, we could always use study breaks!

2) Dark Chocolate: milk chocolate is bad for you... too much milk, sugar, etc. but dark chocolate says you care about her antioxidant levels while also satisfying those chocolate cravings.

3) A really cheap but amazing pen. Maybe it's because I'm still a student, but you know that feeling of when you go somewhere, and you pick up a free pen with some sort of advertising on it.. and it ends up being the most amazing pen and you don't want to go anywhere without it? Maybe it has a really good grip. Maybe it writes really smoothly. Eitherway, give a girl a really cheap but GOOD pen, and she'll adore it forever. Until it dies and then she'll be so upset and she'll remember the day that you gave it to her (true story, btw. A boy named L.V. gave me the most amazing pen in 8th grade and I will never forget it).

4) Hugs. Give a girl a hug, but not in a creepy sexual harassment way.

5) If she has really busy days, feed her! You can insert dark chocolate here. But anytime you cook for a girl - and it's healthy - she'll be so appreciative that you thought of her. So... learn how to cook.

6) Listen to her. Or pretend that you are listening to her. It doesn't really matter. Just keep eye contact, nod your head and every once in a while throw in an "awww"with a head-tilt.

7) At CCNM, claim that you want to practice your manips and ask if you can palpate for fixations... if you can get cavitation and she feels awesome after that, you'll have no problem scoring a date. Or at least another manip exchange.

8)  Complement her on something. It could be anything! "Your hair looks really shiny today!", "You look really cute today," "That was a great answer you gave in class today!" "These cookies you baked are amazing!"

9) Don't ignore her because you think you are being mysterious. We don't have time for mysterious boys. Mysterious boys are often the trouble-makers. Plus, being mysterious is our job and we don't like being imitated.

10) Be her friend. If you're her friend first and actually like hanging out with each other she'll be happy just to see you. And then you can do fun stuff together like: Fly kites, walk a dog, go wine shopping, watch a funny tv show, do arts and crafts, play board games (like Catan!), go out to a movie, enjoy delicious food whenever you're both too tired to make dinner that night, pet a bunny, join a euchre tournament, etc. The possibilities are endless.

Those are my tips for the day. Goodnight and good luck.

Top 10 Words of Wisdomosity by Sarie

I feel like there is a trend right now to write very philosophical quotes on facebook. Like my friends have this new deep intuition about the universe and how to create happiness in life.... or they just copy and re-post each others' facebook posts.

It's kinda funny seeing as how most of the people I run into are usually tired, stressed, broke.

The CCNM student is pretty ironic. I mean, we advocate healthy living and spiritual understanding - the whole mind-body connection and we all want positivity in our lives. Yet here I am, with 3 exams this week, a paper due on Monday, a group assignment due next week, and I might be taking another course over the weekend... freaking out because there's never enough time, and stressing about wanting to balance healthy living with studying and paper-writing. Gah!

So in my typical way of procrastinating (because my pediatrics notes just look so unappealing right now), here I present "Words of Wisdomosity, by Sarie":
Prepare yourself for the deep and philosophical nature of the procrastinating student
 

1) If you want to be happy, just smile. Angry people don't smile... unless they're being sarcastic.

2) Life is a circle. Everything you put into it will come back to you. It's the law of circumference. If it wasn't a perfect circle, it would be an oval ... or an elliptical. I don't think life is an elliptical... At least not according to The Lion King

3) Rainbows, sunshine and kittens. ... and usually Morgan Freeman. That is all.

4) If the road ahead seems stormy ... well, it's probably because there is a storm up ahead. You have two choices: Go inside or Put on your gouaches and your raincoat and stand in the rain. Or I suppose you could get into your car and drive away... but that's counter productive unless you actually need to go somewhere.

5) Although I do believe that the universe guides us through our lives, "Destiny" is nothing but a really bad stripper name.

6) Just because a person is incredibly strong, doesn't mean they're not sensitive. I'm sure George St. Pierre is just like a little teddy bear inside. If you ever get to see him, you should give him a hug. The same goes for grizzly bears (no, I'm kidding about this one. Please don't hug a grizzly bear. You will get eaten.)

7) Relationships are like spider webs. They can be intricate, strong, and beautiful, but can be taken down overnight. That's all I got for that one.

8) Humans are like sea turtles ... except we're really not. The sea turtle can navigate entire oceans without Google maps and GPS. I got lost yesterday getting off the DVP at Bloor/Bayview. Seriously, that shit is so confusing. There are like 10 different ramps going in all different directions. It's like London's underground except you're in your car with no engineer... oh, and my GPS couldn't keep up. Thanks Google. Oh I guess my point is - You know the world is the amazing and incredible place when sea turtles can navigate better than a satellite system over Toronto.

9) Get some sleep. The world is a better place when people aren't grumpy and irritated.

10) Bad things don't just happen to you, they happen to everyone. You're not special in that fact... but I guess you're special in every other way because that's how the universe and our experiences shape us. And Darwin... I'm sure he had a hand in all of this... all of those damn finches. I swear something weird happened on that island that day. Maybe it had to do with dinosaurs... I really wish I could see a real dinosaur.

Bonus (because life is also filled with bonuses): Life is mysterious. But who doesn't like a good mystery?