Tag Archives: keeping me awake

FINDING THE TIME

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Time seems to be a subject that keeps finding me this week. I read a brief article about how one of society’s biggest challenges is not having enough time in our days and so I began thinking ( I know, a dangerous situation). Whether we are baby boomers or young couples with growing children, time is an element we all struggle with. Something connected popped up when I saw a video about how to create an extra 15 minutes per day to do with what you will. How do you do this you ask? I think it’s pretty simple; either set your alarm 15 minutes earlier or…and I witness this every day, get up when your alarm goes off. So many people that I sleep with (that was supposed to be funny) set their alarm and hit the snooze button and then simply lie there listening to the radio prattle on while pretending to get a few more minutes of rest. What could be more un-restful than snooze alerts and radio voices. Constantly tossing to try and get a few more ZZZZ’s and knowing the end is near – yuck. OK, so the method of finding 15 more minutes is easy – get out of bed, but to me, the bigger issue is now that you have created an extra 15 minutes – what do you do with it?

So, I started with a list of things NOT TO DO. No TV, no email and no social media – my gawd how will you survive??? Keep going dear reader, the answer awaits. My friend Howard Parsons, The Reinvention Equation, would highly recommend meditation and what a change that would create in your life – incredible. But there are also other pursuits like some stretching or yoga that would produce positive results in your life, too. Some of us might use the time to write – aha! Would that make a difference in the world?

BOOMER TUNES ALERT

While driving home the other night, this song came on the radio and it’s one of the greatest party songs of all time. As I was singing along I realized that, other than the chorus, I have no idea what the lyrics are and I doubt that you or anyone else (including the band) does either. I googled the lyrics when I got home and they make no sense but that does not diminish the greatest party tune ever. Give it a listen and I know that Bruce Mazur and I could still sing the hell out of the chorus, couldn’t we Maze? Come back afterwards for more thoughts on time.

Louie Louie

 Just before you started dancing and singing I was talking about how to make use of your extra 15 minutes and how you can use it to make a difference in the world. Regular readers of this corner will remember the series of posts that I did about creating the story of your life – your Legacy Bio. Yes, you could use your 15 minutes to start working on that. Think that creating and sharing your story would not make a difference in the world? You would be so wrong. I promise that creating your story will change your life and the lives of your family and friends. Want proof?

Jillian Lee is a mother, wife, library manager, and a very talented filmmaker. In addition to that, she is one of the most courageous persons I know. She has spent much of her time telling the stories of others and has now decided that she must share her own story as well. As followers of this blog, you know how I feel about the importance of recording your story. You know that it will bring completion to your life in addition to the possibility of offering so much more than mere cold facts to your family and friends. I generally talk about writing your life story but there other ways to do it and other reasons to do it too. Sometimes there are parts of our lives that we need to face that become cathartic when revealed and allow us to heal ourselves. That takes tremendous courage and even more so when you are brave enough to let it help others by “putting it our there.”

To see and hear courage in action, I suggest that you view Jillian’s YouTube video and subscribe to her channel for updates. It may inspire your next step to offering your own life story for your benefit and the opportunity to make a difference to those you love.

Jillian Lee

And finally, time sometimes creates a sadness and loss for us. This past week, a friend from Winnipeg of almost 40 years passed away. Pat Pinchin suffered a serious heath issue for many years but I can honestly say that I never once saw her without a smile on her face. I’m sure there were moments when physical pain took a toll on her but she suffered in private and never let it affect her friends. RIP Pat and much strength and peace to Rick and Jeffrey.

– 30 –

BABY BOOMERS REINVENTED

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According to a local radio station, people who listen to 70’s and 80’s music tend to set their car volume higher than other drivers (and tend to open the roof more often too!). And that brings me to the subject of Baby Boomers. An important new book has come on the scene and I have just finished reading it – you should too.

The Reinvention Equation: A boomer’s Guide to a Reinvented Life by Howard Parsons was released a week ago and I just finished reading it. It’s very easy to give this book a 5 star rating and I have done so on Amazon. As baby boomers, we have witnessed unprecedented and seismic shifts in virtually every aspect of life. The word “technology” didn’t exist when we were kids and look at how it rules every aspect of our lives today. When I was pre-teen, the closest we came to being a techno wiz occurred when we removed the glass tubes from those old wooden radios and went to a store to test them and see if they needed replacing. Communications (other than the sound of our mother’s voice when it was time to come in for dinner) consisted of stretching a piece of copper wire from the back of that same radio, across our bedrooms to a window in the hopes of picking up the rock and roll stations in New York or Chicago to listen to the Big Bopper or Buddy Holly late at night – yep, I’m older than dirt apparently.

We seem to enjoy all those little quizzes on Facebook that demonstrate our advanced years by remembering things like party lines, fountain pens, spankings and various and sundry other nonsense to show our advancing years. But there are some things that have happened to many of us that remain inside and are rarely bragged about. Most of us were sold a bill of goods about how wonderful our lives would be if we just purchased some magic elixir that promised good health, worked for the same company until retirement, remained in a relationship, raised kids, took 2 weeks vacation, bought the right insurance policy, and on and on and on. Sure, some people have created a retirement of travel, good health, great friends, enough money, peace of mind, and everything that we were promised but what about the huge majority for whom this didn’t happen?

What about those people who worked for a company or organization for 35 years only to see it close down due to the aforementioned technology changes? What about those people who sacrificed to put their children through university, care for their own aging parents and now find themselves, at age 65, without the financial means to ride off into the retirement sunset? What about those people who take a look at their current life and say, “is that all there is?”

In the Reinvention Equation, Mr. Parsons uses the examples in his own life, and the lives of his clients, to illustrate the need to make changes from the inside out. If, like the majority of us, you have not reached nirvana, have not accomplished everything you expected, have not achieved the dream that was promised and expected, there is still a way to find the life that you so richly deserve. In the book, the author shows us, step by step, the process, the thinking, the road map to bringing the dreams we hold sacred and in our essential selves into reality. We find practical advice for looking inside to discover who we really are and how to move from that deeply felt truth to live a life of fulfillment and meaning.

Many of us have had to adapt to the changing conditions of the outside world but doing so has caused us to deny the deeply held essence of our true natures. So much so, that in many cases we have completely lost touch with who we really are. Glimmers of these truths reach the surface from time to time to frustrate and confuse us but Mr. Parsons presents a road map to help us find the meaning and truth in our lives. Combining newly discovered brain science and mixing this knowledge with fundamental principles of change, Mr. Parsons presents a compelling methodology for reinvention and deep, permanent, soulful acceptance of who we truly were meant to be.

This is a must read for any baby boomer who wants to awaken to their true nature and achieve a level of personal success that rises above the mundane and reaches for a connection to their hidden spirit thus allowing their true nature the freedom of expression to fulfill a destiny that, until now, they could only long for.

You can access information on the various formats of the The Reinvention Equation here.

SUPER BOWL VS. TOILET BOWL

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Super Bowl weekend is upon us and it carries the rank of being almost a national holiday for millions around the world. This is the 51st edition of this sports extravaganza and, sad to say, I actually remember the first one. Holy Crap! (thus the reference to toilet bowl above). We’ll have the game on (because nothing else will be broadcast at the same time) but I have to admit – sacrilegious as it may be – I don’t spend a whole lot of time watching the NFL. I don’t participate in any fantasy leagues and I can’t remember the last time I sat down and watched an entire NFL game beginning to end. I know, I know, my manhood may be in question. I am, without question, a homer. I watch the Flames and the Stampeders, Calgary Pro hockey and football teams only. That’s it. I can find time to do that but I just cannot seem to generate the free time to watch other leagues or teams other than the Blue Jays if they are in the hunt. Yep, a confirmed homer am I.

Not sure what dinner delight I will prepare for the Super Bowl but I have found a recipe online that I am making tonite. At one time, I was going to organize a cookbook of favourite recipes for our kids but it is so much easier to just go online these days and try something new. Sometimes they work out and sometime they don’t but, what the hey. Here’s the one I’m making tonight:

One Pot Cheesy Chicken Broccoli and Rice Casserole
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 40 mins
One Pot Cheesy Chicken Broccoli and Rice Casserole – it’s cheesy, it’s comforting and it’s made in one pot. It’s dinner!
Servings: 6
Calories: 342 kcal
Author: Joanna Cismaru
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • 2 chicken breasts cut into small cubes
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 3/4 cup rice I used Basmati
  • 10 oz can cream of chicken soup
  • 2 to 3 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cups broccoli florets
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add chopped onion and cubed chicken. Cook on medium heat for a few minutes until the chicken starts to brown a bit. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until garlic gets aromatic.
  2. Add the rice, cream of chicken soup and chicken broth. Start with 2 cups of chicken broth and if more is needed add more until rice is fully cooked. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook over medium heat until the rice is fully cooked, stirring occasionally, should take about 15 minutes or so. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.
  3. Add the broccoli florets and half the cheese then continue cooking for 2 more minutes, until broccoli softens a bit. Sprinkle over the top with remaining cheese and place the skillet under the broiler for a couple more minutes, just until it melts and starts to brown a bit.
  4. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.

My friend, author and former book writing client Joanie Hebert Lalond came across this incredible website with videos of some of the all time greatest songs ever. One of my favourites of the golden (oldie) age of music is this one:

https://www.facebook.com/OldieStation.co/videos/162139764273226/

And based on the following video and the reference to Trump’s chief strategist, maybe I will change back to my birth name for a little while. Look at that, I almost made it through the entire blog without a political reference!