More Olympics

Canada won its first medal last night and we were there. It was a silver but we were hoping for gold. Sometimes the sun comes up and I think it's going to be awesome and the sunrise is mediocre at best. I was teaching my kids how to handle the disappointment of losing gold. It is a universal experience: having expectations that are not met.

I have got to get better at handling such disappointment myself. Perhaps that is why I keep getting tested in the same manner. It's still cloudy in Vancouver but I suspect the sun will appear in the next couple day. I suppose I should stop expecting it and it will happen naturally. In the meantime, I will enjoy what I have.

Vancouver

The sun made an appearance this morning in Vancouver. I have to admit that I was surprised. It was supposed to rain all day but the sun did peak through the clouds. Today is first day of the Olympics and the whole world is in Vancouver to showcase excellence. I love this feeling. I'll let you know how it feels when I get down to the action.

Olympics

The sun even rises on the day the Winter Olympics start. We are heading out to Vancouver this morning and very much looking forward to enjoying the spirit of the Games. The sunrise was beautiful today but I didn't have much time to enjoy it. Somehow getting on a plane with a family of four is slightly distracting. Maybe I missed the point. Perhaps I should have taken more time to watch that beautiful sunrise.

The next 14 sunrises will take place in Vancovuer, a place where we lived for 10 years. My children were born there and I love going back. We'll see how many times we actually see the sun at daybreak because Vancouver has a habit of clouding over. However, every once in a while it more than makes up for it!

Clear Sailing

It was a textbook sunrise this morning. I always marvel how such a sunrise can emerge after a few days of storms and dark clouds. Everything passes.

I sometimes forget this fact and get wrapped up on the drama of everyday life. Take this morning for example. A regular chaotic morning before school. Yet, this morning, I am less equipped to deal with it because I am tired. It always seems to be worse when I am tired. Or perhaps being tired calls the situation into being. Either way, as I look out on the sunrise, I am reminded that everything will pass. So I take a deep breath and relax my body and head back into the kitchen to move the morning along.

Snowy Blowy

Cold today. Very windy. Sunrise was almost nonexistent (i.e. very dark clouds). And yet, I had a good day. Hmmmm. The sun did it's thing despite the circumstances and so did I. Amazing how that happens.

I feel slightly pressured today with the amount of work to do but I just keep focusing on the important things and it all seems to get done. I think that's the important part - just focus on what needs to get done next and the next step appears exactly when you need it.

Balance

This morning, I needed balance. Apparently, so did the sun. There was an equal amount of clouds and clear sky space. The sky wasn't too red or too orange but just enough to warrant a second glance and a sigh. Which is what I did when I watched the sunrise from my bedroom window. I needed a break too.

I'm getting better at recognizing this - giving myself a break when I need it. Oddly enough, a small break gives me enough of a recharge to meet my challenges for the day. It doesn't take much, I am noticing, to get what I need. Perhaps I had been trying too hard all along.

Flexibility

This morning, I couldn't help but notice the ice formations at the edge of the lake, on top of the rocks and generally all around the water. It didn't look to me like the ice was struggling in any way at all. Yet, there were ice formations that were completely vertical suspended between two railings. Seemingly impossible and yet plainly in view. The rocks were coated in ice so much so that they looked like giant cakes covered in a glaze icing. It was seem nearly impossible to get the ice to freeze so uniformly and yet I was looking right at it.

I think the key to the ice's success is small steps over time. The ice doesn't form in an instant. Rather, it takes repeated motions of the water combined with the perfect temperature which allows the water to freeze in place. Each time the water retraces it's steps over the same place a little bit more water freezes. In the end, we are left with a beautiful frozen structure that seems to defy gravity. Smalls steps, consistent action and a vision of some beautiful outcome. Maybe the ice is smarter than we think?