July 23, 2018
The Value of Going Camping.
I am not really an avid outdoors person, but I do value Nature in its many forms: the human contoured backyard gardens that my wife and I have created for our own daily enjoyment, the common spaces further afield such as Provincial Parks where we can all have access to places and geography that are not in our own backyards, and the great spaces set aside by Federal governments for the enjoyment and good of us all on grander scales preserved by visionaries who also appreciated what Nature can bring to the health and enjoyment of all of us.
Although we have daily access to the space we have in our own backyard, and it is a space of calm and beauty for our spirits and minds, there is something worthwhile in the process of planning and managing a camping excursion. Each summer we have planned and enjoyed several excursions to our Provincial Parks in Ontario. Our first forays were to pretty civilized campgrounds with a lot of amenities. It was a good start for us as we learned what we needed to manage a few days away from the comforts of home. We became a little bolder last year and went to a site that was a little more off the beaten path of mainstream campers. We even tried a trek into the wilderness, to see what it might be like to venture even farther into Nature. This year, we returned to a Park with more amenities ;)
July 23, 2018
The Value of Going Camping.
I am not really an avid outdoors person, but I do value Nature in its many forms: the human contoured backyard gardens that my wife and I have created for our own daily enjoyment, the common spaces further afield such as Provincial Parks where we can all have access to places and geography that are not in our own backyards, and the great spaces set aside by Federal governments for the enjoyment and good of us all on grander scales preserved by visionaries who also appreciated what Nature can bring to the health and enjoyment of all of us.
Although we have daily access to the space we have in our own backyard, and it is a space of calm and beauty for our spirits and minds, there is something worthwhile in the process of planning and managing a camping excursion. Each summer we have planned and enjoyed several excursions to our Provincial Parks in Ontario. Our first forays were to pretty civilized campgrounds with a lot of amenities. It was a good start for us as we learned what we needed to manage a few days away from the comforts of home. We became a little bolder last year and went to a site that was a little more off the beaten path of mainstream campers. We even tried a trek into the wilderness, to see what it might be like to venture even farther into Nature. This year, we returned to a Park with more amenities ;)
July 23, 2018
The Value of Going Camping.
I am not really an avid outdoors person, but I do value Nature in its many forms: the human contoured backyard gardens that my wife and I have created for our own daily enjoyment, the common spaces further afield such as Provincial Parks where we can all have access to places and geography that are not in our own backyards, and the great spaces set aside by Federal governments for the enjoyment and good of us all on grander scales preserved by visionaries who also appreciated what Nature can bring to the health and enjoyment of all of us.
Although we have daily access to the space we have in our own backyard, and it is a space of calm and beauty for our spirits and minds, there is something worthwhile in the process of planning and managing a camping excursion. Each summer we have planned and enjoyed several excursions to our Provincial Parks in Ontario. Our first forays were to pretty civilized campgrounds with a lot of amenities. It was a good start for us as we learned what we needed to manage a few days away from the comforts of home. We became a little bolder last year and went to a site that was a little more off the beaten path of mainstream campers. We even tried a trek into the wilderness, to see what it might be like to venture even farther into Nature. This year, we returned to a Park with more amenities ;)
"New Thinking
For A New Year" Audio Messages
"New Thinking
For A New Year" Audio Messages
I have always been drawn to research and literature that explores self-esteem and the possibility that we are, to a large extent, the product of what we think about ourselves.
This collection of positive messages is the product of a lifetime of conversations, seminars, workshops, and personal research. All that I have tried to do is to distill the essence of a few ideas, craft an ambient backing track and record my voice in a conversational style that, I trust, is easy to listen to and simple to understand. All of these messages have been recorded at my home, in my basement , in a small room affectionately called, my Hobbit Hole Studio.
I wish to thank to my kids who have provided a lot of the equipment necessary to create this project, my wife and cousin who have enriched my awareness of ideas and helped shape the direction of my thinking, and to my friends who have been a support throughout some challenging times.
Click on the tracks to listen to some positive thoughts developed for the New Year. I have tried to frame a dozen messages that would be encouraging and affirming - one per month.
1. You're Not the Same Person (Heraclitus is worth a read as a starting point on discussions of change and flow)
2. What Difference Would Your Absence Make? -
Our everyday-moments of meeting others, interacting with random people or regular interactions with family, all leave a flavour or personal residue with those we meet. That residue or flavour would be different without our unique input.
3. Silence
The quieter you become,
the more you are able to hear. -Zen teaching
4. What Then?
Resilience - dusting yourself off after a fall and starting again.
5. The Energy Of Youth - an Homage to the students of Parkland
6. Discernment - learning to navigate claims of truth from fact.
7. Seeing the Light - Let your light (your qualities of goodness) shine to those around you.
8. Noise Gates - finding what you can control in order to reduce the clutter (background noise and distractions) in your life.
9. Successful Learning - Preparing for learning leads to success, but how?
10. Asking questions to show a genuine interest in the well-being of others