Synchronicity

Synchronicity is the experience of two or more events that are apparently causally unrelated or unlikely to occur together by chance, yet are experienced as occurring together in a meaningful manner. The concept of synchronicity was first described in this terminology by Carl Gustav Jung, a Swiss psychologist, in the 1920s.


Back in September I wrote about having a home exchange opportunity in Taunton, Somerset drop into our laps entirely by 'chance'.  Or so I thought at the time.

You can read about it here:  http://cwm4.blogspot.ca/2012_09_01_archive.html

Since then there have been a few more synchronicity occurrences that have made me sit up and take notice.

Occurrence #1
A few weeks ago, I invited a student's family over to look at our hardwood floors.  They were considering hiring the same floor-layer we used and wanted to see his handiwork.  After a short tour of the house, we sat in Joe's Cafe drinking lattes discussing our upcoming summer trip to England.

The mom, Emma, noticed a book about Somerset sitting on our coffee table.  Without missing a beat she said, "I was born in Taunton."

"WHAT?!"  Both Joe and I said in unison. "THAT'S THE TOWN WHERE OUR HOME EXCHANGE IS!"

Occurrence #2
Last week a friend returned from a trip to Arizona.  She was in a high-end grocery store when she noticed packages of English butter on the shelves.  She couldn't believe it when she saw the butter was made in Taunton.  She bought a package of it for Joe and I.

Occurrence #3
I immediately posted a photo of the butter onto Jo's facebook page telling her the story.  She commented back saying, "My husband and I lived on Billet Street when we were first married."


I can hardly wait to experience more of these occurrences.  I find them fascinating!

CHA CHA CHA!

Friends of ours are dancers.  Real dancers.  Professional ballroom dancers.

They graciously invited us to join them in a night of dance lessons.

We gathered in their home for a sumptuous dinner, followed by a three hour dance lesson.  Not only that, Janice was dancing with a broken rib.  Talk about a trooper!

We started out learning the box step.  "Side together forward, side together back".  Pretty simple, right?  NOT FOR ME!  I had to watch my partner's feet for the first hour or so.  I felt like I was about 10 years old.  Then we had to close our eyes while we danced so that we could feel it, instead of think about it.

Men danced with men, women with women.  We danced with our spouses.  We danced with each other's spouses.

It goes without saying that we had a lot of fun.  Many laughs.  Many squashed toes.  (Sorry Joe.)

Thank you Janice and Kevin for opening your home to us and being so patient.  I promise we'll keep practising.  I can hardly wait for the next lesson!

Until next time, "Side together forward, side together back."

Goodness Jar Update

A few weeks ago I posted a photo of an empty jar, a small pad of paper and a pen.

Instead of making a New Year's resolution, I planned to write about all the good things that happened on a daily basis and place the notes in the jar.  The idea is to tip the jar over on December 31st and read of all the happy things that took place during 2013.

So far, I have added a slip of paper every single day.  Mind you, it has only been 18 days into this project.  I sure hope I can keep this up for another 347!  It is a great exercise to reflect on each day and realize how many good things, both big and small, happen in one's life.

Happy New Year!

"And now let us believe in a long year that is given to us,

                   New, untouched, full of things that have never been."          

                                                                                           Rainer Maria Rilke

We spent a lovely NYE with friends.  I just had to share this photo of their youngest cat batting around some ice cubes while we were enjoying a cocktail in the living room before dinner.

I had seen this idea floating around the pages of Facebook and Pinterest and it resonated with me.  It's called a 'Memory Jar'.  The premise is to write down the things that made you happy throughout the year and collect them in a jar.  On New Year's Eve empty the jar and read about all the wonderful things that happened to you in 2013.

I found this funky old jar (complete with air holes in the lid) that is perfect for the task.  And I already have 4 or 5 slips of paper in it!

Happy New Year everyone!  May 2013 be peaceful, loving and kind to all of us.

Twenty Twelve

I spent this New Year's Eve afternoon looking over my photos of 2012.  Good grief, a lot went on this past year!  I am always amazed at how many great things can be crammed into 365 days.  Here is my year in pictures....

JANUARY

Our house was still under construction at the beginning of the year.  

Once the kitchen was completed,  the reno moved on to the diningroom, livingroom, hallways and TV room.
We tried to get in as much snowshoeing as we could in the Callaghan Valley.

The end of January is traditionally celebrated with a Burns Supper.  As always toasts were given, the haggis exploded, and Alison KILLED us with her Scottish brogue while reciting Burns' poetry.

FEBRUARY

Joe expanded his culinary repertoire by learning how to bake 'les macarons'.  

Our house was still under construction but the arrival of Big Bertha (Joe's espresso machine) made things bearable.

 MARCH

Lots of birthdays to celebrate in March.  

We hosted parties for my mother-in-law Ann, our son Will, and our friend Donna.  

For spring break Joe and I spent 10 days in New York City eating as many hot dogs as humanly possible.

APRIL

Joe and I celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary.  

My mom, sisters, brother-in-law and children joined us for the Easter long weekend.  

And we hosted another birthday luncheon, this time for my father-in-law Bob.

MAY

We got the fam damily together to celebrate Mother's Day.  

We threw a 'The Renovation Is Finally Over' party for friends and family.  

And sadly Joe's grandfather passed away in his 102nd year.

JUNE

We celebrated Queen Elizabeth's 60th year on the throne complete with tea, cucumber sandwiches and  a gin and tonic (or two).  

Molly came home for Father's Day.  Paige had to work on the Whistler Mountaineer and had the engineer slow the train down so he could toss a box of chocolates to Joe as we waved.

We hosted Squamish's inaugural 'Dinner In White' for a group of friends.

And after teaching at Squamish Elementary for a dozen years, I made the heartbreakingly difficult decision to switch schools.

JULY 

As soon as school let out for the summer holidays, I jumped on a plane with my friend Donna and headed for Paris.  It was so much fun to show her around the city I adore.

A couple of days after returning from Europe, I hopped on another plane.  This time with Joe.  We took off to explore the American Southwest.  We loved Santa Fe for its sunsets, landscapes and people.  I celebrated my 54th birthday there!

AUGUST

The beginning of August found us in Arizona enjoying the Grand Canyon, Sedona, the Canyon de Chelly, and eating tamales at road side stands.

At the end of August we hosted a wee send-off for Molly before she left for graduate school at the University of Western Ontario.  Masters of Library Sciences, here she comes!

SEPTEMBER

We hosted a family reunion for Joe's family on the Labour Day weekend.

We arranged our first home exchange in Somerset, England!  Joe and I are very excited to spend 6 weeks in the UK next summer.

I set up my new classroom at Mamquam Elementary and eagerly welcomed 21 kindergarten students into my life.

My mom celebrated her 76th birthday with us.

OCTOBER

We had a big gang up for the Thanksgiving long weekend.  

One of the highlights was seeing our friend Dominic again.  Dominic and his family are good friends from our University of Washington days in the late 1980s.  It was heartwarming to see Paige and Dominic together 22 years later.  

Molly flew home from London, Ontario to celebrate the holiday with us.

NOVEMBER

Joe upped his cocktail game considerably in November.

He and Paige celebrated their birthdays together.

DECEMBER

As the year came to a close, we were happy to slow down.  

As we have for the past several years, we went out to the woods to cut down our Christmas tree.

The kids came home for Christmas.

And we were happy to get out in the snow.

I am very grateful for my many blessings.  My family, my friends, my work, my health, my home, my travels.  I am also extremely appreciative of all the fun in my life.  Thank you everyone for making this ride so enjoyable.