What's the difference between Montreal and Vancouver? The really easy answer is; everything!
Montreal is where I have grown up. Although technically I grew up in the West Island, which many Montrealers do not even consider to be part of Montreal. It's about a 20 minute drive into the downtown core from where I am. I love this city. I really do. I have no desire to live in the city, however if I ever want to go dance or see a show or eat amazing food from all over the world then I can easily do it!
Montrealers are proud to be Montrealers. They brag about the city and all that it provides for us. I don't know that anyone loves the politics that having this amazing city being in Quebec brings about, especially with the provincial election coming up on Tuesday, but whatever the city is special.
All that being said there is something very different about Vancouver. And it's equally as different than Ottawa and Toronto. I think that Toronto is my least favorite. I have a lot of friends in and around the Toronto/ surrounding areas and it just doesn't do it for me energetically. The feeling is just so dense.
Vancouver is obviously very different. It is a coastal city. It has such a different feeling to it. In Vancouver though I have noticed that people are proud of their area, not so much their city as a whole. People brag more about where they live within the city, either they are in Kitsilano or downtown or North Van or West Point Grey... And each of these areas has a very different feeling to it. As I drove around Vancouver this summer I paid attention to how I felt while I drove through them.
I think I have decided that if I ever moved to Vancouver I would LOVE to be in either Kitsilano/West Point Grey OR North Vancouver. Those are the two areas that the energy just resonates with me. I am not really sure how else to explain it. There is this sense of complete calmness and easy going-ness about both areas.
I am seriously considering heading out earlier than I normally do for camp next summer and spending a month in Vancouver. Is it weird that Vancouver actually reminds me of the Caribbean? While you are sitting at a beach watching the sailboats in the bay you look up and see mountains and houses on the mountains and a beautiful skyline.
It really is a gorgeous city and the calmness of the city is what makes it even more appealing. People don't ever seem to be in a rush of any kind. I find they meander instead of walk. Sometimes I wonder if it's because they are the last people to really wake up for the day. I mean other than Hawaii everyone on the west coast is behind the rest of the world. Just a theory...
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Stand Alone
Last week my brother and a friend of ours trigger something in me. They were talking and I snapped. I could have easily punched them I was so annoyed at what they were saying. It felt like I was not of value in their eyes. Or not even in there eyes, just in general. It felt like I was not actually adding anything important to an event.
I am in no way saying that this is what they said. It is just how I interpreted what they said. I took whatever words they were speaking and put my own interpretation on them.
I noticed that my reaction to the situation was slightly large and therefore I decided to work through it with my parents. (If you have never read my blog before I work through a lot of stuff with my parents)
We discovered that this situation was trigger past events. There have been many times in my life when I have felt like others have not understood or valued me, which has left me to question my own value. We ended up going back to high school. I thought I had cleared much of my issues from high school already but clearly I had not. Remember how in Shrek he explains to Donkey that Ogers are like onions; they have lots of layers? Well same as humans when it comes to emotional baggage.
In high school I did not have many friends. I had many acquaintances' but not so much friends, at least not until I was in grade 10 and 11. It felt like people just did not understand me. I stood very much alone because I would not "cave in" to any form of peer pressure and I said what I said regardless of approval. Eventually people who could handle that gravitated to me and I found friends.
Now although it is not exactly the same thing the lesson is.
Am I willing to stand alone if it means that I am standing for who I am and what I am worth?
I am realizing that this means in all relationships that I have in my life. And the answer is yes. Because as long as I stand true to who I am and what I believe in I will never actually stand alone.
I am in no way saying that this is what they said. It is just how I interpreted what they said. I took whatever words they were speaking and put my own interpretation on them.
I noticed that my reaction to the situation was slightly large and therefore I decided to work through it with my parents. (If you have never read my blog before I work through a lot of stuff with my parents)
We discovered that this situation was trigger past events. There have been many times in my life when I have felt like others have not understood or valued me, which has left me to question my own value. We ended up going back to high school. I thought I had cleared much of my issues from high school already but clearly I had not. Remember how in Shrek he explains to Donkey that Ogers are like onions; they have lots of layers? Well same as humans when it comes to emotional baggage.
In high school I did not have many friends. I had many acquaintances' but not so much friends, at least not until I was in grade 10 and 11. It felt like people just did not understand me. I stood very much alone because I would not "cave in" to any form of peer pressure and I said what I said regardless of approval. Eventually people who could handle that gravitated to me and I found friends.
Now although it is not exactly the same thing the lesson is.
Am I willing to stand alone if it means that I am standing for who I am and what I am worth?
I am realizing that this means in all relationships that I have in my life. And the answer is yes. Because as long as I stand true to who I am and what I believe in I will never actually stand alone.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Ears
According to dictionary.com a definition of listen is to wait attentively for a sound. Definition of hear is
to listen to; give or pay attention to. So yes I believe that these two actions are actually very different.
Someone can easily be listening to you and not hearing you. The action of listening implies that you are hearing the sounds of something. However it does not mean that you are hearing the words that someone is speaking to you. Also even when you are hearing someone it does mean that you are really hearing or understanding them.
Having conversations with people about things that you cannot understand because it simply does not make sense in your world makes it extremely hard to actually hear what they are saying.
Lesson learned- do my best to really listen AND hear them!!!
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Two Left Feet
Ladies I have a question for you; have you ever danced with a male partner and really allowed him to lead? This would mean that you did not lead and that you simply trusted him to guide you to the correct position- or any position really.
Four years ago I attended and event where learning the tango was a process we had to do. I stood on the 'single' said of the room, which was dominated by females and learned the steps to the best of my ability. Then we had to practice with a partner. Sometimes I would have a male partner to dance with and other times I would be dancing with a female and we would take turns leading. During this process I learned two things, 1. I am not very good at leading and 2. I am not very good at following, which actually brings me to a third learning, 3. I am not very good at the tango!
Two years ago we had another tango session at another event. This time I was working the event and therefore did not have much opportunity to dance. However towards the end I joined the floor as well. I had the privilege of dancing with a trained ballroom dancer and I had no problem following him- he effortlessly guided me to where I needed to go. Then I danced with a friend who was perfectly capable of moving me in the direction he wanted even if we were not doing ANYTHING remotely resembling the tango. I discovered that it is one thing to follow someone you trust and another to follow someone simply because they are leading you.
This year I was at an event... no tango lessons this time however there is a reason I brought dancing up in the first place- I promise! My friend Ben grabbed my hand and began dancing with me. He held me close, pushed me away, turned me around, did all the things you normally would in a partner dance. Normally I would be anticipating the next move and where I would need to go. This time, however, I allowed myself to be guided by one of the most masculine men in my life, whom I completely trust. I did not always feel this way about Ben, I had some reservations about him for some time and yet this dance somehow showed me a part of Ben I had not seen before.
In the end the point of this blog is to answer my original question. I am very thankful that I can answer YES to the question. It was an incredible feeling to really just allow my body to be moved and guided for me, all I had to do was get out of the way!
Four years ago I attended and event where learning the tango was a process we had to do. I stood on the 'single' said of the room, which was dominated by females and learned the steps to the best of my ability. Then we had to practice with a partner. Sometimes I would have a male partner to dance with and other times I would be dancing with a female and we would take turns leading. During this process I learned two things, 1. I am not very good at leading and 2. I am not very good at following, which actually brings me to a third learning, 3. I am not very good at the tango!
Two years ago we had another tango session at another event. This time I was working the event and therefore did not have much opportunity to dance. However towards the end I joined the floor as well. I had the privilege of dancing with a trained ballroom dancer and I had no problem following him- he effortlessly guided me to where I needed to go. Then I danced with a friend who was perfectly capable of moving me in the direction he wanted even if we were not doing ANYTHING remotely resembling the tango. I discovered that it is one thing to follow someone you trust and another to follow someone simply because they are leading you.
This year I was at an event... no tango lessons this time however there is a reason I brought dancing up in the first place- I promise! My friend Ben grabbed my hand and began dancing with me. He held me close, pushed me away, turned me around, did all the things you normally would in a partner dance. Normally I would be anticipating the next move and where I would need to go. This time, however, I allowed myself to be guided by one of the most masculine men in my life, whom I completely trust. I did not always feel this way about Ben, I had some reservations about him for some time and yet this dance somehow showed me a part of Ben I had not seen before.
In the end the point of this blog is to answer my original question. I am very thankful that I can answer YES to the question. It was an incredible feeling to really just allow my body to be moved and guided for me, all I had to do was get out of the way!
Sunday, March 25, 2012
L.O.V.E.
I have discovered, while writing my book, that loving someone and being IN love with someone are two different things for me. That is not the case for many people.
I say "I love you" to my parents, my brothers, my girlfriends, my co-workers- anyone that I care about deeply really. I love people. True that sometimes people make me crazy, ultimately though I still love them for who they are and how they show up! If I am friends with you chances are I love you.
Being IN love with someone is very different for me. When I am IN love it means romantic love. It is different from family and friends kind of love. When I am IN love with someone my heart aches for that person. I cannot stop thinking about them. They, in a non creepy way, become the focus of my desire.
The question is, how do you know you are IN love with someone? Winnie-the-Pooh implies that is really just as simple as feeling it. What happens when your mind gets involved though and now you cannot differentiate between lust and love? Or infatuation and love? Or desire and love? Or need and love?
Trust. I have come to the conclusion while writing this blog that it comes down to trust. Trust in yourself that you will know the feeling of being IN love with another and that it will be honest and true and real for you. After all, "You don't spell love. You feel it."
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