I've had two weeks vacation, and I've been busy! My husband Michael, and I, don't often go away, and this was the usual "vacation/staycation". There is so much to do here in Victoria and its surrounding area. We discovered a new park for us - Portage Park, a lovely cove with an island in the centre. We visited Glendale Gardens, a horticultural garden five minutes up the road from us! We went to Galiano Island for two days, and stayed at the Driftwood Village - a great place with our own cabin. We drove up the island to see pottery, ceramics and glass artists. We watched one of the hockey play-off games at the Hummingbird Inn Pub. I shopped and met the lovely owner of Gallery 33 and bought a unique silver bracelet at Now and Zen.
I then had my weekend away at my business and personal development seminar. I was totally immersed in such a nurturing and supportive space there, gaining clarity, and spending social time with my team of women as we walked around Kelowna's lakeside.
When I came home, Michael and I also went to Pacific Northwest Raptors outside of Duncan, where we had a half day training with the birds. Michael held Tuori, a Harris Hawk, on his glove and I held Elton, a Spectacled Owl from Panama. I love the Harris Hawks and they are well known for their cooperative behaviour with humans because they are flock raptors, unlike most solitary raptors - they naturally like being in relationship with others. Elton surprised me, though. I hadn't much connection with him during the tour (we took a tour in February and saw the demonstration, as well as a personal tour this time). When he stepped up onto my glove and sat with me, he was a very curious and vocal fellow. Then our guide, Jamie, showed me how Elton liked to have the feathers at the top of his beak scratched! Well, he was such a sweetheart - he'd lean forward into my hand as I scratched him, and close his big eyes, shutting his soft gray eyelids so I could see his little eyelashes! When I stopped scratching, he'd slowly open his eyes, still leaning forward, as if just "coming to" from a deep meditation! Who wouldn't be charmed by such a dear little fellow! I loved the energy of being with him, just like any animal will center my energy. We took Elton down to the demonstration area, and took turns feeding him, as he flew to us from his perch. Then we watched the demonstration, which had Tuori, a vulture, a barn owl, and a Peregrine Falcon flying to the trainer. After that we had our guide, Bronwyn, take us on a Hawk Walk, where she let another Harris Hawk, Annakan, fly out among the trees, and had him fly back to our gloves during our walk.
The point of my relating this snapshot of my vacation, is that among these excursions, we worked at my mom's garden and removed stuff to the local dump, cleaned our house and did errands. These things, though accomplishing them, bring up feelings in me of inadequacy. It is never ending!! I never seem to be finished in the garden, that's a given with the growing season going full tilt! Yet it is like housework - whatever I accomplish, in a week it is back where I started! I can become very distracted with this aspect - feeling less-than in the face of monstrous blackberry bushes!
What I realized is that being on Galiano, just doing what we felt like, being at my seminar course on the weekend, being with my friends, being with the wild(ish) birds, being in nature, are all supportive of my Being: being in the present moment/fulfilled. Whereas all the "chores", errands, needs, can distract me into feeling "not enough". I feel drained of energy, though I am accomplishing "things". It's being caught up in the doing of stuff, and not Being. I felt like after my seminar weekend, where I felt like a big, still, clear lake, I was being drained of all that self-contained energy by leaks streaming into the never-ending, always needing attention, world. This is not the world I want to create, it is not My World. I am being at the effect and not the Cause in this world. It brings me back to the book "Inner Simplicity" by Elaine St. James, which I blogged about earlier (under "Simplicity"). Yes, the world needs attending to, I just need to be aware of maintaining my balance in myself, being centered regardless of my circumstance or distractions.
I have a routine during my work week, which I related in my blog "Simplicity", that takes time to "be" - art, nature, swimming on my breaks. On vacation/staycation, I always plan for time for similar activities - such as the visit to the raptor center and going to Galiano - beside doing "chores" that need attending to. This time, even more, I realized that spending time "being" is also nurturing the creation of my artwork. "Being" is where I paint from - it's not a "doing" activity! I didn't create as much art as I hoped to, this "staycation", but I don't have the desire to be rigid about my creativity either. I'm glad I did what we did these last two weeks. I also gained, even more clearly, the recognition of how important taking deliberate time for myself to BE: to center myself, to BE where I am and not be distracted, to reflect, to plan, to meditate and pray, to appreciate, to repeat my affirmations, to play, to be aware of my actions, to be in nature, enables me to maintain my balance and creativity.
I then had my weekend away at my business and personal development seminar. I was totally immersed in such a nurturing and supportive space there, gaining clarity, and spending social time with my team of women as we walked around Kelowna's lakeside.
When I came home, Michael and I also went to Pacific Northwest Raptors outside of Duncan, where we had a half day training with the birds. Michael held Tuori, a Harris Hawk, on his glove and I held Elton, a Spectacled Owl from Panama. I love the Harris Hawks and they are well known for their cooperative behaviour with humans because they are flock raptors, unlike most solitary raptors - they naturally like being in relationship with others. Elton surprised me, though. I hadn't much connection with him during the tour (we took a tour in February and saw the demonstration, as well as a personal tour this time). When he stepped up onto my glove and sat with me, he was a very curious and vocal fellow. Then our guide, Jamie, showed me how Elton liked to have the feathers at the top of his beak scratched! Well, he was such a sweetheart - he'd lean forward into my hand as I scratched him, and close his big eyes, shutting his soft gray eyelids so I could see his little eyelashes! When I stopped scratching, he'd slowly open his eyes, still leaning forward, as if just "coming to" from a deep meditation! Who wouldn't be charmed by such a dear little fellow! I loved the energy of being with him, just like any animal will center my energy. We took Elton down to the demonstration area, and took turns feeding him, as he flew to us from his perch. Then we watched the demonstration, which had Tuori, a vulture, a barn owl, and a Peregrine Falcon flying to the trainer. After that we had our guide, Bronwyn, take us on a Hawk Walk, where she let another Harris Hawk, Annakan, fly out among the trees, and had him fly back to our gloves during our walk.
The point of my relating this snapshot of my vacation, is that among these excursions, we worked at my mom's garden and removed stuff to the local dump, cleaned our house and did errands. These things, though accomplishing them, bring up feelings in me of inadequacy. It is never ending!! I never seem to be finished in the garden, that's a given with the growing season going full tilt! Yet it is like housework - whatever I accomplish, in a week it is back where I started! I can become very distracted with this aspect - feeling less-than in the face of monstrous blackberry bushes!
What I realized is that being on Galiano, just doing what we felt like, being at my seminar course on the weekend, being with my friends, being with the wild(ish) birds, being in nature, are all supportive of my Being: being in the present moment/fulfilled. Whereas all the "chores", errands, needs, can distract me into feeling "not enough". I feel drained of energy, though I am accomplishing "things". It's being caught up in the doing of stuff, and not Being. I felt like after my seminar weekend, where I felt like a big, still, clear lake, I was being drained of all that self-contained energy by leaks streaming into the never-ending, always needing attention, world. This is not the world I want to create, it is not My World. I am being at the effect and not the Cause in this world. It brings me back to the book "Inner Simplicity" by Elaine St. James, which I blogged about earlier (under "Simplicity"). Yes, the world needs attending to, I just need to be aware of maintaining my balance in myself, being centered regardless of my circumstance or distractions.
I have a routine during my work week, which I related in my blog "Simplicity", that takes time to "be" - art, nature, swimming on my breaks. On vacation/staycation, I always plan for time for similar activities - such as the visit to the raptor center and going to Galiano - beside doing "chores" that need attending to. This time, even more, I realized that spending time "being" is also nurturing the creation of my artwork. "Being" is where I paint from - it's not a "doing" activity! I didn't create as much art as I hoped to, this "staycation", but I don't have the desire to be rigid about my creativity either. I'm glad I did what we did these last two weeks. I also gained, even more clearly, the recognition of how important taking deliberate time for myself to BE: to center myself, to BE where I am and not be distracted, to reflect, to plan, to meditate and pray, to appreciate, to repeat my affirmations, to play, to be aware of my actions, to be in nature, enables me to maintain my balance and creativity.
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