“Happiness is not a matter of intensity, but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.”
~ Thomas Merton, Catholic writer & mystic

My favorite quote. And ah, what another gorgeous summer morning here in the VI. It’s been an interesting couple of days, as I’ve chatted with a few people about our housesitting position.

One friend asked: “What would I do with myself all day??”. Another would continue her on-line work here, with some hopes of getting up from the desk to just go outside and breathe in the ocean air. Many others are interested, but can’t imagine how to take 6 weeks for themselves. Or can’t figure how to get away from their own houses, pets, children, jobs. Or are fearful of what this might bring. read more

“Sunsets (and sunrises), like childhood, are viewed with wonder. Not just because they are beautiful, but because they are fleeting.”
~ Richard Paul Evans

I love waiting for that exact moment that the sun will break the horizon, or in today’s case, a bank of clouds. There is always peace in that fleeting moment ….

Yesterday, I was asked to reflect a bit on impermanence and attachment. I was writing for my other blog – a fairly lengthy entry as I had quite a bit on my mind – when suddenly the wordpress database came back with an error and would not refresh. Ugh. While I know that my blog auto-saves every few minutes or so, what if my 1,000+ words were just lost? Fortunately, they weren’t. But if they were, would I decide to re-write them? Could I even, as much of what I wrote was simply streaming thoughts? The past is like that … Fictional, changing, depending on how we choose to view it. read more

“Happiness is a place between too little and too much.”
~ Finnish Proverb

Well, as you can see from my photo, it’s a little gloomy here today!

Rainy days are perfect for getting organized. Especially when they fall on a Monday! And I’m really feeling the need to get some lists made.

One of the beautiful things that comes from leaving home for an extended period of time is the work that goes into it. We’ll likely get more done in the next six weeks than we’ve gotten done all year. read more

“When the sun is shining, I can do anything; No mountain is too high, no trouble too difficult to overcome.”
~ William Rudolph

Gosh what a beautiful sunrise. I was up late last night with friends, yet wouldn’t have missed this time for the world.

And my thoughts were so clear from some conversations.

This world is run by fear.

And if I’ve had a few cocktails, I like to examine it. Sometimes not the best time for others, but the fear becomes exposed … read more

“I believe that the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness.”
~ The Dalai Lama

How important is where you live to your well-being and happiness?  While Buddhist philosophy teaches how to establish a more secure basis for happiness – focusing on internal rather than external means – there’s no doubt that environment and community play a role in our day-to-day life experience.

The term “gross national happiness” was coined in 1972 in the Asian country of  Bhutan, by their fourth Dragon King.   At first offered as a casual, offhand remark, the concept was taken seriously, as the Centre for Bhutan Studies, began developing a sophisticated survey instrument to measure the population’s general level of well-being.  Two Canadians also played a major role in developing the Bhutanese survey, which took a six to seven hour interview to complete. They developed a shorter international version of the survey which has been used in their home region of Victoria BC as well as in Brazil. read more

“Better the devil you know, than the devil you don’t !!”
~ Proverb

Our gray skies have passed, and it’s looking like it’s going to be a beautiful summer day here in the VI. TGIF !!

The past few days, I’ve spent pulling together my finances. And in doing so, I was reviewing some historical statistics which I keep for the villa. It brought to light the fact that I had dropped one of our listing agents a few years ago, one which didn’t seem to be performing as well as the others. Well, it turns out that the few extra bookings they provided are exactly equal to the drop we’ve been experiencing. Statistics are wonderful things! So I went out and added back our listing there, plus another commissioned agent. A proverb I often refer to in business is “you have to spend money to make money.” Fingers crossed that business will be on the upswing for next season !! read more

“I like these cold, gray winter days. Days like these let you savor a bad mood.”
~ Bill Watterson (Calvin & Hobbes)

Well, my bad mood is gone, although the forecast is calling for gray skies today, as a tropical wave quickly moves on through.

Where my bad mood went, it’s hard to say. Taking a morning nap with the cat helped. I worked on a project that I’ve been putting off – (why ruin a good mood with yucky work?) -But just getting started on it, I feel a sense of relief. I’ll have it behind me soon. I made a Moroccan Stew for dinner which filled my home with a wonderful, exotic scent: Cinnamon, take me away! Cinnamon is often used in aromatherapy as a physical and emotional stimulant. Researchers have found that it reduces drowsiness, irritability, and the pain and number of headaches. Instead of browsing Facebook after work, I started a new novel and left the TV off all day. Each one of these little things helped in a big way. read more