The Delights of the North

This is the second of my weekly contribution to the Won't You Be My Neighbour series, started by Amy of The Never True Tales. Today my guest blogger is Lindsay Below, a once-local writer friend of mine who moved to the great white north last year.

 For those who don’t know me, my name is Lindsay. I’m an author and one of the privileged few who can claim to be in Denise’s critique group. We used to meet in person to discuss our recent works-in-progress. Unfortunately, that ceased when I relocated from Southern Ontario to Iqaluit, Nunavut -- the meeting in person, that is. Thankfully, our critique group lives on even though I’m only there by proxy.

Introductions aside -- sit back, relax, and let me regale you with some of the things I’ve noticed since I moved to the picturesque North:

• It’s only “picturesque” in the winter. By the time the snow melts away in May, I’m left with a city of brown. Formerly snow-capped brown mountains, brown dirt with the occasional scrawny brown weed, and heck, let’s throw in the muddy brown water of Frobisher Bay (I haven’t gotten close enough to say that for sure, but I can assume). Plus, by the time the snow is gone, I can see this brown landscape in glaring detail due to the 24-hour sunlight.
• Every now and again, someone will run into a power grid with his skidoo or four-wheeler and knock out the power to the city. In the summer, that’s just fine and dandy (see: 24-hour sunlight). But in the winter, I have the opposite problem (24-hour darkness). I guess that’s why there are so many births in the fall.
• My house is built for the hard winters, with thick insulation. This means that in the summer, I might just suffer heat stroke from staying inside.
• I live on a street with no name, as does 99% of the rest of the city. There are many nameless streets. If I were to direct someone to my house, I would tell them, “The red one on the hill.” Kidding. I also give the building number. But not having a street name does cause problems when directing someone to mail something to me. They go bonkers when I just give them the building number and P.O. Box.
• Note to all forms that demand no P. O. boxes in the “address” section: There are no mail boxes in Iqaluit. Only post office boxes.
• On an optimistic note, this town does have one named street. The Road to Nowhere (yes, it has a street sign reading that). Want to guess where it leads? You got it, nowhere.
• Concrete tends to crack down the middle up here, ergo my house is built on stilts instead of a foundation. This means that when it gets windy, the house sways.
• In order to keep the water from freezing, the pipes are heated to near boiling point in the winter. That means that the tap water is always warm! I could always buy bottled water at the store for ridiculous prices.
• Just because it needs to be said, my first grocery bill (for two people) was to the tune of $700. I didn’t buy caviar, just regular groceries.
• If you need to hone your skills in bargaining, fly up here. You can do so and indulge your love for genuine Inuk-crafted figurines, artwork, and clothing at your convenience. Going to the grocery store? Waiting for your meal to be served at the restaurant? These items are brought to you by their artisans for special perusal.
• Of course, if you’d like to fly up to Iqaluit, it’ll cost you round about $1300 for a return trip from Iqaluit-Ottawa. I highly recommend that one rather than the Iqaluit-Montreal flight, which often overnights unexpectedly in Kugaaruk.
• A caribou herd used to migrate through town. Yes, USED to. Eventually, they realized that if they come within eyesight of the town, they WILL be shot.
• On a regular day, the town shuts down between noon and one o’clock for lunch. That means you can pretty well time the traffic jam on the four corners.
• Rather than snow days, there are “freezing days” in Iqaluit. If it gets too cold, the town shuts down.

Luckily, I still love my boyfriend despite all this (he’s the reason I moved up here to begin with). If you’d like to find me on the web, look in these places:

Twitter - (I promise not to tweet your ear off about the delights of Iqaluit… mostly)

Facebook

My website

My blog

Thanks for having me, Denise!

You're so welcome, Linds!

My week

Just think, read a text from Andrew last Tuesday. Next week you can get fit, declutter the house, bake bread, and catch up on your editing.

Have I mentioned that my husband is sarcastic.

This is the end of my first full week of self-employment...and there hasn't even been time to empty the dishwasher. On the up side, I no longer feel like I am behind in my work. But I wouldn't exactly say I was ahead of it all either.

Ah well...I guess getting fit, decluttering the house, and baking bread can all wait until next week:)

Stay tuned tomorrow - I have another guest blogger for you.

"Best Time Of My Life"

My sister and her family visited a couple of weeks ago, and after they had left, I found this note from my 7 year old niece:

Awww!

Guest Post: Simple Pleasures

Today I am welcoming a guest blogger as part of the Won't You Be My Neighbour series started by The Never True Tales. The idea is to visit other blogs and get to know some of the talented people out there. I will be posting over at Coffee and Commutes and hope to see you there.

In the meantime, I am thrilled that my first blog guest is my friend, Leanne from My Window On The Journey. Leanne and I met in university and though we have never lived in the same province since then, she has remained a close friend. She has always been able to inspire me and I'm thrilled to have her here today.

Simple Pleasures
The sound of a quiet car after the kids all hop out of it at school. My favourite chair and a good book. The warmth of the fireplace on a cold winter night. The smell of hot cocoa before the first sip. A leisurely breakfast out with a friend. Decorating a birthday cake. A blank page waiting to be filled. Noisy chatter filling the house when the kids get home from school. Waking up wrapped in my hubby’s arms. The light in my children’s eyes when they have something exciting to share with me. Cheesecake. Kissing my kids’ warm cheeks after they are fast asleep. Family game night. Romantic movies. Bubble baths.

Simple pleasures.

Life is not easy. In fact sometimes it is really hard. Last week I had a hard week. There wasn’t just one thing that turned my world upside down, but a bunch of things piled on top of each other to do a real number on my mindset. I became so focused on all those little and not-so-little things, that I found myself in a slump that I wasn’t sure how I would escape. But I did. I prayed a lot. I consciously tried to refocus my mind. I became aware of how profoundly my mindset can affect every part of me. And I realized that my mindset is my choice. I can allow negative thoughts to control every minute of my day, or I can take back control and reorient my mind.

I have so many blessings in my life, and counting blessings is truly a way to change a negative mindset. Sometimes, however, reciting to myself the list of obvious blessings in my life can feel a little bit stale. Yes, I know I have an awesome husband, but he drives me crazy sometimes! I know my kids are amazing, but sometimes they drain every ounce of strength I have! My house is beautiful and it’s in a great neighbourhood, but it isn’t my dream house! I have wonderful family and friends, even here in Ontario, but I miss the ones I left in New Brunswick! Sound a little bitter? That’s what happens when I fall into that state of mind.

When that happens, like last week, I find I need to really micromanage my mindset. I need to break things down to the very simplest things in my life that make me happy. When I focus on those things, my attitude starts to change. I realize that my life is full of a million wonderful things every single day! The list above contains fifteen simple pleasures, and I have experienced each one of them at some point in the last week. Six of them I have experienced already today! Not only does this realization create a positive outlook in my mind, but it fills my heart with profound gratitude.

So I think that’s the key, at least for me. I would encourage you to try it. If you are struggling with a negative mindset, if you are feeling overwhelmed by worry or responsibility or dissatisfaction, make a list! What are your simple pleasures? Simple things that don’t cost money, or not much anyway. Simple daily pleasures that surround you even though you may not always notice. Once you see how many there are in your life, you can’t help but be positive and, even more importantly, grateful.

Cooking something new for my family. Stormy days when I don’t have to go anywhere. Hugs. A family bike ride. Walks on the beach. A visit with an old friend. The first flowers of spring. A good report card. A baby’s smile. Autumn leaves. Book club. French vanilla cappuccino. Reading to my kids. Writing a guest post for a friend’s blog…

Simple pleasures.

Last Days

The days are winding down now at my corporate office job. Thursday is my last day, and I am sitting at my desk, just for a moment, allowing myself the inevitable moment of sadness.

Am I excited about the direction I am going. Absolutely. Am I happy to be finished juggling too many things? You bet. Am I looking forward to focusing on two things I absolutely love to do? Yes, yes, yes.

But this company has been good to me in the past few years. Any company can be friendly, any company can have a good salary and benefits package. But it takes a special company to go above and beyond. To understand that employees are not robots, and to allow us to sometimes put the needs of our family first. I have three kids and not once has anyone said anything about me taking them to a doctor or dentist appointment, or rolled their eyes because I didn't show up on a snow day when buses were cancelled, or batted an eyelid if I brought a not-quite-sick-enough -for-bed kid into the office for a morning and then took the afternoon off to work from home.

When you are a mom, these things are important. I loved that I had the flexibility to start work 30 minutes late when the morning bus schedule changed last year. Or to work through lunch and leave early to get to a 6pm concert or karate belting ceremony. And for this, I will always be appreciative.

Having said that, just because the company was supportive, doesn't mean I didn't feel guilty about all those times I missed a meeting or a deadline because of a flu bug or snowstorm. It's one of the reasons I am looking forward to working at home - the relief of not having to find a sitter on PD days and in the summer, the feeling that I will be more fully able to participate in my children's daily life, instead of just being the homework enforcer and dinner maker.

I'm not really sad at the change. But leaving is never easy and as I look around my office, I find it hard to believe I won't be coming in here every day.

Even as I look forward to working in my new home office.

This and That, Part II

One thing that being pressured for time does is force you to focus. I gave whatever I was doing - turnover work briefs, edits, making presentations for the literature class I am teaching - my complete attention. The down side is that some of the other things I love to do - blogging, reading, long walks with the dog, writing - didn't get done.  I had small chunks of time- long enough to update Facebook, or comment on Twitter, and about 24 minutes a day (the 12 min drive to and from the office) to think. It was in these 24 minutes that I came to a realization:

On Joy
So many of the things I do - you too probably - I do because they have become part of my routine. What I found was that some of the things I temporarily gave up were not things I missed. In addition, during the activities I did make time for, I became hyper-aware of how much pleasure they gave me. Or didn't give me.

This gift of clarity is not without complications. One of the things in particular grieves me when I consider not doing it, and I need to figure out whether it is something that the joy can be salvaged from, or whether I am in mourning for what was once wonderful and now need to accept that it/I has/have changed and move on.

On Facebook
One thing that I really enjoyed during this brief but insane period was the connection Facebook provided. I didn't have time for long phonecalls with friends or drinks out with the girls, but through social media I was able to feel like I was still part of the human race. I knew what was going on, even if I couldn't participate. And I love how easy that is. Facebook as a communications tool is fantastic. Through it I keep in touch with family in the UK, friends around the world, navy pals across Canada, and - even though I never expected this - it's even super helpful for local friends. I can't tell you how many play dates, get togethers, and invitations I have given/received through this medium.

There is always a dark side though. Communication can get twisted and assumptions made. I found that out this past week and without going into details, may I just remind everyone that Facebook messaging is not the place to air a grievance. Also that psychological warfare doesn't work on me.

On Health
Two weeks ago I woke up with a terrible neck pain. Too many hours at a computer, no doubt, coupled with the stress of doing too many things. It has only just healed - two weeks of carefully watching my posture, sleeping so my spine is straight (as opposed to the little ball I normally curl into), and gentle stretches. It made me very much aware of how valuable health is. We take it for granted, but during my two weeks of agony all my activities were marred by the pain, and I was even crankier and more cynical than usual (those of you who knew me in my Deximenes days will not be surprised; everyone else - to whom I am no doubt sweetness and light embodied - just needs to take my word for it)!

On Spring
I love winter and we've had a fabulous one on the slopes or snowshoing through the forest. But spring is around the corner.

Don't believe me?

See for yourself:

The first lamb has arrived, a true harbinger of Spring, even among hardier sheep stock. And like every year when this happens I am filled with a sense of wonder and a feeling of cheerfulness. Nothing is so cute as a lamb. Absolutely nothing. It's put a huge smile on my face.

This and That

It has been almost a month since I blogged. Long enough that friends not on facebook have contacted me to make sure I am still alive. I am. But time has been very precious in the last two months and blogging fell down the priority ladder. Today I am taking advantage of a snow day. All those other priorities are almost caught up, and now at almost four o'clock, I have a few minutes. I'm going to sum up what has been going through my mind with four pieces: Juggling, Joy, Social Media, and Stan Rogers.

On Juggling
The biggest challenge has been juggling. Not balls or knives, but jobs. For going on five years now I have been a corporate manager for a large locally-based international moulding company, a job that has been very rewarding and interesting for me. But about a year ago, re-shuffling and re-structuring meant that the two key projects most near and dear to my heart - the environment program, and marketing - began to slip away, be pulled into an abyss of apathy or outsourcing.

At the same time, the freelance editing I have done for 20 years began to deliver new opportunities, and a part-time teaching position for a communications professor at the local college opened up. This was September. By November it was obvious the college gig was going to expand, and the editing was taking on a life of its own: exciting, immediate and so rewarding.

I had to make a decision, and I gave notice at my regular job. But until next week, I am still working there, and so I continue to work, to teach, to edit. Juggle, juggle, juggle.

On Stan Rogers
We're home today in the snow and I have Stan songs running through my head. This one in particular seems appropriate:

I used to love these lazy winter afternoons;

Starting out too late giving up too soon;
Coming home to coffee and a trashy book;
Never paying any mind if things were never done on time

Time was when a fella could just let time slip away;
No worries car or telephone just rent and food to pay;
And every night with single buddies boozing at the bar,
Living for the minute, taking every hour in it!
But now there's just too much to do in any given day;
The car phone the kiddies shoes too many bills to pay;
Running from the crack of dawn 'til Knowlton reads the news,
And falling into bed too wiped to even kiss the wife good night.

The baby's in the Swingomatic, singing Rock and Roll;
My Sweetie's in the kitchen, whipping up my favourite casserole.
I knocked off work at ten o'clock, the kids are still at school.
The coffee pot is perking...to hell with bloody working.

Oh, it sure is sweet to sit at home and let time slip away,
Through tomorrow I'll be scratching through another working day;
But when I start to come apart from all the things to do,
I know that I'll be taking soon another lazy winter afternoon.
Oh, oh, oh...just another working Joe!