The Act of Giving

Last night, in a conversation with my brother Dave, I discovered a little deeper understanding of the act of giving. He told me he's having trouble coming up with something to give to me and Brian in honour of our wedding. In the past weeks, he's asked mom and my other brother, Greg, about possibilities for a gift. All he got were limitations of what not to give related to the amount of space Brian and I will have in our car during our move across Canada in the coming weeks. This probably left him even more empty in his bucket of creative ideas. So, he asked me directly for anything I think Brian and I would like from him. I thought about this for a bit, and the first thing that came into my mind was a painting (David is an extraordinary artist in many modalities). A painting is something small and light that could fit into those physical limitations of the space containing the lives of Brian and Dee in the coming weeks.... But then my focus on physical dimensions became much wider, encompassing an alternative form of gift giving. How about something non-material? Something that has an emotional tone, a meaningful act? A gift from the heart. The following morning, I was writing in my journal about this act of giving, and it became clear to me just how many different ways there are to give: giving some-'thing' to someone brings on a whole new meaning. You must excuse me for a second while I savour my new found sense of gift giving as it has exploded into an endless array of opportunities - those encompassing both material objects and things you can't touch or see. Really, it all stems from my intention as a gift-giver, and for me this means using less of my brain-power to figure out what to give someone, and just listening to a warmer, deeper, more caring sense of who I am to let a gift intention to arise. This lead me to the thought that it is the act of giving that is important - that which comes entirely from the giver in whatever way they know how - and not necessarily what you receive, as your gift is their act of giving. More simply put, the act is more important than the gift itself. So, I'm going to remember this and thank people honestly and openly for their act of giving, regardless of what it is they are passing into our hands, whether it's a set of beer glasses, money, a warm gesture of affection in person, and even the simplicity of their presence at our event. It all means the same, the act just comes out of people in different ways depending on where they are at, and how they want to show you they care. And for that, I am grateful. [To give you, the reader, a better understanding of why I may appear so 'earthy' or 'new-agey' about all this: I just returned from a week-long yoga therapy training course in Bristol, Vermont, and whenever I do intensives like this, I return with a deeper awareness of pretty much everything. It's wonderful for me to explore things in this light.]

Current Halifax Careers

By typing the words "Halifax Job" into Google, 658,000 links will be at your fingertips. Some of these links are good, some are less than desirable. One site, I think I shall not name here, had a grand total of one job in the Halifax region. Guess what it's for?...... Yep, Exotic Dancers. Ha! "Dancers (M/F) always needed. If you got the right stuff we're always looking for fresh new faces. Be the life of the party, be sexy, travel and get well paid to do it. Remember, it's not rocket science but it pays like it. Posted: 6/6/2007 Expires: 12/31/2009" Now THAT is funny. I think I'll have to pass on the employment opportunity, even if I end up in circumstances where I'm unable to scrounge up enough money to buy soda crackers to sustain my life. My dancing isn't that good anyway.

Snotscreen

Sunshine was abundant in the sky yesterday. Brian and I made good use of the swell weather and hopped on our bikes to ride out to Proctor and back - a round trip of about 70 km. It was a great ride because I felt so strong and FAST. Road bikes are not well known to me, but boy-oh-boy, I'm in L-O-V-E. I glide. I roll. I roar (in my heart). And apparently, I also wipe my nose on my arm. How do I know this last little fact? Well, it turns out that the sun was nice, but also so strong that my little skin cells got fried. And, at some point during our ride, or maybe even before the ride began, I brought my left forearm to my right nostril and dragged for approximately seven centimetres. The evidence is rather obvious, and slightly embarrassing. Who knew that snot could double as sunscreen? 'Snotscreen' should not be sold to the mainstream, but it should be divulged that in a pinch the gooey green stuff will do.