Reflections on things I love

As I sit here in a sugar coma, induced by warm brownies and ice cream, I can’t help but turn my thoughts to all the love that I have in my life. My family, my friends here, back home and around the world, and countless things that make me smile. I ordinarily boycott Valentine’s Day, apart from the chocolate and sweets, as a singular day to express your love, preferring to do so the other 364 days in the year. I found it a bit odd waiting in line at the grocery store today, watching men buy fake roses wrapped in cellophane and cheesy cards from China, that in a country where it seems so many men, and increasingly women, have more than one partner, that V-Day seems a sort of day of redemption. On my part, I thought it nice to consider some of the many things I love in life, apart from people – they know who they are and I will make sure they know they are loved another day.

1. Skype – when phone connections suck, budget is tight and a voice isn’t enough, Skype answers the call and helps me feel connected!

2. Digital Camera – knowing my memory problems, photos help me relive moments over and over again, and reconstruct an experience on scrapbook pages.

3. Running – just you, body and soul, to exhert, unwind and reflect while you push yourself. Looking forward to the Holetown 7km run with our friend Rodney on Sunday. He seems to think I'm going to kick his butt :)

4. Ice cream – ok I couldn’t not include it. In fact, here is what my ice cream looked like an hour ago:


5. Stephen Lewis and Romeo Dallaire – two men I highly respect and admire for their humanitarian work in Canada and abroad.

6. Aloe vera – it’s the new windex; the current cure-all!

7. The feeling of a cool breeze on your face and through your hair, where you can just close you eyes and breathe it in.


8. Comfort food that feels like a rainbow in your tummy - you know those days where you can completely satisfy a craving, or when you try a new recipe out and it tastes divine; sit back and savour it :)

9. Peaceful, restful sleep - the kind where you really feel ready to tackle life when you get up; definitely need more of those mornings!

10. The feeling you get when you give a little surprise to someone and get their excited reaction - the best kind of egoism.


And while I'm at it, I want to thank in particular the friends that I don't keep in touch with as frequently as I would like, but who take the time to read here and keep posted on what I'm up to. When I see the stats and check out which countries are reading, it really brightens my day. Thank you with all my heart.