Running outside my comfort zone

Well, I just did something I never dreamed I’d do - I registered for a 10km run. Now, before you stop reading because to you 10km is a walk in the park, please take a moment to consider my running history. Until I was about 38.5 I carefully avoided any activity where I might be forced to move faster than a brisk walk, unless powered by two or more wheels. For example, my high school had cross-country trails that went though heavily wooded forest. That meant I could walk most of the way, enjoying the birdsong and day dreaming to my heart’s content. I only shifted to running mode after emerging from the forest, when the beady eyes of my PE teacher could spot what I was doing. At university I had the good fortune of getting a doctor to diagnose me with ‘flat feet’, a condition that came with strict orders to wear Birkenstocks and -- you guessed it -- avoid running. 

Since then, I had heeded her advice.

So why this change of heart? Well, it may be because the run I’m in comes with a post-race massage. It’s also because I’m doing this with a bunch of girlfriends, and any activity that involves girlfriend time is an activity worth doing. It’s helping me stay in shape, which is important at my advancing age. But the main reason I’m doing this is because I’d forgotten how challenging yourself to do something outside your comfort zone can make you feel, well, alive. Even when I’m panting along, thinking ‘dear god where is the end of the trail’, I feel (mentally) happy and excited about life. So here’s to adding a bit of spice to the every day same ol’ , same ol’, by stepping (or running) outside your comfort zone, and hopefully having a damn good time while doing it.

Girls' and Boys' Toys

A girl (in her blue jeans, blue shirt, and blue shoes) and her Lego.

Last Sunday I had the displeasure of going into Toys 'R' Us to buy a birthday present for my son’s friend. Usually I avoid this store at all costs. As a dear friend described, the store makes one itchy, with its sky-high piles of televisions and pop star branded toys. Unfortunately, it was the only store in town to have this particular toy. After my experience though, I will never step foot into it again. Here is the conversation I had with a staff member: 
Me: "Do you have BeyBlades?"
Staff member: "Yes. Those are in the boys’ toy section."
Me (now looking aghast at said staff member): "Gasp. Boys’ toy section? You have a ‘boys’ toy section’? Oh…never mind."
With that I marched off to find out which toys this massive retailer has deemed suitable only for the boys among us. It was filled with Transformers (which I loved as a child), Lego (ditto) and yes, BeyBlades (no comment, as I’d never heard of such a thing till this weekend). The girls’ toy section was so blindingly pink I had to shield my eyes as I walked by, but I caught glimpses of Barbies, dolls and Hannah Montana. 
Now, as the mother of a son I’m fully aware boys and girls are different, and not just physically. But do we need a major toy retailer deciding whether a toy is suitable for girls or boys? 
What’s next? A ‘boys’ and ‘girls’ section in the bookstores? 
Children and their parents are the ones to decide if a toy is suitable based on their family values, not on gender. 
If a girl fancies the newest action figure, or a boy wants to play with Barbie, then no one, especially not a massive corporation, should be sending any other message than “that’s okay.”

Yoga isn't bad for your body -- you are!

     The yoga world is in a twist this week after this New YorkTimes article suggested yoga can be harmful to your body. Of course like any headline making story it just focused on all the bad stuff listing a huge array of injuries people had suffered in the pursuit of yoga.

      Can yoga wreck your body? Nope. But you can wreck it doing yoga. That’s right – like everything it’s your responsibility to say “Um, I’m sorry, but I really, really can’t wrap my leg around my neck this morning and seriously, I have no desire to do that.” If your teacher insists you do it, leave the class and find a new teacher.

       Personally I think the crux of the problem is most of us are either too scared or too competitive to admit we can’t do something AND most of us (unlike dedicated yoginis) do not have the time to practice three hours a day and create a body capable of bending into knots, or doing full headstand for five minutes.

        So when we’re in class and our gorgeous yoga teacher (who does practice three hours a day) bends over backwards we think, “If I just push a little harder I can do that, too.” Of course, what we should be thinking is, “OMG, if I do that I’m gonna pop a disc.”

         If you want to keep enjoying yoga then find a teacher who truly means it when she says “listen to your body” (Nanaimoites can head to Steph's class at OmTown yoga). And when your body is screaming ‘dear god stop’ then, stop. 

A Positively Brilliant New Year

        Ah, a fresh new year – 12 pristine months with which to create our world anew. Apropos of that, I think we need an injection of positive thinking to get us off on the right foot, especially with the dreary weather upon us. So here’s a few (very) random rays of sunshine to brighten up the first month of 2012.

•        Canada’s crime rate is at its lowest in 40 years – the homicide rate at its lowest in 45 years (I won’t point out how foolish this makes Harper & Co. look because they don’t belong in a good news story).
•       The need for a work-life balance was acknowledged (gasp) by an international corporation when Volkswagen agreed emails to its German workers would not be forwarded to their Blackberry’s after 6 p.m. or before 7 a.m. 
• The Canadian Boreal Initiative says the future of Canada’s Boreal Forest looks bright. They released their top ten stories about the forest, and nine of them were positive. The top spot was a shout out to Quebec’s government for creating the largest land conservation plan in history for the forest. Vive la Boreal Forest à la Québec!
• BC Ferry riders will appreciates this one: David Hahn is gone. I repeat: Hahn is gone.
• Rumour has it that the Rolling Stones are planning a 50th year reunion tour and everyone loves a good rumour.
• The prediction this was going to be the coldest winter on record is proving patently untrue (touch wood).The shortest day of the year is long gone, which means the idyllic west coast summer is rapidly approaching.
• And finally – on Feb. 7, 2012, Charles Dickens fans will celebrate his 200th birthday. So, to paraphrase his most famous words, here’s my wish to you for 2012: “God (or whichever supernatural being/entity you chose to believe or not believe in) bless us, every one.”

Unwrap a Christmas Movie or Two

Ah, the holiday movie – as much a part of the season as eggnog, mistletoe and family feuds. In fact, choosing a movie is one of the leading causes of family feuds during the holidays when situations such as Cousin Willy not understanding that Bad Santa is inappropriate viewing for an eight-year-old raise their ugly head. While there is no real solution to said situation, there are a plethora of holiday movie treats that are perfect for tuning-in to once the turkey-coma takes hold. After a very unscientific poll of colleagues, friends and family here are my top picks.

Something for everyone:
The Polar Express: It will make you believe all over again.
Elf: Adults may need a rum and eggnog or two to truly appreciate Will Ferrell’s elf character.
Miracle on 34th Street: The original is still the best (even the trailer is great). 

At your discretion
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation: ‘nuff said
Trading Places: A classic with a message and laughs that never get old

Definitely for the adults in the family
Love Actually: A chick flick movie even the guys can enjoy – hands down my top pick for the holidays.
Bad Santa: Make sure the kiddies are snug in their beds when you start this one.

One final option: Make a huge bowl of popcorn, stock up on easily accessible drinks and make sure the phone is either turned off or close to hand. Then start the movie series marathon. There are tons to choose from that suit every taste: Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Back to the Future, Alien, Friday the 13th, the Bourne Identity series, The Matrix, Pirates of the Caribbean – much like Santa’s, the list is endless.

What are your favs?

It's official - stop doing so much

Eddy Campbell, president of the University of New Brunswick, said something a few months back that was so profound, yet so simple, I wondered why no one had said it before: “Up until now, we’ve been trying to do more with less. I think we probably need to have some very serious conversations about doing less with less.”

I’ll leave the discussion about who originally introduced the idea that we should all ‘do more with less’ for another editorial. But, as I pondered Campbell’s words of wisdom, I remembered the words of poet Robert Browning (which have been adopted by everyone from authors to advertisers to new age philosophers): ‘Less IS more’. Suddenly, I realized I could prove without a doubt that Campbell’s theory is correct. So, here comes the math bit:

If it’s true, as Browning says, that ‘less’ = ‘more’, than the word ‘more’ in the phrase ‘do more with less’ should be replaced with the word ‘less’ so that it reads ‘do less with less’ – exactly what Campbell is suggesting. (Of course, you could also argue the opposite and have the phrase read 'do more with more' -- another perfectly valid and reasonable idea).

So, if you’re feeling overwhelmed by requests at work or at home to continue to do more with less – whether ‘less’ refers to less time, less money, less support – I suggest you show your employer this editorial and/or cut it out and stick it to your fridge as a reminder that we should all in fact be doing less with less.

Confused? Then the next time you see me let’s talk…because I really think I’ve figured it all out…more or less

Eco-friendly Moderation

In the bewildering mix of eco-friendly, organic, sustainable living philosophies it’s sometimes hard to know how to act. Should we stop drinking coffee because it’s outside our 100-mile diet or drink more if it’s fair trade and supports third world farmers? And what about shopping at Wal-mart? Are they to be avoided because of their appalling employee practices or patronized because they’re one of the biggest purchasers of organic cotton?

Unfortunately, there’s no clear answer. Indeed, some of these contemporary living philosophies directly contradict one another. One camp says don’t eat meat, the other says eat-up as long as your meat is local, hormone-free and cooked as per the ‘slow food movement.’

So what’s a person to do? Firstly, do something. We all need to work toward a more earth-friendly future even if we just stop using our car so much or bring our own mug to our favourite coffee shop. Wise consumer choices also help -- Wal-mart wouldn’t stock organic cotton if we didn’t demand it.

But our attempt to live sustainably needs to be tempered with a dose of moderation. We could worry ourselves silly trying to live the most organic, eco-friendly life possible (in fact there is now an eating disorder for people who are obsessed with healthy eating) until it becomes such a strain we throw in the sustainable living towel and do nothing. 

So shop local if you can or bike to work one day a week. But have fun breaking the rules, too: I recommend a bottle of non-organic Australian wine and a cracker topped with creamy French brie and thin slices of prosciutto. Bon appetit!

The Most Depressing Day of the Year

When the delights of Christmas and New Year’s are, in this fast-paced world, distant memories, you've broken your New Year's resolutions, the bills are rollin' in and the realization dons on you that there are still at least two more months of grey, drippy, weather guess what? You're ready for what experts have deemed the most depressing day of the year -- the third Monday in January. 

Frankly, I don't feel like being depressed just two weeks into the New Year, so I'm trying to figure out how I can stay lighthearted and happy when this day rolls around.

Options I’ve come up with so far:

1.    Move and don’t leave a forwarding address so my credit card bills never reach me.

2.    Go on holiday somewhere hot so I actually don’t have to deal with the grey, drippy weather AND can also avoid the credit card bills.

3.    Buy one of those sun lamps and create a mini-beach in my living room.

4.    Form a support group made up of very generous wealthy people who can either a) pay my bills or b) fly me south for the rest of the winter or c) both.
5. OR just realize the depression is inevitable and live it up as much as I can over the holidays

I think I'm going to go with option five. 

A Day of Eunoia

Eunoia is an exceptional word -- weird but exceptional. Not only is it the shortest word in the English language to use all five vowels, it also has a sublime meaning – beautiful thinking. (And, it’s the title of a delightful little book that all lovers of language will enjoy. But, I digress). The reason I’m drawing it to your attention is because I’ve noticed recently that beautiful thoughts are not weighing very heavily on people’s minds at the moment. In fact, as the season of stress descends upon us, and the state of the world spirals further and further downhill (if the media is to be believed) I would argue eunoia is the furthest thing from people’s mind at this time. But, as you may have suspected, I’ve thought of an antidote to this problem. Why don’t we institute a National Day of Eunoia? It would be similar to those other ‘national’ days we have, such as National Doodle Day (March 2), or the International Talk Like a Pirate Day, but on the National Day of Eunoia everyone would focus on thinking beautiful thoughts. Those of us who were truly dedicated to celebrating this auspicious day could go one step further and maybe Facebook, Twitter or, I don’t know, actually speak to our friends and share with them our beautiful thoughts. Imagine the consequences! For at least one day of the year the world would be filled with shiny, happy people, pondering and sharing shiny, happy thoughts. It might not solve all the world’s problems, or even our own, but it just might make them a little easier to swallow.

Making a 'Not-to-do' List

There’s a familiar holiday song that goes something like, “He’s making a list, checkin’ it twice…” etc. Well, first of all I’ve always thought the lyrics should be changed to reflect what really happens during the holiday season: “She’s making a list, checkin’ it thrice (then running ‘round like crazy and NO, it’s not so nice). And then I began to wonder if making a ‘to-do’ list is really the best way to deal with the stress of the holiday season (and life in general) – after all, a list is a tangible reminder that we have way too much to do and no time to do it.

Then last week I discovered there was a far less stressful way to approach things: Turn the concept of the list on its head and start making a ‘not-to-do’ list. How? Well, like me there’s probably stuff on your to-do list you actually don’t need to do, especially during the holiday season. For example, do you really need to head to the malls a gazillion times, fight through crowds of stressed out people, just to buy run-of-the-mill presents and made-in-China stocking stuffers? Or can you move ‘mall visits’ to your ‘not-to-do’ list, and shop at local stores, make your own gifts or, better yet, move all your 'purchase-presents tasks' to your not-to-do list and give a gift of time to your loved one. For example, you could have tea with you Great Aunt Mabel or take your Mom out for dinner or build a gingerbread house with your kids. It's such a wonderful concept, although you may get some resistance from your family, especially if it's your turn to cook the turkey dinner. But, if anyone complains I would just tell them you’ve just double-checked your ‘not-to-do’ list and if they want dessert they’ll have to bring it themselves. Already the weight of the season’s expectations is lifting from my shoulders. Now, I’m actually looking forward to the delights of the holiday season – both the nice and the little bit naughty. 

-- 

The journey’s the thing

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to fly to Vancouver from Nanaimo. Normally when I make this journey I head to Departure Bay, walk on, catch the 257 Express Bus to downtown and five hours later I’ve arrived. The float plane journey, including the Gabriola ferry ride and the stroll to the terminal and the short wait clocked in at approximately one and half hours -- a savings of three and a half hours. You’d think I’d be overjoyed. But a funny thing happened on the way to the Vancouver Harbour Air terminal … I began to miss the BC Ferries journey. Shocking I know but what I began to realize is that sometimes – sometimes – the best adventures happen on the journey to somewhere. Think of the conversations you’ve had with strangers on an airplane, the great expanses of time on a train when the only thing you could do was devour a book, the discovery of a funky café or shop as you wandered from the ferry terminal to the bus station.

Of course, when one is commuting, or has a limited amount of time, then time is of the essence. But if that isn’t the case then take a deep breath, open your eyes and take in the pleasure of the journey (And if you’re travelling by BC Ferries, especially on the weekend … leave the car behind. The glorious essence of the journey becomes somewhat distilled when one is parked in an enormous line-up of cars for more than a few hours.) Bon voyage!

Where the “wild things” shouldn’t be

When my son and I went to see the movie version of Where the Wild Things Are something unusual happened. My seven-year-old son, who loves every single movie he sees (and watches them repeatedly), whether it’s Scooby-doo and the Monster Menace or The Golden Compass, declared, “That’s one I wouldn’t see again.”

This wasn’t the case of a children’s book being made into an adult movie as sometimes happens, because, strangely, I felt the same way. Often we complain about movies leaving parts of our favourite books out. But this time it was what was added to the movie—Max’s background story, imbuing the Wild Things with distinct personalities and creating conflict between them—that was disappointing. As one reviewer in the Globe and Mail said “[Maurice] Sendak’s poetically concise tale is stretched out into what feels like grief-counselling for Muppets.”

The beauty of Sendak’s book is that it isn’t defined. The reader, young and old, fills in the background details with their imagination, as their feelings see fit, expressing their own anger, their own frustration and their own ideas of what a “wild rumpus” is.

That’s why the book is so loved; what’s not in it is as important as what it is. And sometimes, as this movie proved, the mystery is better left alone.

Should we boycott multi-tasking?

A few years ago a scientific study was released proving women are better multi-taskers than men. Both genders embraced it. Women because it made them feel superior and men, well that’s a topic for another column.

Since then women have proudly taken on more responsibility claiming it’s “no problem.” After all, science says they can “do-it-all” and then some.

Lately, I’ve been feeling there’s something singularly wrong with this multi-tasking theory. Take my own experience. My husband says I have an innate ability to misplace things. When I can’t find something, he jokingly tells me to look in the freezer. Just the other day I realized I had in fact put the peanut butter in the freezer. Why? Because I was multi-tasking: tidying the kitchen, making lunch, talking on the phone and brewing an obviously much-needed coffee.

So is this mythical ability of women to multi-task really just that – a myth?

A little on-line research and I had my conclusive answer: yes and no. Women are better multi-taskers. But, too much multi-tasking has negative impacts on work quality and can lead to short-term memory loss. I was delighted I wasn’t at fault for freezing the peanut butter.

So I’ve added one more thing to my “to-do” list: Stop multi-tasking. I’m tired of this juggling act and think it’s time to trumpet the benefits of single-tasking. And I’ll get right on that, after I book my son’s dentist appointment, unpack groceries, make dinner and clean the bathroom. Now, where did I put the toilet brush?