I was upset at first, and then I thought about it…

And I got over it. That’s a quote from a good friend. Actually, it’s more of a consistent saying. That being said, he usually uses it for not particularly significant disappointments. The beer he wanted is sold out, or the parking lot he wanted to use was full. However, I decided to borrow a page from his book last night when I found out my early Friday morning flight home to Winnipeg was cancelled.

Climate change is real friends. I lived my whole life in Winnipeg and have never seen a blizzard at the beginning of October before. One strong enough to cancel all incoming flights. Apparently strong enough to knock over my parents’ neighbour’s oak trees. Winterpeg, Manisnowba it is I guess. To say that the notification I received from Air Canada last night didn’t cause disappoint would be a lie. And then to find out the new flight they put me on was for 4pm on Saturday, which means I’d land there at 6pm, was not exactly a joy. In my knee-jerk reaction, I called Air Canada, got a lovely agent on the phone and he managed to get me on a 2pm Saturday flight… slightly better. He also suggested I go to the airport tomorrow at 10:30am and get on standby for the 12pm flight. That’s the current plan.

I was disappointed at first. Then I thought about it. And now I’m over it. I haven’t been home in 5 years. Thanksgiving alone is fine, but I’d much rather be with my famjam. Yes, I miss a day and a half of my trip, but it could be worse. What if they hadn’t been able to get me on a flight at all?! And I’ve been lucky enough to see my parents and siblings fairly consistently over the past few years. My nephews are who I’m really going home for. Snowstorm or no snowstorm.

Two of my nephews in BC in the summer.

Though, speaking of snowstorms, I’m a little worried about what effect that kind of weather is going to have on my body. As soon as it’s even a little cold here my finger tips and knuckles go bright red (even in A/C, I swear). I guess my plan needs to be to bundle up and stay indoors.

I’m more of a summertime kinda girl. Winter can stay away please.

Sometimes how things are depends upon how we look at them. Whether its physical health, mental health, joys or disappointments, our attitudes have a lot of influence on our lives.

Quick and Easy Meditation

I’ve done many posts on the benefits of meditation, and I find that I am continually recommending it to friends and acquaintances who say they are experiencing stress. I like meditative practices for a variety of reasons. They tend to help with body pain (that mind-body component), as well as relaxation and stress relief. Recently my friend told me that she feels so stressed planning her wedding that she’s having trouble sleeping or even just slowing down her brain. So of course I recommended trying some simple meditations. She said she didn’t have time. Neither do I, but I try to squeeze in 5 minutes as often as possible. 5 minutes can just calm your body and mind down. Ideally the goal is to work up to longer and longer times, but since meditation is actually quite difficult, starting simple is the best way to do it.

Just relaxing.

Guided meditations can start at the 5 minute mark, but are most frequently found at the 10 minute or longer mark. However, the reminders to let your thoughts go are helpful. Unguided, on the other hand, can be as long as you’d like, making 5 minutes seem reasonable. The downside is the reminders are up to you.

Spike is a pro at unguided meditations.

Body scans often start at the shorter, 5 minute mark, though I find they are more helpful as they near 10 minutes. Very easy to fit into a busy schedule thought.

Progressive muscle relaxation and autogenic training, both of which are excellent for body pain, tend to start at the 10 minute mark. A little more time needed to dedicate to these but the mindfulness exercises they provide are excellent.

Even if it’s hard to fit this into your busy life, I recommend trying to whenever you can, especially if you are suffering from stress, anxiety, or physical illness. If you’re anything like me, you’ll feel the positive effects immediately.