It was a beautiful Tuesday morning, rare for Calgary (or it seems as there has only been 7 days in the last month that have not been filled with precipitation). After a productive morning filled with chores, coffee and some quick Internet browsing, I decided it would be a lovely day to walk to work. I should have realized that the one cloud in the sky was actually an omen that I should drive my car the 4 minutes to work -- as an advocate and strong believer of Mission Zero, it would have been the safe thing to do.
About 10 minutes from my destination is when I saw the first crow. Perched on the power line. Heckling me and taunting me to come closer. I had no idea his gang was nearby. Like Guerrillas (see what I did there) in the Mist, the crows came out of nowhere. All one could hear were the sounds of high pitched caws and I could feel their beady little eyes staring into the back of my head as I quickened my pace.
Near the Chat and Chew Cafe (the Universe is a fan of Irony), the first one decided he had fooled around enough and like the Angry Birds of iPhone fame, he swooped and dived. I screamed. My screams were lost among the war cries of the scavengers. I started walking faster...trying to keep my eyes on the birds without losing my footing. A second one swooped and then a third. I ran into the road where I thought I may be safe in the opening and someone could come to my rescue. The birds could care less if anyone else saw. I am not ashamed that I chose flight over fight.
The murder lost interest near my workplace. They returned to their original positions, awaiting their next victim.
And I have no idea how I am going to get home.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Summer Loving
Things I am determined to do in the next two months:
- visit the Gopher Museum. I didn't get around to doing this last year and it still needs to be checked out
- vodka water melon
- lots and lots of bicycle rides and rollerblading afternoons
- create a chalk mural
- swing on the swings in the park
- water fight and sprinkler jumping
- attend as many social media networking events as possible to get to know the community better here in Calgary (it's time to put some faces to names)
- hit up Calaway Park
- sangria picnic in the park
- complete my summer reading list while sitting on patios at pubs and cafes people watching
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Ooops!
mis·take
[mi-steyk]
noun, verb -took, -tak·en, -tak·ing.
–noun
1.an error in action, calculation, opinion, or judgment caused by poor reasoning, carelessness, insufficient knowledge, etc.
2.a misunderstanding or misconception.
I'm reading an article right now about embracing your mistakes. It's no doubt that we have all made one or two or a million in our lives. And through those mistakes we have learned what works for us personally and what works for us in society.
Apparently one of the reasons we make mistakes is overconfidence. Which makes sense (to me) because the more confidence one has, the more willing one is to take a risk. When one takes a risk, the odds of a mistake happening increases. And even when that mistake is made, it can help one's confidence grow even more-- as long as one is willing to see where things went wrong and try a different way without allowing one's self worth to be affected. Thus the potential to create even more mistakes.
A mistake isn't a bad thing, but you have to take responsibility and owe up to making the mistake -- from missing a decimal place while working on the company's accounts to meeting the perfect person for you in the wrong circumstances. Sometimes those mistakes lead you into better places and opportunities, some times you have to learn to never make that choice again.
As long as you can identify the mistake, embrace it, learn from it and turn it around into an opportunity to better your life, feel free to screw up without worry or fear. We only have this one life, and it doesn't come with an eraser.
"Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life" Sophia Loren
[mi-steyk]
noun, verb -took, -tak·en, -tak·ing.
–noun
1.an error in action, calculation, opinion, or judgment caused by poor reasoning, carelessness, insufficient knowledge, etc.
2.a misunderstanding or misconception.
I'm reading an article right now about embracing your mistakes. It's no doubt that we have all made one or two or a million in our lives. And through those mistakes we have learned what works for us personally and what works for us in society.
Apparently one of the reasons we make mistakes is overconfidence. Which makes sense (to me) because the more confidence one has, the more willing one is to take a risk. When one takes a risk, the odds of a mistake happening increases. And even when that mistake is made, it can help one's confidence grow even more-- as long as one is willing to see where things went wrong and try a different way without allowing one's self worth to be affected. Thus the potential to create even more mistakes.
A mistake isn't a bad thing, but you have to take responsibility and owe up to making the mistake -- from missing a decimal place while working on the company's accounts to meeting the perfect person for you in the wrong circumstances. Sometimes those mistakes lead you into better places and opportunities, some times you have to learn to never make that choice again.
As long as you can identify the mistake, embrace it, learn from it and turn it around into an opportunity to better your life, feel free to screw up without worry or fear. We only have this one life, and it doesn't come with an eraser.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)