After months of being cooped inside, many Canadians embrace a trip to the dump as one of those classic springtime rituals. This year we seized upon the opportunity to rid ourselves of monumental amounts of obsolete electronics: computers, keyboards, cables, outdated cell phones, malfunctioning VCRs, a mass tangle of assorted cables and a 12 year old big screen TV that weighed about as much as a Smart car.

We had accumulated this stockpile over many years choosing to avoid definitive action to ‘clear the clutter’ knowing that these once cutting edge products had cost us many thousands of dollars.
So it was more than the usual trepidation that we found ourselves tossing these once highly valued implements of technology into the back of our van. Adding to the interest was the weather … torrential rains and strong gusty winds. But nothing was going to deter us from our steadfast commitment to move it out and move on.

Soon we found ourselves at the dump, and thru the gate we went, breaking thru yet another psychological barrier in our clutter clearing quest. There we were confronted with the challenge of trying to decipher the class of our trash: was it household hazardous waste, mixed solid waste, electronics or appliances? We were informed our trusty art deco Iona blender (circa 1975) didn’t qualify for free disposal so we would have to come up with the $5 disposal fee. I for the life of me had a hard time understanding why a pint size blender would set you back $5 whereas they welcomed a 200 pound TV like their long lost aunt? I speculated on the origins of this rather bizarre policy, and figured that somewhere out there was a vindictive bureaucrat who sustained injury in an incident involving an appliance of this nature.

Finally, after obtaining the requisite direction on where to dispose we found a home for our trash at stations # nine and twelve. I got a strange sense of satisfaction hearing the crash of archaic technology meeting its demise in the abyss of the dumpster. I felt somehow liberated and alive. I was clearing the clutter and it felt fabulous.

My glee was short lived however. Somehow I had overlooked that a detailed memo I had spent hours compiling lay on the floor of the van with the door wide open. A large gust ensued and before I could capture the document it took to the air and spun wildly away into the windy mayhem. I shrieked at my husband Andy “My PAPER!” He dutifully sprung into action, leaping over railings to give chase as the page spun and flapped haphazardly across the wet cement, toward dumpster #9. Thankfully he made the arrest and returned it to me, and I clutched it tightly, still hyperventilating from the thought of its loss. Andy looked at me with a rather puzzled expression and asked “Geez hon, what have you got written on that thing -the recipe for Coca Cola?”

Our mission was now complete. And as we made our way home, the irony of it all struck me. I mean really, how could a few ideas written on a single piece of paper be worth so much more than the once seemingly invaluable TVs, computers and gadgets that we had merrily tossed onto the scrap heap?

Yes, a trip to the dump… drama, suspense, damsel in distress, marital harmony and a quick lesson on what really matters.

Our first born left for university on Labor Day Weekend to Halifax where a level 2 Hurricane awaited their arrival. I hugged him goodbye at the airport and steadied myself to drive away wondering how I’d naviagate home through the tears. I worried about electrolyte imbalance after several hours due to the loss of fluids with the emotions. I was not prepared for the trap door to swing open quite that abruptly. Geez. We had 17 years to prepare ourselves…what happened? The shift of energy in the home was astounding. No pile of discarded shoes at the front door. No sock aroma when we peer into his empty room. I left the plate of crumbs by the TV for nostalgia sake. I can’t help but think that maybe if I’d been a better cook he might not have gone to another province. I’m counting the sleeps until Thanksgiving and taking a cooking course to prepare. As Elizabeth Kubler-Ross once said…”People are like stained glass windows:They sparkle and shine when the sun’s out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is light within.” I’ve got a light on and I’m hanging in there!

On a recent trip out west while staying at the beautiful Sheraton hotel I got up early for a morning workout and to clear my head before my presentation that day. I purposefully didn’t take my ipod as I wanted to run through some thoughts in my head. There were 2 other people working out but the treadmill was available…perfect. 7 minutes in a new arrival…a woman who appears to be in her 20″s climbs on the machine beside me. She has a mobile phone around her neck and an ear piece in her ear. Her phone rings and while walking she answers and then embarks on a marathon conversation in a loud grating voice. “So I’m just going to tell Cindy I made a mistake. She’ll get mad and ream me out. I’ll take it and we’ll move on.” This rendition was repeated over and over again with only slight variations interspersed with “You know whats” and “OMGs”. Any hope of “running through anything” was out of the question. I was now a prisoner in bubblehead’s conversation. She was oblivious to the fact that she was annoying everyone around her…and now just me as the other 2 had left…they couldn’t take it anymore. Finally, after what seemed an eternity…using all my conflict management techniques I leaned over and shouted “maybe you shouldn’t just take it…you could stand up for yourself and say enough already…this is crazy and life is too short to not speak up. Cindy is a good person and she’ll understand.” The look she gave me…I might as well have been on fire…and it was so worth it.

It seems somewhat predictable doesn’t it? We celebrate with reckless abandon in December, take one last kick at the can on New Years, and then wake up with a cloudy head to a cold jolt of January reality. Yikes!! No doubt the consumption meter spiked to some new heights in both the food and beverage department over the holidays. In our house we had the luxury of sleeping in more than usual. Routine activities like driving to school and shuttling little people got put on hold for a couple weeks. It feels like a shock to get back into the swing again. Some of us have vowed to shed the “St Nicholas six” we managed to pack on over the holidays. Others might vow to eat healthier, or to get fit?

What kind of shape are you in? Are you somewhat fit? Or fit to be tied? What was your New Year’s resolution? Whatever your goal was, one thing has proven true time and again: you increase your chances of accomplishing a goal by simply taking the step of telling someone what your goal is. Want to increase you chances of success further? Put your goal on paper! You double your chances of achieving your goal by writing it down. Yet outside of the workplace very few of us ever take the time to write down what we want to achieve. The fact is that most people don’t use these simple strategies to tap the amazing potential that resides within them.

Keep it simple. Set yourself up for success. Make that one change you have wanted to make. If it is a personal goal like fitness, then make a goal with that end in mind. See yourself achieving that goal, whether it is finishing a 5km run, or learning a new sport. Determine a target date for achieving your objective and map out your strategy for getting there. Often the first step along the road is the most difficult – but once you have taken that critical first step you may be amazed at the momentum it creates. You may take it on yourself or join a place that offers classes and find further momentum and inspiration in the support a group can offer.

A vision board will help you see it. For example, a picture with a finish line posted in the kitchen. Visuals help the subconscious mind to zone in directly on what is desired. If you can see it … you can believe it. If you can believe it…you can achieve it.

2011 is upon us…make it happen!

Shakespeare would have adored Dexter, our golden retriever, for his inspirational existence.
To be in or not to be in…that is the question. Hark…is that doth Dexter at the door who beckons to come in? Come hither young golden for it is your passion to know not whether you need to be out or in. What are these goals that you chase after? Alas, we have no means other than to be present to bring you hence forth into the home. Walk through thy glistening white tiled kitchen floor. See what prints thou bear into my very soul. And I shall see such black and grained marks … they have their tracks. Nay but to live and glow in your precious being. Good night sweet Prince…I shall wash you tomorrow.
Dexter brings the Shakespeare out in all of us who know him.