Inside The Polished Apple

Thanks to Scott Hutchison, Registered Massage Therapist and Professional Coach, working with us at Elan Family Wellness  Centre, in Bowness, NW Calgary, for these thoughts on our April ahead.  It is a brand new month and we have slid into my favourite month. Yes, April is my favourite because it is when Calgary wakes up from its long winter slumber. The daylight grows and so do the plants. My kids wander outside to help wake up our sleepy yard. I wander out and take stock of the work that needs to happen. If we look to this new season Mother Earth had gifted us, we can use it quite easily as a metaphor for our own life. Spring is a transformational season. A season when the resting and reflection gives way to motion, action and novelty. Like the first buds on the hedge. The small green shoots poking through the earth to become the first blooms of the year. Our lives go through these cycles. Expansion, contraction and a neutral static state. Recently, I started offe...

It was so timely-I had a call with my coaches this week about prioritizing the things in life.  What is urgent, non-urgent, important and non-important?   Calgary is in the midst of a cleanup from the recent flooding-an amazing recovery is in progress from this disaster that has affected thousands of families, the town of High River, the Calgary downtown core and more.  (Including my little incredible and wonderful community of Bowness.) It all was and is urgent. Urgent to pack bags and get out of your house by 7pm. Urgent to watch the news and Facebook updates all day and all night. Urgent to fill bathtubs or jugs of tap water. Urgent to feel as though you should drop everything and start shoveling out basements. Urgent to purge your house of anything unnecessary and donate to families in need.  Urgent to give food, clothes, money, anything you can scrape together.   The urgency makes it difficult to see what is the most important thing to do at ...

A topic that has come up for me lately...How are you motivated by Your Goals and Expectations?   In a balanced world, we set realistic personal (and work) goals and achievable expectations.  We plan ahead to keep our life organized and functioning efficiently and effectively.  What happens when we create unrealistic expectations?  Not just for ourselves, but for how everything and everyone should function.   This may be a problem for you if you hear yourself saying, "This is not the way it was supposed to be." "Why is this always happening to me?" "I can see it so vividly that I can almost touch it."  Perhaps the over scheduling, degree by age 22, married by 25, first child by  age 30... Retire at age 50... Or, "Maybe I'll run a marathon this year..." from the person who hasn't run longer than 5 minutes in their life. I see it in my office when practice member's pain interferes with the life they think they should be living.  Wh...

It was probably my lesson not to text (or Facebook) and work out at the gym at the same time.   A few weeks ago, I was at the gym, on my phone, and this woman started complaining along the lines of, " I would sooner be anywhere but here working out.  Its so difficult to make myself come here, but I have to do it.  I can think of ANYWHERE that I'd sooner be."  (yes repeatedly). I realized that she was talking in my direction so I smiled.  I wasn't able to commiserate and I had a dozen ideas floating in my head.   "Why is she talking to me?  And complaining?-do I look like I'm in misery and want to complain too?  Is this how people connect at the gym?  Why is she here if she doesn't want to?  Is her boyfriend (husband) making her do this?  Did her doctor tell her to lose weight?" And then my coaching information kicked in with an immediate, "Isn't she the one that wants to be here?  Isn't this a gym that we walk in t...

I stole the title, but I'm sending you to her website below. Isn't it great that once you make a commitment in a certain direction, all else falls into place?  For example, if I haven't already mentioned it, the upcoming Pediatric Magazine Pathways to Family Wellness , has an article written by a Waldorf Education on an art technique.  A speaker I recently heard present at the Waldorf was speaking on the topics of heart development, community, body movement helping brain development...  (too much to get into today!).  It was inspiring to hear educators speak in such a manner. Today's post is inspired by another blog post:  Dr. Liz is a chiropractor and coach.  I think the title says it all-the private and public life.  Enjoy her thoughts! http://www.drliz.ca/disconnected-the-private-and-public-face/ For me, this is always a test when: I'm at the gym in my sweats (ok-yoga-like workout clothes) and I run into a practice member. I open my door ...