This weekend was super relaxing. Bed early on Friday, Saturday nap, made dinner & dessert, Sunday boating, blogging, reading. I love the weekend to slow down, talk less, sleep more, and take a break from email.
I didn’t use to be so good at it, I had to work at relaxing, I couldn’t sit still. Last year I went to regular yoga at a studio.One of my fav parts about yogayoga was the practice, making time for it, laying on my mat, moving through the poses, sweating, meditating. Something I learned from my teacher, Sandy was ‘not reacting takes practice‘. And although she said it in the context of trying to stay still in savasana, I carried it with me right out the door and into my life.
Not reacting takes practice. It took me a while to be able to lay there, still on the floor with my thoughts and not move when a bead of sweat dripped across my face. I’ve been doing yoga on our rooftop patio and it’s good but not that same as a quiet room and music lead by someones calming, familiar voice. [Studio is back open in January!]
The cottage makes me feel calm.
When I think back to Sandy saying ‘not reacting takes practice’ it’s so true if you apply that to stressful situations. Especially those where you could react with rage or anger, not reacting there is a real test of your patience and just how much practice you’ve had. My mum has a couple of good sayings like ‘water off a duck’s back‘ or ‘build a bridge and get over it‘. She always knows the right thing to say.
If you’re feeling stressed or holding something inside, let it go. Write it on a piece of paper and throw it in the fire. There is no sense carrying it with you for another day, week, or year. Free up that space in yourself to fill it with something that makes you happy, with sunshine. Step outside feeling lighter and put on a smile. I’m well aware that this won’t be as easy for some people as it is for others, and that’s ok. It’s all about finding the right method for you to help you deal with these stressful feelings. Some people may prefer to Buy CBD Oil
instead of writing their feelings down on a piece of paper. As long as you don’t suffer, you should do what feels best for you. It may be worth giving it a go first, just in case you find it to be effective.
Not long I went to an event at Only One Gallery featuring a reading by NYC poet Cleo Wade hosted by MedReleaf‘s brand, Altavie. It was one of the first cannabis-focused events I’d attended, it stood out with its classiness and the incredibly cool group of mostly women in attendance.
The night started with a guided meditation where everyone closed their eyes to take a few minutes for themselves. The panel was hosted by Briony Douglas who’s art was displayed around the gallery with a few other artists (Alpo Snow, Tahsin- The Good and Enzee Creative. Briony is one of my favs I have couple pieces from her recent show MOUTHPIECE in my room.
AltaVie by MedReleaf aims to help make mindfulness more attainable
Altavie is a high-end cannabis brand with a movement towards mindfulness, being present, and living in the now. Cannabis products are becoming more and more well known for their mental health benefits, for example, in helping with anxiety, depression and insomnia, and there are many different kinds of products out there, from CBD vaping cartridges (check out this CBDFX discount code if you’re interested in those) to products like Altavie. I was there thinking, ‘wow this weed brand is so ME right now, how is this really happening‘. Life is such a dream. It’s amazing how so much has changed – now there are more cannabis brands reaching customers with the help of an SEO agency specializing in the cannabis industry which once upon a time, not too long ago, would have been totally unheard from. How times have changed, and for the better too, I would say!
I am feeling this vibe ?
The only product currently on the website is a cannabis-free a nut bark that looks pretty good called Cannabis Crunch. It’s infused with cannabis inspired flavours (toffee, cinnamon, cardamom) and the product is already available at over 200, health food, drug and grocery stores across the country. A perfect product placement strategy.
“We are living in a fast-paced world that has us all constantly looking to the future and focused on getting somewhere or the next thing” noted Darren Karasiuk, VP Strategy at MedReleaf. “While the benefits of cannabis are far-reaching, for the launch of AltaVie we want to focus on the power of being in the present, allowing our consumer to appreciate life’s moments more fully – in the here and now, big or small.”
I’m really interested in high-end cannabis brands and products, and how they’re being marketed to women . I’ve already seen some really beautiful accessories. Um, hello weedbox.com?!
Another cool thing about this event was San Rafael ’71, another Medreleaf brand targeted at the classic consumer. Their 420 Lager doesn’t contain cannabis but it has exactly 4.20% alcohol. Nice one! ?The beer was released in partnership with Amsterdam Brewery prior to legalization to get the brand name out there. If you live in Toronto you might have seen the posters around. Smart idea.
This is the creative marketing I love, I live for this stuff. So exciting. I love being part of what’s happening in the cannabis space and it’s only going to get more interesting. Please invite me to all your events.
This week I’m going to a cannabis event for a ‘sneak peek’ at 3 new cannabis brands and it’s at ‘For Your Eyes Only’ (a strip club). I will be sure to take photos (if I can!) and share what goes down behind the black curtain.
I’m writing this from the cottage with the lake as my second screen. Last week was a busy one after being away but I love those weeks almost as much because things move fast and it’s motivating.
The other day I went rock climbing with Raymi and some friends at Hub Climbing in Markham. I like rock climbing but it gets harder as you get older haha. My arms were a bit sore this week from wakeboarding and my trainer. I’m chuckling a bit to myself writing this because back in 2001, I was a Sunshine Girl (Toronto Sun) and my bio said I liked ‘baseball, rock climbing, and want to work in marketing‘. At the time I had never gone rock climbing in my life. Safe to say I always knew what I wanted career-wise!
There’s a slide!
Climbed these walls!
Change room has lockers
We were invited to check out Hub Climbing‘s 18,000 sq ft facility with over 200 climbs and bouldering. They’ve got locations in Markham (where we went) and Mississauga where they offer camps, classes, school groups, and yoga. They were very helpful in training us to ‘learn the ropes’, climb safely, and push ourselves to the limits.
Ok here we go
I am so ready for this
Amazing light
BTS
Training
I DID IT
Raymi & Me
The gang!
All smiles
It’s definitely a fun experience, we had heaps of laughs. Martin from @Studenomics was REALLY good. He scaled the speed wall in under 10 seconds!
The thing I like about rock climbing is that you use every muscle in your body including your brain. You have to think strategically about where you’re going and how you’re going to get there. Such is life.
Thank you Rob & Hub Climbing for inviting me to climb at your gym. Looking forward to my next visit!
Today I cleaned some stuff ou out from the stage space under my bed. Every single time I do this it’s a mix of ‘why am I keeping this crap’ and ‘oh my God look what I found!‘ Like this great leather hat and vintage leather fanny pack lol.
We keep all kinds of crap and take it around with you, different houses, relationships, but you should really just let it go, clean it out. Why do we keep so many things?
Oh hey old friend!
I’m on a mission to cleanse everything from my life that doesn’t give me joy.Marie Kondo your life kinda thing. I did this a couple years ago after a great trip to LA. I came home refreshed with renewed self-worth and energy to go confidently in the direction of my dreams. I find, one of the best ways to cleanse out your internal demons is to get rid of crap around you in the physical world. It is so cathartic to throw things down the laundry shoot, in the garbage or toss in the bins at the dump (a personal fav!). After that LA trip I was pretty dedicated to yoga 3-4/week and eating better, but as time went on, I travelled heaps, got off my path and hardly went to yoga this year (or hardly worked out at all tbh). You can’t hate yourself for it though, life happens!
You always have the ability to start something today, shift your perspective, take a new outlook, or make a change.
Your life is your movie and you are the director, You decide what you do and how you handle the situations life hands you. NO excuses.
This summer, I started actually going to the gym and even booked a trainer for 6 months. I started wakeboarding (ok I went once but I did it!). I went rock climbing. I’m drinking less. It feels less like work and more like a challenge when you stick to your goals. I am in no way perfect or really great at this but I’m trying. I try every day and some days I’m really off my game, but that’s ok. The important thing is to keep trying.
If you’re looking for some motivation, start with clutter around your bedroom, house, kitchen, and clean it out this weekend. You’ll feel heaps better!
Tonight I am going to Diner en Blanc and I really hope it doesn’t rain!
It’s a great reset to take a break from your everyday lifeand escape to the woods. Sean and I had 7 whole days alone before welcoming guests on the last weekend. It was an incredible getaway. After my Portugal trip I felt like I needed some time to reset.
August is always a time where I asses the year so far, look at my goals and make a plan for the final quarter. Fitness, mental clarity, more work I enjoy, travel, and balance are key.
I hit the ground running w/ my trainer this week and after my first weekend of wakeboarding, it was kinda hard. MY ARMS WERE KILLING YESTERDAY. I’m determined to give it another go this weekend and hone in on my skills. I honestly never thought I would be a gym-loving wakeboard chick but here I AM.
Swipe for video of me wakeboarding (Cory Lee is screaming, not me! haha)
Feeling fresh and ready for a great month. Yesterday was my first day back and I’m already moving on a couple exciting things. Next week I have 2 speaking gigs, the public one is at the Apparel Textile Sourcing show and you can register to come here.
Remember, you will never be younger than you are today so make the most of it.
Helloooo and happy Monday Tuesday! It’s a short week and I’m happy to working beside the lake. Tomorrow is Sean’s birthday and each year we spend this week up at the cottage.
The weather this weekend was amazing. Got some good sun on Saturday. Drove the truck with the boat trailer and backed it into the water perfectly. Did dock yoga with coffee. Already finished a book and hope to get through another one or two on my Kindle this week. The lake is so warm and perfect for swimming. Went out on my stand up paddleboard (SUP). We have been out in the boat quite a bit and I’m comfortable taking Sean out wakeboarding. This was ‘relationship goals’ for him!
I love cooking at the cottage but I rarely share what I’m making. To social media all the things I create makes it feel like work. I love spending time prepping for dinner, making marinades, and finding recipes on Pinterest.
I have been working on perfecting bbq cauliflower, there are so many great ways to cook it. Grapefruit is a favourite for breakfast. Meat from Costco has been great for bbq, comes seasoned and these Korean ribs were incredible! I’ve had perfect avocados 3 days in a row. Brought back some incredible olive oil from a winery in Portugal and it’s amazing the difference from what you buy at the grocery store here. Good olive oil is worth the $$!
We made some lake friends this weekend who invited us to a concert. There was a full on band playing covers and heaps of people around our age hanging out. We boated over for a couple beers and it was so fun.
I’m grateful for rainy days just as much as the sunshiney ones to get things done inside or on my computer. It’s so nice to have a break from city life. I know I was just on vacation in Portugal but it was the opposite of relaxing, go-go-go everyday! My next post on visiting Porto will go live later today or tomorrow. Lots of great stuff from there to share.
