Maybe I’m stupid for writing this down but last night I came home frustrated after paying to go to a sound meditation that was the opposite of relaxing. I was really hoping it would be like the sound bath I went to in LA earlier this year. That amazing experience changed me for the better and I’ve been a little bit different ever since. Last night was NOT what I was hoping for. Given one detail, it would have been great but something happened…. I was really looking forward to last night after a particularly emotional day, hoping to calm my thoughts and body. BUT IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO RELAX. There was a medium size dog walking around the room the whole time dinging a bell (tags) and going up to everyone’s face while they were laying on the floor. This is not the dog’s fault! It’s not about the dog! Dogs are dogs and that’s what dogs do! It’s not like a dog could get its own ticket and come by himself. It would have been FINE if they SAID there was going be a dog or it was dog meditation or goats yoga or whatever! Or if everyone knew the dog already! Consent is important. Just try to imagine it was a person walking around making noise and putting their face in your face while you are laying on the floor trying to meditate in a new space with your eyes closed. (Some people might be into that but you would know what you’re getting into!) I could not for the life of me concentrate or relax because I was listening to the dog walk in circles, worried he was going to come up to my face. I was nervous from the moment I walked in but totally…

This post is sponsored by TD and the TD Common Ground Project On a sunny Sunday afternoon, I took a drive to Morningside Park in Scarborough. This year as part of Canada 150, TD is revitalizing over 150  community green spaces across Canada. It’s so nice to adventure and stroll through a new park discovering things along the way. I took some time to sit in the sun, watch the water, and admire the light shining through the trees in the middle of the forest. ???? When I was a kid in Cambridge, Ontario  I spent heaps of time at Riverside Park near our house. Playing there as a kid, volunteering for summer camp in high school, riding bikes, and watching friends play baseball when I was a bit older. To this day I always take a drive through the park when I go home to see how it changes and go for a walk if I have some. Sometimes I just sit in the car and listen to music with a friend like the good old days. So many memories.  A park is such a big part of a neighbourhood and city. TD’s Common Ground project encourages Canadians to come together in green spaces across the country. The scale of projects varies and there are 7 flagship projects, the outdoor gathering space at Morningside Park is one of them.  There are 82 projects in Ontario, with 7 in Toronto, find them all here. Next time I’m in KW I’ll be checking out Waterloo Park to see the new bridge connecting the two universities, provided through the TD Common Ground Project. Step Into the Forest – 360 Photo of Morningside Park, Scarborough I hope you’ll look up your local TD Common Ground revitalization project (here) and see what spaces are changing near you. For more information about the project find my…

The other day I watched Franca on Netflix. It’s a documentary about Franca Sozzani, former Editor in Chief of Italian Vogue, who died at 66. She was cutting edge and groundbreaking. I won’t spoil it with too much detail but it’s an inspiring film. I wrote this quite down as I watched it and it stuck with me. When I was in high school I printed out a Shakespeare quote, attached it to a magnet and stuck it on the fridge. I still have that magnet on our fridge today: “Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.” William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure This quote stuck with me because it’s easy to give up on your dreams, it’s easy to do something everyone has done before, easy to get a regular job, or not step out of your comfort zone. HOWEVER, when you do that, that’s WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS. By fearing to attempt, you lose the good you might win by trying. By not trying, you give up on yourself before you even start.  I’ve always done things my own way. A lot of the time it made it harder, took a bit longer, but it’s given me so much joy. I didn’t go right into a ‘regular’ 9-5 job, get married, have kids, like so many of my old friends but that wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted a life less ordinary.  Yesterday was a hard day for me reading the ‘me too’ posts from almost every single female friend in my timeline. I was overwhelmed with anger and sadness, I took a 2hr nap in the afternoon. BUT THAT WILL NOT STOP ME. We are resilient and we can do this. I found my inspiration today and I’m…