"Recalculating...Recalculating"

"Recalculating, Recalculating"

Are you like me? I like schedules, lists, routines and when "life" deems that my plans are going to change, my mind starts to buzz and I hear that little GPS voice that mutters "recalculating, recalculating".

Let me share with you three recent stories in my life that each taught me a different lesson about the richness of veering off my planned path.

Yesterday the kids and I packed up for a trip to Mountsberg for the Maple Syrup Festival. We turned down the entry road and were met with at least 60 cars trying to enter the conservation area. After sitting in car fumes for 15 minutes, I looked at the kids and we decided that a 3 point turn around was required. I looked at the faces in the countless cars willing to stick it out, and I wasn't sure what to think of my decision...did it make me weak that I wasn't willing to sit there and wait? We stopped by Simpler Thyme, the other organic farm I frequent, to pick up my 1/2 bushel order of apples. When we arrived, farmer Ann greeted us and said, "Oh, are you here to see the maple syrup cooking?" Whoa, how cool was that? We walked in the mud to the bush, viewed the dripping sap and stood over the two huge vats of boiling syrup. As the sweet steam seeped into our noses in a way I had never experienced, and as we poured our newly purchased syrup over our homemade pancakes, we all agreed that our afternoon turned out just right.

Many of you know that I was sick last week with a cold that was a repeat of a similar virus I had only 3 weeks prior. After not being really sick for about 2 years, I was miserable to be set off course. Since it hit my kids as well, the three of us spent the first day alternating between the sofa, bed and warm baths. On the second day, my parents drove down and entered with a roast chicken, fresh bread, soups and lots of energy and love. Looking back on that week, I will never say I enjoyed the flu shivers, but it did give me a wake-up call of the many times my parents have rescued me as a child, university student and now, as an adult who realized she couldn't do it all. I needed that reality check.

And finally, my coffee love affair that experienced a huge detour on November 9th. It was one of those "enough is enough" moments where I couldn't ignore the advice from professionals any longer and couldn't subject my kids another day to a jittery mom at the breakfast table. Years of caffeine overload had shot my nerves and although it pained me greatly to put away my coffee maker, it was up to me to reclaim some control over my nerves and mood. So, I recalculated my hot drink preference overnight and swiched to herbal teas. Who knew there were so many to choose from and that my favorite coffee place would make me a tea latte so that I could still have a little barista treat. About a month ago, one of my friends mentioned another hot drink option and when I was at Goodness Me I spotted it in the tea section. It's called Teeccino and is a herbal coffee alternative made up of yummy ingredients like almonds, figs, dates, cocoa, carob. You brew it just like coffee, it's dark and rich, it's hot, it smells delicious and even better, my heart isn't racing after a cup!

I don't know what inspired this theme...maybe the change in season, maybe the changes I see in those of you buckling down with your race training or maybe it is the excitement of seeing new members joining up now that the pavement is clear of ice.

Enjoy this week everyone and have a think about what unplanned change in your life this week resulted in a rich surprise! (perhaps it's the 50 lunge leaps I have planned for tomorrow's class?)

Sue