Have I mentioned lately how much I like my commute?

We've had some grim, grey weather lately but this morning was gloriously cool, clear and sunny. As I stood waiting for the bus, Sullivan's Pond gleamed in the sunshine and the red and gold of the autumn leaves glowed. My heart lifted.

Most days, the best thing about my commute is my time on the ferry. I never tire of being on the water. I love the sound of waves splashing against the bow, the heavy salt scent in the air, and views that remind me of my city's dramatic history - Citadel Hill, George's Island, the Narrows.

The best thing about today's commute wasn't the ride on the ferry though. The best thing was climbing aboard the 8:45 bus and being greeted by John. John's been a bus driver for years and, judging by how he behaves, he seems to like his job. He greets every passenger warmly - most by name - and his passengers respond in kind, calling out to wish him a great day as they disembark.

My first morning in my new apartment, I didn't know the bus schedule so was still half a block away when the bus arrived at the stop. I started running in an effort to reach it before it pulled away - but gave up and began walking when I realized I was too late. At the same time, John saw me and hauled on the brakes, bringing the bus to a stop directly in front of me and opening the door to invite me aboard with a friendly smile. It was at that moment, I knew I'd done the right thing moving back to Nova Scotia.

So -  yes - I love my commute.

From work too - when I so often get the pleasure of seeing and photographing skies like the ones pictured  here.  I grabbed these shots with my smart phone en route to the ferry terminal tonight.

Learning to be who I might have been - one day at a time

"It's never too late to be who you might have been." - George Eliot

The Wolves Inside You

An elder Native American was teaching his grandchildren about life. He said to them, "A fight is going on inside me.. it is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One wolf represents fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity,
humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth,
compassion, and faith."

"This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other
person, too", he added.

The Grandchildren thought about it for a minute and then one child
asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old Cherokee simply replied... "The one you feed."

As we go through life, we're shaped by the things we think and do, the people around us, and the good and the bad that happens to us. In the midst of it all, it's easy to lose sight of what's important - especially when we are tired and discouraged by past missteps and disappointments.

Words to live by

People are unreasonable, illogical, self-centred
… love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives
… do good anyway.
If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies
… be successful anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow
… do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness will make you vulnerable
… be honest and frank anyway.
People love underdogs but follow only top dogs
… follow some underdog anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight
… build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you try to help
… help people anyway.
If you give the world the best you have, you may get kicked in the teeth
… but give the world the best you have
… Anyway.

- Mother Teresa

Running Lessons: It's amazing what you don't know about yourself

This is going to sound strange but I only discovered in the past couple of years that I have curly hair.  I don't mean wavy hair. I mean honest-to-goodness curly hair. You'd think I'd have known that my hair had big loopy curls, but I didn't. I didn't because I'd never had a hairstyle with long layers that let the curls happen. Now, on days when I let my hair dry naturally, I catch glimpses of myself and am astonished by those curls. Who is that woman with the big hair?