Round Trip with Wendy McGean

For years, I thought that meditation was sitting in a lotus position and repeating a mantra. Not my favourite way to sit as my legs are not that flexible – I’m not good at imitating a pretzel although yoga does help with the flexibility. I’ve hung in there and completed a couple of Deepak Chopra’s 21 Day Free Meditations a few years ago. And bailed on more than a few. The best advice that I rememb...

Almost everywhere I turn my attention lately, I see a reference to Connection. Blog posts, Ted talks and even listening to people at work. Connection is a big deal but what is it and what is so important about it?

It brought to mind an illustration that I first saw in Louise LeBrun’s book “Fully Alive”. She presents a diagram of a circle and asks the reader to imagine that this object represents the domain of all knowledge. So “that means everything that you now know, everything you have ever known and anything that you could ever possibly know in the future, are all contained within this circle.” That’s a...

I believe that we make our own luck to an extent. When we are prepared with the right skills, temperament, geography and any number of other attributes, the perfect opportunity often makes its’ appearance. The operative word is “Preparation”.

Indeed.com defines Core values as “personal ethics or ideals that guide you when making decisions, building relationships and solving problems. “  Values are not nominalizations – words like family and money. Rather, we are looking for the underlying significance that those things elicit.  So family is not a core value but perhaps “connection” or “a sense of belonging” are the meanings that the pe...

But this particular chapter of my life and all that it represents was so important to me that I could not stop thinking about how some of my message might be useful to others. Telling that story has deep meaning for me. There was always a vision and that made this particular goal worth setting. Once the end goal was set – the lighthouse if you will, more smaller supporting goals followed that woul...

Since it’s Valentine’s Day – its seems like an opportune time to talk about love – which comes in many forms.

This is a huge shift for me as I always had to be right. I try to make sense out of my world with the information that I have as of this minute. In the next, I may know something new that inspires me to change my opinion or my actions. And that information may take longer for me to absorb and incorporate into my decision making process than others. I’m a work in progress – as are all of us.

In the last few years I’ve noticed something about myself. Promises or goals to benefit other people almost always get completed. And when I set one of those goals for myself in conversation with someone who witnesses my promise to myself and how I plan to go about it, there is an overwhelming chance that the particular goal will be accomplished.

"Love change, fear staying the same." Maxime Lagacé We live in such a twilight zone kind of world right now where almost nothing feels familiar – everything is changing and it’s happening more rapidly than what used to seem normal. It’s a tough reality to navigate.

I’ve been preoccupied as of late with the concept of creativity or creation. I love to paint and now write although I am never certain of the value of what I am putting out there.

And just like that I was home. I travelled across a good chunk of Canada again and loved every minute of it. I love Canada but we are not without our problems.

Driving from Thunder Bay, Nipigon, Terrace Bay, White River and Wawa

I’ve mentioned before that I love water, rocks and trees – there is something incredible calming about being out in the natural world – even when you can hear the traffic rolling by. On this particular night, I decided to try what legions of travellers do – camp in a Walmart parking lot.

A quick drive through Manitoba and a visit to the Center of Canada.

I’m taking a break from the trip across Canada to reflect a little on how much my life has changed over the past few years.

Sept 4th, 2021. Travelling through Saskatchewan on a bright & sunny late summer day.

I love an adventure and the chance to let one unfold. What can you explore in your world this week?

During my walk, I found a spot with placards describing some of Calgary’s history.  The settlement became the City of Calgary in 1894. At that time, it was still part of the Northwest Territories. A small oil industry born when oil was discovered in the Turner Valley in 1914 grew considerably after a larger discovery in Leduc in 1947. The population quadrupled from 1947 to 1970 to reach 400,0...

As someone who loves to pack something into every moment, I realized again the importance of making space to be present in a conversation without playing solitaire on my phone, checking emails or any number of any things at the same time. I read a question last week somewhere as I scanned my environment. It said “Are you addicted to stress?” And one of the clues was to be constantly playing on you...

Today is October 4th – I returned home from my cross country trip exactly two years ago today. I am extremely grateful for the life that I live and for what I’ve learned and accomplished in the past two years. I am so much more than two years older.

Travelling along Lake Superior is a special drive for me. In 2019, it’s where I saw an eagle take flight and sail along for a few seconds at helmet height.  It’s also the section  that saw me log over 700 kms in one day on Bullwinkle between Thunder Bay and Sault Ste Marie. On this trip, it gave me a chance to get to know the area a little better.

We were in the Algoma District which covers an area encompassing land that borders the western part of Lake Huron and the Eastern shores of Lake Superior. Towns such as Blind River, Thessalon, Bruce Mines, Sault Saint Marie and north up past Wawa are included. There are almost 40 Provincial Parks and Conservation Areas included in the district.

As August came to a close, I jumped on the opportunity to drive across a good part of Canada, in a car this time, to help a friend move across country. I was keeping a promise and, simultaneously, given a chance to revisit some of the places that I saw for the first time almost exactly two years ago.  My love affair with Canada goes on.

June is National Indigenous History Month and it’s wrapping up. This is a reminder for all Canadians - Indigenous, non-Indigenous and newcomers - to reflect upon and learn the history, heritage and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Metis people.