There's Magic in the Unknown

sorry...but this next little while you will be reading all sorts of excerpts and quotes...it's just the way I roll ;)
Journey to the Heart
Sometimes we're out of ideas. We think and think but nothing comes. We don't know what's next. It feels like we're at a dead end. But we're not. That void, that dreaded blank spot is really a glorious magical place.
Sometimes we have to run out of our ideas before we can open up to any new ones. The reason we can't see any further is because our ideas are limited by the past, by past experiences, by what life has been like before. Our future doesn't have to be limited by our past. Life knows that. Now we can learn it, too. We're not at a dead end. We've reached a new beginning.
Now is a time of magic.
Let the universe take your hand and
show you things you have never seen before.
Now, at last, you're open and vulnerable enough to begin.
Celebrate the magic, the mystery of the unknown.
Celebrate the miracles that will certainly come.
ps. bring on the summer! I'm ready to begin a new season!

Product Endorsement #4

Soo for the past week I have been living in the lululemon shavasana wrap (my favourite pose!). It is super cozy, comfortable and has a bit of style to it if you pair it with the right leggings (everything else you wear with it must be tight). It resembles a little bit like the snuggie that has been a fan fav the past few months...but of course I believe it's not even in the same league. Anywho thought I would pass on the word ... especially since today took a massive dip in the temperature.
ps. though i was a little tired from din in the tdot last night (93 Harbord - delish)- I completed the benz 10k race and felt great about it! i didnt win the draw for the car :( it's just not my month. ha! maybe next year! 2 more wkds till miss.mrthn! eesh!

Journey to the Heart

Heal Your Broken Heart
I lay on the cot in the boathouse at the mineral springs. I was wrapped from head to toe in a woolen blanket. As I lay there, the blanket covered my face, I could almost feel each break line in my heart. I could feel the fractures in a way I hadn't before. I knew then that healing my heart was one of the purposes of this journey.
Your heart may have been broken many times. Some breaks hurt more than others, but each break caused a fracture, a weakness in your ability and willingness to love, trust and heal.
Don't shut down. Don't go away. Don't tell yourself, My pain is not important. I'm stronger than that. That's just the way life is. Those are all lies we tell ourselves, lies to hide the pain of the break. The smallest betrayal unexpressed, at least to ourselves, can cause damage to our hearts. Willingness is the key - willingness to feel all we need to feel, willingness to heal, to love again.
As you go deeper into your journey, deeper into your joy, go deeper into your heart. Mend and heal all those tiny break lines, all the fractures, all the cracks. As you go deeper into joy, you will go deeper into your pain, your grief, your losses. Don't be afraid. That doesn't mean you'll return to despair or that you will live forever in grief and anguish.
Take the time now to mend the break lines. Go deep within your heart to help it heal. Bury the broken dreams. Release the hurts. Acknowledge the betrayals. And then lightly, gently, with love, rub a golden layer of forgiveness and love around your heart.
There comes a time in the journey to
the heart when it is time to let it heal.
The deeper we go into the healing,
the freer we will be, the more we will
know what we feel, and the more we will feel joy.
ps. I am so lucky to be surrounded by such amazing and genuine people xo

19 days and couting

19 days and counting until the Mississauga Marathon. Dear lord! Yesterday the connor clinic and I headed out on the roads to tackle a 36km run (our longest distance before the run). We ran most of the marathon course (running into friends along the way). It kind of gave me nightmares of last year (as it was just as windy)...but this year I feel so much stronger and it's awsome to be running with Sam and Merv who run at the same speed (they: seconds faster but they keep me going and keep me inspired) it's also nice to be running in the old hood. This time around I hope I make the cut and qualify for Boston. I was 33 seconds off last time, so I know there is a possibility...it all just comes down to how I am feeling the days leading up to the run. So hopefully this day next year I will have just completed Boston (as the race is today!). No pressure! eeesh! It's good to write down goals as I have learned over the past couple days: so my goal in May is to qualify for Boston and to let the past go.

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, 'I will try again tomorrow.'"

The Choice

Last night I read the last page of The Choice by Nicholas Sparks. Sparks is the best selling author of The Notebook. I picked this up in the airport coming home from Florida and enjoyed every page. A light read, but a great love story! I totally recommend it!
Synopsis: Travis Parker has everything a man could want: a good job, loyal friends, even a waterfront home in small-town North Carolina. In full pursuit of the good life -- boating, swimming, and regular barbecues with his good-natured buddies -- he holds the vague conviction that a serious relationship with a woman would only cramp his style. That is, until Gabby Holland moves in next door. Despite his attempts to be neighborly, the appealing redhead seems to have a chip on her shoulder about him...and the presence of her longtime boyfriend doesn't help. Despite himself, Travis can't stop trying to ingratiate himself with his new neighbor, and his persistent efforts lead them both to the doorstep of a journey that neither could have foreseen. Spanning the eventful years of young love, marriage and family, The Choice ultimately confronts us with the most heartwrenching question of all: how far would you go to keep the hope of love alive?

Restaurant Review

Last night Jodie, her girlfriends and I celebrated Jodie's 31st (yikes). Seeing as we had one of the co-founders of the Toronto Society out we seemed to have found ourselves in un-explored territory. For dinner we went to a place called Le Paradis (french cuisine) - it was delish. I ordered a mix salad and then the steak and frites. I would definitely go back....of course it was a great surprise that my parents phoned the restaurant from Florida to treat us to some vino! Once finished we then made our way to another restaurant for dessert: MoRoCo Chocolat (it was a francais nuit). This place was fab-u-lous! It is located in the heart of Yorkville and has been open for just over 6 months. There is no other way I would like to eat chocolate smores or some yummy fondue then eating at MoRoCo. The cocktails and desserts were amazing...and the atmosphere was perfect! Part of MoRoCo's appeal lies in its tongue-in-cheek renovations. A brightly lit chocolate display area -- chocolate cases with an aesthetic allure that could rival Tiffany's -- is matched with an atmospherically dark-walled dining room that evokes the swinging environs of Marina Del Ray. This chocolate shrine breathes new life into the old Coffee Mill space, transforming it into an appealing hangout with a pseudo-pompous vibe. Very posh indeed! Perfect place to meet with some friends or enjoy the company of a loved one while divulging in chocolat. (they also have a full menu so you can enjoy other foods besides dessert) I can't wait to go back. Side note: the bathrooms are also done up so you feel as if you are in someones stylish and luxurious house. visit: http://www.morocochocolat.com/
ps. Happy Birthday to Jodie! May this year bring you all you have dreamed for! xo
pps. Congratulations to Elecia and Tim who welcomed Emily this evening! Can't wait to meet my new cousin! xo