Today: I ditched the first version of the behind the scenes today. It was so boring because I’ve been so sick! So instead I decided to get some fresh air and take you on a little tour of my postage stamp garden. I hope you enjoy exploring the garden with me.
Rather spontaneously, Justin and I decided to take an extended weekend away to celebrate our dating anniversary by heading to Quebec City. In one fell swoop we booked our flights and hotel and before we knew it, we were on our way. I barely had time to remember that I’m afraid of flying! Good thing too because our connecting flight was tiny (only 19 rows) and if I’d thought about it too hard, I might have chickened out!
I’m so glad I didn’t because start to finish this trip was a delight, from our taxi driver who told us to expect four seasons of weather in one day (true!) to arriving in the old city centre and seeing this little boo.
Then there was our hotel – beautiful! We were upgraded to this lovely room and though we were worried it was going to rain throughout the trip, this suddenly made cozying up and listening to the rain seem like not such a bad option! It was a perfect combination of old world charm and modern luxuries. We were able to walk everywhere we wanted to go and the staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. We took a few moments to settle in and then immediately grabbed our cameras and headed out the door!
Steps away was this amazing artist’s row. Within moments we were learning about the popularity of copper etching in Quebec City and seeing all sorts of representations of parts of the city we would come to know and love.
Next we found our way down to La Promenade des Gouverneurs, a wonderful, wide walkway that gives you beautiful views of the city and the powerful St. Lawrence River. We walked the entire length of it and found ourselves on the Plains of Abraham.
This is the location of a pivotal moment in Canadian history. In 1759 the British defeated the French and took control of Quebec, changing the path of this land forever. While we were contemplating this place and our history, school groups were doing re-enactments – one group representing the English and one, the French. There was enthusiastic marching, yelling and charging! As with so many things during our visit, this felt so like home, so my culture, so my history, so a part of the fibre of our lives, from it being wonderfully corny to it being incredibly politically complex.
No matter how far we walked, the beautiful Chateau Frontenac was our landmark. No wonder it is the most photographed hotel in the world! We even managed to do a little exploration in the hotel, including discovering these amazing tiny circular hideaways for drinks overlooking the river!
As rain started to make an appearance, we decided to walk back to our hotel and passed by the incredibly impressive government building. It was full of statues of historical figures from Samuel de Champlain and the very beginnings of Quebec to more recent politicians like Maurice Duplessis and Robert Bourassa.
We’d only been in Quebec an afternoon and already we’d walked miles and miles and fallen in love with the beauty, the history, the character of the place
Despite the grey and the rain, we knew we had picked just the right place for us to visit.
We ended our day at the D’Orsay, enjoying steak frites and locally brewed beer. Perfect. And that was only day 1!
Today: Today: Getting incrementally better, looking forward to the garden, the Strawberry moon and summer delights and sharing a little more of Quebec.
Today: Today: I’m still sick but getting better, Jinx deigns to visit and I share a Quebec moment with a tortoise!
You know, you promise yourself a new haircut or that you’ll take some ‘me time’ or get to that Nia class you love so much. Oh, that’s me, hehe! But I have a sneaky suspicion you know what I’m talking about. Something comes up that seems so much more pressing. Or the money really needs to go elsewhere. Or you simply don’t have the time.
And so, what you promised yourself gets swept aside into that ‘I’ll get to it someday’ pile that you look at wistfully now and again before you put your nose back to the grindstone and get to what needs to be done.
What happens when we do that?
Imagine you had a friend who made promises to you over and over but never came through. Imagine they said to you each time, “I know I promised but…” How much confidence would you have in your friend? How much trust would there be?
Let me stop right here and say I am not bringing this up to make any of us feel bad or guilty for a single broken promise. Not one. What I’m saying is it matters that you can count on you.
I learned that from a clock.
I went through an intensive coaching certification program. It was several months, involved rigorous feedback, including rather unnerving supervisions and an exam where you coach your examiners! I was deeply committed to learning and, because you know how I feel about celebration, I promised myself this beautiful clock for a graduation gift. I loved it, and because it was beautiful and a bit of a financial stretch (particularly after tuition), I felt like I was investing in my next level of success. Perfect.
Except I didn’t buy it. Not the entire first year. Not the second. If I happened to go into the store, I’d visit the clock. But I’d always look at the price tag and put it right back down. Why did I need it? I mean, seriously, should I really spend that much money on a clock?
But it niggled at me. It wasn’t the clock that was calling my name. It was the unfulfilled promise waiting for me to show up.
So I dug in and I bought that clock. It sits on my desk and keeps me company every single day, reminding me not only that I am a certified coach but even more powerfully that I can have faith in me.
Today: Today: spending the day with Jennifer Lee and coming alive!
Mentioned in Today’s Show
