Chinook Massage Therapy

Ironically, trying to add a quote to this picture of Abraham Lake at sunrise made me feel anything but peaceful! Peace When people hear the word peace, they often think of it as a lack of conflict, struggle or stress.  Since that is wholly unattainable, I don’t think it’s a useful concept. I think of peace as having the tools to cope with situations as they arise, having confidence in your own abilities, and acceptance of what we can control. I think of the classic Serenity Prayer. When it comes to dealing with other people, it’s the realization that we can’t control how anyone else thinks or behaves, we can only control how we react to it. When we constantly dwell on the negative, we blind ourselves to the positive. When we only look at the big picture and become overwhelmed, we are crippled by inaction. I can’t cure a pandemic, but I can do my part to make sure I don’t add to the problem. I can’t end global warming, but I can reduce my footprint. A drop of water i...

   Intentionality Many of us do not have intentionality in our lives. We are more reactionary, responding to the needs of the moment. Our schedules are so packed full; we have home, work, family, volunteering and recreation all making demands on our time, energy and attention. We fly from obligation to obligation with barely time to breathe. When we do have a little time in the evening or on the weekend, we crash into a couch potato mind fog of TV, gaming and social media because that is all we feel capable of. Think about the common responses when you ask, “How are you?” We either get the ubiquitous “fine” (which we all know is meaningless), or “busy” or “tired”. Coming up with any other answer requires a mental energy and awareness of self that we don’t give ourselves time for. In our new normal, many of us have been given the gift of time at home. Those of us who are still working, are working twice as hard, trying to keep essential services going. Either way...

  Eat, Sleep, Drink and Be Merry Physical needs brings me to one of my favorite metaphors: the pre-flight lecture we get from flight attendants. Remember what they say about the oxygen mask that drops from the  overhead compartment? Place your own mask on before you assist someone else. In other words, you are no good to anyone if you collapse. From my perspective, that collapse can be mental, emotional or physical exhaustion. Self-care is not self-indulgent. By being our best possible selves, we can be the best parent, spouse, co-worker, child or friend that we can be.  Sometimes we treat life like a check-list (don’t get me wrong, I love a good list!) or a report card. We have forgotten to listen to what our body and brain are trying to tell us. Take a moment to consider if you are doing something because it has to be done, because you want to do it or because you think you have to do it.  It's only two weeks until Easter. Consider your traditions. Do ...

Greetings! A little bit of house-keeping. I don't seem to be getting the comments that people have told me they sent. I'm experimenting with the settings, so hopefully it will get all straightened out soon. I didn't want you to think I was ignoring you. I wasn't planning on writing today, it's the weekend, and in some places the sun was shining. Today was one of those "some day" things. You know, "some day I will take that trip"; "some day I will start that hobby", "some day I will get that job done"... The list can be endless. Well, some day arrived today. Everyone needed some fresh air and sunshine, so we chased the sun. It was overcast at home so we loaded up the dog and the kids into the truck and headed into the mountains. Abraham Lake isn't really a lake, it's a reservoir on the North Saskatchewan River. When the dam was built, the banks were flooded. For years, the slowly decomposing vegetation has been cr...