A year of opportunities: January 2012

Wednesday 18 January 2012

The potential of time

I have been thinking of time quite a bit lately - perhaps because it may be the first time in 30 plus years that I am not confined by time - deadlines, meetings, events and at times even have time on my hands - yep we use the word time often. I am currently listening to CBC radio and the program Q and they are talking about time - in particular about the leap second - hmmm... just a bit weird that I sat down to ramble about time just at this moment... interesting...

As noted above - this is the first time in a very long time that I have limited commitments (or at least commitments that I get to choose) which I have to admit is liberating and a bit challenging - I am so used to being on that I don't know how to be off! I am slowing getting use to it and fear that I will have it down pat just in time to head back into the rat race ;)

I found this definition on www.thefreedictionary.com that I really like: "time is the continuous passage of existence in which events pass from a state of potentiality in the future, through the present, to a state of finality in the past" I think it is quite applicable to those of us in the protocol and event business and I love the phrase - "state of potentiality" to me that means anything is possible. I recently attended a retirement celebration for a dear colleague (held in East York - had to get this in here) and the potential of time was very evident in the joy expressed by Betty on the opportunity to spend more time with family and friends and the list of travel booked for the rest of this year - Congrats Betty!!

So it is back to opportunities and to what that means - right now - for me it is time and all that potential.

Sunday 1 January 2012

2012 New Year's Dip!!

Happy New Year everyone! I celebrated the entry of the new year with wonderful friends and a glass or two of fine bubbly. I hope you all had a lovely and safe evening. The Dip part of New Years came today - January 1. Good friends Ellen and Kathleen decided they were going to jump in the lake today and I tagged along to provide support - no - I did not even stick my toe in that cold water!! But Ellen and Kathleen were soooo brave - I am in awe.
Thankfully not the coldest day but temps are just above freezing and it is still cold and rainy - not beach weather at all. We arrived at Woodbine Beach and trekked across the sand to the holding tent for about a 45 minute wait - I'm sure it felt like 45 hours to Ellen and Kathleen. Slowly they peeled off the layers of clothing until 5 minutes out - they were in swim suits and a fleece top - then it is time and the fleece was left in the pile and they made their way to the tent entrance. Then they were off down the beach to the waves of water. Here are some photos from their adventure.