“Too many of us are not living our dreams
because we are living our fears.”
–Les Brown
The following piece of writing is a daily entry blog from February 27, 2020 to March 20, 2020. It was meant to be a 35 day trip, but was cut short due to COVID.
Daily Entries for In Search of The Sun with a Grateful Heart
Day 1/35 of – In Search of the Sun with a Grateful Heart Trip (written on the morning of Day Two)
On Thursday, February 27, 2020, I left Sturgeon Falls at about 11:00 am in the middle of a huge winter storm. I debated on whether or not I was going to leave Thursday or Friday, but consulting the weather network hourly forecast for both Sturgeon Falls and my first destination Ottawa, it appeared that it was going to continue to snow for EVER. So, I made a decision to just leave. And, actually the roads were not that bad. My first stop was in North Bay to drop off something to my great friend Susan. I stopped at Country Style and chatted for a bit before I went on. The drive from North Bay to Mattawa was probably the worst part. I knew it would be because that area always seems to get a lot of bad weather. However, I was behind a snow plow so I was comfortable going slow. I made two stops in Mattawa – one for my guilty pleasure of a Tim Horton’s Bacon Grilled Cheese Sandwich and two – to take a picture in front of the Mattawa River. If you put your finger on the picture, you will see how windy it is. The road from Mattawa to Deep River was not that bad and I stopped again in Deep River. This time, I saw it – hiding behind some wintery clouds – there it was – the SUN! My next stop was in Cobden and then from Cobden to Ottawa, the roads were clear. I arrived at my sister’s at about 5:00. Overall, I have had better drives to Ottawa, however, I made it in six hours and I was safe. I took advantage of the time to attend auto university on Audible, I listened to Brendon Burchard’s High Performance Habits, How Extraordinary People Become That Way. I have listened to this book before and it was so good, I bought it as well. Burchard has an amazing number of tips to become a high performer. I highly recommend this book. One of the best tips I learned from that book is to become very intentional – hence – my word(s) of the year – Clarity with Intention. I work on that daily. He even suggests setting a timer on your phone every hour to remind yourself to reset and get intentional. Great idea.
After dinner, my sister and I went to visit my late sister Lorraine’s son Michael. Michael and his partner Emilie just had a baby boy. His name is Connor and he is beautiful. He was due only at the end of March and I originally had plans with Michael and Emilie to have dinner on this night. However, the universe had other plans and I got to meet my new great nephew. He was born Feb. 22 weighing in at 5lbs, 2 oz or 2365 grams. He is doing very well for being born 5 weeks early. I am so happy and grateful that I got to meet him and see Michael and Emilie. I got to meet Emilie’s mom as well. She seems like someone I would get along with very well. I hope to see them in the future as Emilie’s parents live near me in Sudbury, Ontario.
Well that was Day One – What a beautiful start. Today I am off to Minnowbrook Conference Center. Minnowbrook is located in the central Adirondack Mountains on the north shore of Blue Mountain Lake in New York. I am attending a women’s retreat with my friends that I have met through Jack Canfield. The first time I attended a retreat there was really magical and my intention for this weekend is equally as magical. I am meeting some special people there and I am so looking forward to giving them a real hug. When I am there, I am planning on working on my next Blog for my Website – It will be titled – Miracle at Minnowbrook. Be sure to check it out and stay tuned for Day 2/35.
Day 2/35 of – In Search of the Sun with a Grateful Heart Trip (written on the morning of Day Three)
On Friday, February 28, 2020, I left Ottawa at about noon to head to a retreat in New York. I got some gas and was on my way. My destination was three hours away. The snow had stopped, yet they were still calling for flurries, and in some areas white-out conditions. I crossed the border at about 1:00 p.m. in Ogdensburg, New York. I was remembering the last time that I had made the trip to Minnowbrook. I was on a stress leave from my employment and had recently found out that after working at my school for 21 years, I was being involuntarily transferred to North Bay. At the time, I was feeling embarrassed, ashamed and devastated. That retreat – Renewing Your Spirit was the start of my healing journey. As I was driving, my thoughts turned to how proud I am of myself for all the work I have done in order to learn the lessons from the gift of being transferred (more on this situation will be written in my blog post called Miracle at Minnowbrook – check my website – maggiesullivan.ca). As I continued to drive, I was always reminding myself to stay present. Be grateful Maggie for all you can see. And I was able to see miles and miles of beautiful snow-covered trees. As much as I want to see the sun, the trees were quite stunning. Overall the drive went well. There was one patch of Interstate 56 that turned into white out conditions. I slowed down and was grateful for my snow tires that handled the snow much better that a few cars that I saw in the ditch. I sent them love and continued on my way. Once I arrived at Minnowbrook, I was greeted by the host of the workshop – Teresa Huggins. What a beautiful soul and I am so grateful that I was called to meet her three years ago. I walked into Minnowbrook and immediately felt excitement and knew magic was going to happen to me and the women who were going to experience her retreat – Leap into your Dreams. Dinner was superb – fresh salad, salmon with asparagus, and strawberry shortcake for dessert. For those of you who know me, I am not a fan of cooking and I am always grateful when someone else has shopped for me, cooked the food and then done the dishes! Minnowbrook was off to a great start. But ever better was my two friends on either side of me for dinner – Jen Granger and Cheryl Howell. Jen flew in from Maryland and Cheryl flew in from Arkansas. The three of us are in a mastermind group and we are thrilled to be spending the weekend together at this beautiful retreat center. After dinner, we had our first get to know you session with the other women in the retreat followed by a beautiful sound journey meditation with Andrea. I have never seen so many singing bowls in one room. (And she said she didn’t bring all of them). The sound journey lasted for an hour, but it did not feel like it was that long. At one point, I was reminded of a past life that I have experienced before in a meditation. I am convinced that in one of my past lives, I was in the military – hence my former nickname – Sargent Sullivan. During the meditation one of the sounds reminded me of air raid sounds and it caused me the very familiar feeling of fear that I have experienced many times in this lifetime. I really need to investigate this further and see what lessons I can pull out of this. After that, me and my roommate for the weekend Robin went and chatted with Jen and Cheryl, had a few laughs and then went off to bed. I am so excited for the unfolding of this day. I am open and ready universe for the gifts that you would like for me to receive.
Day 3/35 of – In Search of the Sun with a Grateful Heart Trip (written on the morning of Day Four)
Waking up at Minnowbrook is magical. You just know that special things are going to happen. We started the day with a beautiful breakfast -veggie and the most delicious bacon. I love the way Teresa arranges her retreats. She is an intuitive healer, so we discuss what shows up. We did some great exercises and the lesson that I took with me for the day was removing my old story like the caterpillar that turns into a butterfly. We tend to run the same playlists in our head and a number of those playlists are old and need to be changed. I have been working on ways to change mine. So somehow through the discussions of yesterday my mind managed to queue myself that whenever it wants to go back to an old playlist to send an image of the caterpillar morphing into the butterfly. Once the caterpillar is a butterfly it has completely transformed. It doesn’t think back to the journey of how it got there when it completely dissolved into liquid and then with cells called imaginal cells created the incredible process of metamorphosis that turns the caterpillar into a butterfly. So, in my case, whenever my mind goes to a particular old playlist, I now have a vision of the caterpillar turning into the beautiful butterfly. Love this.
We also went on a silent gratitude walk. I chose to stay indoors – well just because even though I do love nature – I am not a fan of snow and winter. Search of the Sun remember. I did my silent gratitude walk in the main house. And well I am not sure how I feel about all of the animals who are stuffed here, however, I did get an excellent idea for another children’s book – If The Animals Could Speak. Not 100% sure what I will do with this – but planting the seed.
Lunch was beautiful and then we had a chance to Create Our Joy. I spent some time writing. I am so looking forward to this week coming as I plan on spending a lot of time in writing mode. Dinner was fabulous. I had a fresh salad, sole stuffed with crab, vegies and for dessert apple pie with ice cream. I am not sure what my meals for the rest of the week are going to look like so I am taking advantage of the amazing food prepared with love at Minnowbrook. After dinner we did a great exercise where we supported one another in our manifestations and dreams by trusting each other. To end the evening, we did some breath work and a Yoga Nidra. It has been a few years since I did Yoga Nidra and for the life of me cannot think why I stopped. I will be sure to add this back into my repertoire of tools to support me. Then we shared some great conversations and laughs with each other. What a blessing to come together with beautiful women who want to lift each other up – that’s what is all about. Thank you universe for a great day.
Day 4/35 of – In Search of the Sun with a Grateful Heart Trip (2:30 -Sunday March 1, 2020)
Today is a beautiful sun filled blue sky day. Awoke to a beautiful breakfast and opportunity for conversation. Then we spent some time in gratitude and cementing in ways to take the goodness of Minnowbrook home with us. Then we did some yoga. I haven’t done any yoga for a couple of years and once again for the life of me not sure why I have not. I really enjoyed it. Then it was time for lunch. After lunch we took a few group photos and now I am sitting in front of a large window admiring the view. The sun is shining on me and it is hot. I am so looking forward to going to Florida on Tuesday. Within the next few hours I will be heading home. I hate to leave and I have so enjoyed spending time with my mastermind friends Cheryl and Jen. We have some great tools to add to our tool box to keep each other accountable. Looks like a great day for a drive. What a magical weekend. I feel like I have made a huge shift and I am ready to soar. Thank you Teresa.
8:00 a.m. on the morning of Day 5 – March 2, 2020
Arrived back at my sister’s safely at around 7:00 p.m. She had a nice chicken dinner waiting for me. That was great. I am still feeling so overjoyed thinking about the fantastic weekend I had with Teresa and the women at Minnowbrook. Something has definitely shifted in me. Yesterday, when I was thinking about today, I realized that it was a “bonus day” for me. I was originally going to be driving to Florida and now that I am driving, I am able to relax today. Relaxing is not something that I usually do. I am always busy being busy. But today, I am going to go through my suitcases and rearrange the things that I am going to take and the things that I will leave behind and pick up on my return. At Minnowbrook, I made a commitment to set up a writing schedule for all of my projects and that is on the agenda for today. I am going to have time while I am at the airport tomorrow to focus on a couple of projects so today I will prioritize. I am so grateful that I am retired and I am able to enjoy this moment, this day and this adventure to Florida. I am feeling so present and alive today. Thank you universe.
Day 5/35 Monday, March 2, 2020 of – In Search of the Sun with a Grateful Heart Trip (written at the airport in Toronto on Tuesday, March 3, 2020.
Yesterday was a super relaxed day. Originally, I was going to drive to Florida and then I changed my mind and decided to fly. As a result, I decided to give myself a day inbetween to re-pack, and relax before I left for Florida. I don’t usually give myself days like that and it was so nice to just wake up and not have a million things to do. I re-jigged my suitcases and went through everything one more time. “Do I really need that outfit?”, I asked myself over and over. I am not a minimalist and have a need to make sure I have everything. This is one habit that I would like to break. But I just never know what I am going to be inspired to do (write for my projects, write for my journal, read a book, read a magazine, or meditate.) I definitely have a need for control. But what if I just left life up to coincidence? I really should try that as an experiment. Oh, the thought scares me.
Back to yesterday. I also spend some time reflecting on my weekend at Minnowbrook and I just cannot express the gratitude I feel in my heart for such a beautiful weekend. That was for sure what I needed to start this 35 Day Journal.
I also needed a few last minute things, so I got in my car and I really tried to stay away from Carlingwood. However, the car just seemed to know the direction and before you know it, I found myself at Bonita. Even though, I did not need anything, I managed to find a nice top for my trip and a new dress that I will wear at a wedding that I am going to in May. I ended up running into my cousin Cathy at the mall and chatted with her. I love Carlingwood. It is like home to me. I spent many many hours walking around Carlingwood.
Had dinner with Mike and Lou and then watched a couple of episodes of The Blacklist on Netflix. I love Netflix and for the life of me, cannot understand why I never found this before now. The Blacklist is the current series I am watching and even though it has more killings in every episode that I care for, I am intrigued by the plot of the show. Went to sleep early as I set my alarm for 4:48.
Woke up and got ready. Louise drove me to the airport in Ottawa. Had a great flight to Toronto and now I am waiting to board the flight to Orlando. Looking forward to seeing the sun and feeling the heat!
Day 6/35 Tuesday, March 3, 2020 – In Search of the Sun with a Grateful Heart Trip (written on Wednesday March 4, 2020 in Orlando
What a great travel day yesterday. As mentioned yesterday, my sister brought me to the airport in Ottawa. Made it to Toronto and arrived in Orlando at about 3:30. No delays – beautiful flight. Got to the airport and rented a car. I have a beautiful Toyota Corolla. Made my way to the hotel that I rented for the night. It is in the heart of Disney. I am so excited to see Mickey and all of his friends. I realize now why I love those childhood images. I only went on one trip with my family ever. My aunt and uncle took me, my mom and cousin to Ontario Place in Toronto and Niagara Falls. I remember everything about that trip. It was so special. The other thing I did do with my mom, sister, aunt and cousins was go to the Ottawa Exhibition. I loved everything about the EX and I still go every year. I now understand that this is where my inner child can come out to play. I believe that is why I love Florida so much and everything about Disney. I allow my inner child to come out to play which didn’t happen very often when I was child or adult, yet!!!
I managed to find this great hotel through my RBC points and booked it for $85.00 CDN which is very inexpensive. I realize that I took a chance and it paid off. The hotel is under some renovations in the front desk area, but the rooms were superb. I had a king-sized bed, couch, desk, beautiful bathroom, and fridge. It also had a continental breakfast and now I am sitting out by the pool. I was able to do some writing last night, this morning and now. I have been working on a chapter that I am writing for my Train the Trainer Group. After meeting 60 beautiful people last year, 40 of us have decided to write a chapter in a book. The book is titled Life Lessons In Success. I thought I had finished my chapter but I just got it back saying that it was too long – 2500 words and I had to chop it down to 2000. At first, I thought how am I going to do that? But I did and I like it a lot better. I am pleased to say it is at 1989 with my Bio! I will read it again a few more times before I submit again. In an hour or so I am going to visit a friend of mine from Canada and then I am going to visit and stay over at a beautiful friend’s house that I met at Train the Trainer Live. I am so looking forward to giving her a big hug.
Day 7/35 Wednesday March 4, 2020 – In Search of the Sun with a Grateful Heart Trip (written on Thursday March 5, 2020 in Brandon Florida.
Left the hotel at about 1:00ish to head to Orlando to meet my friend Darlene aka Queenie. When I arrived at her place, I got the best surprise ever. There was a sign with my name on it – Princess Maggie Sullivan – being held for me upon my arrival. Well, this is just what I put out to the universe and you see it delivers. This is how the law of attraction works. You put things into the vibrational frequency and then somehow the universe delivers. So, for sure the next time I go on an all-inclusive trip I am going to put that request out to the universe. Thank you Darlene and crew for coloring the picture. I love all of the different textures that were used in my name. This would be a great example for an art lesson on Texture!
Once I met Darlene, I went to her place and said hello to the rest of the family and then we went to the pool. It was so beautiful and it felt so good to feel the sun on my skin and put my bare feet on the hot payment. I stayed and chatted until about 3:30 and then headed out to meet a someone that I met at the TTT Live program – Johannys. I met Johannys last year when we were partnered up during a zoom call. Thank you universe and Andrea Ventim for making that connection. Immediately we had an excellent conversation and then I met her in person for the first time in Long Beach, California. We made arrangements to meet at the airport and I helped her navigate her way to the hotel. I told her that in March I often go to Florida and she said that I would have to stay with her the next time I visit. Careful what you put out to the universe because I showed up! Johannys and her husband Jack welcomed me with open arms into their home. I felt so comfortable and they have a beautiful home surrounded by fruit trees. Johannys and I went for dinner and then we returned to her house and she made us drinks using the fresh oranges from the trees! The drinks were delicious. The next day we went for a walk around her neighborhood and then breakfast at Another Broken Egg Café. It was so good. My heart is so grateful for the beautiful sights and that I am seeing on a daily basis. Johannys is a Unity Minister and she is preaching on Sunday. I am going to try to go to the service. It is only one hour away from where I am staying. She is going to go to BTS at the end of March and I will be able to see her then as well!
Left there at 11ish and drove to Brandon, (near Tampa) to see Melissa Mull. I will stay with her for a couple of days. She is doing excellent work with Veterans. Her organization is called Veteran Companions and they specialize in Veteran Home Care. I am looking forward to catching up with her.
Day 8/35 Thursday March 5, 2020 – In Search of the Sun with a Grateful Heart Trip (written on Friday March 6, 2020 in Brandon Florida.
Met up with Melissa at her new office for Veteran Companions. As mentioned yesterday she is doing great work to help support Veterans. I was able to do some writing at her office and then we went to her place to catch up. It is true what they say about true friends. You may not talk to each other often but when you get together it is just like old times. Melissa is part of my Jack Canfield family and I met her for the first time when we were assisting at BTS in 2018. We have kept in contact and when Luc and I were visiting Florida last year, the four of us went out for lunch in Tampa. I invited myself back and here I am. We went for dinner at a great restaurant called Jesse’s. I had the best salmon and salad with buttermilk ranch dressing. I cannot find buttermilk ranch dressing in Canada so I think I will have my sister bring me back some bottles. Happy Hour is still quite popular in the US – We took advantage of it! I am so grateful to be here. Thank you Melissa, Brandon and the Universe.
Day 9/35 Friday March 6, 2020 – In Search of the Sun with a Grateful Heart Trip (written on Friday March 6, 2020 at 6ish in Brandon Florida.
What a great day. I spend it at Melissa’s office working on some writing projects. I was able to edit two chapters and submit both of them. For lunch we met up with Bria Sullivan and went to Mission BBQ for lunch. What a great place. I had a pulled chicken salad. At noon, everyone is asked to rise for the National Anthem. Everyone stands up and turns to a flag and puts their hand on their heart and pays tribute to the anthem. It was so beautiful and it brought tears to my eyes. I felt so emotional. The place has great pictures and quotes on the walls and if you are in the military you get a free dessert. It was great to catch up with Bria and after lunch we went back to the office. I had to stop a few times because there was a cardinal singing right outside and I just had to get his song on a video. It was cooler today than yesterday, but the sun was shining and it was very pleasant. I am having dinner with Melissa and Brandon tonight and then I am leaving first thing in the morning to go to Haines City. I do not get my house until the afternoon but I am planning on going to Cracker Barrel for a meal and then I will do some shopping at Books a Million, Dicks and then Wal-Mart. I will get the supplies that I need for the house. I am so excited. I am currently sitting outside in a little patch of sun with a big smile on my face. Thank you universe.
Day 10/35 Saturday March 7, 2020 – In Search of the Sun with a Grateful Heart Trip (written on Sunday March 8, 2020 at the house in Haines City, Florida.
What a great day yesterday. I left Brandon, Florida at around 9ish and made it to Haines City by 10ish. My first stop was Cracker Barrel for breakfast. They have so many great items at Cracker Barrel. The only thing I bought was a puzzle which I will set up tonight. I had a great breakfast, bacon eggs and buttermilk pancakes topped with blackberry and whip cream. Delicious. Then I went to Books a Million. Of course I didn’t need any books but I found one that was on my list that I wanted to buy – The Body Keeps Score Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel Van Der Kolk. I am really into reading about the Brain’s neuroplasticity and scientific advances to show how trauma affects our brain and the brain’s ability to recover using a variety of treatments. Then I went shopping at Dick’s, Target and then Wal Mart to stock up for the house.
I arrived at the house at about 4. I was so excited. I unpacked and set up my things. I am here by myself for the next week and I plan to get a lot of writing completed.
After dinner I went for a swim. The pool was so beautiful and with the moon looking pretty full, I once again had a grateful heart.
Day 11/35 Sunday March 8, 2020 – In Search of the Sun with a Grateful Heart Trip (written on Monday March 9, 2020 at the house in Haines City, Florida.
Quiet day yesterday setting up to get ready for a week of writing and working on my projects. Went back to Wal-Mart to get more food supplies for the rest of the week. I will bring my car back on Tuesday and will be without a car until Louise, Mike and April show up on Saturday. Nice thing is that I am within walking distance to Wal-Mart if I need anything. Also started setting up my Cracker Barrel Puzzle.
I am so happy and grateful to have this time to myself to work on my projects. This spring is going to be very busy. In April, I am speaking at the Release, Reset and Restore Event, In May, I am launching a chapter in Women Who Rise (Kate Butler’s Inspired Impact Series). I am going to launch The Story of Max in May or June (not 100%) sure which month. And then in June I am also launching another chapter in a book called Permission Granted. All of my stories in some way discuss how I found light from darkness. Stay tuned, I will share more tomorrow.
Day 12/35 Monday March 9, 2020 – In Search of the Sun with a Grateful Heart Trip (written on Wednesday March 10, 2020 at the house in Haines City, Florida.
Great day of writing yesterday. I was able to do some edits for The Story of Max and I started to put in email addresses of names that I have been collecting for when I do my launches. If I do not have your email address and you would like to be on my list send me a private message and I will be sure to add you. The Story of Max has so many messages. This is what will be written on the back cover: The Story of Max is a story that can be read for pure enjoyment or it can be used as a social story to teach about topics such as mindfulness; compassion and communication. The story chronicles Max’s journey when he gets adopted into a new home. He misses his old home, so he becomes a bully, until the beautiful Lilly shares her story and the importance of communication and being a good friend. Max receives lessons on compassion and changes his bullying ways. He learns how to have a heart to heart conversation and follow the Golden Rule. The author draws on over twenty years of experience in the classroom to present issues in a way that children are able to make connections and comprehend. As well, there are a number of Learning Connections at the end of the story and a Reader’s Guide that can be downloaded at maggiesullivan.ca .
Day 13/35 Tuesday, March 10, 2020 – In Search of the Sun with a Grateful Heart Trip (written on Wednesday March 11, 2020 at the house in Haines City, Florida.
I returned my rental car today. I made arrangements at the Hertz dealership in Haines City and brought it there. Turns out it was a Toyota dealership. I was planning on walking back but realized there were no sidewalks on the highway. The people at Toyota were very kind and their shuttle service brought me to the Wal Mart. From there I walked home. I was very grateful. It is only ten minutes to Wal Mart from where I am staying. When I got home, I continued to do some work on my bonus for Women Who Rise. Women Who Rise will be launched on May 7/20. Once again, if I do not have your email and you are interested in getting on my email list send me a private message. The weather has been cool here in Florida, but it is staring to warm up today. I believe my sun will shine for the next couple of weeks. Hope all is well wherever you are and remember to keep washing your hands.
Day 14/35 Wednesday, March 11, 2020 – In Search of the Sun with a Grateful Heart Trip (written on Thursday, March 12, 2020 at the house in Haines City, Florida).
Received a nice visit from Queenie and Larry today. We had a great chat. Much warmer here in Florida now. 80s and sunny. My pool heat has reached Maggie temperature and I am enjoying it in the early morning and at night. Worked on my next Children’s book (very early stages), and my Reader’s Guide for Max. I was able to work outside today as the temperatures are really pleasant.
Now that the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared Covic19 a Pandemic, my In Search of the Sun with a Grateful Heart Trip really gives rise to reflection. I take a lot of things for granted – food, travel, necessities, entertainment, toilet paper! I can only speak for myself, but I believe that as a society we all take way too much for granted. The world as we know it changed yesterday because it was a historic day. The WHO has declared only two pandemics in history – one in 1918 for an influenza outbreak and one in 2009 for the H1N1 influenza outbreak. A pandemic is the highest level of global health emergency and signifies widespread outbreaks affecting multiple regions of the world. I am not saying this to install fear – only precautions. Hand washing is your best defence and if you have a compromised immune system, stay away from large crowds and people who are sick.
To me what is different about this outbreak is the actions some organizations and institutions are taking to help decrease the spread of the virus. I can clearly remember back in 2009, when I was teaching – it was at the end of October and for my Hallowe’en party in class, there may have been 4 out of 30 students. The rest were sick with the flu. I don’t remember organizations cancelling things like they are now. In fact, where I live now, there is a confirmed case one hour away from my home and they have suspended classes at the local university and turned them into on-line classes. As well, in New Brunswick Canada, the government announced that all students, children and teachers who have traveled to Covid19 affected areas during the March Break are required to avoid being in any public school for 14 days from the date of their return. This is mandatory! In the states where I am right now, a number of events have been cancelled. For additional and accurate information, check out who.int website. All of this makes me reflect just how grateful I am for everything I have. If I didn’t realize this before, I sure do now!
Day 15/35 – Thursday, March 12, 2020 – In Search of the Sun with a Grateful Heart Trip (written on Friday, March 13, 2020 at the house in Haines City, Florida).
Well what a difference a day makes! Covic19 has certainly started to make an impact on the world. Shut downs and closures like I have never seen before! In Ontario, Canada schools will be closed for two weeks after the March Break. Disneyland in California and Disney World in Orlando announced they will close in the next few days. My Jack Canfield event has been postponed until the end of June. NBA, NHL, MLB. I have to admit, I had a hard time yesterday concentrating on getting anything done from all of the notices. I think the important thing is not to go into panic mode. From what I understand, the virus is spreading at a rapid rate because it is highly contagious, and if you are a healthy individual you may get mildly sick or have no symptoms. (that is why it is spreading) However, older individuals and those with compromised immune systems are very vulnerable to the illness so that is why it is recommended that we practice social distancing. The definition of social distancing describes the distance between different groups in society – social class; race/ethnicity; gender or sexuality. Let’s not get carried away with social distancing. We are all equal and we are all in this together. So even if we are keeping our distance from people, it doesn’t mean that we cannot smile at each other and treat each other with kindness. I think now more than ever, it is a great time to practice sending love to each other through our smiles and our hearts. Sending lots of love today.
Day 16/35 – Friday, March 13, 2020 – In Search of the Sun with a Grateful Heart Trip (written on Saturday, March 14, 2020 at the house in Haines City, Florida).
I definitely have found my sun. I am in search no longer. The weather has been beautiful and there is little to no rain in the forecast for the next couple of weeks. My plans have changed and I am not sure if my trip will be 35 days or longer or shorter. My original plan was to stay here until the 25th and then fly to California to assist at Jack Canfield’s Breakthrough Weekend and then stay an extra day to go to Disneyland with my friend Samantha. Since the event is cancelled, I will be staying in Florida at the house until the 28th. Not a bad dilemma. On the 28th, I will make a decision if I am going to fly home or drive with my sister. I am sad that I will not be able to see my Jack Canfield family, however, we often connect on zoom, so we will see each other that way.
I am grateful that my sister was able to leave the country on Friday. She was waiting for her daughter to finish school so that they could leave. I was a little nervous that they were going to close the border yesterday after the government suggested that non-essential travel plans should be cancelled. They made it. They drove to Shippensburg Pennsylvania. They have a long drive today (about 14 hours without stopping). I expect to see them at about midnight or in the morning.
I have enjoyed being here solo, but I am looking forward to the company. Not sure if we are going to be able to do anything. I am ok staying put right here. I have enough writing and books and meditations to keep me busy. Time will tell.
Day 17/?? – Saturday, March 14, 2020 – In Search of the Sun with a Grateful Heart Trip (written on at the house in Haines City, Florida).
Well today is my last solo day here. I didn’t get as much work done as I had planned, however, it certainly has given me an opportunity to reflect. I knew when I started my journey, my thoughts were different. Actually, my thoughts have been different since the beginning of the year. I feel like I finally believe in myself and have gotten over the “situation”. The situation being that I was involuntarily transferred from my place of employment where I worked for 21 years. It took me a long time to realize that I was grieving. My grief brought me back to my childhood traumas and I was brought back to times in my life where I did not feel worthy and lacked self-confidence. I now see the patterns of behavior in my life and how I have used them to cope with the many traumas that I have faced. Through a tremendous amount of personal development, I now feel I am on the other side. I see the light. Now that I see the light, I understand that my busyness was a coping mechanism to avoid the inner work that I needed to do. Here’s my dilemma now – I have a lot of unfinished projects on the go and now that I have finally reached a place where I do not need to busy, I ask myself- Are all the projects that I am working on really necessary? I don’t need to prove myself to anyone and I am now enjoying just being. And with this current pandemic of Covic-19, maybe everyone else may ask the same question – Do I need to be so busy? Is this the universe sending us a message? Slow down. I have come to understand that my writing projects were a part of my healing journey and I am committed to finishing them. But once they are done – I just want to be. I want to stop being busy.
Day 18/?? – Sunday, March 15, 2020 – Found the Sun with a Very full Grateful Heart Trip in the midst of a world that is in turmoil (written at the house in Haines City, Florida)
My sister Louise, her husband Mike and my niece April arrived at about 1:00 in the morning. They had a great drive from Ottawa. Let me start off by saying that we are continuing our travelling journey amidst the turmoil of the things that are happening in the world, but we are practicing social distancing. There are so many posts on social media of people who are shaming others and if you are one of them then stop reading this post right now. If you are interested in hearing about my travels, then continue reading.
My sister’s husband had a stroke five years ago this May. It was a devastating stroke. He is still paralyzed on one side and his speech is still not comprehendible, but it is still possible to have a conversation. Their lives were forever changed. She has not come to visit me since the stroke and they usually came to visit at least two times a year. They have not travelled since the stroke. Last year when I was in Florida, my sister made a decision to rent this house in Southern Dunes. She has been looking forward to this trip for a year. In preparation for the trip, Mike has been taking swimming lessons with a therapist in order to get him ready for the water. Mike was a trooper during the twenty hour drive to Florida. The first thing he did when he got here last night at 1:00 am in the morning was put on his bathing suit and go into the water. What a beautiful moment.
Today Mike slept most of the day and Louise, April and I went to Wal Mart. I purchased a number of essential items that we will need in the event that the stores are closed. I noticed today that the hours of the Wal Mart will be reduced. I researched what you should have for a two week supply in the event that you are contained to your house and purchased those items.
We went out for dinner today to Manny’s. Manny’s is must do if you come to Haines City. It definitely wasn’t as busy as it usually is as we got there at 5:00 and only had to wait less than 10 minutes for a table. We had an excellent supper and then spent the rest of the evening in the pool. For all of this, I am grateful.
Day 19/?? – Monday, March 16, 2020 – Found the Sun with a Very full Grateful Heart Trip in the midst of a world that is in turmoil (written at the house in Haines City, Florida)
Today I listened to a webinar given by my mentor Jack Canfield. It was a great reminder to move from fear to love. It is all about E + R = O. Event + Response = Outcome. The event is CV19 and the outcome for many is fear – health problems, financial problems, and our emotions. How you respond to this event is going to produce your outcomes. If you don’t like the outcomes you are producing the only control you have is your R – response. You have three choices – I use the acronym of BIT to remind me of my choices.
B – is your behavior
I – Images that you think
T – are the thoughts you think
We see a lot of people responding with panic behavior – buying excessive amounts of toilet paper, but you have control over this. Change your behavior. Move to love and compassion. Jack gave us 5Ms to keep in mind to help us with our responses:
1 – Mindfulness = become aware of your body – do a body scan and feel where you are triggered. Do some deep breathing to help you calm down. A great deep breathing technique that I learned from a qigong master was to stand straight, and when you inhale lift your hands in the air and place 70% of your body weight on your left foot. Exhale as you lower your arms and put 70% on your right side. Continue doing this for a series of 10 deep breaths. Set your cell phone every hour for an alarm so that when it goes off, it reminds you to breath, set an intention and come back to the present moment. As well with mindfulness, be aware of your thoughts – are they inspiring you or expiring you. If they are expiring you – you need to go to a better feeling thought as suggested by Esther Hicks through Abraham.
2 – Meditation – Work on doing a meditation every day. There are so many meditations available on line for free or you can purchase. I use Daily Calm and we did a meditation for healing with Jack. We did a Eco Meditation from Dawson Church and you can look for that link on google.
3 – Movement – Remember to exercise and if you need to just dance. A number of gyms are closed but there are so many free on line resources available. You can plank and do push ups anywhere anytime.
4 – Mastery – Do what you are good at and continue to improve at whatever you are good at. This raises your self-confidence.
5 – Meaningful Connection – Even if you are social distancing yourself, stay connected. Reach out to your accountability partner or mastermind groups. I did that tonight. I set up a zoom session to talk to my mastermind group and we chatted for an hour.
You want to stay in your frontal cortex of the brain. This is where rational thought takes place and the more we follow these 5ms the better chance of staying there. If not. we tend to go to the Amygdala in our brain which is where fear lives. The more fear and stress in your brain, the lower your immune system is.
To keep your immune system healthy, follow these tips:
Keep your thoughts as positive as possible. Drop out of the “Ain’t it Awful Club”. Every thought you think is sending out a message to your body. Always reach for a better feeling thought. If you think a negative thought – say cancel cancel quickly so that your subconscious mind doesn’t register the negative thought.
To keep yourself healthy take extra vitamin C, Vit D3, Glutathione, Probiotics, intra max 2.0 it is a liquid that is available on Amazon.
Heat – Take saunas, steam baths and exercise
Have an alkaline diet – lots of veggies, less fruit and no sugar
DRINK LOTS OF WATER
Get 8 hours of sleep
During your extra hours at home – work on your vision board, make sure you take part in your hour of power 20 minutes of reading, 20 minutes of journaling, 20 minutes of meditation
Do tapping to help you change your thoughts.
Look up a meditation by Dawson Church – Eco Meditation.
Jack has a ton of things on his website – look up Jack Canfield.com to read and listen to words of wisdom.
Hope this helps.
Day 20/?? – Tuesday, March 17, 2020 – Found the Sun with a Very full Grateful Heart Trip in the midst of a world that is in turmoil (written at the house in Haines City, Florida)
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! After the announcement from the Prime Minister yesterday for Canadians to find a way home, I booked a flight with my niece on Saturday night with West Jet. We will arrive in Ottawa at midnight and I will stay with her and then the next day I will go to my sister’s, pick up my car and then drive home. I guess I will not be able to stop anywhere as I will have started my 14 – day quarantine. Hope everyone is doing well. Keep yourself informed but limit the amount of time you watch the news. Our thoughts create our reality – keep it positive.
Day 21/?? – Wednesday, March 18, 2020 – Found the Sun with a Very full Grateful Heart Trip in the midst of a world that is in turmoil (written at the house in Haines City, Florida)
Not much to report on today. Starting to pack to get ready to go home. Covid19 seems to dominate the news. I have chosen to only listen to highlights of reports. The Prime Minister announced today that billions of dollars will be spent on helping Canadians. As well, the borders to the US are open only to essential goods. I am looking forward to getting home and have booked an earlier flight – Friday instead of Saturday. I have been away for three weeks and I am looking forward to getting home. Throughout the day I engaged in a variety of meditations and I find these to be very helpful. I had a few zoom calls today with a variety of my mastermind groups which helps to remind me to stay on the positive side. One thing that was said today that really stuck with me is that people are doing the best they can with coping with the current situation. To me that means – work on not being judgmental. Be careful what you say on social media. There are people who are shaming others for not keeping their distance and there are others who are continuing on with their lives. Everyone is dealing with this situation the best they can with the awareness that they have. If someone doesn’t give you enough room, politely ask them, try not to not assume that they know the distance of 1 – 2 meters. There is always two sides to a story! Stay positive.
Day 22/?? – Thursday, March 19, 2020 – Found the Sun with a Very full Grateful Heart Trip in the midst of a world that is in turmoil (written on the plane ride to Ottawa).
Quiet day today. We just stayed by the pool. April has decided to return to Ottawa with me on Friday instead of Saturday. We both have a flight booked for Saturday night with West Jet, however at around 9 p.m. we were informed that that flight was changed to Sunday night instead. After Sunday, West Jet will be suspending all flights except to help repatriate Canadians back to Canada. I am glad that I was able to book this flight on Friday afternoon and I am grateful that April is here with me.
Thursday, March 19th was the tenth anniversary of the death of my sister Lorraine. I was in Florida at the time when I received the phone call from her husband that she had passed away. I was in Florida with Luc and the boys staying with Fern and his family. I remember that day very clearly. They say that you have a better memory of things when you attach emotions to them. It was a long drive home and I remember the book I was reading – The Happiness Project by Gretchen Ruben. I never did finish that book and I am not sure if I ever could. Hard to believe that ten years have gone by since she passed away. She was a beautiful soul and I miss her.
In the evening we had our final evening swim in the heated pool and I made sure all of my things were packed. I sure do hate leaving my sister behind. She had been looking forward to this trip and all of the things we were going to do. I was too! However, the world has changed now and everything is different. I feel like every morning when I wake up all of this will have been a dream and I am thinking of the latest episode of the Blacklist that I watched. But it is not a dream and everything has changed. Time will tell just how much.
Day 23/?? – Friday, March 20, 2020 – Found the Sun with a Very full Grateful Heart Trip in the midst of a world that is in turmoil (written on the plane ride to Ottawa & after I landed).
On the plane to Ottawa. Left Haines City at about 9:30. Great drive to the airport as there was not a lot of traffic. Freaky! We didn’t even need to worry about money for tolls as the tolls were closed with signs that said due to Covid19 there are no attendants. Gave my sister a hug goodbye and held back my tears. I am sure she cried as she usually does every time, I leave her. I want to cry now. But I need to stay strong because I cannot touch my face. The airport was not very busy and check in went well. We made our way through security to our gate in good time. Some shops are closed, but there was still quite a few that were still open. I brought a few Nutri-grains bars for the trip. We were each given a small bottle of water on the plane but all other food and beverage services were suspended. It is not a long flight to Ottawa. I did some reading, writing and watched an episode of the Blacklist. I did my best not to go to the washroom, but I couldn’t do it. I had to go.
It is hard to believe that when I land, there will be snow. Air travel always amazes me that we can wake up in one part of the world and poof the next thing you know you are somewhere else. The original plan was when I returned home, the weather would be getting nicer. My original plan was to return only on April 6 when I was driving and then March 31st, when I decided to fly. Even though yesterday was the first day of spring, I already miss the Florida weather. But what will the future bring for air travel? Will we and when will we be able to travel like we used to – so freely? This is one of those times where I am grateful for the travel that I used to do.
My mind cannot help go to times in the past that I would read about in war times. For example, reading about Anne Frank – I used to read that to my students and honestly even though it was non-fiction, I never thought of what if … what if.. I had to go through something like that. Being ripped away from my family seeing parents and siblings being torn apart. I never imagined that I would be going through something like this which right now is nothing compared to what war victims go through.
Landed and at my sister’s house in Stitsville Ontario.
I landed safely and we had to stay on the plane for about an hour. They only let so many people go through customs at a time. We had a few planes ahead of us, that is why it took so long. We were all asked our general health and given a sheet on COVID19, and that we need to self-isolate and what to watch for in the next 14 days. I would thank everyone who was thinking of me as I traveled and sent me love and light. I appreciate it.
June 20/20. I have been home for three months now and it is unbelievable how much the world has changed. I sometimes feel like I have been living in a Science Fiction movie – masks, plexiglass, distancing. Everyone has been affected by this pandemic. This is a global crisis that will affect generations to come. The elderly, people who are being abused, financial, everything. How you get through this pandemic will all depend on what type of outcomes you want in your life. Because ultimately we create it all.
