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Monday, February 15, 2010
Canadians
Canada Pics!!
3 days in the mountains of Sutton, Quebec equals 3 days of no email or phone equals no blog update which kind of sucked with me trying to get in the habit of doing this thing but don't worry, I do have a couple observations from my weekend.
I know it's not every Canadian but most of the Canadians we ran into in Sutton & Montreal had no manners whatsoever. I know Americans can be rude but this was different. People on their skis would run into my board while waiting in line not once or twice or even three times but seven or eight or nine times and not say a word. Not an, "I'm sorry" or woops or anything like they had done nothing wrong nor did they know they had. And it didn't just stop there. People would run into us in lines. I even held the door for Amanda at one point and two guys snuck through in front of her and cut her off. Everywhere we went this continued. A group of four people were in the way of a door that we were trying to go through and would not move. I even said excuse me and they acted like they hadn't heard anything. And I know what you're going to say...it's because we were Americans. But they did it to each other as well. It was nuts and it was everywhere we went. Which got me thinking. No one was confrontational either which can be good usually but I think there is a tipping point in the other direction as well as because no one ever says anything no one feels like they are doing anything wrong or has to be sorry for anything. This had me wishing I would have tested this theory before it was to late. If I would have said something to the skier or the guys at the lodge or in the Cathedrale de Notre Dame and called them out for their rudeness would that have put them back on the right path or would it have started a fight. All I know is I was ready for either just to find out because there is a serious problem with non action in that area.
My other observation for the weekend was the beauty inherent in the region of Sutton. The snowed seemed to fall constantly but slowly to a point where I felt like I was in a snow globe. It was amazing. The snow fell and covered things but never made it hard to walk on the streets or drive on the roads. Instead it muted the noises and chaos of the world and made you feel like you were in this, "globe" cut off from the rest of the world. It was so relaxing and new. You could have literally put the town of Sutton in a snow globe and it would have looked like it was at home. On top of that the people were friendly in all the establishments, the coffee and espresso was like nothing I had ever had, and the food was divine. I really felt like I was transported back to another world. Not only that, but all the menus were in French and the people spoke in French but once they knew you were American they were very happy to speak to you in English and explain things in English. The fact that they all knew two languages brings up a whole other topic for another blog but outside of that the degree of energy to which the lodges, B&Bs, restaurants, and cafes were run was just amazing. I don't think there was a single chain in the entire town, just a bunch of small business owners working together to create this home away from home for all of us looking for it to which I am very grateful and will definitely be coming back...
3 days in the mountains of Sutton, Quebec equals 3 days of no email or phone equals no blog update which kind of sucked with me trying to get in the habit of doing this thing but don't worry, I do have a couple observations from my weekend.
I know it's not every Canadian but most of the Canadians we ran into in Sutton & Montreal had no manners whatsoever. I know Americans can be rude but this was different. People on their skis would run into my board while waiting in line not once or twice or even three times but seven or eight or nine times and not say a word. Not an, "I'm sorry" or woops or anything like they had done nothing wrong nor did they know they had. And it didn't just stop there. People would run into us in lines. I even held the door for Amanda at one point and two guys snuck through in front of her and cut her off. Everywhere we went this continued. A group of four people were in the way of a door that we were trying to go through and would not move. I even said excuse me and they acted like they hadn't heard anything. And I know what you're going to say...it's because we were Americans. But they did it to each other as well. It was nuts and it was everywhere we went. Which got me thinking. No one was confrontational either which can be good usually but I think there is a tipping point in the other direction as well as because no one ever says anything no one feels like they are doing anything wrong or has to be sorry for anything. This had me wishing I would have tested this theory before it was to late. If I would have said something to the skier or the guys at the lodge or in the Cathedrale de Notre Dame and called them out for their rudeness would that have put them back on the right path or would it have started a fight. All I know is I was ready for either just to find out because there is a serious problem with non action in that area.
My other observation for the weekend was the beauty inherent in the region of Sutton. The snowed seemed to fall constantly but slowly to a point where I felt like I was in a snow globe. It was amazing. The snow fell and covered things but never made it hard to walk on the streets or drive on the roads. Instead it muted the noises and chaos of the world and made you feel like you were in this, "globe" cut off from the rest of the world. It was so relaxing and new. You could have literally put the town of Sutton in a snow globe and it would have looked like it was at home. On top of that the people were friendly in all the establishments, the coffee and espresso was like nothing I had ever had, and the food was divine. I really felt like I was transported back to another world. Not only that, but all the menus were in French and the people spoke in French but once they knew you were American they were very happy to speak to you in English and explain things in English. The fact that they all knew two languages brings up a whole other topic for another blog but outside of that the degree of energy to which the lodges, B&Bs, restaurants, and cafes were run was just amazing. I don't think there was a single chain in the entire town, just a bunch of small business owners working together to create this home away from home for all of us looking for it to which I am very grateful and will definitely be coming back...
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Dieing & Hope
So I went to a friend's father's funeral tonight and it got me thinking...about a lot. First off, my friend's father died suddenly only in his late 60s which really makes you realize your and your families mortality. I don't know what I'd do if I lost my father. He's the man I look up to and model my whole life after and live my life and all it's current and future successes as a tribute to him. I don't know what I'd do if I lost my father. It reminds you that life is incredibly short and anyone can be taken from us at any time so as cliche as it is tonight reminded me to make the most out of not only my own life but spend as much of it as possible with those I love and hold dear in my life. I think it's to easy to forget the own priorities in our lives, especially in the US. It is so easy to get caught in the trap of living to work instead of working to live...life. And as sad as it was to be at this man's funeral to watch his daughter and family grieve for him having to face what we all fear good did come out of it. All of the people that we used to spend all this time creating memories that will last a lifetime with but because of life's (and adulthood's for that matter) many complications, and miracles, we grew apart over the past year or so. But in this sad gathering of all these people all of these friends showed up again in the same place and talked and laughed and made plans just like we had seen each other yesterday. You could feel it in the air. It was amazing. I hope their daughter and son-in-law know how much joy and good came out of this sad event. And though it's so sad to think that it took this to bring all of us together again, it reminded us all to stop and breath in the moment again. I hope this acts as a catalyst though to remind everyone that we need to stop regularly with our daily lives and remember the important things. Spend time with our family, our friends, and take those moments to revel in the awes of life and the moment.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
January in a Nutshell
After an awful 2009, probably the worst year in my life, I've decided to make 2010 a tribute to what an optimist can do to turn things around. Starting out with winning my fantasy football league the first year being in it and a hefty prize to show for it was definitely a great sign of things to come. Soon after I had a great four weeks with work giving me the best January of my career. This allowed me to get almost all the way out of the whole of past due debt and get back on track financially. I continued to drive to start off the year well with a couple of ski days to help break up the cold New England weather as I realized it's easy to forget how important it is to take a break from the ins and outs of your everyday life. I also decided to get rid of friends that weren't helping me grow as a person and strengthen relationships with those that due. We've also found two great couples that live near us and share our same active lifestyle to do things with. It's been a great start to the year and I hope to post to this blog each day and allow all of you to follow my journey to have the best year ever!!
Book of Shawn Insight #1: The biggest thing that seperates those who are successful in life from those that aren't are the risks that people take. The risks you take in your life will define it and when you look back those moments that you took risks will be what you remember. Risks are life changing and alter everything and that is why most people don't take them because they are scared. A natural response is fear and for most fear is too overwhelming to ever do anything and they never make that jump. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
Book of Shawn Insight #1: The biggest thing that seperates those who are successful in life from those that aren't are the risks that people take. The risks you take in your life will define it and when you look back those moments that you took risks will be what you remember. Risks are life changing and alter everything and that is why most people don't take them because they are scared. A natural response is fear and for most fear is too overwhelming to ever do anything and they never make that jump. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
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