Disqus - Latest Comments for MelissaM

Re: What gives you hope in the world?

MelissaM — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 12:24:36 -0000

I just started a new job with The Otesha Project, a not-for-profit organization that mobilizes youth to be the change they want to see in the world. They use cross-country bike tours and theatre to spread their message of Hope. I am deeply inspired by my new coworkers and by the hundreds of volunteers and bike tour members who have become "sustainability advocates" and who inspire their friends, families and communities to do the same.

Re: Who or what is your favorite Icon?

MelissaM — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:58:18 -0000

William Comanda, Leonard Cohen, Virginia Woolf, circles/rings/wheels, hearts spray painted in unexpected places,

Re: This Weekend, How Are You Going to Play?

MelissaM — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 09:51:58 -0000

Thanks Danielle and Rick! I'll take you up on your suggestions and see where they lead me. Cheers :) m

Re: This Weekend, How Are You Going to Play?

MelissaM — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 08:02:19 -0000

I'm attending a baby shower for my little sister (she's not so little these days!) on Sunday and then flying over to Vancouver and Victoria (from Ontario) on business. It won't be all work though. Carrie & Danielle: if you had one free weekday (the 11th) and one free Saturday night (the 15th) in Vancouver, what would you be sure to see and do?

Re: What is your current, of-the-moment obsession?

MelissaM — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:20:22 -0000

I just came back from a life-changing (actually, life-accepting) weekend at the Landmark Forum. My current of-the-moment obsession is living authentically and it feels AMAZING.

Re: What is your favorite flower? (And, are you curious as to why we’re asking?)

MelissaM — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 21:04:37 -0000

Miniature bouquets of wildflowers, but especially forget-me-nots. Sunflowers also make me very happy, which isn't surprising since my style statement is Cultivated Light.

Re: In this very moment, what are you grateful for? (In no particular order of thanks…)

MelissaM — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:19:55 -0000

My new job!! My wonderful fiancé. Our home together. Family that we will visit this week and next. Homemade zucchini bread. Fall colours in Eastern Ontario. Friendships, old and new. Creativity coaching.

Re: What’s your favourite thing to watch on TV?

MelissaM — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 08:25:44 -0000

I don't have a TV. But my fiancé and I like to watch some shows on our laptop. We both love The Office (the British version in a one-weekend-marathon and the US version ongoing).... and right now we're rewatching season one of Alias. I love not watching commercials.

Re: Tsh Oxenreider asks: In what way are you delightfully conventional?

MelissaM — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:23:08 -0000

After years of being on my own in a cosy (read: crowded) little bachelor apartment (read: no routine and lots of eating out) and claiming that "this is so ME!", I have moved in to a townhouse with my fiancé and am pleasantly surprised by the pure bliss I feel from a made bed each morning, a grocery list that allows us to create real meals, sitting down to eat (and say thanks) together every single morning & evening, keeping everything tidy as we go. I'm very much looking forward to merging our family traditions to create new conventions of our own.

Re: What do you collect?

MelissaM — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 08:03:22 -0000

Small-world stories. Paper. Pens. Poetry. Found objects (especially shiny or rusted treasures). Keys. Stamps. Miniatures. Journals. Used books. Hats. Pottery. Kitchy 1950's kitchen utensils. Letters (of the alphabet). Broken blue and white china.

Re: What’s the best concert you ever attended?

MelissaM — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:51:40 -0000

THANK YOU for the dream percussion playlist! Keep rocking the DJ Booth Kat ;)

Re: What’s the best concert you ever attended?

MelissaM — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:06:35 -0000

...and the shortlist after Leonard:
1) Radiohead on Montreal Island, August '05 ...yes, perfect.
2) Ani Difranco in Toronto a couple years back ...totally inspiring.
3) any and many JOSH RITTER shows...yum.

Re: What’s the best concert you ever attended?

MelissaM — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:01:13 -0000

LEONARD COHEN in Kitchener Ontario this past June. Pure magic.

Re: How do you know when a decision is “right” for you?

MelissaM — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 09:26:21 -0000

This one is a little hard to explain, but right decisions for me usually come with some sort of magic indicator... a perfectly timed coincidence that proves I'm in the right place at the right time; a witness to beauty that confirms I've made a good decision; or the simple fact that all of the details and logistics around a right decision fall seamlessly in to place. Wrong decisions make my heart palpitate and my stomach turn and I know right away that I've goofed.

Re: What’s a great wedding gift to give?

MelissaM — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:07:36 -0000

A handmade card and a picnic basket filled with goodies.

Re: What’s your favourite magazine?

MelissaM — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:50:54 -0000

I adore and collect literary mags and my very favourite is The New Quarterly... www.tnq.ca

As for magazines that I can't resist at the grocery store line-up, Real Simple tops the list.

Re: What’s your favourite inspirational quote?

MelissaM — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:43:45 -0000

Thanks for the clarification! Even better that it was spoken by a good hearted woman :) I will keep an eye out for that book.

Re: What’s your favourite inspirational quote?

MelissaM — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 08:28:04 -0000

One of my best friends wrote this to me in an email last week, and it quickly became a quoatable favourite:

"A created life is much greater than one you endure, which is how most of us go through most of life" -Jean Becker

I also love this one:

“We ask ourselves who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you NOT to be?? You are a child of God. Your playing small does NOT serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to manifest the Glory of God that is within us, ALL of us. And as we let our Light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fears, our Presence automatically liberates others.” -Nelson Mandela 1994

Re: How do you fall in love with the world?

MelissaM — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:01:55 -0000

This has to be one of the best questions yet. I'm getting heart scrunchies and teary eyes reading through all of your answers. Here's mine, rocking the lifestyle map clockwise:

H&S: Colour in everything. Adding to my collections (pottery, tea, paper, books etc). Natural light coming in big windows. A long yarn over a cuppa tea.

F&S: Dancing in a flowy skirt. Layering different textures and fabrics. People-watching in Rome, NYC or Montreal! Skinny dipping.

S&L: Aha moments. Lifelong learning. Devouring a yummy new book. Poetry! Smudging. Ceremony. Prayer. I am often overwhelmed by the joy of knowing that I am exactly where I'm supposed to be.

R&C: People watching. Small world stories. Synchronicity & reciprocity. Paying it forward. Communicating without words. Meeting people who "get it". Sharing food. Snuggling with my nephew.

N&R&R: Big dramatic skies of clouds or stars. Stoney Lake (the family cottage). The magic of Murray Shafer's Wolf Project. Walking. Sweat lodges. Live music. Everyday miracles.

B&W: Runner's high. Hot yoga. Meditation. Awareness of voice and breath.

C&C: Seeing and creating art. Journaling. Drumming and singing. Making food. Laughing with my sisters and my mom. Any family event. Reunions with my long-distance Love.

S&W: Teaching. Learning. Watching others succeed. Coworkers who feel like family.

Re: How do you fall in love with the world?

MelissaM — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:09:20 -0000

Thank you for posting one of my favourite poems!

Re: What would be your last meal and with whom would you share it?

MelissaM — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:23:15 -0000

My last meal would be a big potluck picnic. A festival of friends and family where everyone brings their favourite homemade dish. Live music a must.

Re: Five Ways Landmark Education Impacted My Life

MelissaM — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:33:13 -0000

Thank you for posting this. One of my closest friends completed Landmark years ago with her husband, and they both say it is the reason they are still together. Your post is the nudge I needed to look in to it further. I am constantly amazed at how relevent and inspiring this blog is.

Re: What are you anticipating?

MelissaM — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:20:04 -0000

Relationships&Communication: Attending Studio Pinpoint's "Accomplishment of Women" party tomorrow night in Toronto. Making connections that will give me hints (or keys!) to my future.

Home&Stuff: The big move to Ottawa in August. Two more weeks of the life I know well, and then a magical blank canvas. Finally setting up a home with my fiance. Entertaining.

Service&Wealth: Opening doors (and my heart) to a vocation of service and creativity. Saying no sometimes so I can say yes to the right offers.

Nature&R&R: Finding the drumming communities in Ottawa. Discovering paths, trails, hills, rivers and rural areas close to my new home.

Fashion&Sensuality: Wedding planning with my fiance. Combining our unique styles to create a great gathering of friends and family.

Body&Wellness: Getting strong and slim over the next year. Saying no to sugar and yes to stretching. Running a half-marathon in the fall.

Creativity&Celebration: Weddings & babies everywhere! A new nephew or niece on the way. Handmade cards.

Spirit&Learning: Daily gratitude & prayer.

Re: Weapons of Ass Reduction: Two fat tips for weight loss

MelissaM — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 09:25:53 -0000

I'm just catching up on the C&D blog after a couple weeks of working-too-hard-to-take-time-for-me and I've got to tell you that I loved this post. I've been 20 lbs above my goal weight for a couple years now (in 2002 I lost 60 lbs and kept it off...but in the last couple years, it's been sneaking back up on me), and I know what I have to do-- it just hasn't clicked for me yet. Lately, whenever I'm out walking and see anyone who looks fit, strong and slim I have this urge to stop them in the street and say "what exactly do you eat?!" So now you're that girl, and I didn't even have to ask. Thanks for the insight and the laughs. You're an inspiration.

Re: What are you afraid of?

MelissaM — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 07:54:31 -0000

Falling in to a daily routine that doesn't involve creativity. Being stuck in a rut and not knowing how to get out. I try to practice creativity daily so that this fear doesn't come true.