It should not be practiced with any other kinds of meditation, involves an initial 11 day vipassana silent meditation retreat. It is available to anyone, is non-sectarian, has been practiced for thousands of years and is free.

Yep, free.

If you want further information you can visit the Ontario Vipassana meditation retreat that I attended.

Recently, my journey included an 11 day Vipassana silent meditation retreat. It was definitely a life changing experience and worth every minute of silence and learning.

can anyone do it?

Yes, but you have to be ready for it.

Well, almost anyone. Those with serious mental disorders or life issues will want to consult with a doctor first. It is not a cure for anger, depression and various life events. It is a tool you can use to overcome aversion and craving.

And it’s a powerful tool.

You see it’s not the silence that is difficult. It’s the sitting, the isolation and working out your demons. Trying to isolate and eliminate your thoughts so you can focus on…well, nothing.

That is a challenge.

It is distracting.

It is uncomfortable at times.

The days are long.

Time passes slowly.

It takes dedication and commitment.

So, you have to be at a time in your life where you are ready for the challenge.

what is involved?

The steps are simple:

1. Find a centre near you and register (they will tell you if you are accepted)
2. Show up and register
3. You are not allowed to bring any books, radios, or devices – no reading, no other stimulation
4. The meals are vegan and after noon you are only allowed tea and fruit (new students only)
5. You can’t leave until the 11 days are over
6. Attend the meditation sessions throughout the day
7. You will practice noble silence, which involves no eye contact, gestures, or communication with any students – you may speak with the instructor or administrator

Amazing. You will meet and connect with people from all walks of life. All searching for something. A way to live in a peaceful manner with meaning and connection. You will only get out of it, what you put into it. But it works.

I recommend it for anyone that wants a more peaceful life with skills to help them cope with people and all life issues.

Your life will never quite be the same. It is one of the life challenges you will always be glad you took. It’s memorable, useful and a catalyst to a new journey.

Find the time and book your Vipassana meditation. It’s the start of a whole new way of thinking.

From now on…the simply stephen network will be a just that – a network of sites. All of them related to simply stephen.

Simplicity is sometimes staring you right in the face. I was struggling with maintaining a half dozen websites. It was a lot of content creation.

You know what – my sites are about life.

All of them.

So I have broken them down in that way. It will now be possible to write several good quality articles each week without overwhelming myself by writing several articles for each site.

Most days I will now be able to post an article. I will direct you to the appropriate site and will give a quick recap here.

They include:

1. the yurtopia project – exploring alternative lifestyles
2. cope with life – how to cope with life obstacles
3. have a niche day – a day in the life of a blogger (an introverted and ethical perspective)
4. living on a dime – how to save money (and still be green)
5. simply stephen – green simple living (philosophies and ideas on green simple living)

That’s a much more manageable workload that will increase the quality of posts and expose you to the various aspects of living. If you are interested in a single topic you can visit that site exclusively or get the whole gamut by checking out simply stephen.

Today, check out cope with life and go with the flow to experience life.

I have been absent for a couple  months…here’s why!

Some events happened that forced me to review the question “what do you want to do when you grow up?”.  I always answer “I don’t know, I never want to grow up.”And I still haven’t.

But I always grow – sideways and every way possible.

here’s the skinny

My landlord had been harassing me (a life issue nobody should put up with). It was making work impossible. The last couple years was about discovering a happy balance of mental and physical health. There were some very serious health issues to take care of. As I overcame these life obstacles, life pursuit started to come to the forefront. In fact life in general has became a priority.

Now I live on the edge in many ways. But drastic change calls for drastic measures. I am happy when I’m exploring. Perhaps I’m in my true element.

I’m generally pretty darn green and live a non consumptive lifestyle. I consider myself a minimalist and non-conformist. I often tell my friends all I need is my guitar, car and comput-ar (cooking, reading, traveling and nature are nice too). I realize the car isn’t that green but I work it into a pretty green life and Canada is a very large country.Things don’t give me a lot of satisfaction – my friends, family and blogging community do.

It’s my purpose to share my life experiences to help other’s learn and grow and to reduce suffering and struggles  – I won’t be apathetic.

So………….

• I stopped blogging
• I reduced my information intake (including reducing my feeds)
• I stopped twittering and minimized computer use
• I gave my landlord 30 days notice
• I sold the majority of my stuff (and I’m already a minimalist)
• I decided to pursue life and observe blogging from the sidelines

In short…I have various life issues that I can share with the world and I want to take the steps to put these things in place. I wanted to review how and why I blog. To take the time and focus on blog quality not quantity.

I have experienced life issues such as adoption and adoption reunion that I want to write about.It was time to take the plunge. My eBook on adoption reunion is finally in the works after 16 years (since my birth family reunion).

I am also interested in alternative living and have many ideas that will reduce our global impact. I wanted to live various alternative lifestyles and practice what I preach in a more active way, so I’ve gone mobile.

I’m traveling across Canada in both directions, visiting my family in Moncton, New Brunswick and friends scattered all over. In the winter I will visit my daughter, friends and family in Europe while seeking out alternative lifestyles and projects along the way – I call it The Yurtopia Project and I will blog about it. This includes:

• simple living in my typical minimalist style
• visiting meditation retreats and places with humanitarian people
• couch surfing, house-sitting and various creative methods of finding lodging
• camping and sleeping in my car (one reason I kept it to keep warm and safe)
• woofing (working on organic farms) and volunteering for socially responsible projects
• visiting with friends and family

live life

It’s also important to spend your time living – sitting behind a desk and writing won’t create the kind of real experiences and stories. Anyone can read a story and research information but to live it….that’s another story.

Reading information from the web and learning ideas from the news, television, books, articles, web content and various forms of information is one directional and has a habit of creating a one way flow – information overload.

We need to stop information intake to create new experiences (or at least limit it sometimes).

a funny thing happened along the way

Guess what! As soon as I started my journey at the end of March – life happened.

And things changed. While selling my stuff, I met a very special person right away. And things changed again. Suddenly my plans needed adjustment because this connection was a life changing event. We come from two different worlds but…sparks flew and will continue to grow into an everlasting flame.

Now I needed the tools to get things going. I had to fix my laptop and car to get mobile. I needed to have a more minimal attitude. I converted my little car into a camper. I needed to make sure I could eat, sleep, blog and most importantly (wink) play guitar.

My friends needed help to fix up their house before they sold it – and I stepped up to plate. Helping them for the first half of both May and June. This delayed things. Getting my computer functioning (and converting to Linux, since I want to promote community living) was a challenge. Getting internet access has proved to be more challenging but I’m finally on top of things.

In between I visited a vipassana meditation center for an 11 day silent retreat – another life changing event and something that I highly recommend. I wanted the tools to keep a clear mind and remain calm. I met amazing people, yep even though we didn’t talk for 11 days, including a singer/songwriter and someone going through adoption reunion. What are the odds!

Then more life happened…out of the blue, my parents offered me a newer model car, well taken care of from a friend. Typically my relationship is strained and my parents let me struggle and learn on my own (a good thing most of the time), so I was very overwhelmed with the kind gesture. The newer 2002 fully loaded, standard transmission Toyota Corolla is amazing but it delayed my already challenging journey.

Finally, I’m on the road. But the first 3 months have been amazing. Now I’m living the dream. I’m in Moncton visiting my birth family and interviewing them for my eBook. I miss my soul mate back in Toronto. I am looking forward to the journey though. It will be amazing to see what transpires.

I will be writing on a frequent basis, but spreading it out across my blog network and focusing on life – green alternative living, coping with life, living on a dime, the blogging life and a few personal interests like a cribbage book (another kinda living).

I’ll share it all from simply stephen and add some tips and tools along the way. Expect to see a lot more consistency and a little less in the way of content. It will all relate to simply stephen in some way. My time will be spent living the 4 hour work week and focusing on life. Something all of us deserve to do.

Oh…and btw, I missed you guys.

Holiday season has arrived and I want to share a simple message.

A life with abundance is not a world filled with things, it is the things you fill it with that make it worthwhile.

Spend time reflecting and cherish the people and things in your life. Be grateful, not just over the holiday season but for the year to come. Be conscious and dare to make the changes that create a world you want to see. Live on your own terms and inspire others. Strive to be the best and let your unique gifts contribute to a better world.

Here’s a reminder from last year of some Simple Christmas Pleasures that can make the holiday extra special. I know each of you took the time to make some green changes this year and am thrilled to have connected and shared on our journey. Your footprint counts, the little things matter, each of you inspires me to go on.

Be safe, be warm, be happy and enjoy your time with loved ones. Enjoy your holiday! This is the last post until the New Year. Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday and a Happy New Year…to the possibilities ahead. I look forward to hearing your stories in the year to come.

Peace & love to each of you.

P.S. With the beta almost finished, expect a few changes and more frequent posts in the new year. In fact simply stephen may have a 5 day posting regiment with a very simple and effective formula designed to help you make green changes with ease. Stay tuned…

Ingredients:

• condensed milk – 1 can
• vanilla – bean, powder or liquid
• carob, cocoa or chocolate (I used my coffee syrup from my coffee liqueur recipe which had carob & coffee)
• 2 cup cream (I used 5% or light cream)
• 2 cup liquor (I used Rye Whiskey, but you can use Irish Whiskey)

Tools:

• mixing bowl
• whisk or blender (I used a hand blender)
• clean bottle
• funnel
• measuring cup

Directions:

1. Put all the ingredients in the mixing bowl and blend.
2. pour into sterilized bottles
3. store in fridge (should last for 4-6 weeks)
4. Drink

Another easy recipe. Great in your coffee or on ice. Done in about 5 minutes and it saves about $25 a bottle. Tastes the same.

Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Simplicity is productivity. Let me explain. Simplicity by definition is the absence of complication or clarity of expression. So, if we reduce or eliminate complications we should be more productive. Right. For instance, if you eliminate a task that consumes excessive time, you have bought yourself more time or increased your productivity on a different task.

Simplicity by definition is the absence of complication or clarity of expression.

Don’t get Overzealous!

But a problem arises. Humans by nature seem to have a need to replace things. So, when one task is eliminated we add another. We haven’t really resolved anything, have we? It doesn’t end there. We also have a tendency to overfill the plate. Guess what happens – we get full, oh and sometimes we get fat. Works for the short term. In the long run it causes burnout or other consequences.

When I first started blogging, I was excited. I discovered one new thing after another and wanted to try them all. A good learning curve but then I started formulating plans and devising schemes and analyzing. I was going to build so many web sites and write so many articles….STOP.

Be Productive

Before I knew it I had this master plan with lists of things and dozens of  ideas to pursue. We tend to want to take all of our ideas and start working on them simultaneously. When you realize that you only have so much time and ability to get your work done you will recognize a need for a more simple plan.

As an avid believer of the short work day/week, my goal always involves optimizing for efficiency. Concerted efforts will help you do more in less time. Vlad Dolezal of Fun Life Development has some interesting posts on productivity, focus and getting on with life. His execution of actions are generally simple, so naturally, I love them.

Learn to Focus

When you have the concept tweaked you can then add another idea since the original one has been implemented – this is known as focus. It’s easier to maintain focus if you are targeting a single idea instead of chasing random thoughts. Stick with one thing, keep it simple and you will be more productive. In our next article we will share with you some ideas of how to free up your time to focus on the things you need to do.

simple siment – pick one thing you want to focus on and get it done.

So simply stephen is now in beta mode and we are tweaking for the next few weeks. This is time consuming and technical issues take from quality of writing and community interaction, something I would like to do more of…oh, and I’d like to get out of the house too.

Have a look around and slowly you will see some little additions including other sites that we have started to brand as part of the network. All these sites, simple styling with an attempt to keep all things simple.

I will be trying to write simple posts that are quick and easy to read. I’m hoping to provide a little bit of interaction and assistance to you with each posting as well. This will take a while to perfect but you may see me splitting articles into a series, so that you can benefit from the exercises and don’t have a large chunk of info to digest.

We appreciate your patience. Our posting regiment has been a little bit thrown off but new posts and a few more posts than usual are around the coming…not to mention some great tools, an eCourse and a few more resources for you. Till the next time.

@CandyWWGM is simply one of the best and most reliable Twitter followers that I have. A fellow inhabitant from my province Ontario, she’s also a humanitarian, green citizen that I’m proud to call my online friend.

@MichelleRAdams is the best darn Internet Marketer I know. She’s kind, responsive, creative, adaptable and is really out to help anyone she connects with. Like her style says – no BS. You can check out her main blog Michelle Adams Online Money to find out – Michelle Rocks.

@ZenBirdfeeder – runs a wild bird store and participates often in my #actofgreen with regular interaction. She makes an effort to make the world a better place. Interactive, kind and caring – this is the type of friend you want online or off.

@YCSWID – Tricia practicing the art of voluntary simplicity, captures my attention often. A fellow Canadian and advocate of green, simple living.

@johndpoole an engineer with a love for restoration and green living. John is a supportive and interesting person to follow and communicate with on Twitter. His various blogs have interesting and unique topics to learn about life past and present.

@Rideshare_Co – Angela from The Rideshare Company participates actively in making the world a greener place. Helpful, kind and always there if you have a question – full of advice and concern.

@GoodFibers – Barb a working mom with great green tweets. Helpful, friendly and on the look out for anything useful. A nice person to interact with online. Oh, and if you want to check out the neat things you can do with bamboo have a look at Good Fibers.

@amandasberkeley – now I’m from Toronto and Amanda has a great little green restaurant in Berkeley, California but if I get out there I’ll be dropping in. It’s green, it’s fresh, she’s creative and shares good green tweets daily.

1M_ActsOfGreen promotes simple acts of green en masse to a better, greener planet. Always finding helpful info to pass along. A great follower that shares and cares.

@TheBoldLife – Tess encourages you to live a life bold and daring – to give more and be more. An inspiration always on Twitter and with her Bold Life postings.

Then there is @MissShonah and @Toraks and @kristiwarsha1 – thanks for caring. So many other to mention – I love following you all and over time will give you the recognition you deserve. Thanks for the great tweets. Looking forward to a much more active fall on the twittersphere – I missed you guys.

Life is a delicate balance, as is the balance of the planet. Last week’s article on  20 Simple Ways to Reduce Climate Change is a testament to that. The ripples on the pond of life are interwoven with everything.

All actions that we take have consequences. Some positive and others negative. Some large, some small. It is important to make most of our actions create a positive spreadsheet. Without these changes we will not flourish.

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. – Sir Isaac Newton

Human Interaction

All personal actions will have an impact on someone. How we talk  and interact in general. I carry many regrets for my curt tongue and harsh words that have left my mouth. Thinking before you speak is truly a wise man’s skill. But each of us can only look forward and change the present. The actions of today will speak for tomorrow. They can’t erase the past but can balance the future.

When speaking with someone come from the heart. When doing something look at the effect it might have on others. If you have anger, resentment, distrust or any other negative feelings learn to deal with the cause and find a solution. Work at it. The results will be a positive ripple in the long term.

Lead By Example

So let’s tie this into the world. It takes a brave person to speak out or do something differently. We tend to follow the herd. It takes care and conscious effort to think about the planet. When nurturing a child, one takes the time to offer love and keep it from harm. Why not the planet?

If you take an action that benefits the planet, other people will see that action. This will have a ripple effect. Pretty soon everyone will be doing it. It will be hip. So the more actions you take, the more people you encourage, the more consciously you change your consumer habits, your sustainable choices, your humanitarian treatment of people and your general views on the planet (which we share) then the quicker we can have results.

From now on, I want each of you to think about the actions you take. Be deliberate in your choices. Find the energy to change, it’s inevitable anyway (though personally I feel too much change is unhealthy – and that’s why our planet is unhealthy too) How will you interact with the planet and people around you? Please take time to share your comments below.

Another simple recipe. Cooked in a large batch, you can freeze or jar this sauce to have extra for the winter months. This sauce is nice with a sprinkle of your favorite cheese. I use extra old cheddar.
Ingredients:

• tomatoes
• zucchini
• onions
• mushrooms
• olive oil or butter
• water
• red wine
• cilantro
• basil
• salt
• pepper, cayenne, paprika to taste

Tools:

• large pot (8 or 16 quarts)
• chopping board
• knife
• hand blender
• wooden stirring spoon
• jars and lids
• roasting pan

Easy job, lots of chopping though:

1. Chop onions mushrooms and zucchini to desired size
2. Saute and caramelize on low heat in quart pot with Olive Oil or butter if preferred
3. Medium to medium low heat – then turn down
4. Chop basil and cilantro and add to mixture
5. Put spices in to desired taste
6. add a dash of red wine to deglaze and bring the flavours out
7. Dice tomatoes while the above is caramelizing on low
8. Add to pot with desired amount of water – bring to boil
9. Turn down – simmer for 2 hours stirring occasionally
10. Check for taste and re-spice if needed
11. About 20 minutes before put jars and lids in roasting pan at 200 degrees
12. Blend to desired texture, jar and seal mixture

That’s it. I blend the mixture quite fine and then I can add fresh veggies when I pull a jar out. Delicious with linguine or your choice of pasta. It’s also good solo with your choice of fresh produce.

Here’s a simple recipe for cold cucumber soup with summer going quickly, I thought I’d share it with you to enjoy the last of the fresh cucumber.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of fresh grated cucumber (it is best to peel the cucumber)
• 3-4 medium white potatoes with water (you can substitute with a can of potato soup)
• 1 cup of vegetable stock
• 2 cups of milk
• 2 cups of light cream
• chives

Tools:

• saucepan
• mixing bowl
• blender (not absolute but it helps with the texture)
• stirring spoon

1. Dice and boil potatoes
2. Combine all ingredients (except cream and chives) in a saucepan and boil gently
3. Be careful not to burn the milk. Add the cream in batches, blend and chill

It really is as simple as one, two, three. Sprinkle chives or some fresh cucumber on to serve if desired. A very nice starter. Enjoy.

The 90 Days is over. I have completed my challenge and over 25 people also participated. Though not intended, I finished the challenge on the 11th hour just this Saturday. With the support of my friend, we went out for a couple hours and both gave out free hugs. I chose The Beaches, a friendly neighbourhood in Toronto. I might go down to the business district in the future.

Let me tell you about it. The first person we saw, a family, in fact the husband first gave or is it got the first hug. Amazing. It just got better from there. I thought that I’d be shy, as I’m quite introverted but I guess I have no shame. I’m was just so excited about the experiment that I embraced it. I guess this was apparent as people jumped out of nowhere and we gave hugs, probably over 100.

I was pleasantly surprised. All my apprehensions disappeared in the first couple minutes. I was holding the sign high and asking people if they wanted a hug. Many smiled. Some laughed and loved the idea. Others looked away, to avoid contact. Some just hugged. But mostly people were accepting and it certainly brought some joy to all who witnessed. All the hugs were great. It brightened a rainy day for many.

Stay tuned for future updates. More hugging and challenges to come.

Fall has arrived, so I think it’s fitting to do an update on my wonderful vegetable garden experiment and the harvest this year. The garden was an experiment in simplicity. I wanted to plant and maintain in a Thoreau style – letting nature fend for itself. With the occasional watering and a couple times weeding, I would say this was achieved with incredible results.

I went away when my daughter was here in August and we had a bit of a dry spell. My room mates did not water the garden and yet the quantity of yield did not diminish, though the plant quality did. The Beefsteak tomatoes turned yellow, but this could have been because of the soil. I will plant tomatoes in a different area next year. The fruit still did well.

Here’s what I planted at the beginning of the season:

1. 8 Beefsteak Tomato Plants
2. 4 Plum Tomato Plants
3. 4 Zucchini Plants (actually 7 but one was a cluster)
4. About 16 Swiss Chard
5. 8 Leaf Lettuce
6. 4 Beets
7. 1 Fennel
8. Dill, Cilantro, Basil and Mint
9. Chives, Onions and other lettuce
10. 4 Marigolds

Here’s the fruit harvest. I lost count of the tomato plants but made 4 batches of sauce and ate many fresh fruit from July to the present. I’m still eating. The total estimate is well over 350 tomatoes.

The zucchini was great early on and I even got a few monster ZUCH when we went away but later in the season the raccoons and animals seemed to get them. I probably picked about 50 of them with most of them before mid-August. The lettuce grew twice for me and some of the swiss chard got me 4 pickings. Needless to say I had a variety of meals with them.

The herbs did fine, though when I went away the basil seeded, so I did not get it for as long as I thought. The chives are still thriving in various places over the garden. The beets and fennel have not been harvested yet but I’m expecting a couple of nice meals from them.

The grand total was about $30-40 worth of plants. Some of the lettuce was seeds. Next year I may try more seeds. I would estimate that it would have cost me over $500 to buy all the vegetables and sauces that I made, so it was worth it. Very fruitful and actually lots of fun. The cut off will provide a nice quality for the compost next year.

I encourage all of you to try a garden. If you have an apartment, try a little potted tray with a few herbs and a small tomato plant. The results are worth it and the harvest was delicious. I will be eating my sauce well into the winter and was able to share fresh vegetables with many family and friends. The simple power of a garden helps create a natural green way of living that I’m quite content with.

This simple pear crisp recipe is a sweet delight of pears with a crunchy topping. Delicious. The recipe is an end to the perfect meal. Perhaps my favorite desert when done with apples instead.

Ingredients:

1. fresh pears
2. raisins (optional)
3. lemon
4. cinnamon
5. nutmeg
6. ginger optional (powder or fresh)
7. butter
8. flour (I stay away from flour made with wheat) – this time I used spelt flour
9. brown sugar

Tools:

1. pearing knife
2. baking dish (I used glass and pyrex)
3. mixing bowl
4. bakers pastry blender (or a fork)

Prepare the topping first, so it is ready to put on top of the pears. The butter, sugar and flour are done in proportions to how much topping you want and how many dishes you have. The nice thing is you can make as thick or thin a topping as you want. It’s really sweet, so less is better for a pear crisp. With an apple crisp you can use more.

Your butter should be soft (ish). Use 1 part butter, 2 parts sugar, 3 parts flour. I just eyeball the butter, but you could measure 1/2 cup of butter to 2 cups of sugar and 3 cups of flour to make a nice crisp topping. Experiment a couple times and you will figure out how you like it. Blend the butter into the mixture until it is small pieces about the size of a finger nail.

Cut as many pears as needed to layer the dish (about 2/3 full). Sprinkle the nutmeg & cinnamon to the desired taste. You can add fresh ginger in small pieces and raisins or currants will go nicely too. All the spices are optional as the pears on their own will be fine. Squeeze a little bit of lemon onto the pears.

Add the topping. Put as much or as little as you want on top of the pears. This is sweet, so be careful not to put too much. You can pack it down a little bit to get a really crisp topping. Now you are ready to cook. Add the topping to the pears. For best results, I pack it down with my hands.

Turn the oven on to about 375 degrees and set the timer for 40 minutes. This is really hot when it comes out of the oven, so if you are dying to taste it, have it with a little bit of vanilla ice cream to keep from burning your mouth. It reheats very well but is also pleasant served cold. Total prep time is about 15 minutes.

You can save the topping in the fridge, which will save you for the next one. Enjoy. By the way if you take all the skin and core cuttings (minus the bad parts) and put them in a large quart pot full of water, you can make an excellent pear juice and tea. Bring to a boil and then let simmer for about half an hour. Drain the juice into your container. Then add more water and this time blend it with a hand mixer and strain into a container for a nice pear tea. Waste not want not. Next year, I may make or find a fruit press of some kind.

Cooking Pear Sauce

In my last post, The Power or Pears: Simple Living Personified,  I mentioned that I would add a few recipes over the coming months. Here is the first a simple pear sauce recipe.

This recipe is so simple. All it takes is love and time. No sugar added – it’s natural and pure if you use the right pears. When cooking with fruit they are so naturally sweet, especially when you cook them. I made two different batches. One with nutmeg and cinnamon and the other without.

Ingredients:

• fresh pears
• water
• cinnamon
• nutmeg

Tools:

• pearing knife
• spoon
• wooden spoon
• cutting board
• hand blender
• compost bin
• large quart pot(s)
• roasting pan
• jars or freezer containers

Here’s how:

1. cut and peel pears (you can use teaspoon to core pear halves)
2. put chopped pears in pot cook on medium-low initially (monitor temperature)
3. add water to make sure they don’t burn – stir occasionally and add more water if needed
4. when finished peeling, transfer desired amount to second pot (throw bad parts of the pear in compost and save the skins and cores for Super Pear Juice and Tea
5. add spices to taste in the original pot
6. Monitor and turn to simmer…cook for at least one to two hours (the longer the tastier)
7. heat jars and lids (don’t put the lids on the jars) in roasting pan at 200 degrees for about 20 minutes – not any hotter, this will sterilize if they have been cleaned already
8. Use hand blender if desired to smooth consistency
9. Transfer with ladle or serving container with spout to reduce mess
10. Fill the jars (use an oven mitt – hot) almost to top and seal lid when all jars are full
11. Label if desired with date and name
12. If you use a freezer container, wait until it cools to put in freezer.

I love slow cooking. The flavors come out really well. It uses more energy on the stove, but I am generally as efficient as possible in the kitchen without sacrificing quality.

On a lighter note and in contrast to the last couple posts Instant Gratification and Important Things in Life today I’m going to share with you the latest adventure and the value of pears.

Let me explain. On Saturday, I went volunteer pear picking with Not Far From The Tree an enjoyable and fruitful (sorry) couple hours. We picked a lot of pears and I came home with a nice portion to make a variety of simple recipes, which I will share with you next week along with some pictures.

In fact the picking involved a couple hours of travel (After we picked I drove the organizer to drop of the food for donation to the soup kitchen). On the way home, I dropped by some friends that I don’t see that often and was able to share some pears with them and family members that were visiting.

Then on Tuesday evening: the sorting, cleaning, peeling, cutting, cooking, canning, baking and clean up – the toll, 7 hours until 2:30am. Even though my hands were sore, I loved every minute of it. Oh, and I didn’t waste anything (except the energy to cook the pears). Even the remaining stems, cores and skins were used for my juice. Then I put them in the compost pile. They will continue to reap benefits next year as food for my vegetable garden. Pears, the gift that just keeps giving.

Here’s what I made – Pear Sauce, Pear Crisp, Pear Juice & “tea”, not to mention lots of fresh pears. I managed to share a few jars and some pears with various people. That alone made it worth my time. That was my instant gratification and it involved 12 hours of my time. The pears are fresh, the cooking is natural with no additions. The taste is sweet and that is the value of doing things the simple way. The pleasure of the process is often forgotten.

Was it worth it? Absolutely. Would I do it again? For sure, I’m looking forward to going out for at least one and hopefully two apple picks with the group this season. The power of the pear was quite simply an experience in community and simplicity that amplifies my appetite for more. It wasn’t work. It wasn’t instant. It was fun and fulfilling.

Stay tuned for some great recipes in the coming weeks. With the summer & fall harvest I’ve also made Tasty Tomato Sauce, Chunky Chili, Cool Cucumber Soup,  Cheesy Zucchini Bread, Borscht (Beet Soup) and will be making a few things with fennel and apples. Since I cook from scratch and often in batches on a weekly basis, if you like the recipes and ask me for more I would love to add Simply Savory as an extra weekly posting.

I want it all and I want it now! To contrast last weeks post on the Things in Life that are Important, it’s time to take a look at instant gratification versus gratitude. It seems to have taken over and is certainly rampant, perhaps a little too much.

With a slowed economy, dramatic world events, the collapse of the auto industry, climate change and other global issues it’s a wonder people are thinking about taking care of the now and not tomorrow.

Ready in 5 minutes

We want an instant cure, fast food, immediate responses, instant banking, real time information. A google search that takes 0.01 seconds to retrieve 12 million results is slow! Snail mail barely exists. Sure some of these things might save us our personal energy but at what cost? Perhaps a little more time should be spent considering tomorrow.

If one doesn’t take time to fertilize soil, plant seeds, water and care for the ground then the future will bring barren land. Nothing will grow. The same is true with the price of instant gratification in real life. There is a cost to pay. The materials, resources and energy that we use to attain things are proving to not be sustainable. The rate of our consumption is dramatically catching up with us.

The Personal Cost

But there is a greater cost. The attention span and attitude that comes with instant gratification plays a toll on the people around us. We lose character traits like patience and consideration. Patience is a strong skill for leadership, nurturing and understanding. What goes next, compassion?

Health and welfare are certainly playing a role. Let’s mortgage the future for today. Spend now and worry about paying for it tomorrow. Those instant foods have plenty to be concerned about. If you can’t pronounce it, it probably isn’t good. The convenience of getting things now, driving to the store is paying it’s toll.

We are getting larger, lazier and even noisier. For many people with sensitivities, society is a lot more distracted. It’s difficult to read a book on a bus if the person next to you is yacking on the phone about what Mitzy did on Thursday night. The sense of importance in texting that message is unreal. A fire is a real emergency, not gossip. The emergency might be the accident that was caused because you were to busy texting to worry about driving!

The Global Cost

We are using more resources and contributing less to society as a whole and more to our own individual bottom line. If we took a small portion of our energies and focused it on resolving some of the major concerns in the world such as poverty, healthcare, disease and environmental issues such as climate change and CO2 emissions instead of putting our hot air into a microphone or computer we could get a lot resolved.

Sorry about the rant today but ask yourself the question “Why do I need this now” and “Am I forfeiting my future or that of future generations” before you do something. Changes in the world are not about a bunch of little things. It is apparent that dramatic change are needed now and stepping up to the plate involves everyone’s participation and attention. Thanks for caring.

Take the Time

I make sure that every day involves a bit of time for myself. And every week I try to connect with friends and family, especially my daughter. I share my trials and tribulations. I play my guitar, read, enjoy nature, good food and make sure that I am looking after the things that count.

Every August long weekend, I attend an annual event with a group of friends at a beautiful cottage in Ontario’s Muskoka region. It is one of the highlights of the year for me. Not because of the beauty and not because of the time away from everyday life but because of the company of friends (that I may not get a chance to see very often because of proximity and schedules). This connection and reconnection to people that are important to me is something I look forward too. It makes me realize how special our time is.

This summer was so much more. Just after my special weekend, my daughter arrived from England to spend some of her summer vacation with me. Though I talk with her every week, I had not seen her for 26 months, an eternity. When she arrived it was a dream come true. I knew why I was here and enjoyed every moment spent. We visited more friends and family, all the time wishing it would never end. The memories and time spent can’t be taken away from me but things that I own can disappear in a flash (and in the past they have). You can take them away but can’t take away the love and memory.

After a wonderful highlight of time spent with my daughter, I had a surprise last minute visit from my brother, whom I hadn’t seen for several years. Again, distance and other circumstances keep us apart. That instant connection, the same one I had with my daughter, quickly melted away the time that we had missed. I also attended a wedding celebration of my oldest friend, who has lived in Korea for almost 10 years and out of province for most of 2 decades. It was great to meet his bride and spend time with his family (and he has a little one on the way). To top the summer off, my sister will be getting married in a few weeks. What a summer.

It’s Fleeting

Now if that doesn’t top the cake, to hit home just how important the things in life are – a close friend has a relative that needs to undergo heart surgery. Sounds important doesn’t it. The perspective should make you think about what you can replace and what you really need. People and events can not be replaced.

In true synchronicity, Tess over at The Bold Life, submitted a video posting on being grateful. Take the time to view it and realize that all we have is today. The people around us and the beauty in the world is enough to be thankful for. It’s not the things, it’s the things in life that are important.

What’s important in your life? Do yourself a favour. Take the time!

During this season the birds and animals forage, they raise young and teach them how to survive. These young explore their surroundings, frolic, play and rest. The plants grow, flower, seed and provide nutrients for the soil. It is all part of the process.

Learn and Connect

We could all take a lesson from this. We can connect with our children too – teach and play. We can also learn from them, it should not be one directional. We can share time and play with our partners.  We can learn to relax and enjoy life and our surroundings, take time to smell the roses, something we should practice all year round. We can explore and visit – friends new and old. We can rest. It’s time to release your inner tortoise.

This simple process of slowing down and taking time off allows us to continue for the long winter ahead. It connects us with the earth and with people. Every summer, I have specific events and times that I go to. It is precious to spend time with friends to enjoy the outdoors. Connection. It gives me time to reflect and realize what is really important and why I exist. It helps us get strong.

Make a Pledge to Slow Down and Take Time Off

So, I hope each of you will, if you haven’t already, set some time aside and do something (or perhaps don’t do anything). Here’s a simple suggestion list:

1. Spend quality time with a friend or family member
2. Learn something new
3. Go out and explore
4. Watch your children, grandchildren or friends children play (and go play with them)
5. Read a good book
6. Get off the computer and be active
7. Volunteer or help a neighbour
8. Sit out in the backyard or at the cottage and watch the world go by
9. Cook and share a good meal, hopefully fresh and local
10. Release your inner tortoise

I’m Slowing Down

For the next couple weeks, until the middle of August, I will be visiting with family and friends. My daughter is visiting, to share time and enjoy life. I generally go at a slow pace anyway, life is too short, not to enjoy it. I have however, scheduled a couple regular posts to keep you informed and share with you, but it is unlikely that I will communicate with social media and email on a regular basis, if at all. You may also have noticed less activity on the site, on Twitter and via email.

Why? Because I’ve already slowed down – my inner tortoise is in full force. I’m enjoying the garden, my guitar, good food, fruit picking, time with friends and the process of summer. I hope that all of you will slow down and take some time off too!

Please share with me what your tortoise is doing.

In general, I try to create quality over quantity. Time gets the better of me, but rather than follow the hoards, I prefer to take my time and create something worth sharing. There are lots of things that I want to get done, but my philosophy is to get it done right!

Post Something You Can Be Proud Of

There are many blogs and websites, large and small, where the postings are consistent and provide an accurate and strong measure of what they are trying to say. This is not by chance. Chris Guillebeau from The Art of Nonconformity (AONC) uses the term “Be Remarkable”. If you are not than it is not worth doing. The strong majority are simply mediocre. The same is true of products – if you buy quality, it lasts and you don’t need to keep replacing it. In the long run it saves you more (and most of those quality green products save the planet too).

This doesn’t mean that every article is going to be a viral post that everyone loves. People have different needs, they could be reading when they are tired, the topic could be something they are not interested in.

If you stick with the premise of quality, you will build loyal followers that trust your content and advice. That’s why I create all my own content. It’s my blog. I verify. I gather my info from trusted sources, including a large portion from books and the library. I also formulate my own thoughts and ideas. Independent thought can take you to the next level in your mind and creative place.

Don’t Rush It

I was recently working on a post and was hoping to put it up this month. But I stopped myself. It wasn’t ready. My message had not been formulated to a standard that I could accept. There was more to say and ideas needed to be verified and tested. It wasn’t remarkable. So I set it aside. Just like food, if you rush preparing it, it will not taste as good. I am waiting to change the message and improve the quality. Rushing will not help me and I don’t want to leave a sour taste in your mouth. It’s like the fine bottles of wine aging in the picture above.

Quality and Standards mean you care

You may have noticed that I sometimes only put up one post a week. I have not yet put an email optin, free report or eBook. There are limited forms of monetization. That is because I am concerned with the quality. I want you to benefit from it. I want to provide solutions and evoke thought. I do not want to sell to you like an internet marketer (or any marketer for that matter). I care and will do those things when I am certain they will meet your needs.

They will be different than the norm. They will be as green as possible. They may be local. They will be affordable (very affordable) in a world where everything is overpriced. They will inspire others to try the same. They will be informative, they will not carry pushy sales messages. They will be helpful. They will respect you and they will assist your goals and aspirations. I encourage each of you to do the same.

Quality of Life and Time with Loved Ones

My daughter will be visiting me at the beginning of August. I will dedicated the 2 weeks to my time with her. I will share the 90 Day Free Hugs Challenge with her. My regular Friday postings will still go up, but I will spend limited time on the computer during the first half of August. Why am I telling you this? Because it’s about quality. She lives far away, and I don’t get to spend a large quantity of time with her. But when I do, I spend quality.

I won’t be going to amusement parks and entertaining her. I’ll be sharing with her. I’ll be connecting and learning from her. I’ll be visiting friends and family. I speak with her almost every week consistently, sometimes for hours at a time – we talk, play games, sing, write, read, dream and learn. That quality beats out everything.

So before you worry about how much of something you have. Think about what standard it is. That quality matters more in the long run than anything else. Without it you have nothing.

Shift your perspective

The Dalai Lama states that shifting your perspective is not only a way to achieve happiness (perhaps the true goal of life) but is a way to overcome all of life’s obstacles. For instance, looking at things from a wider view will make an apparent problem seem much smaller than it is. In reverse, focusing on an issue or feeling can help discover solutions that you didn’t know existed. So, if you have trouble accepting something, try shifting your perspective. The world looks substantially different from a 1000 feet above the ground.

Why do you feel that way?

Put simply, it’s about belief and emotion. Is the world gentle or hostile, flood or drought, hot or cold, happy or sad, filled with misery or joy? It’s all of those things. Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t there.

You may have heard of the expression “put yourself in the other persons shoes” time and time again but have you ever actually practiced it. Imagine this scenario – everyone in the world is right handed (or so it seems) except you. You are left handed and you want to tell everyone that you are left handed. Wow! How would you feel? Scared, embarrassed, ashamed and confused. You would be devastated. Especially, if you were unable to tell anyone for fear that you would be estranged from the world (after all we all need to connect).

What if you told your friends and family and they rejected you? Seems a bit odd, doesn’t it? Maybe they don’t like left handed people but it doesn’t mean they shouldn’t like you. I don’t like it when people get angry but I still love the people that get angry at me. I don’t like trees being clear cut and forests destroyed, but I still have wooden furniture. Okay, you get the point, it is important to change your perspective.

How do you change your point of view?

No straightforward solution will get you there. There are however, techniques and things you can do to help get there. Remaining an observer, instead of making judgment is a good start and helps you refrain from analysis. You have an option in life to be optimistic and to change your perception. You can expand your horizons by:

• turning a disadvantage into an advantage
• being grateful for what you have
• looking for hope
• ask a different question – more narrow or broad
• look at prevention versus cure

What solution would someone else put in place?

Albert Einstein said “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them”. Ahhhhh! So change is the key. Try this instead. If you are coming up with the same views or problems, look a little further (step back). See what solution someone else has put in place and figure out how you can emulate the result. Perspective is key. If you are too narrow to look at a different one than the change will never come. You may have heard of Tim Ferriss and the 4 Hour Work week it is all about perspective. The doubters resist, but the true changers in society embrace change and shift their perspective. Which one are you?

Kreativ Blogger Award

So, what is the Kreative Blogger award? Basically, it’s a way of sharing gratitude with bloggers that make a difference in your life. The blogs you visit frequently, twitter with often, make comments and feel a connection with. It’s kinda like chain mail but without the guilt and strings attached. It gives each blogger a chance to reflect on what matters and take the time to look at why. It truly is a pay it forward type of thing.

Here’s how it works

1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award
2. Copy the logo to your blog (that’s it, no link or anything)
3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award
4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting
5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers
6. Post Links to the 7 Blogs you nominate
7. Leave a comment on each of the 7 blogs letting them know you nominated them

That’s it. Simple right! Hmm. Well, as many of you know, I don’t like to do anything halfway, so it has taken a bit of time to reflect and choose my nominations. It was certainly a good review of the websites I visit. It gave me time to think about the reasons why I am blogging. It also took a bit of time to think about 7 things I could share about myself and how to share them.

7 Interesting Facts About Simply Stephen

1. I maintain a strong relationship with my daughter from 6500 km’s away. I’ve been divorced for 10 years and my daughter lives in England. Canada is my home and other true love, my support group is here, it makes me happy to be here and more useful to my daughter in this capacity. I do everything and more that a regular father does – comfort, talk, teach, assist, share and mostly love. We talk almost every week and during this time have learned to write stories, read stories, play music, sing, discuss life, play games and share our lives.
2. Discovered my adoptive family when I was 26. Though the timing has not been perfect as we are going through our own trials and tribulations, we have a bond. I have an older sister that was also adopted and lives only 50 km’s away – we grew up in different families and yet are like two peas in a pod. My birth mother lives in Moncton, New Brunswick with her family and I have two siblings with her, a brother and sister. I learnt more about myself from witnessing the interactions and habits of these family members – now I understand and it has helped me with my daughter too. I keep in touch with all of them, casual as it may be.
3. Trained over 200 dogs when I ran my own dog walking, training and pet sitting company. I had worked for a decade in the animal industry before I started computer and writing work. Some of the roles included management of a small pet supply firm and Director of a large store.
4. Once lived out of my car for 6 months. This was partly a survival tactic and partly to defend and raise awareness on “affordable living”, something that eludes many people in the western world and larger quantities in the rest.
5. I am not a “sheep” – I follow my own path and in a good year generate big ideas and visions at an incredible rate (sometimes dozens daily). I integrate these ideas on a regular basis into my daily life and refine them so I can share the results, ideas and methods in the future (or present).
6. I once played with an orchestra in front of 5000 people when I was 14. What an experience. I was lead Viola for a two hour concert at Massey Hall in Toronto.
7. One year when I was driving from Toronto, Ontario to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory I was driven off the road by a Moose. My car, a little green Toyota Tercel, 4 speed manual was “righted” – I put the keys in the ignition and drove off to complete the trip, another 5000 km. The trip and that event inspired the song “Yukon Bound” here’s a few lines:

Well, I turned round the bend with a moose on the side

And I swerved down the road to avoid the collide

The car ended up on it’s side in a ditch

And the moose walked away without even a twitch.

Well, that was fun!

My 7 Kreative Bloggers (links included)

1. Nancy Castillo at The Zen Birdfeeder, focuses on “the birds and other nature we find in our own yards and the zen principles of attention, acceptance and responsibility.” A loyal Twitter follower, who practices green living and loving nature and mankind alike. Her messages are always uplifting.
2. Vlad Dolezal at Fun Life Development, who encourages you to be a happy more productive person. In his words “he’s on a mission to help people learn much more efficiently by explaining a few simple but profound principles of how the human mind learns stuff”“.
3. Tess Marshall at The Bold Life, who “challenges you to be more, give more, live fearlessly, take more chances and show up in the world unstoppable, daring and bold“.
4. Chris Guillebeau at The Art of Non-Conformity, who “battles conventional beliefs, demonstrating how to change the world by achieving significant, personal goals while helping others at the same time“.
5. Stacey Hoffer Weckstein at Create A Balance, who assists moms “to lead a more authentic, happy, energized, and balanced life” (no I’m not a Mom, but her stuff is poignant and relevant to everyone)
6. Colin Beaven at No Impact Man, who demonstrates “what each of us can do to end our environmental crisis, make a better place to live for ourselves and everyone else, and hopefully come up with a happier way of life along the way“.
7. Michelle Adams at Michelle Adams coincedently, one of the few internet marketers I follow and communicate with on a personal level. She teaches us how to earn “online money minus the BS” – but she makes you think about it along the way in an ethical, responsive, customer focused, sincere and pleasant manner.

There you have it. That was tough. I had to eliminate so many good bloggers that I enjoy on a regular basis. But that made me think. We are all about community here. What do communities do? They help each other, they promote each other, they pitch in. So, on a regular basis, perhaps once a week (I haven’t decided yet), I’m going to do a Spotlight on Simplicity and choose a favourite Twitter Follower or Fellow Blogger and highlight them with a positive review (along with constructive feedback of what would be nice to see).

Are You Ready?

We often hear about a company downsizing but a more recent phenomenon is downsizing your personal life. With the recent Garbage Strike in Toronto, global recession and substantial talk about climate change it is clearly time to think about simplifying. Downsizing your possessions will help bring about a clarity in your life.

We All Have Choices

When a company is downsizing, the reasons are often motivated by lack of sales or a change in  markets. The downsizing often comes fast and hard. It hurts. Many people are devastated when cutbacks happen and there is a negative ripple effect on the people that depend on them. But when an individual decides to downsize it is clearly because change is happening. And change is good. Right! When you make a choice to downsize it is a choice to save money, simplify your stuff (and hence your time), create a lighter footprint and learn to grow as a person.

Enjoy the Process

Downsizing is a difficult thing. It takes time to build up the courage. It is something that I would encourage everyone to do. It is much easier if you do it in baby steps. And it is much easier to do this voluntarily then to be forced to downsize because your situation has changed. If you learn to make it an active part of your life it is actually something that you can enjoy.

When I first started downsizing almost 15 years ago, it was because I was moving out of country. Initially, I got rid of some stuff, maybe 10% and stored the rest in my parents basement or with friends. When I returned, I discovered that most of the stuff was not missed. I had not been using it and it served no purpose. Packing and shipping it was costly, items could get damaged and the space needed to maintain all the stuff was also a factor (not to mention a burden on finance).

Light Bulb!

If only I had the stuff I used, loved and needed; life would be so much easier. And it is. One can make a little bit of money selling the things. Costs are cut dramatically. Moving is a much less involved process. One can enjoy the things they have more. Cupboards have space. Life has less clutter and it takes less time to maintain everything. It also changes  personal spending habits – stuff doesn’t make you happy. An abundant life can be spent doing things instead of acquiring things. Reduced income to maintain a lifestyle is a catalyst for freedom.

Some Lessons and Habits

I learned how to set up a new place quickly with all the things I needed. Furniture is the easiest thing to part with and replace. I have some basic items but I know how to find quality or purpose filled furniture, wherever I go and often for free. I can feel good about donating it when I move on. Just like spring cleaning, I make a regular habit of getting rid of stuff. It’s easier now so I can do it ruthlessly. I don’t suggest a beginner take this approach unless drastic measures are called for. Take your transition slowly over time.

I also learned the true value of my time and the things that I wanted (or should I say wanted to be doing). I kept my guitar, it offers me hours of pleasure and serenity. I kept a few memories, including photos and childhood mementos. I removed old equipment, stopped buying gadgets, simplified to a laptop (though I’m back to a desktop & laptop for other reasons). I reduced massive amounts of paper, magazine and books (hint these are bulky, hard to move, get damaged easily and can always be replaced). I changed my wardrobe to the bare essentials.

Where do I start?

The hardest items are the sentimental ones which often include books or music. For real pack rats things that they perceive as having value are also hard to let go. These things represent us. Instead of removing them, perhaps rethink it’s cost and usage.

Are you ready to just have one big MP3 portable jukebox for all of your music? If you could sell your 5 stereos and only use MP3′s would the sale buy you a single, perhaps portable player that you could use anywhere and meets your needs. Think of the space, the money and the payback.

Books can actually be a little harder. Start with the books that you know you won’t read again and treat yourself to a new book purchase by trading them in at a used bookstore for credit. You get something for nothing. Text books are often hard for some people…you are finished school now, they can go. In a previous post How to Simplify your Bookshelf I concentrated on this because it is challenging to reduce your bookshelf but is a prime example of how you can downsize in steps.

Clothes can be slowly eliminated and gives those that love clothing a chance to get a new wardrobe every once in a while by getting rid of the old and in with the new. Photos can be scanned and saved, duplicates thrown away and those fuzzy pictures…guess what, you don’t need them. There are so many ways to downsize. Start now and take it in little chunks at a time. You would be amazed at the free space, time and abundance of living you create and will find that you can save costs by not having to maintain certain things.

So give your items a rethink. Talk it out with friends. Hire an organizer. Donate. Free up the money and space. Downsizing your personal life will offer you a giant reward, unlike the punishment of being downsized.

It’s fitting that in a recent posting I talked about smelling the roses. Toronto and the City Government is currently not smelling like roses with the second week of the garbage strike. It looks like there is no relief in sight.

Various issues have been brought to our attention. The rate of pay at $25 for a garbage worker is well above minimum wage. The current economy and timing of the strike during the peak of tourism season is certainly not a good thing. The smell, the impact on the environment, the animal infestation. There is a lot of talk about the inconvenience of the strike. The fact of the matter is that if we didn’t consume so much and started to look at how we purchased our products and disposed of our waste we would feel less of an impact.

Majority of Waste is Commercial

The City of Toronto has made some efforts to reduce garbage levels. New recycling programs target the residential consumer, but fail to implement an equitable solution for the majority of waste, over 70%, which comes from industrial use. Some of this commercial waste is from the construction industry and a lot of it is from land development and condos, privatized pickup with limited recycling programs. If these systems were reviewed more intensely a rapid solution could be developed.

Is it Time for a Change in Attitude?

So, what is the solution? To say that we should reduce our consumption would be trite. But it is one reality we should look at. When the strike is finally resolved, it is likely that we will go back to our old habits of consumption. You may have heard the expression if you can’t pay your bills, there are two things you can do – cut costs or earn more money. Well on the same note with consumption and garbage there are two things you can do – reduce the garbage and use the existing garbage to make other things (hence earning more money with it).

Reducing the garbage involves a change in our attitude of consumption but it also involves community solidarity to reduce the amount of packaging and waste that is created. Some people might call this naive but in Europe, where space is precious, they realized the environment was under threat a long time ago and over a decade ago implemented a plan that involved the manufacturers, governments and communities.

The plan – to reduce & make packaging eco-friendly. The also included the environmental impact (carbon emissions) in creating products. They committed to goals and have worked on a united front to reach them. This involves how much packaging can be used per product, manufacturer take back programs, alternative uses for end of life and the overall impact of each product.

Radical Solutions

The other side of the coin, recent publicity has seen people like Sustainable Dave prove that you can change your habits and throw nothing out with his blog 365 Days of Trash. For one year he saved, recycled and reduced everything in his household. It was such a success that he now does it as a permanent solution. Colin Beavan, demonstrates solutions with his website No Impact Man in his words:

To do this, we will decrease the things we do that hurt the earth—make trash, cause carbon dioxide emissions, for example—and increase the things we do that help the earth—clean up the banks of the Hudson River, give money to charity, rescue sea birds, say.

Now these are extreme examples but it should be noted that extreme times call for extreme measures. We cannot sustain ourselves forever at the rate we are going.

Let’s Brainstorm and Implement a New Era of Garbage Reduction

I think there is a happy medium to be found. We can all do our part individuals, corporations and governments alike. Our efforts to reduce garbage have hardly touched an extreme level. We can do more, much more. On a given garbage day, on any Toronto street thousands of unwanted items are simply dumped when someone could use them. There are many not-for-profit organizations that will take items. There are many products that could be used to reduce the impact each of us have. So come on Toronto, lets start taking the time to look at solutions for the future, not just the present.

So let’s find some new and innovative ways to resolve our garbage issue and not just for the short term. Let’s share them and be part of the catalyst for a new era. I am certain that Mayor Miller and the city workers will find a solution. I only hope that it is sooner rather than later. With the present state of the economy, the city should take some pride in resolving this garbage strike in a more quick and efficient manner. Globally, we already have enough mess to clean up.

Today’s message is to celebrate life, peace and Canada Day! In the true spirit of Canada I want to share with you the role that Canadians play in the world (past and present) to offer hope for more peace, health and harmony.

Let’s take some time to reflect and share in our celebration to create a better world.

Peace

Canada, one of the founders of the United Nations (UN) in 1945 assists in almost all of the peacekeeping missions in the world. Our primary contributions, though not limited to these, include World Food and Agriculture, UNICEF and Health by providing tools, resources and training to improve these aspects of life in the world.

A driving force in removing the millions of landmines in the world and offering refuge to those less fortunate. We are aware that a problem in one region can quickly become global, so we take steps to prevent and assist. When tragedy strikes in the world, Canada is there to offer relief and provide solutions. Canada continues to play a role in disarmament and world policy – often the soft seeded voice of reason.

Health

Canada is a culture that cares. Our humanitarian efforts can be seen globally with efforts to eradicate Tuberculosis, Aids, Malaria and other life threatening disease. The discovery of insulin, a treatment for diabetes by two Canadians, Banting and Best is just one area in which our efforts have contributed to improvement of health.

Teaching impoverished countries skills to find clean water, sanitize food and living areas is just one of many initiatives that we are constantly trying to improve. The hope to eliminate poverty rests on the solidarity of Canada and all nations.

Harmony

Finding sustainable solutions in world peace and ecological balance is a concerted effort that never stops. We actively take place in global summits, both economic and environmental to thwart threats and prevent disasters.

Canada’s harmony can be seen by the cultural diversity that we strive for. Our cities are filled with people from almost every nation in the world learning to accept and explore the tastes, sounds and philosophies and integrate them into our way of life.

Though arguments exist that there is not enough being done, the truth of the matter is that with so many global issues and so many different sides to each story – it takes time to develop solutions. Sometimes we don’t have time and the resources are spread to thin. This doesn’t mean individuals and private organizations can’t produce a positive result, it only means that to get the result a catalyst might be needed – a push, a pull, a voice, a petition, a demonstration, education or just a little understanding.

So let’s celebrate this Canada Day and think about the difference we can make. Let’s try to come up with solutions instead of contributing to problems. Try to plant seeds for a better future and share the crop with the world. When you are out celebrating, look at the people around you and recognize the mix of people and realize what diversity has offered you – a chance to learn, grow and share. Stretch out your arms Canada, to those around you far and near. The world needs a big hug.

Speaking of hugs, you may have heard about the 90 Day Free Hugs Challenge that I’ve started with Vlad Dolezal of the Fun Life Development Blog. Our challenge starts today – July 1st, a celebration of life and peace. Please visit the site, join the challenge and/or share the love by spreading the word to as many people as possible (we’ve provided a few options for you on the site). A hug is all it takes to make a difference in someone’s day, click on the button below and get started!

Sounds a bit crazy! Well, yes and no.

I’d like to share with you my thoughts about the benefits of giving free hugs. Why would one consider this?

1. First and foremost, the challenge is about having fun
2. Building a more compassionate world (peace and harmony)
3. It’s about change and outlook
4. Putting a smile on someone’s face
5. Spreading joy (and maybe even stopping negative feelings with bad results)
6. Acceptance and awareness of the people around us
7. Personal growth – helping heal the hugger or huggee
8. It’s about action – doing something, anything with focus and passion
9. Building courage, self-confidence and esteem (valuable tools in all walks of life)

These are just a few benefits. I encourage everyone to consider the challenge. If you find it difficult, dig a little deeper or instead just think about the warmth of a hug and offer them more freely to your family and friends. A hug is special and something special should be shared with the ones you care about.

For those of you with a Twitter Account please help and retweet by clicking the badge below:

Please add your comments on other relevant benefits to build upon an already solid reason to participate in the 90 Day Free Hugs Challenge and don’t forget to join the challenge and spread the word. A big hug goes out to all of you for visiting.

Do you take time to smell the roses?

Seriously?

Stop and think about it for a moment, that is if you aren’t too busy. The world has become a demanding place. Perhaps it always was and those demands have just changed over the years. Now days, long work hours with even longer commute times, financial demands,  technology changes, instant news, cellphones, emails, social media, fast food, fast this and fast that…how does everyone keep up?

Time to Recharge

Well, contrary to what you may think, most of us don’t stop very often! That stress builds up. Something or someone is getting neglected. Could be your health or even a precious loved one? But usually that something is ourselves. If you stop to smell the roses, it offers you a chance to recharge.

I don’t have time.

Excuses are usually the barriers in life that stop us from enjoying it. Isn’t that one of the reasons we are here? To enjoy life. Time is not a barrier, it is an excuse.

Did you have time for your coffee? To read the morning paper? To watch a TV Show? To check your eMail?

Okay, you get the point. There are many more things to add to the above list that are actually just something you are doing to pass the time. Remember that recharge I mentioned above. Yeah, that one. That is what will give you the energy to get things done.

But I like my pace! Okay, so keep it, but realize just like sleep that your body needs to be rewarded with positive experiences too. Instead of racing down the highway at 30 over the limit. Try going the speed limit and taking in the scenery. Note the things you never saw before. Take a walk and start to look at the houses, the flowers, the people, the children in the park. I mean – really, really look a them. The choices are endless and the rewards are only there if you try it.

I actually stop and smell the roses. If they are wild ones, I may even eat a few petals, very sweet and nutritious. But the point is your roses could be anything. Stop and take the time to admire your loved ones. Look at the birds from your kitchen window. You decide, just make sure that it involves observation and deliberate actions. You will thank yourself later.