One of the best teaching stories about happiness that I have read comes from Buddhist teachings. Here is a story about happiness.

Each person reading this story will have a different take away, and that is a good thing. What I hope that everybody understands from this story is that our happiness stems from how happy we are at the time we examine our happiness.

As the last line of the “Loving Kindness” Meditation says, “May you be happy!”

-Judith

***************

“Once I was staying with my mother in London. At the time she was the housekeeper for a very wealthy Canadian who lived in a luxury flat just off Hyde Park. They all went off for a while, and I had the flat to myself. There I was in London, living in this luxurious flat with two huge colour television sets and all the food I could possibly eat! I had enough money for whatever I wanted, lots of records, lots of everything. But I was so bored! I told myself, “Please remember this. If you are ever tempted to think that physical comfort gives happiness, remember this.”

But then, another time I was staying in a cave, not my cave but another cave, which was very small. It was so small that you couldn’t stand up in it, with a tiny box you could only just sit in, and that was the bed as well. It was full of fleas, so I was covered in flea bites. You had to go half a mile down a very steep track to bring up water. There was also almost no food at all, and it was hot. But I was in bliss. I was so happy. It was a very holy place, and the people there were wonderful. Although from a physical point of view the situation was difficult, so what! The mind was happy. I remember that whole place as being bathed in golden light. Do you see what I mean?”

—from Ani Tenzin Palmo, from “Reflections on a Mountain Lake: Teachings on Practical Buddhism‘

About the Author – Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo (born 1943) is a bhikṣuṇī in the Drukpa Lineage of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. She is an author, teacher and founder of the Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery in Himachal Pradesh, India. She is best known for being one of the very few Western yoginis trained in the East, having spent twelve years living in a remote cave in the Himalayas, three of those years in strict meditation retreat.

What is behind door number one? ~~Picture from Microsoft Clipart

RISK

~Author unknown~

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach out to others is to risk involvement.
To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self.
To place your ideas, your dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss.
To love is to risk not being loved in return.
To live is to risk dying.
To hope is to risk despair.
To try is to risk failure.

But risks must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to do nothing.

The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, and is nothing.

They may avoid suffering and sorrow, but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, live.

Chained by their attitudes, they are a slave, they forfeited their freedom.

Only the person who risks can be free!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I saw this poem years ago when I was leaving my full time job, and thinking about becoming a healing facilitator and teacher. The words, the message, stopped me! I wondered how many times some people see the humour in everything and laugh while the rest of the room wonders what they are laughing about. I wondered too, how many people walk by those needing help because they did not want to become involved. As I read through the poem a second and a third time, I wondered who had penned this very precise declaration of the human drama – showing both sides of mankind in a way that celebrates and chastens at the same time.

I read this and I wanted to be one of the ones who risks to do something and grow from it. I want to live my life alive, with no regrets.

May you find the courage to take a risk today.

Judith

AUTHOR – Judith Hirst has been writing spiritual and technical blogs for the last thirteen years. She is a non-traditional shaman who has studied with shaman teachers from different lineages. As well, she has studied and uses Dowsing, Body Talk, EFT, Reiki, Quantum Touch, Hypnotherapy, Angel Karma Techniques, Angel Therapy, and has taught Star Talker Training classes. She is a seer and medium. This post is reprinted, with permission, from an earlier post on her blog.

How do you become filled with joy when you feel like the bottom has dropped out of your life?

The answer is simple and complicated at the same time. It is about finding a place to start… a place to take a simple step. For me, that simple step is usually to go through the front door and go for a walk in the park.

When I am walking, I do not listen to music or to the radio or to a talking book. I listen to the wind as it rushes through the trees. I listen to the Bow River gurgle about the news from up stream. I listen to the various birds whistle and warble about their life. I hear the hum of the bees and the whirr of the dragonflies (in the spring and summer). In the winter, I hear the crunch of the snow, and I watch for the little animals that poke their heads out from under bushes or through a hole in the snow.

The life in the park is rigorous and simple. Find food, find shelter, stay out of harm’s way, and, in the down time, lie in the Sun.

How far have we humans come from the simple? How long does it take us to return to the simple.

I wish you joy in returning to the simple life.

Judith

AUTHOR – Judith has been writing spiritual and technical blogs for the last thirteen years. She is a non-traditional shaman who has studied with shaman teachers from different lineages. As well, she has studied and uses Dowsing, Body Talk, EFT, Reiki, Quantum Touch, Hypnotherapy, Angel Karma Techniques, Angel Therapy, and has taught Star Talker Training classes. She is a seer and medium.

I have four friends tell me that I expect too much of them. This makes me laugh because I expect them to be exactly as they are… imperfect humans. I realize that they have an expectation that they must be at their best when they are around me. I am not sure where that expectation came from. Perhaps it is a carry-over from their child hood.

These inaccurate expectations have caused our friendship to slip sideways. They feel it is too much pressure. Whether the expectation is real or not, it does cause problems. I believe that we all have expectations of people, of work, of sporting events, of family dinners, and of our family. Our expectations come from the way we see our perfect world, without any thought to the truism that perfection does not exist. In other words, we create our own reality with our expectations and then we are sad when the reality does not happen.

Moving forward, are you able to give up or at least cut back on your expectations?

Judith

Have you noticed that you do not laugh as much as you used to? Is it because you have forgotten how? Or, is it because nothing is funny?

I think that when we do not laugh, we age more quickly and we pick up viruses more easily. If you think that I am wrong, ask yourself why the book series – “Laughter is The Best Medicine” – has been so successful!

The web site – https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/laughter-is-the-best-medicine.htm/ lists the following benefits of laughing.

Laughter relaxes the whole body. A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after.

Laughter boosts the immune system. Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.

Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.

Laughter protects the heart. Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.

Laughter burns calories. OK, so it’s no replacement for going to the gym, but one study found that laughing for 10 to 15 minutes a day can burn approximately 40 calories—which could be enough to lose three or four pounds over the course of a year.

Laughter lightens anger’s heavy load. Nothing diffuses anger and conflict faster than a shared laugh. Looking at the funny side can put problems into perspective and enable you to move on from confrontations without holding onto bitterness or resentment.

Laughter may even help you to live longer. A study in Norway found that people with a strong sense of humor outlived those who don’t laugh as much. The difference was particularly notable for those battling cancer.

So, today, start laughing.

Walk in peace.

Hello Questers! If you have a story to share or an idea for a blog or a series of blog posts, I would love to hear it. Please send your ideas to me at Judith-hirst@questers.ca. Or, send your idea to info@questers.ca.

Want to join the Canadian Society of Questers? You can. Check the website – https://questers.ca/about/membership/ and read about the benefits of being a member. Then, go to the store and order a membership! It’s easy!

Keeping Your Perspective

Wisdom pops up in the strangest places sometimes. Check out the picture above. It is excellent advice on dealing with people that have strong opinions that do not really matter.

The writer in white is showing an example of mindfulness about the person that he is dealing with… and he is doing it with grace.

Sometimes, we just need to walk away from a person that is giving off a toxic energy. Quite simple!

Walk in peace

Welcome March 2019

March is a wonderful time of the year! It makes us think of green grass and leaves and fresh air and baby animals and golfing and camping and swimming/water skiing. It feels like freedom.

In come the March winds,
They blow and blow,
They sweep up the brown leaves
That green ones may grow.
–George Washington Wright Houghton, American poet (1850–91)

Some things to know for March:

Daylight saving time 2019 in Canada will begin at 3:00 a.m. on Sunday March 10 and ends at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday November 3. All times are in Eastern Time.

March 2: Old Stuff Day – Old Stuff Day is not a day to do the same old stuff. Rather, it’s a time to recognize the boring nature of your daily routine, and make some exciting changes. Find new and different activities, projects, and hobbies. Attend an event. Do something, anything, different. You will be glad that you did!

March 14: Pi Day celebrates the annual occurrence of 3/14 with math jokes, pi-reciting competitions, and (of course) freshly baked pie.

Spring Equinox -March 20: The sun shines on the equator for the Vernal Equinox, giving us a near 50-50 split of day and night.

Enjoy the first day of March and walk in peace!

AUTHOR – Judith Hirst has been writing spiritual and technical blogs for the last thirteen years. She is a non-traditional shaman who has studied with shaman teachers from different lineages. As well, she has studied and uses Dowsing, Body Talk, EFT, Reiki, Quantum Touch, Hypnotherapy, Angel Karma Techniques, Angel Therapy, and has taught Star Talker Training classes. She is a seer and medium. Judith joined Questers in 2007, and now serves on the Questers Board as secretary and blog master.

When a new year starts, we feel that everything is possible. We feel the optimism of the energy that floats around the world. We feel hope that life will be different this year.

All is true!

Let us know peace.
For as long as the moon shall rise,
For as long as the rivers shall flow,
For as long as the sun will shine,
For as long as the grass shall grow,
Let us know peace.

So, how many answers did you guess correctly?

Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Rudolph
His hat
Whoville
A Red Ryder BB Gun
Buddy
Ghost of Christmas Past, Ghost of Christmas Present, Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
Elvis Presley
Eleven Pipers Piping
Twice
Underneath the mistletoe

Picture of Lake Louise with the Lake Louise Chateau in the foreground

December arrives and with it, the cold and the snow, and the skiing and snowshoeing, and the tobogganing and shoveling. December is an exhilarating month in Canada because the cold invigorates, people are attending Christmas parties and families are getting ready to celebrate Christmas.

Here are some great trivia information about December that you can throw into a conversation if you need an ice-breaker.

The gemstone for December is Turquoise
The flower of the month is the Narcissus plant
The Christmas plant is, of course, the Poinsettia
In the Northern Hemisphere, Winter Solstice falls on or about December 21 and marks the longest night. It actually arrives at 3:23 PM on Dec. 21 2018.
Christmas puddings should be made with thirteen ingredients to represent Jesus and his disciples
On Christmas Eve, all animals can speak
A clear star-filled sky on Christmas Eve will bring good crops and gardens in the summer

You can also look at last year’s blog about December 1 to get more trivia. https://questers.ca/december-1-2017-remember-december/

Walk in peace!

One of my friends sent me this lovely short prayer to use for Thanksgiving. I am delighted to share it with you.

Creator, Great Spirit

We thank Thee for food and remember the hungry.
We thank Thee for health and remember the sick.
We thank Thee for friends and remember the friendless.
We thank Thee for freedom and remember the enslaved.
May these remembrances stir us to service.
That Thy gifts to us may be used for others.

Amen

Walk in peace.

–by The Dalai Lama

1. Take into account that great love and great
achievements involve great risk.

2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.

3. Follow the three R’s:
– Respect for self,
– Respect for others and
– Responsibility for all your actions.

4. Remember that not getting what you want
is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.

6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great relationship.

7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to
correct it.

8. Spend some time alone every day.

9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.

10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think
back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.

12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.

13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current
situation. Don’t bring up the past.

14. Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.

15. Be gentle with the earth.

16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.

17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love
for each other exceeds your need for each other.

18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

19. If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.

20. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

*********

From the Editor – This article first appeared in the Questers’ magazine, “The Quester” for the Fall Equinox 2015 issue, on pages 21 and 22. The advice from the Dalai Lama is timeless, and needs to be revisited by all of us, frequently. Many blessings! Thanks, Judith

The fall equinox arrives on Saturday, September 22, 2018. This day is special because it is the second day of the year when day and night are almost equal. Different cultures refer to the Autumn Equinox as “Mabon” – a time to express gratitude, complete projects and honor a moment of balance.

The following invocation is one that I used for our Fall Equinox celebration in 2006, and that I have used for various celebrations since that time. You may recognize some of the phrases from other prayers. It is all good.

Invocation for the Fall Equinox

I invoke the Great Spirit, the God, the lord of the Sun, the father of man and woman, the father of all that is wild and free, the protector of all.

Descend I pray, with your power and protect, guide and assist those within this circle. We ask that you receive our thanks, that you continue your bounty through the winter sleep, that you help us with blessings to all, and that you help us release that which no longer serves us.

We ask that you teach us to live in the way of peace. We welcome you. I invoke the Great Spirit, The Goddess, the mother of the Earth, the mother of man and woman, the mother of all that is wild and free, the protector of all.

Descend I pray, with your power. I ask for the healing of all your children – The Stone People, the Plant people the four-legged, the two legged, the creepy crawlers, the finned, the furred, and the winged ones, all my relations. We ask that you continue your bounty. We welcome you.

To the Caretakers of the Earth, the fairies, devas, sprites, elementals, and all wild and faery folk, descend to the circle with your power and protect and hold the energy that healing of all may take place, and that the healing may flow to the earth and all its inhabitants. We welcome you.

To the Winds of the South, we welcome the Great Serpent and ask it to teach us to shed the past and to walk softly on the earth.

To the Winds of the West, we welcome Mother Jaguar and ask her to teach us the way to live impeccably and to show us the way beyond death.

To the Winds of the North, we welcome Hummingbird, Grandmothers and Grandfathers and Ancient Ones, we ask you to be at our fire, to allow us to honor you and those who will come after us, my children’s children.

To the Winds of the East, Great Eagle, we welcome you, and ask that you keep us under your wing and teach us to fly with the Great Spirit.

Father Sun, Grandmother Moon, Star Nations, and Great Spirit, we welcome you.

Ah Ho.

*************

September arrives today. Some fun facts:

September is the first month of the Autumn or Fall season.
September 1 is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 121 days remaining until the end of the year.
September in the Northern Hemisphere is similar to March in the Southern Hemisphere.
September is often associated with fire because it was the month of the Roman god Vulcan. Vulcan was the Roman god of fire and the forge.

September in Other Languages

Chinese (Mandarin) – jiuyuè
Danish – september
French – septembre
Italian – settembre
Latin – September
Spanish – septiembre

Historical Names:

Roman: September
Saxon: Halegmonath (Month of festivals)
Germanic: Herbst-mond (Autumn month)

Symbols of September

Birthstone: Sapphire
Flower: Aster
Zodiac signs: Virgo and Libra

Questers Fall Conference

Fall Conference September 28, 29, and 30th, 2018
Fall Conference will be held at the beautiful, Spruce Hill Resort www.sprucehillresort.com
More conference information at https://questers.ca/conferences/fall-conference/

Several weeks ago, my mother, who is in a nursing home, had a bad fall. The first question is always, “How did that happen?”. And the second question is, “How could that have been prevented?” And then, you start to figure out what happened and worry the “why and how” over and over in your mind.

What a senseless exercise!

How very difficult it is to let go of the exercise!

We are doing everything right for our mother (my brothers and sisters and me). She has twenty-four hour care. She has a state-of-the-art walker. She has supervision to go for meals and the various events that the nursing home puts on. Yet, my mother did something that fell between the cracks, and fell.

After mulling it for several weeks, I finally had to let it go. It was possibly preventable, but most likely impossible to stop because my mother is a being with free will, and she will still make choices that are only for her good and no one else’s good.

Yes, I had to let it go. I have to accept that everything happens perfectly for all concerned, whether we realize it is perfect or not.

Walk in peace.

The greatest goal you can set this year is to make peace with your life, no matter your circumstances. These 10 powerful insights from Eckhart Tolle will get you started.

• Don’t seek happiness. If you seek it, you won’t find it, because seeking is the antithesis of happiness. Happiness is ever elusive, but freedom from unhappiness is attainable now, by facing what is rather than making up stories about it.

• The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it. Be aware of the thoughts you are thinking. Separate them from the situation, which is always neutral, which always is as it is. There is the situation or the fact, and here are my thoughts about it. Instead of making up stories, stay with the facts. For example, “I am ruined” is a story. It limits you and prevents you from taking effective action. “I have 50 cents left in my bank account” is a fact. Facing facts is always empowering.

• See if you can catch the voice in your head, perhaps in the very moment it complains about something, and recognize it for what it is: the voice of the ego, no more than a thought. Whenever you notice that voice, you will also realize that you are not the voice, but the one who is aware of it. In fact, you are the awareness that is aware of the voice. In the background, there is the awareness. In the foreground, there is the voice, the thinker. In this way you are becoming free of the ego, free of the unobserved mind.

• Wherever you look, there is plenty of circumstantial evidence for the reality of time—a rotting apple, your face in the bathroom mirror compared with your face in a photo taken 30 years ago—yet you never find any direct evidence, you never experience time itself. You only ever experience the present moment.

• Why do anxiety, stress, or negativity arise? Because you turned away from the present moment. And why did you do that? You thought something else was more important. One small error, one misperception, creates a world of suffering.

• People believe themselves to be dependent on what happens for their happiness. They don’t realize that what happens is the most unstable thing in the universe. It changes constantly. They look upon the present moment as either marred by something that has happened and shouldn’t have or as deficient because of something that has not happened but should have. And so they miss the deeper perfection that is inherent in life itself, a perfection that lies beyond what is happening or not happening. Accept the present moment and find the perfection that is untouched by time.

• The more shared past there is in a relationship, the more present you need to be; otherwise, you will be forced to relive the past again and again.

• Equating the physical body with “I,” the body that is destined to grow old, wither, and die, always leads to suffering. To refrain from identifying with the body doesn’t mean that you no longer care for it. If it is strong, beautiful, or vigorous, you can appreciate those attributes—while they last. You can also improve the body’s condition through nutrition and exercise. If you don’t equate the body with who you are, when beauty fades, vigor diminishes, or the body becomes incapacitated, this will not affect your sense of worth or identity in any way. In fact, as the body begins to weaken, the light of consciousness can shine more easily.

• You do not become good by trying to be good, but by finding the goodness that is already within you and allowing that goodness to emerge. If peace is really what you want, then you will choose peace.

Years ago, a reader asked me why she was seeing a “Fairy Penguin” in her dreams and seeing pictures of them when she looked in magazines. The reader was seeing a Spirit Guide. What I have learned is that when a spirit guide pops up in your life, it is there to help you focus on what is happening and what will be happening for the next week or two or even for a month.

As you can see from the picture, the Fairy Penguin has beautiful colouring that reflects the message that it may bring to people. Some may call the feather colour blue, and others will call it indigo. Whichever, the colour blue is associated with our throat chakra while the colour indigo is associated with the third eye or brow chakra. So, what is the message in the colour blue? Fairy Penguin is telling you to speak the truth, or your truth which may be the same thing, depending on the circumstances.

This thought brings to mind the book, “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz. In his book, Ruiz lays out the first agreement.

1. Be Impeccable With Your Word
Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

Are you speaking your truth? Are you walking your truth? Are you aware of a situation that is a lie or cover up, and is it time for you to “uncover” the truth? The throat chakra is about communication as well. Just as you ask what the Penguin is trying to say – the Penguin may be saying to you that you need to communicate more and with a different tone/technique than you are now using. If people do not understand you, it may be their challenge or it may be yours. Generally, it is both. Those around us mirror that which we struggle with. An interesting thought is that the throat is used to express the will of the Creator (or God/Goddess). Are you needing to express a spiritual truth that you have been suppressing? If so, this little Fairy Penguin might be telling you about new beginnings and to get actively involved in something that expresses the creative voice and will of Creator and Universe. What is it that has been nudging you in the last several weeks – a conservation type project – perhaps helping with the Fairy Penguin, or is it about taking an active role in your community?

If you see the blue as more of an indigo colour, then the message is bringing you an awareness of your third eye. The third eye is about “seeing” what is beyond the visible or beyond our concept of reality. The fact that you saw a Fairy Penguin that others seem to be missing. Remember that the “Fairy” part of the Penguin’s name is about 4th Dimensional Reality, about magic and mystery, and about the unknown. Is your awareness growing? Are your psychic abilities now starting to present themselves? Are you doing anything – taking training, meditating – to help this process? The colour indigo is also a reminder that one needs to seek the highest truth (there is that truth thing again!) and usually the highest truth is that message or way of living that happens with Divine guidance.

The Blue Penguin or Fairy Penguin grows up to sixteen inches tall. His small size is certainly similar to what we believe the size of fairies to be. The white breast is associated with the colour of spirit. The dark and light contrast may be about moving between spirit and form, or between the light and night of the world. As the Penguin may move between the water and land, the little Blue Penguin also moves between the seen and the unseen. There is a very definite invitation in the “bark” of the penguin to take the “plunge” and move into the emotion and experience of working with the unseen. Remember too that water is always about emotion, so when an animal or another water related being speaks to you from the water, they are asking you to dive down into your emotions and examine them, and “swim” through them to get out the food or what you need and let the rest go.

If you receive Blue Penguin as a guide, you have been given a great gift! Enjoy your time with the guide, and remember to thank it and honor it.

© August 2018 Judith Hirst. Judith is a happy systems business analyst and a non-traditional shaman who has learned and continues to learn that healing happens in many ways. Sometimes the healing happens from a story in a blog. She is grateful for the clear guidance from Great Spirit and from her Angels for the messages that go into each blog.

I Decided To Succeed

– By Walt Disney

And so after waiting aimlessly one day like any other I decided to succeed.

I decided not to wait for opportunities but to go out and find them.

I decided to see every problem as challenges with infinite possibilities.

I decided to see the desert as an opportunity to find an oasis.

I decided to see every night as a mystery to solve.

I decided to see each new day as an opportunity to be happy.

That day I discovered that my only hindrances were my own weaknesses, and that they were just pointing at the best way to do better.

That day I stopped fearing to lose and I began to fear not trying at all.

I discovered that it’s not about me and perhaps never was, and it ceased to matter who won or lost.

Today I rejoice in finding I’m better than yesterday.

I learned the hard part – it’s not climbing to the top of the hill but to keep on climbing.

I learned that my greatest triumph is to have the right to call someone “friend.”

I discovered that love is more than just a state of illusions; it is a way of life.

This day I stop being a reflection of my past failures and light up the candle of the present.

I learned that this light is of no use if it’s not to illuminate the path of others.

I decided to change so many things.

That day I learned that our dreams exist only to be realized.

Since that day I no longer sleep to rest. I sleep solely to dream.

******* Editor’s Note: From the writings of Walt Disney

A tribute to Canadians and Canada

86 per cent of  Canadians believe they live in the best country in the world.
We live a long time: Canadians born today will live an average of two years longer than the global average (close to 82 years in Canada versus 80). Meanwhile, 89% of Canadians reported being in good health, 20% above the average world-wide.
We truly are nice: At least on Twitter. Researchers from McMaster University looked at how Canadians and Americans engaged on Twitter and found that Canadians use much nicer language. While Canadians commonly used words like “favourite”, “gorgeous”, “great”, and “amazing”,
Canadian retirees are the happiest in the world, second only to those in Mexico.
You can grow old here comfortably: Canada was ranked 5th best out of 91 countries for elderly treatment, ahead of Switzerland, New Zealand and the U.S.
We’re well educated: Two-thirds of Canadians have a post-secondary degree or certificate, compared to the average of 40 per cent for the developed world. That puts us third, after Japan and Korea, for most educated population in the world.
We drink responsibly: Despite our reputation as beer guzzlers and whisky swiggers, Canadians’ drinking habits are more tame than the global average.
We’re inclusive: Canada is the third most gay-friendly country, after Germany and Spain, according to a Pew Research study. In Canada, 80 per cent of people said society should accept gays and lesbians.
Canadians are generous: Roughly 64 per cent of Canadians donate money to charities—more than all other countries, aside from Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. But compared to the front-runners, more Canadians are willing to help a stranger in need.
We have better work-life balance: Less than 4% of Canadian employees work more than 50 hours a week, far below the average of 13% across OECD countries.
We have the most most livable cities: Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto—they all made it into the top 25 on the 2017 Mercer list of most livable cities in the world. Taken together, that means half of all Canadians enjoy some of the best city living there is.
Our banks are sound: In Bloomberg’s annual ranking of the world’s strongest banks, Canada clinched four of the top 10 spots.
We have more social mobility: The Conference Board of Canada gave us an “A” in intergenerational income mobility, meaning that if you’re born into poverty in Canada, you have a decent shot at becoming a high-income earning as an adult.
We’re responsible for some of the most prominent literary authors of our time: Margaret Atwood, Alice Munro, Miriam Toews, Yann Martel, Lawrence Hill, Emma Donoghue, and the list goes on.
We’re big gamers: Roughly 20,400 people now work in Canada’s gaming industry, making it the third largest in the world behind the United States and Japan. That also means it’s the largest gaming industry in the world on a per capita basis.
Just For Laughs is the biggest comedy festival.
We invented the egg carton: The simple design is the genius of Joseph Coyle of Smithers, B.C. who, in in 1911, settled an ongoing dispute between a farmer and hotel owner over broken eggs consistently showing up in the hotelier’s order. More than 100 years later, the cardboard carton has barely changed.
We invented the telephone: While the landline is verging on obsolescence, it revolutionized communication and remained virtually unchanged for more than 100 years after Alexander Graham Bell invented it.
We beat Edison to the light bulb: Thomas Edison may get all the credit, but the invention actually belongs to Henry Woodward. The Toronto medical student patented the first incandescent lamp, which featured an electric light bulb, and sold the rights to Edison who refined the invention.
Canada is the best place to ride out any impending climate change. UCLA geographer Laurence Smith has argued that by 2050 warming will unlock vast new resources and transform Canada into an economic superpower.
Canada boasts some of the most beautiful skies in the world, with the Aurora Borealis lighting up the nights from August to April. The northern territories offer the most brilliant and frequent viewing opportunities, but it’s possible to catch occasional glimpses of the Northern Lights in nearly every province.
We have the highest tides in the world: The Bay of Fundy, between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, sees the most dramatic tides in the world, with the difference in high and low tide reaching 16.3 meters.
Dinosaurs lived here: Not only did archaeologists uncover the largest-ever bed of dinosaur bones near Medicine Hat, Alta., in 2010, since then scientists re-examining old fossils identified a new species of spiky-headed dinosaur called Xenoceratops foremostensis—or “alien horned-face from Foremost.” Canada is also home to the number one place on earth for sheer number of dino discoveries: 37 species have been found in Alberta’s Dinosaur Provincial Park.
Canada has more lakes than the rest of the world combined, with fresh water accounting for 9% of the country’s total area. There’s nearly one lake for every ten people in Canada, and that’s just counting freshwater bodies bigger than three square kilometres.

We are a great nation, filled with amazing people, amazing weather, amazing scenery, and amazing cities. We astonish the world with our creativity in politics, science, arts, and technology.

Canadians, we are fantastic!!

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Editor’s note: most of the facts in this tribute come from Maclean’s Instant Articles, from the June 30 2017 article. The last paragraph is mine.

Sadness is nothing but the same energy that could have been happiness.

When you don’t see that your happiness is flowering, you become sad. Whenever you see somebody happy, you become sad: Why is it not happening to you? It can happen to you! There is no problem in it. You just have to uncondition your past. You will have to go a little out of the way for it to happen, so just make a little effort to open yourself. Even if it feels a little painful in the beginning…. In the beginning it will feel painful.

Start one meditation in the night, from tonight. Just feel as if you are not a human being at all. You can choose any animal that you like. If you like a cat, good. If you like a dog, good…or a tiger — male, female — anything you like. Just choose, but then stick to it. Become that animal. Move on all fours in the room and become that animal.

For fifteen minutes enjoy the fantasy as much as you can. Bark if you are a dog and do things a dog is expected to do — and really do them! Enjoy it and don’t control, because a dog cannot control. A dog means absolute freedom, so whatsoever happens in that moment, do. In that moment don’t bring in the human element of control. Be really doggedly a dog! For fifteen minutes roam around the room…bark, jump. Continue this for seven days. It will help.

You need a little more animal energy. You are too sophisticated, too civilized, and that is crippling you.

Too much civilization is a paralyzing thing. It is good in a small dose

but too much of it is very dangerous. One should always remain capable of being an animal.

Your animal has to be freed; that is the problem as I see it. If you can learn to be a little wild, all your problems will disappear. So start from tonight — and enjoy it!

Walk in peace!

What is Happiness? See the Story.

On Taking Risks

RISK

To Be Filled With Joy!

Our Expectations Cause Problems

Laughing

Keeping Your Perspective

Keeping Your Perspective

Welcome March 2019

Welcome March 2019

Happy New Year 2019

Happy Thanksgiving October 8 2018

20 Ways to Get Good Karma Instructions for Life

–by The Dalai Lama

Invocation That May be Used at Equinox

Invocation for the Fall Equinox

September 1 2018

Spirit Guide–Fairy Penguin / Blue Penguin

Happy Canada Day 2018!

Why You Are Feeling Sad? – By Osho