Month: November 2021

I was bundled up with so many layers. I had long johns, leggings, ski pants, and snow pants for the bottom layers. I had layers of socks and my winter boots on. I layered on the tops starting with a tank top, long sleeve warm layer, a big fluffy hoodie, and not 1 but 2  winter jackets. Even layers of hats and mittens. I felt like a little kid overdressed by a parent. I could hear my parents saying “make sure you are warm enough it’s going to be cold”.  I could barely move my arms or legs. I had purchased all new gear for this winter trip. I am a Canadian who dislikes being cold. I took a trip to Alaska in November, what was I thinking?

I was off in search of the mysterious northern lights. I wanted to ride a dog sled through a quiet snowy forest. Sit in a hot spring with frozen hair. Run through the snow in my winter boots and then my bikini what a fun vacation.

My Opa (grandpa) reported to me that he searched out the very same lights many years ago when he arrived in Canada. He told me they made him feel motion sickness and depressed. I share in his motion sickness on boats so I prayed that I didn’t share the same feeling when I gazed up at the lights.

I am beyond happy to report I have crossed this must-see event off my bucket list. I have dreamed for years of that exact moment. I didn’t think I would be standing on a mountain top in Alaska in November but this trip just came together. Things always have a way of working out for me. Focus on the positive and positive things will happen. How much my life has changed just from changing the way I think.

I took a tour to a mountain top in a little tank-like vehicle on a tour that almost guarantees you see the northern lights. As I stood on the mountain top with my boyfriend freezing I had tears frozen on my face yet my heart was so full. Beautiful sites always bring me to tears. Soon as we arrived on this mountain we started to witness shades of green appearing. The later the hours the more vibrant the colours became. Between 1 and 3 am seemed to host the best displays of colours. The light came alive and started to move and dance across the sky. I stood in awe. I tried to capture the beauty with my phone camera but the pictures do not capture even a tiny bit of the beauty in a front-row seat. I would agree with everyone who ever told me the northern lights are truly a sight you have to see.

Alaska has so much natural beauty. I have dreamed forever to catch a glimpse. My nose, toes, and fingertips were frozen but my bucket list became shorter and my heart is forever full.

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When I wrote dancing in the rain as a title for a blog I immediately had a rock star moment and started singing “If you like pina and gettin’ caught in the rain”. It instantly makes me giggle at how much I love dancing in the rain. I also do love a pina colada. Have I had a Pina Colada in the rain? Absolutely! The combination is perfect. Don’t believe me? Next time it rains get a pina colada and get out dancing in the rain.  Dancing in the rain is the one time when the world slows down and I feel like no one is watching me. I feel like the rain coming down around surrounds me like a blanket and no one can see me. I get lost in the feeling of being the only one in the world. I love that feeling.

Sometimes I invite my son or a friend to run out and enjoy dancing in the rain with me. It always ends the same way being soaked, feeling silly, and filled with laughter. You cant dance in the rain in be in a bad mood. It will instantly cheer you up. I imagine it has others giggling too. Anyone who witnesses that amount of silliness has to be giggling. Laughter makes us feel better. Being silly makes us forget about the seriousness in our lives.

For the record, I am not a dancer so the moves seen during the rain are not those of a professional. I almost never dance unless the rain brings out that feeling. For those few short minutes, nothing in the world matters it’s just pure silliness. You forget anything you were worried about. You get lots in your senses.

When I write a blog I have that same feeling as dancing in the rain brings. I write best on days when I am alone and my house is quiet. These are usually rainy days. On days when no one is watching. When no one can interrupt me. It is one of the few times my phone is turned off. I grab a pen and paper and the ideas just start flowing. I write like no one is reading. Sometimes my blog has a purpose or a message for someone and sometimes it’s just a story or something that has happened and I want to share. I just write the ideas as they come to me. I like to write from my heart. I like to share my experiences in hopes that it helps someone. I write hoping it changes and inspires you to think differently about life. Leave the negativity behind and embrace where positivity takes you.

Like my dancing, I am not a professional writer it is just a dream of mine that I have always wanted to pursue. I want to become someone’s favourite author.  In order to reach that goal, I show up weekly and write a blog. I believe these blogs keep my book dreams alive. Blogging keeps me writing. Blogging keeps me dreaming.

Shockingly I used to be shy and I did my best to avoid talking to anyone. I kept all my feelings silent. I went to therapy and never shared a word. I feared if I shared things about my trauma, my failures, or my rejections people would judge me or think of me differently. When did this change? When I started talking to people. When I opened up to share my stories and started hearing other people’s stories. It was then that I realized we all have trauma. We all have failures and we all have things we wish that we would have done differently. We are all doing the best that we know how to do.

Keep moving forward and never give up. Everything has a way of working out. There is a solution to whatever you are faced with. Pay attention to what life is teaching you. If things didn’t go as planned figure out the reason and a new solution. When you need help reach out. Life is easier when faced together.  Live with no judgments and an open positively kind heart.