I’ve been preoccupied as of late with the concept of creativity or creation. I love to paint and now write although I am never certain of the value of what I am putting out there.

And just like that I was home. I travelled across a good chunk of Canada again and loved every minute of it. I love Canada but we are not without our problems.

Driving from Thunder Bay, Nipigon, Terrace Bay, White River and Wawa

I’ve mentioned before that I love water, rocks and trees – there is something incredible calming about being out in the natural world – even when you can hear the traffic rolling by. On this particular night, I decided to try what legions of travellers do – camp in a Walmart parking lot.

A quick drive through Manitoba and a visit to the Center of Canada.

I’m taking a break from the trip across Canada to reflect a little on how much my life has changed over the past few years.

Sept 4th, 2021. Travelling through Saskatchewan on a bright & sunny late summer day.

I love an adventure and the chance to let one unfold. What can you explore in your world this week?

During my walk, I found a spot with placards describing some of Calgary’s history.  The settlement became the City of Calgary in 1894. At that time, it was still part of the Northwest Territories. A small oil industry born when oil was discovered in the Turner Valley in 1914 grew considerably after a larger discovery in Leduc in 1947. The population quadrupled from 1947 to 1970 to reach 400,000. It’s tripled in the last 50 years and is still home to the Canadian Head Offices of major oil companies.

As someone who loves to pack something into every moment, I realized again the importance of making space to be present in a conversation without playing solitaire on my phone, checking emails or any number of any things at the same time. I read a question last week somewhere as I scanned my environment. It said “Are you addicted to stress?” And one of the clues was to be constantly playing on your phone. Oops – really – is that me? I left behind a world of cramming things in and some of those habits remain.