Raising Money for Charity

Yesterday I rode my motorcycle in B.A.D. Ride - Bikers Against Despair. This is the 11th year the ride has been run. It is a 160 km ride to raise money for the Distress Centre which provides free counseling and phone support to people who are in crisis.

There were over 1300 bikers participating and we raised over $200,000. One of the best things at this ride is the sense of community. If anyone has a problem or runs off the road, the next 10 people behind pull over and help. I was one of those yesterday. I bee got into my helmet. After desperately trying to ignore the bee I pulled over quickly on some gravel and fell over. Luckily I wear full gear and a full face helmet. Had I not been fully geared, I am clear that I would have broken my nose and maybe some teeth because I landed prone on the ground after the motorcycle slid from under me. The worse injury was my pride :-) and besides that was the bruised tendon in my hand.

At the end they raffled off a Harley Davidson Motorcycle. I put off going home or going to have it x-rayed just to see if I won the motorcycle. I didn't win in - and my hand ended up being only bruised or sprained........all for a good cause!

Perspective

When I was in Israel, I was surprised that when they referred to the year something happened in history, they used 'Before the Counting' to refer to 'Before Christ' and 'After the Counting' to refer to 'After Death'.

Up until this moment, I assumed that the entire world was using B.C and A.D.. When I spent a moment and thought about it, I realized that it all has to do with perspective. In Judaism, Christ is neither the son of God, nor is the 'immaculate conception' a concept that they accept. He is considered a man and is therefore not a pivotal figure in their history. Therefore to use a term that revolves around Christ's life (A.D) would be incongurent with their beliefs.

The Israelis have a different perspective than most of the rest of the world that uses AD and B.C. I assumed that everyone has the same perspective that I do.
Which one is right? 'Before the Counting' or 'Before Christ'? Actually, they're both right. Each perspective is right for the person using the expression.

This is a great example and reminder for us all that when we meet someone with a different and often opposing perspective, that we are both right. We are right for ourselves and there is no one right answer.

The Value of Money

Yesterday I gave my son 8 Israeli coins to go buy himself a snack. Not being familiar with the coins here in Israel, they seemed to me like 8 canadian nickels. After giving him the coins, I began to figure out in my head the value of what I had just given him. I realized then that I had not given him 40 cents but had just given him $8!!!!!.

It was really interesting to me to see that when I didn't realize the value of the coins, I had no emotional reaction to giving him the money. But when I made money 'mean' something, I right away felt a tension inside of me that reflected the thought: "That wasn't 40 cents he's going to spend, but rather $8....and that's a lot of money!!!"

This further validates what Ekhart Tolle said in his book "The New Earth", on the Oprah show, about the impact of labelling things in our lives. When I didn't label the value of the coins, I felt relaxed and peaceful, yet once I labeled the value of the coins I felt tense. The coins never changed nor did it's value....only my perception of the coins changed.

Spring in Paris

On May 6th, I left Toronto with my two kids aged 19 and 23 to Israel. Im turning 50 this year and thought that I should celebrate this year and return to the country I was born in and haven't been back to for over 29 years. As an added bonus, I decided to add a stop over in Paris France to reconnect to the city I grew up in when I was betweenthe ages of 8-12.

On the way to Israel, we had a stop over in Paris of just over 5 hours. Wanting to take advantage of this opportunity, I decided to jump on the train for the 45 minute ride into Paris. When we found out that the cost was 49 Euros return ($75), my children questioned whether it was really worth it. I said, sure - we only live once and that's what money is for.

It was 12 am Toronto time. We jumped on the train and stopped at the Arc de Triomphe. We walked around and decided to walk over to the Eiffel Tower where we came across an open air market. My kids each bought a crepe made fresh and continued on to the Eiffel Tower. They were smiling from ear to ear. They were besides themselves with joy about being in Francing, tasting delicacies and taking advantage of every moment. We were exhausted by the time we had to hop on the train to return home (3:00 am) but that wasn't going to stop us from the satisifaction and inner joy of eating a crepe at the Eiffel Tower.

I am so glad I decided to take advantage of this stopover, teach my kids to enjoy each moment and experience the glow and satisfaction of the moment.

Effortless Prosperity

This weekend I took a course with Bijan, 3 times Mr. Universe, author and motivational speaker. In his course, Clear to Create, I learned a lot of what we are attached to in our lives.

When we are 'attached' we are in a 'do or die' mode. Things must work out the way we plan them. We try to control the situation or person and along the way suffer as we try to manipulate, control or walk on eggshells.

Bijan suggests that it is our purpose in life to be in joy. When we can let go of how situations need to be, then we can be happy, connected and excited about our life.

I was able to identify some areas in my life where I too am attached to an outcome. In this course I was able to release that belief and experienced joy that evening.

Where are you attached in your life?
What issues must turn out just the way you want them to?
Where can you let go of control?

Spring in Toronto

It is finally spring in Toronto. That means it's 'Motorcycle Time!'.

I took the motorcycle out of storage on Monday and rode it home from my cottage up north, down to my city home. The trip is about 2 1/2 hours and I loved it. I kept the face guard up, the vents open and my leather jacket partially open. I could feel the wind in my face and caught inside my jacket.

Turning those corners, feeling as one with the bike really made me connect with nature. As I rode, the sun was shining full on, I could smell the smokey smell of fire or the earthy smell of new plants and flowers growing. I felt totally free.

This is life!

Ekhart Tolle and Oprah

Ekhart, in his new book, The New Earth, talks about the benefit of not labeling items. He says that being open minded about people and things that you see allow you to be curious and to truly explore it without reverting to beliefs you have from the past.

In listening to Sonia Ricotti's interview of Denise Marek on 'Inner Peace and Happiness", Sonia talks about how being in nature gives her a sense of inner peace.

This week, when a client of mine came to the office to see me, she complained of feeling very high anxiety and couldn't find a way to reduce the level of anxiety. Spontaneously, I decided to take her outside. At first we looked at an evergreen bush and I asked to tell me what she sees. Then I asked her to notice the warmth of the sun on her back and the feel of the wind on her face. Next, I decided to go to a flower shop next door and spent about 2 minutes asking her to describe the beauty of the flowers, white on top, verigated purple on the back, yellow centres with brown dots.

This excercise took less than 10 minutes and my client reported her anxiety diminished by 50% and now at a manageable level. Her anxiety put her in a state of resistance - I shouldn't be here, and trying to get to somplace else - in the future. Simply being in nature, allowed her to be in the present moment and allowed her to shift her focus and her anxiety.