Porch Drop
I walked down to the beach this morning, like I do nearly every day.
I could hear the sound of my breath, my footsteps on the path and the birds singing in the trees. The air was cold and it was snowing, weird April snowflakes, the ones that don't belong this time of year. I only heard a few cars today and passed less than a dozen people. The early morning walkers are all on a mission and really respectful about distance. We were probably 20 feet away from each other and play a good game of dodge and avoid on our routes.
It's eerie, really, to see society like this.
I was the only person on the beach.
The water was calm and peaceful. There was one swan floating along and the sunlight was dancing along the top of the lake. The seagulls didn't even move away as I walked through them today and I thought that even the birds could feel the solitude that was present.
This walk began as something to do to kill time 3 years ago when I wasn't working, but has become a sacred ritual to me. It is no longer the physical exercise that I benefit most from, but the spiritual nature of the discipline and commitment to the time. I don't believe anything is placed on our path by accident and every bird, tree and person I connect with in the morning shapes the experience of my day.
I got to the end of the beach and looked around and there wasn't a soul.
I closed my eyes, just for a moment, and took a deep breath. I could feel the sand underneath my feet, hear the water gently lapping against the shore, a couple of seagulls squawking away. Far in the distance, a truck ran along the overpass.
As I walked back towards the house, I noticed there were rocks lined up along the boardwalk that were new. Each one of them was painted different colours and had sayings on them. Some had rainbows and some were bright yellow. I smiled and thought they should all be moved to the walkway in front of Joseph Brant, so they could line the entranceway to the hospital and all the workers would see them as they started each day.
This initiative is called the Rainbow Tree rock project and was started to spread joy and kindness to others. My sister (aka brilliant Kindergarten teacher extraordinaire) tackled this exercise with her 3 kids. They dropped off painted rocks on the front porches of their friends homes so that they would find them with surprise unexpectedly.
I absolutely loved this whole idea.
(Practicing safe hand washing and social distancing and don't touch the rocks... blah blah blah).
Anyways, how cool is it?!
The activity involves finding the rocks, cleaning the rocks, choosing the colours and pictures and sayings, painting them and then dropping them off. I mean that's like a full days event!
Loved it … and loved seeing them along my walk this morning.
If you have seen me draw or paint, then you will know my rock would not look like this funky yogi looking tree below -
I turned down Burlington Avenue and there was a stained glass sign in the window of a house. It said "let your light shine."
Two houses down, there was pictures saying "thank you to all our healthcare workers" in the front window.
As I turned onto Caroline Street, there is an elderly couple who sit in their sunroom on the porch every morning drinking their tea. I wave at them and they stand up and wave frantically back at me every day. It completely touches my heart as I know they are unable to go outside and are high risk, and yet I feel so utterly connected to them both as part of my routine. They had drawings taped to their windows today with big Canada flags on them that, no doubt, their grand children or great grand children had drawn for them and dropped off.
When I got home today and mindlessly did a quick scroll through Instagram, I saw that my sister had posted a picture of a bag of milk. Last week, she was frustrated that she wasn't able to find any 5L bags (Are they 5L's? Clearly I don't buy milk...) Anyways, she was unable to find any and my nephew is in mass sprouting years and is drinking gallons of it daily.
Her post said "When there's a one bag limit at the grocery store and someone knows your kids drink a sh*t tonne of milk". #thankyou #payitforward #whatcomesaroundgoesaround
I'm in love with the porch drop and in love with the acts of kindness that seem to be increasing daily.
Last week, I dropped off a ziploc bag of flour to my Mom, in exchange for Tylenol, wine and paper towel.
(The Ziploc bag of flour I'm sure looked like quite the porch drop itself.)
(On another note, I should've given her the whole bag. I think I've used a teaspoon of flour in five years making a Christmas gravy.)
(Who am I kidding? She probably also made the gravy.)
Anyways, I love the porch drop and it has me thinking about what care packages I could make or what letters I could write and where I could drop them off.
I've seen beer drop offs, exchanges for items that can't be found at the grocery store and just overall thoughtfulness that is heartwarming and awesome.
Should I send a letter to the elderly couple I've never met and say hello?
(And write it in plastic gloves and spray it with lysol and wear a mask while dropping it off, of course).
It also has me thinking a much deeper question.
What does a world look like without money?
What if we were all paid the exact same amount for what and how we contribute to society and every one of us used our gifts, skills and talents only for the benefit of higher good?
What would that world look like?
Would my uber talented corporate friends who are organic geniuses passionately teach and serve others with their gift? Would the arts evolve and our world become filled with colour and awe? Would my Martha Stewart friends spend all day making cupcakes with the finest detail of icing and sprinkles and exchange them to someone else who interior decorates their home?
Is there a world where we all pursue our dreams without fear of lack - and could that world be so much more vibrant than the one we were in a month ago?
I feel like I should write a letter to Mother Nature.
Dear Mother Nature,
I hear you.
I'm listening.
I'm reflecting.
I'm awake.
What if this gift of time is designed to challenge the evolution of Humanity?
Hmmm...
What if?
I could hear the sound of my breath, my footsteps on the path and the birds singing in the trees. The air was cold and it was snowing, weird April snowflakes, the ones that don't belong this time of year. I only heard a few cars today and passed less than a dozen people. The early morning walkers are all on a mission and really respectful about distance. We were probably 20 feet away from each other and play a good game of dodge and avoid on our routes.
It's eerie, really, to see society like this.
I was the only person on the beach.
The water was calm and peaceful. There was one swan floating along and the sunlight was dancing along the top of the lake. The seagulls didn't even move away as I walked through them today and I thought that even the birds could feel the solitude that was present.
This walk began as something to do to kill time 3 years ago when I wasn't working, but has become a sacred ritual to me. It is no longer the physical exercise that I benefit most from, but the spiritual nature of the discipline and commitment to the time. I don't believe anything is placed on our path by accident and every bird, tree and person I connect with in the morning shapes the experience of my day.
I got to the end of the beach and looked around and there wasn't a soul.
I closed my eyes, just for a moment, and took a deep breath. I could feel the sand underneath my feet, hear the water gently lapping against the shore, a couple of seagulls squawking away. Far in the distance, a truck ran along the overpass.
As I walked back towards the house, I noticed there were rocks lined up along the boardwalk that were new. Each one of them was painted different colours and had sayings on them. Some had rainbows and some were bright yellow. I smiled and thought they should all be moved to the walkway in front of Joseph Brant, so they could line the entranceway to the hospital and all the workers would see them as they started each day.
This initiative is called the Rainbow Tree rock project and was started to spread joy and kindness to others. My sister (aka brilliant Kindergarten teacher extraordinaire) tackled this exercise with her 3 kids. They dropped off painted rocks on the front porches of their friends homes so that they would find them with surprise unexpectedly.
I absolutely loved this whole idea.
(Practicing safe hand washing and social distancing and don't touch the rocks... blah blah blah).
Anyways, how cool is it?!
The activity involves finding the rocks, cleaning the rocks, choosing the colours and pictures and sayings, painting them and then dropping them off. I mean that's like a full days event!
Loved it … and loved seeing them along my walk this morning.
If you have seen me draw or paint, then you will know my rock would not look like this funky yogi looking tree below -
I turned down Burlington Avenue and there was a stained glass sign in the window of a house. It said "let your light shine."
Two houses down, there was pictures saying "thank you to all our healthcare workers" in the front window.
As I turned onto Caroline Street, there is an elderly couple who sit in their sunroom on the porch every morning drinking their tea. I wave at them and they stand up and wave frantically back at me every day. It completely touches my heart as I know they are unable to go outside and are high risk, and yet I feel so utterly connected to them both as part of my routine. They had drawings taped to their windows today with big Canada flags on them that, no doubt, their grand children or great grand children had drawn for them and dropped off.
When I got home today and mindlessly did a quick scroll through Instagram, I saw that my sister had posted a picture of a bag of milk. Last week, she was frustrated that she wasn't able to find any 5L bags (Are they 5L's? Clearly I don't buy milk...) Anyways, she was unable to find any and my nephew is in mass sprouting years and is drinking gallons of it daily.
Her post said "When there's a one bag limit at the grocery store and someone knows your kids drink a sh*t tonne of milk". #thankyou #payitforward #whatcomesaroundgoesaround
I'm in love with the porch drop and in love with the acts of kindness that seem to be increasing daily.
Last week, I dropped off a ziploc bag of flour to my Mom, in exchange for Tylenol, wine and paper towel.
(The Ziploc bag of flour I'm sure looked like quite the porch drop itself.)
(On another note, I should've given her the whole bag. I think I've used a teaspoon of flour in five years making a Christmas gravy.)
(Who am I kidding? She probably also made the gravy.)
Anyways, I love the porch drop and it has me thinking about what care packages I could make or what letters I could write and where I could drop them off.
I've seen beer drop offs, exchanges for items that can't be found at the grocery store and just overall thoughtfulness that is heartwarming and awesome.
Should I send a letter to the elderly couple I've never met and say hello?
(And write it in plastic gloves and spray it with lysol and wear a mask while dropping it off, of course).
It also has me thinking a much deeper question.
What does a world look like without money?
What if we were all paid the exact same amount for what and how we contribute to society and every one of us used our gifts, skills and talents only for the benefit of higher good?
What would that world look like?
Would my uber talented corporate friends who are organic geniuses passionately teach and serve others with their gift? Would the arts evolve and our world become filled with colour and awe? Would my Martha Stewart friends spend all day making cupcakes with the finest detail of icing and sprinkles and exchange them to someone else who interior decorates their home?
Is there a world where we all pursue our dreams without fear of lack - and could that world be so much more vibrant than the one we were in a month ago?
I feel like I should write a letter to Mother Nature.
Dear Mother Nature,
I hear you.
I'm listening.
I'm reflecting.
I'm awake.
What if this gift of time is designed to challenge the evolution of Humanity?
Hmmm...
What if?
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