Everything all at once

Life, eh?! 

The past four weeks have been particularly full-on for me, for a long list of reasons I won't get into here. For anyone who reads my blog regularly you'll probably have a pretty good idea of what I'm talking about. Those who know me personally will know the extra bits outside my book launch and the flooding in Calgary and my efforts to do some fundraising through the sale of my paintings. 

100% of the proceeds from the sale of
any of my paintings, print or original,
will be donated to the flood relief efforts
in Calgary, Alberta.
#CalgaryStrong

Anyhoo, the short of it is, this is the nature of life.

I used to be the sort who would say, "When things settle down..." - but I have to admit, realising that life never 'settles' has been a liberating thing. I no longer look at difficult situations as 'bad' situations. I accept that I grow best when I'm challenged and that even the most challenging of situations won't kill me. Especially when I've got loads of support.

This is why I wrote Wise at any Age and why I stand by my belief that I'd rather learn from my experiences than wonder what my life would be like if I'd been brave (foolhardy?) enough to take the plunge and try something new or different.

As it is, everyday when I wake up I ask myself the wise words of Pema Chodron: "If death is certain and the time until death is uncertain, what is the most important thing?"

Watching the recovery and clean-up in Calgary isn't just testimony to the resilience of the people who live there. It's testimony to the resilience of humankind and that, when we are really faced with what truly matters versus trivial 'first world problems', most of us are pretty well equipped to know the answer to this question. Those who aren't are confused and a reminder that no one does anything because they want to feel worse.

We're all scrambling for ground in a world that is constantly throwing curveballs or blindsiding us.

For me, the most important things are not tangible. They are almost ineffable, in fact.

They are community - friendships, human connection, the knowledge that we are sharing this planet and every action has an equal and opposite reaction and what we put out in the world is what we will get back.

They are good mental health - the ability to know what is necessary for my happiness, for my personal well-being, regardless of the situations I find myself in.

They are the ability to grow - to know what I am capable of changing, accept what I will never have control over, and the strength to let go.

I want to thank everyone who has been sharing the link to my paintings and doing all they can to help. Calgary is a beautiful city and no matter where I may find myself in the world, it will always be my home. It means so much to me that people have been supportive of each other and I'm immensely proud to see how people have banded together. I feel less helpless knowing I have something to offer, even if it's not very much (although if I were to sell all my originals it would actually be quite a lot), because at least it's something at all. Every little bit helps!

Calgary floods

Today is Canada day and I will be celebrating it in Trafalgar Square - but my heart will be in Calgary with my friends and family and fellow Calgarians, who are recovering from the worst flood the city has seen since the 30s.

Last Friday, on the day of my book launch, I woke up find Facebook full of messages about people being evacuated from all the neighbourhoods surrounding the river. On Saturday I saw video footage of the very dark, very flooded downtown core.

I am not just a Calgarian but an Inglewoodian. I was born and raised in a house that is now 101 years old and stands just one block from the Bow River. It's age was the thing that saved it - the basement being built when concrete was cheap and the walls could be made thick. Other neighbours haven't been so lucky. Our dear neighbourhood watch, who has been a fixture of the community for longer than I've been alive, has lost his home entirely as it sinks into the sodden ground.

By Sunday the photos being posted online had gained iconic status. The flooded Stampede Grounds. The warped LRT tracks (Roller coaster to work, anyone?). The Saddle Dome full up to the eighth row and Harvey the Hound's head, covered in mud.

And then there was where the sidewalk ends...

The Calgary bike path 

As a kid growing up in Inglewood, the bike path and the river were our playground. When I was over in April I rode my bike along this path, as I'd done hundreds, if not thousands of times before. It was the last time, because now it's gone. Taken away by the sheer power of flood water.

This was where we played Kick-the-Can. This was where we would watch beavers and porcupines at dusk. Last summer my dad photographed a young bald eagle in one of the trees that's now gone - swept away in an unstoppable tide.

 Inglewood is intersected by both the Bow and the Elbow, and it's green surroundings and proximity to the Wildlands, bird sanctuary and fish hatchery make it hard to believe that it's an 'inner-city' neighbourhood located only ten minutes from downtown.

When I was there in April I attended a collaborative art project being supported by the city. The idea was to celebrate the river by celebrating the neighbourhoods that run along it. I was so inspired because Inglewood truly is my favourite place on the planet - of all the places I've travelled thus far. I decided I wanted to tell my stories through some sort of web comic or graphic novel. To share how growing up in Inglewood has influenced so much of who I am and how I live my life.

This project now means more to me than ever before but it's going to be a long time in the works. As it is, I want to do something NOW. In a different time and place I would have the airfare to fly home and jump right in to the clean up effort.

Barring this I have decided to offer the only other thing I have - my artwork. I will donate the total sale of any of my prints or originals to flood recovery efforts. Together we will rebuild our beautiful city.

Happy Canada Day and all my love to everyone in Calgary.

 I'm so proud to call it my home, no matter where I might be in the world.