Every moment matters. With every decision you make, you’re paving the path that all your memories will be built upon. You’re choosing to move towards your dreams or away from them. You’re choosing to heal or suffer. You’re choosing to seize an opportunity or let it pass. You’re choosing to speak your truth or fall silent. You’re choosing kindness or cruelty. You’re choose tolerance or judgement. Your memories will last longer than the moments that created them. Choose your moments wisely. Toni O’K~🌹❤️
Our lives are a blend of sunshine filled days, wild chaotic storms, and days that provide us with a bit of both. No matter how dark the day has been, the sun stills comes up, the stars still shine, the ocean tides continue to roll in and out and, the wind continues to move the heaviest of clouds to reveal blue skies. There is calm before every storm, There will be calm after every storm, Life carries on after every storm, and so shall you❤️.
One day you’ll wake up, look at your reflection and say; “I set you free, from all of it, everything, everyone, and every emotion that has ever hurt you, let you down, caged you in, or caused you pain. Now your free, really free, to live your magic and soar”
All you have to do, Is choose the day. Toni O’K ~🌹❤️
Surrender to the quiet you’ve been gifted, and rest your beautiful heart. Slow your breath, close your weary eyes, and paint your dreams with indigo skies draped in serene light. Hush sweet soul, hush. Something brand new will be waiting to greet you in the dawn. Toni O’K ~🌹❤️
Now is the time to exhale, to unpack everything and surrender to something new. To sail into a life of grace guided by the things that sing from your heart and are craved by your soul. It’s time to anchor your dreams to the warmth of the harbour waiting to welcome you home. Toni O’K~🌹❤️
If YOU are still waiting for your “One Day”, this is for you❤️ I hope one day, everything appears different, brighter and better for you. That the gentle whisper of your own voice greets you with love, replacing the harsh voice of criticism that has been by your side for too long. That you are guided by your deepest wisdom and an inner peace that allows you to let your walls down and let your beautiful light shine. Love Toni💕
For most of my life there has been a steady flow of thoughts, ideas and words that trickle through my mind and pour into a well of inspiration that fuels me. These past several weeks, the well has run dry. Like the rest of the world my mind has become still. I’m learning to embrace the stillness. It’s in stillness beneath the earth and below calm waters that beautiful things are planted and take root. It’s in stillness that our bodies, minds and souls are renewed. It’s in stillness that the planet will heal. Welcome the stillness, the solitary confinement, the peacefulness and calm. Enjoy it knowing when we emerge beautiful things will bloom in us and in the world. Until then, I will be still ~
This global pandemic has given us the opportunity to sit in silence and observe, really observed, how we and the rest of the world live.
One of my greatest observations is that we all have it in us to give more and be more. More loving, more kind and more compassionate towards each other and the planet.
At the same time we have it in us to be less. Less busy, less stressed, live with less, be less judgemental and less offended by every little damn thing.
I’ve learnt that time spent alone is good. It’s in this alone time that we can listen to the inner wisdom that’s always trying to get our attention. We need to teach our children how to be still and tap into their own inner wisdom.
I’ve learnt that I’m grateful for the non-monetary, simple things in life like walks, sunsets, the people I love, great conversations, cinnamon buns, laughter, friendship, my health and my puppy who really is my whacky best friend.
During these past few month we’ve seen the necessity of creating locally focused economies. Relying on products and services from around the globe is determental to our health, our economy and the planet. Look how quickly Canadian companies rallied and employed ingenuity to refit their facilities and address this pandemic and our need for protective equipment, ventilators, hand sanitizer and food.
We are learning that we can achieve a better work life balance by implementing different ways to work, learn and play. Technology allows us this flexibility. When the world regulates our new collective heartbeat, I hope people will still employ these practices.
The way we treat other living beings has to change. The lives of animals that are confined to small spaces and cages in wet markets, entertainment facilities, meat farms and research labs, are horrible. Because we have the power to cause them pain doesn’t mean we should. If we believe we are of a higher intelligence then, we should act like it.
It is our own poor treatment of other living species that led us to this pandemonium ~ and isn’t that a major bitch slap to all of us from lady Karma.
We are all connected. Anyone that hasn’t figure that out during all this, is not of this earth.
During isolation I’ve pondered the notion that we elevate and worship false idols like movie stars, reality TV personalities, pro-athletes Youtubers, Instagram influencers, models and race car drivers. Yet, none if these idols were able to get us through this.
The real hero’s, the ones worthy of our idolizations, are the ones we often take for granted. The ones that keep our lives running every day; the healthcare workers, emergency responders, the builders, postal workers, the transportation, warehouse and retailers workers, scientists, the teachers and child care workers that nurture young minds AND most importantly farmers❤️ These are the people worthy of our idolization.
On a global level we must elect leaders not based on the size of their wallet, the size of their ego or the empires they have built. Our global leaders must possess authentic concern for people and the earth. On that note, as I bare witness to the chaos in other parts of the world and even on this continent, I have never been more grateful to be Canadian🇨🇦.
We are merely visitors on this little blue ball spinning through space. We can be evicted at any moment. Mother earth gives us everything we need, she takes nothing from us. Yet, we take everything from her. The way we are living and treating her is not sustainable. The planet will survive without us. We will not survive without her.
We must act together to be kinder to the earth. We need to allow her to heal, to breath to live, so we can heal, breath and live, it really is that simple.
We have no more excuses. We have proven we can change. We have proven we can be more and use less. NO MORE excuses!
The world will not be the same after this and hope it’s NOT.
When we emerge from the warmth of our cocoons, I hope we have shed old patterns of behaviour and grown into something better, bolder and much more beautiful and peaceful 🦋.
I am amazed at how immature I have become during this global pandemic. I’ve been spending my days eating snacks, playing dress up with my dog, laughing at a litany of silly dog videos, lounging in the same clothes for days, watching way too much TV, FaceTiming girlfriends and laughing about the most ridiculous things. I’ve become the sloppy 12 year old kid I used to yell at to go clean “his” room on a Saturday afternoon. Does this mean that I think this pandemic is a joke? Absolutely not. On the inside, I have never been so scared for humanity. On the days I have to go out without a mask, without gloves, without hand sanitizer to pick up medications and supplies for my mom, I’ve been scared. As I stand in ridiculously long (but very quiet) lineups, I’m worried someone is going to cough or sneeze on me, it’s all a bit surreal.
I’m grateful to those that go into the world to work every day putting themselves at risk so we can get groceries, medications and supplies. I’m equally thankful to the ones taking care of our most vulnerable citizens, including those taking care of my my Mom. And, my niece Shannon who’s taking care the children at her childcare centre and my neice Moira who is taking care of the employees on her construction site as their safety officer.
As I watch the news, my thoughts and heart are always with my colleagues, family and friends in the healthcare system that are working hard and diligently to get us through this. I’m scared for them and their families. I have silently prayed for their well being and wept for the fear I know they face every day. For many of us, being silly and seeking out humour, even craving it, is a coping mechanism. It’s what we have to do. A study done at Stanford university shows that humour is a more effective coping strategy than being solemn or sad. Projecting humor is healthier than cynicism, as cynicism can lead to depression and weakness or entire immune system.
To those that get offended by the silliness and nonsense showing up on your news feed, now is a good time to get over it and try to understand it.
To those craving humour right now, know that your desire to seek out the silly, the nonsensical or the hilarious during such a difficult time is normal and healthy for your mind, body and soul.
Laughter is like a lantern, it doesn’t eliminate the darkness, it gets us through it. If we can find the light, the laughter, the love and the patience, during difficult times, we are heading in the right direction.
