February 4, 2013

So I went to a cabin with no power in the middle of the woods…

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My friends and I decided to go to a cabin for the night, sounds like your standard teen scary movie I know, but thankfully we are all in one piece. 

The only heat in the cabin was by a fireplace and there was no running water.

We walked in the forest and had time to be out of the city. It seems that Windhorse Farm, is the perfect place to just relax.

I had a chance to go for a walk in the snow and draw by candlelight. At about 1:00 am my friend, Izzy, whipped out her pastels and offered to share. This was a great opportunity to relax, reflect, and to get back in touch with my, sometimes forgotten, creative self.

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I can’t wait to go back up to Windhorse Farm, and to make the journey to the local art-store to pick up some much needed art supplies.

February 3, 2013
I’m a poet. I distrust anything that starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop because people don’t think in full, clear sentences.
― Antjie Krog
February 3, 2013
Country of My Skull is a great read for someone that is interested in metanarratives and narratives. Krog challenges the role of journalism by making her account personal. This novel drastically altered my perspective on South Africa.

Country of My Skull is a great read for someone that is interested in metanarratives and narratives. Krog challenges the role of journalism by making her account personal. This novel drastically altered my perspective on South Africa.

February 3, 2013

Doing something for yourself 25 minutes per day

The next task is to complete an ACTION project. This project’s aim is to get people out of their comfort zone. For example, if someone has spent quite a bit of time focusing on themselves through mediation, yoga ect., this project is their time to think outside of the box and perhaps focus on something that they may not be used to- liiiike  collaborating with a group to plan an event!

In my case, I find that I quite often commit myself to many activities, whether I am assisting with coordinating an event or, what feels like, endless amounts of meetings. For this ACTION project, I have decided that I am going to try to do something that I usually put on the back burner, which is my personal happiness. 

I am committing to do something for myself 25 minutes per day. Over a year ago, a professor from Alberta came spoke at an ANSSA (now Students NS) conference, at Cape Breton University, about the importance of happiness and how we often neglect our mental health. I cannot remember his name for the life of me. (I want to say his name was Andrew Power, but after searching online I could not find him). The presenter mentioned that one way to challenge yourself and address your state of happiness is to do something for yourself 25 minutes per day.He elaborated on his experience, and how sometimes it can be quite tough. As a runner and weightlifter, he challenged himself to do an activity that was more relaxing and required less competition, he chose yoga. This concept sparked my interest.

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January 28, 2013 • 4 notes
Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of defining it.
Hannah Arendt 
January 25, 2013
… in contrast to the leadership bubble, most people were sceptical when defining sustainability, whereas defining leadership seemed to be a far easier task… I asked six individuals, from varying backgrounds, ‘what are the key ingredients of sustainability?’ and these were their responses:

… in contrast to the leadership bubble, most people were sceptical when defining sustainability, whereas defining leadership seemed to be a far easier task…


I asked six individuals, from varying backgrounds, ‘what are the key ingredients of sustainability?’ and these were their responses:

January 25, 2013
I am inspired to take action in my community by collaborating projects.  I imagine myself to be an intermediary. Instead of trying to recreate or duplicate projects, I wish to help people in the community collaborate or have the resource to find out what’s going on already and see if they can join. 

I am inspired to take action in my community by collaborating projects. 

I imagine myself to be an intermediary.

Instead of trying to recreate or duplicate projects, I wish to help people in the community collaborate or have the resource to find out what’s going on already and see if they can join. 

January 25, 2013
—————> The moment when the story collecting process shifted my thinking begun at my first interview. I find, especially in this day and age, that people forget the importance and value of listening. It was really nice to take a step back from my quite chatty personality and to just listen to what the individual had to say. 

—————> The moment when the story collecting process shifted my thinking begun at my first interview. I find, especially in this day and age, that people forget the importance and value of listening. It was really nice to take a step back from my quite chatty personality and to just listen to what the individual had to say. 

January 25, 2013
Being a leader doesn’t have to be seen as a quality your boss has, but includes getting people together, who don`t necessarily know each other, to complete a collective task. Gavin Jardine, the Dalhousie Student Union VP Student Life Exec, organized an awesome slip n`slide on Citadel Hill for the Orientation Week 2012 video.

Being a leader doesn’t have to be seen as a quality your boss has, but includes getting people together, who don`t necessarily know each other, to complete a collective task. Gavin Jardine, the Dalhousie Student Union VP Student Life Exec, organized an awesome slip n`slide on Citadel Hill for the Orientation Week 2012 video.

January 25, 2013

Similarities

I found when speaking to people about their story, that in most cases, they consider themselves happy based on whether they have followed their passions.

Whether their passion was… reading, teaching, planning events, farming, creating environmental programs, or organizing actions.