B IS FOR BELIEF

I had a great call with a very good friend and respected colleague this morning. He’d sent me an email commenting on my first blog challenge offering, so I picked up the phone and gave him a call. As always, it was great to hear his voice.

Over the course of almost an hour, we talked in detail about the overall economic climate here in Cottage Country. We also spoke of what our hopes and aspirations are going forward. From a market perspective, it’s always interesting here as the seasons change and the big lakes finally open. It's a very exciting time.

LOOK MA... NO HAIR!
Taken: June 1996

As we chatted this morning, we absolutely and unequivocally agreed (that for a goal to be truly achievable) not only do you have to be happy, there has to be belief.

Belief in objective facts of what you're working toward rather than subjective opinions of others. That, and the sheer belief in your journey. Those are the true keys.

Which brings me to my boys. In the moment the shutter snapped, you can tell that they were both very happy. I can assure you (in this moment) they personified BELIEF. 

It was the first time I'd ever convinced them that they should let me shave their heads. They trusted me but they had questions. Oh my goodness, there was doubt, not to mention that they were definitely a couple naysayers. In the end, my well thought through explanation as to why they should take such a drastic step for change resulted in their consent to move forward.

Do you want to know what the most amazing part of my story is?

It took place in my kitchen this past Sunday afternoon. I fired up my set of clippers and I shaved Goob's head. Yup, eighteen year later he still has the solid belief that this look is great. 

Know what? He's absolutely right... They still both embrace the approach and it still looks perfect.

Guess some things were just meant to be!

A IS FOR AMBITION

'JUST SHOW UP EACH AND EVERYDAY' ~ W.J. Schneider
DOT's PIC TAKEN: March 31st, 2014

Just so we’re clear...

I’m not talking about the kind of ambition it takes to get the hell outta bed the morning after you and your best girl friend decided to solve World Peace until the break of dawn on the cottage dock. I'm talking about the internal drive that literally comes from within.

You know, the passion and desire to always keep growing, which in turn has you moving forward and never giving up. The kind of ambition that's really easy to talk about and extremely hard to replicate.

Just look at my dog Dot...

Not even remotely a hope in hell of catching the snowball that she's set her sights on but never once did she not try her very best. I guess you can say she trusted the process to reward her, which in her case, (with my shares in Purina Milk-Bone) it always has. 

I am ambitious like Dot: yet she and I differ. I am more an analyst and somewhat a tactician. I'm sure it's because I am goal oriented but most of all, I am certain it's because I truly enjoy working toward something great.

What can I say? One post down and twenty six to go. Thank you so very much for having the ambition to finish reading my very first of this challenge.

Dot and I (and the next twenty five letters of the alphabet) are truly grateful!!

WISH ME LUCK...

It’s that time of year again, when I willingly torture myself, daily, for an entire month, with the sole purpose of honing my mediocre creative writing skills. That, and to embrace reading/chatting about other offerings posted by approximately 2,000 other avid contributing bloggers.

Any/ALL letter ideas will be greatly appreciated!

Yes-sir-ree... How coincidental is it that April Fools' Day marks my first offering in the 2014 A-Z Blogging Challenge?

For all of you that weren't followers last year, I have to scribe a post a day. Each day represents a different letter of the alphabet: 26 letters covered off in 26 days (with Sundays off for good behaviour).

Last year was the first time I participated. I did it for a couple of very specific reasons. By the end of the month, I had hammered out 99% of the emotion attached to something that had been plaguing me. Even now, when I have any doubt about my decisions I revisit those offerings. The process was extremely cathartic. Crazy hard... but extremely cathartic.

Why the general hesitancy? This year I am in a different place. I’m not sure if my tentativeness is because I remember just how hard it was to finish last year, or because my thoughts and outlook this time around are just so much darker.

Either way, I’m gonna give it a shot. With my fingers crossed I truly hope I will be able to finish. 

Wish me luck. … Tuth is I KNOW I’m gonna fecking need it!

My Wendel Misses Me!

This morning, right after the local newspaper hit the ground with our TEAM announcement, my Boss received a call on his cellphone. He always answers the phone in a melodiously upbeat way, so in the moment, about all I noticed was that he had an incoming call. 

As I continued working away, I heard his voice getting closer and him say “Rhondi? Just a minute, let me get to her and I’ll hand her my phone.” 

My beautiful & bestest Basset Hound buddy WENDEL
...and his older brother Benny.
TAKEN: November 2, 2012

As I grabbed the phone and offered my standard greeting."...Hello, you’re speaking to Rhondi”. A very familiar voice replied “Peacock?"

"... Wendel misses you!”

Excited as all heck, my response was instant. “I knew you’d call”. I said. "I KNEW you'd call!!" The fact that he did absolutely made my day.

Allow me to back up: about three years ago I met a husband and wife that were renovating their very beautiful home/cottage on Lake Rosseau.

She was the kindest of souls with amazing taste and he was a high powered businessman with some very serious service expectations with regards to the money he was looking to spend with the company I was with. All and all, I dealt with them both for almost a year.

At the end of it all, during our time, I embraced a very kindred friendship with their four dogs. Over time, he came to understand my unconditional love for hounds. So, when his renovation was complete, which was around the time my Daisy Marie was killed, knowing how I missed my girl, if he was in the neighbourhood he’d bring my buddy Wendel and the lot by for a visit. 

Before long, every single one of those pups knew they were coming to see me. From the time they'd pull into the parking lot, until the second I walked out the front door, they were in heaven. Not only did they know the sound of my voice, they anticipated the energy and affection that I always showed toward them.

I'm not going to lie, I had confided in their owner that I was leaving my job but in the end I never shared when. I know for a fact they would have stopped by at Christmas only to find me gone. Today he confirmed that by saying "...you never left us a forwarding address."

I’ll be honest, I had no idea how successful the owners of these dogs were; and to this day it's never once mattered. He and his wife are amazing philanthropists that love Muskoka and have always treated me with respect and kindness. Once again proving that you should always treat people the way you want to be treated.

That also goes for their dogs. I am extremely proud to call Wendel, Benny, Annie & Grace my friends. They're coming around for a visit to my new office tomorrow. I can't wait to show all of them off.

Note to self: Wear clothes that dog hair doesn't stick to. Otherwise I'll be smiling and totally covered in it!

If I Only Knew Then What I Know Now…

The last four months have been extremely chaotic for me. Not in a fearful, stomach churning sort of way but in direct relation to the level of expectation I task myself with both personally and professionally each and every day. 

If there’s one thing that I know I’ll walk away from this week with, it's the knowledge that haters are gonna hate.  Let’s face it, negativity breeds exactly that: more intense and widespread negativity. Can't change it and have no desire to focus on it.

I've talked openly about 'friendships' since I started this silly little electronic journal in November of 2011. Extroverts like myself have a wide range of people that drift in and out of our lives. When I take a step back, like I did today, I understand why I speak to many but trust so very few.

With a formal announcement looming locally about my future, there were certain people (that I have unconditional respect for professionally) that I wanted to announce my career move to personally. Each and every single one of them were happy for me.

I want to clarify that calling them wasn't because I needed something from them. I just wanted them to hear directly from me why I chose to transition away from them, at what may have been perceived by the industry, as a high point for me career wise.

If I only knew then what I know now... C'est la vie!
Taken: July 2012

I know there will be a lot of speculation about why I have done what I've done when tomorrow’s newspaper is published and it truly doesn't matter. It is what it is.  A personal career choice that I made with the support of my family for personal growth, a challenge and a solid change. 

You know what? The handful that truly know and care about me, emailed me steadily the last couple of days and have kept a smile on my face during this very hectic time.

They are the few that will always have my unconditional support and ongoing trust.

THOSE are the ones I truly love. 

My Feet Are Downright Desperate!

Enjoying coffee together this morning, my husband asked me my plans for the day. Even though he knew I had to work, he also knows I try really hard to spend at least four hours outside every Sunday. Today, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't move that idea forward in my mind. 

I honestly don’t hate winter. Truth is, I work really hard every year to survive winter. From Hallowe’en to Easter, I have to force myself to get off my fat ass and venture the hell outside.

Historically, the seasonal weather has me trek in footwear stages; flip flops to sneakers, to rubber boots, to snowmobile boots, to snowshoes, to rubber boots, to sneakers, to flip flops. It’s not rocket science but it helps me process when I'll eventually get the sunlight, as well as my life back. 

Aren't the perfect?
(Fine print reads... Meant for sand not snow!)
Taken: February 2014

In hindsight, I suppose the blind side happened when I went from rubber boots (in the fall of 2013) to snowshoes, which is where I’ve been stuck ever since. 

Pushing my buttons and tired of my bitching, my husband sarcastically announced 'no matter what the weather'... In two weeks, he was going to start wearing shorts to work.

Totally unimpressed by his lack of empathy for my plight, I immediately went upstairs on a mission. I removed my fuzzy socks and began wearing my brand new (very sexy) flip flops around the house.

Let's face it. You can look at my behaviour in a couple of different ways: A) Desperate times call for desperate measures. B) There's more than one way to skin a cat. C) Leave me alone I'm totally pouting and pissed with winter... or D) All of the above.

She's all of the above Baby... ALL OF THE ABOVE!!

It Just Ain’t Adding Up

Today’s the first day of Spring and I walked to work in a raging blizzard. I really didn't mind. I was bundled up and the music flowing through my headphones was perfect. As I stared out my office window all day, I couldn't help but pray for it to be over. Not the snow per say but the excessive bills that follow this crap and seem to be never ending.

Nothing like a great BIG screw
to get you through the winter!

Like every single family in Ontario, hydro has been that expense that has always been deemed the evil wicked step monster running the mafia for years.

Why so bitter? My last bill was 25% higher than any other bill I have ever received in this home (which was purchased in 2002).

I've never contested a hydro bill ever before. I've just let the hydro company screw me without even buying me a drink first. I’m not sure if I have any rights but I suspect I don’t.

My son updated his status today about how he envisioned someone giving his eulogy. "He always paid his bills on time... You gave this guy a bill he paid it! He was a bill-paying Son of a B!”

As I paid some bills online tonight, it was he I truly felt bad for. Young and hardworking, he was screwed far worse than I by Hydro this last month. By my calculation, Lakeland doesn't need to buy him a drink: they need to buy him some solid shares in Seagram's!!

...And THAT's I gotta say about that!!!

Life Is A Two Way Street

Last weekend, we enjoyed a very in depth dinner conversation about my leaving my job last December and where I'm at since the time has passed; leaving wasn't a decision I made lightly, yet I have been so busy in my new role, that I haven’t spent a lot of time examining the move emotionally.

What can I say? You can look all over the internet and find sayings that are designed to motivate inner reflection. The big one for me was someone specific posting something to the effect that 'it’s good to know who my friends really are' (I’m paraphrasing). 

Truth of the matter is that much to that person's chagrin, 99.999% of the time, there is a friend on the other end of that proverbial saying that ultimately feels exactly the same way. It’s called a two way street.

Never, for a minute, have I ever expected this next chapter of my life to be easy. HELL, I think that’s what is literally paving my way. Just like any commodity, I think about Las Vegas.

The plane landing in Vegas is full of people that are self-perceived Winners. The plane full of people flying home, are full of excuses why they gambled their money away. It's all just simple justification of personal behaviour rather than understanding its true design. A hard business reality.

Anyway, screw Vegas, I’m heading to Scottsdale!

No, seriously, I am. Third week in September. To network and grow business.

Not with friends, with some very successful like-minded people.

People, that have no desire to ever be flying out of  Las Vegas with a plane full of excuses either!

CRAP-A-DOODLE-DOO

Let The Melting Begin
Taken: March 14th, 2013

What a week. Reporting that it was genuinely in the toilet only scratches the surface. I felt like crap, there was bullshit everywhere I turned, and the driveway officially looks like a giant skid mark!

You may laugh but not only is the driveway comment the high point in that last paragraph, I have no qualms about how it appears. Truth is, it’s the only thing this week that helped remind me Spring is just around the corner. 

I didn't break for lunch until 2pm today, yet when I did, I forced myself to go outside with the pups. The sun was amazing and I could literally hear the snow melting. That in itself makes any and all other points moot.

Days like today always make me see and appreciate things more clearly. You know, with the road down to the bare pavement and the snow melting on the roof. Not to mention, that by using the back of the axe I could chip away some emotion as well as some ice to finally expose sections of the front deck I haven't seen since since last November.

What can I say? I am hard-wired to always look forward and never back. Guess that's why this time of year we are all meant to get the hell outside and  Spring Forward!

Believe ME... Today, I did exactly that.

Apparently Size Matters!

On our second last vacation day, I heard myself uttering the four words I never imagined I ever would... “it’s just too big” I sadly admitted. Hey now, I was taking about the size of the resort we were just at in Jamaica: what the hell were YOU thinking? 

I have always been the first one to put up my hand and say that "sometimes more isn't necessarily better... it's just more." Yet, flip the coin and I always say (with any great adventure) "you only get out of it what you put into it!"

No matter which you believe, by the end of the week, after we'd overlooked any challenges we had encountered, we admitted that we'd ultimately had a really great time. 

Would I return to Jamaica a third time? Definitely. Would I return to the biggie I experienced on Runaway Bay? Probably not. 

I guess the truth of the matter is that even though I enjoyed something bigger than I could have ever imagined just this once, I truly missed the intimate experience I'd had a couple of years ago in Negril. Funny how life can surprise you when you least expect it...

You DO realize I am still talking about real estate right?

AY CARUMBA IT WAS BIG!
It took three pics with my cell phone to get a full frontal shot...HAHAHA
Taken: March 2nd, 2014

My Very Strategic Tan Lines!

The afternoon that I left on my vacation, I threw my Boss a hug and said “if the plane’s gonna crash, let’s hope it’s on the way home. What? Gotta get every pennies worth!”

We all laughed but believe it or not, uttering those very words stayed in the back of my mind until we climbed into bed safe and sound last night. In hindsight, I can't help but wonder why I would have given the moment a second thought.

I guess at the end of the day every adventure presents risk. The crux of it is that though I truly have a vivid imagination,  I've never ventured very far from my comfort zone. I suppose there are a handful of times I've truly wanted to - but in the end of it all I have discovered that I was meant to be - ME.

Speaking of 'being me', what a week away. As I stepped on the scale this morning I once again discovered that my roller coaster journey with food the last couple of years had resonated diddle-y squat. Yup, I'm weak. When presented with great food, I have no idea what 'portion control' really is. Staring at the digits in the scale I smiled.

The weather was great & the food even better!!
Taken: March 1, 2014

What can I say? I'm happy.

Not because I had a great week away... I'm happy because I personally choose to be exactly that.

Happy. Happy. Happy.

Hell, I wore a two piece bathing suit and I wasn't on my dock!

Truth? Being happy isn't the only thing that really made me smile. The fact that I have a really dark tan line where my boobs meet my belly is not only a hard reality, I think it's downright sexy.

When I stepped out of the shower this morn and looked at myself in the full length mirror I grinned from ear to ear, then started to laugh.

I know I need to lose the fret. I know first hand that life's too short to worry. So think about it... If that stinkin' plane would have crashed, that would be it. You would have never known about that crazy, cheeky, sexy Jamaican sun, that produced my very strategic tan lines... that I am totally bragging about.

PEEPS... Life's too short to let that glass half empty win!

Jamaica? No Problem!

Well, today marks the official halfway point of my winter vacation. I overdid it in the sun a little yesterday but nothing that a floppy hat and extra strength sunscreen can’t remedy today. That, and a constant slow drip of Jamaican rum!

I did return to the room early yesterday with the intention to post, yet, when I hammered out my thoughts, I ended up posting them to my draft folder;  which is where they will stay, with the almost hundred other posts too personal to share.

Proof that we arrived safe & sound
Taken: February 26th, 2014

On a more entertaining note, the American friends we've traveled with have already started to tease me about my three cameras and my picture taking fetish.

Last trip, Brian waited until the second last day to give me his two gun salute. I am pleased to report that yesterday morning I was given the official nod as both his middle fingers made his thoughts perfectly clear.

Ah…The comfort of a great friendship. It's all in the sarcasm and laughter and there has been plenty of both.

Always one for adventure, I am leaving my buddy Omar at the swim up bar for a day of lounging in salt and sun. I am embarrassed to admit that I paid ten dollars for a dollar store floatie. I am pleased to report that they originally wanted eighteen dollars so I’ll justify my spending as an exercise in great negotiation rather than the sheer stupidity it was.

As I sit here listening to the morning birds and sip a cup of coffee I feel at peace. I was afraid to return to the island but my worry has turned out to be for nothing. I’m staying at a much larger resort this time around but there is one very common thread; the sun, sounds, food and fun. Two years ago, as a couple, we l literally struggled with every single one of those elements.

This year? I say “Welcome to Jamaica mon… “

No problem!

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE

Puddie... Just slap happy & headin' home
Taken: February 16th, 2014

When I was out with the pups snowshoeing this past Sunday, I snapped this pic of my Puddin' enjoying the trials that I'd created over the crux of this brutal winter. 

Walking home from work tonight, I swear this is how I felt about how my week shook out. I was simply downright ecstatic!

The hard part about working independently is that you have to stay your course. Watching the clock and managing your time becomes critical. It’s always tough when you’re flying solo, because expectation of immediate results becomes conditioned, and your list of things expected to be accomplished grows accordingly.

It’s been years since I have been out of my comfort zone; using a plethora of those certain skills and tools I'd tucked away for a rainy day. Well guess what? I went to work this morning in the pouring rain and cashed in!

Today was the first day since I joined my new Team, that I felt (via my efforts) they understood our very tangible progress. I know they don't have a lot of interest in what I am doing; just the faith that it will be done properly and within the timeline promised. This Happy Friday produced milestones... and we’re not talking little wee baby steps. 

Rule #1: Lose all excuses and you’ll find nothing but results.

Trust me. Making it look easy is much harder than simply complaining about the ton of hard work that must be endured. Hence why I'm smiling. I haven't complained once.

Happy Friday Everyone!

The Inevitable Happened...

Whenever I'm stressed I flee in search of something I refer to as ‘snackage’. Wine gums are my favourite but I've never met a Toblerone bar I didn't like. With website deadlines looming around me, I got up from my desk and went on a mission.

Flash forward fifteen minutes. With the store counter loaded up with more than twenty eight dollars in junk food the inevitable happened. I ended up face to face with a previous customer: a great guy and an amazing builder. I knew from the instant our eyes met he was going to want to discuss my career change, which frankly is something I have readily avoided since the day I left my previous employ.

"Once you feel you know everything...
You're incapable of change." ~ ME

I must admit, though my employment lane has changed, I was truly saddened as my friend continued to express his frustrations. When he finally verbalized that he was no longer going to do business with my former company, I was both saddened and disheartened. 

I told him that I was sorry and that I think of my old boss every single day."You were a great team" was his response.

The Bossman (as I so lovingly called him) may have signed my pay cheque but my encounter with his customer proved that he was never really my boss. My boss was the amazing builder standing in front of me.

Truth of the matter is... "There is only one boss. The customer. And they can fire anyone in the company from the Chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.” ~ Sam Walton. 

And THAT BOSS told me he’d 'Donald Trumped' the Team I was once so very proud of leading. 

Not gonna lie, after I left him I cried. Not because I felt responsible for him leaving, nor because I could hear my old Bossman's voice hailing it all unacceptable. It was much bigger than that. My tears flowed because...

The sheer thought of what he was describing to me was just really very sad.

A Family Day of Reflection

I am not proud to admit that I have zero contact with my three older siblings.

Different life choices are probably what created the gigantic chasm but my Dad passing was most definitely what sealed our long term fate. It’s not like the distance happened immediately, I guess we all made a series of individual/personal decisions over time.

As parents, we make choices every single day on the philosophies we decide to instil in our children; those choices will ultimately last a lifetime. I know in our home, we chose to constantly reinforce that no matter how much they bickered, one day they would cherish the bond they had as siblings. My husband and I continually reminded that they would always have each other and therefore their respect for one and other should always be carefully nurtured.

The Power of 3 - Summer Lovin' Poppa's Camp!
Taken: July 1995

From the very beginning we've always cautioned them that we could never force them to be friends.

Only they could make the specific choices to unconditionally love and support one and other as they matured.

Look at my picture (snapped almost 20 years ago on their Poppa's dock).

That amazing bond, though tested at times, has had them communicating more with one and other more than with my husband and I by a mile. To be honest, after the journey I have taken with my siblings I'm a little envious. It makes me somewhat reflective actually.

I sometimes wonder if the demise of my relationships with my own siblings is why I've evolved into the crazy dog lady. In some way, shape, or form, maybe I was meant to be surrounded by a gigantic pack of love without a stitch of drama, rivalry, or ulterior motivation.

What can I say?... I'll start with the fact that I am so proud of my three children for getting it right. We may have led by planting the example seed; but in the end, they made it look easy, which is definitely the silver lining never to be taken for granted.

Happy Family Day. Here's to you and yours... and a million more.

Cheers...