We enjoyed a busy summer and are so thankful for our contributors in August. We hope they will continue to be a part of this blog as they added so much to it. Thank you Anita, Laura and Tommy.
We chose this week’s theme, Elevate The Everyday, in homage of the founder of Shutter Sisters, Tracey Clark. We thought it would be fitting as we will be joining Tracey and the other Shutter Sisters towards the end of this month to click away in Palm Springs at Camp Oasis!
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September for me is usually a time of renewal, of new beginnings, of reinvention and of many possibilities. This is so true for me more than the start of any new year.
The corner of Charles and Commercial has a special place in my heart. It is where I turn right from Commercial to make my way home, several times a day. I could turn right on any other street but I choose this one. This decision elevates me, it is a place of familiarity and it is a place where I am most likely to stop and linger for a moment to admire the colours of the vibrant flower arrangements at The Flowerbox. Most of the time I end up taking a picture of ‘where I am standing’ amongst this beauty and yes, of course it goes on Instagram.
This ritual makes me appreciate life, makes me say thank you for being able to see, smell and sometimes gently touch the flowers.
Right next to The Flowerbox, another familiar and favourite place is Little Nest. The place where I frequented with my second child and acquired memories of relaxed coffees with friends who were with newborns too. It is a place where I would choose to go alone and have a coffee and something yummy if my time permitted.
So, in honour of elevating our everyday, this is what elevates me most days in this lovely nook in East Vancouver.
Our habitual, commonplace activities seem to fill in the cracks between the big moments, the highs, the milestones and special moments in life. We need those daily rituals to remind us that life is full of the good, the bad and even sometimes the very mundane. When I am able to turn my camera on the routine, ordinary events of my life, I elevate them to a new perspective – a new understanding. It doesn’t necessarily mean they are any less of a pain in the butt, or less tedious etc., but I get a chance to slow down, observe and even sometimes savour these passing moments.
Grocery shopping is not something I like to do, but well, it’s on the list of things I need to get done every week. On the Westside, we are inundated with food stores and I usually like to support my local store owners in Kitsilano. However, sometimes I just have to go into one of the big chain stores to pick us some necessities that aren’t available at the smaller outlets. I loathe shopping at the big box stores. I dislike the whole experience. The other day I shifted my perspective (and mood) by narrowing in on the pattern of the shopping carts and enjoyed how the lovely September light was streaming in through the big windows. This small gesture turned the unremarkable into the remarkable. Celebrating the everyday.
“An authentic life is the most personal form of worship. Everyday life has become my prayer.” Sarah Ban Breathnach
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