August 2 saw us swing to experiences. Ones that moved you – that had a profound impact on your life. They didn’t have to be large or divine in nature, something small (like a picnic with a friend or the first time your baby kicked you) but something you felt was significant to you. Evidently, some struggled with this. I did not.

1. Nursing my son for the first time. We were in the recovery room after he was born (via c/section). I could hear the clock ticking on the wall. It was me, the nurse, and the cold sterile environment. Everything was stainless steel around us, and the room was chilled, but I was warm, half naked, with my nearly naked baby on my chest, struggling to get him to latch properly but it was a warm moment I hold dear and will never forget.
2. Seeing London as our plan descended into Heathrow Airport. It was the first time I had left North America. I finally realized it was about 10am London Time so it shouldn’t have been dark on the plane. I was the first one to ‘open’ the blind on my window seat and slowly, the rest of the plane followed me. Seeing lush green fields, the old-style council housing, warehouses, the Thames River. It was inspiring. I was in awe.
3. Swimming in the Atlantic Ocean at sunset in Portimão, Portugal. It was pure magic.
4. The time spent on the farm both looking after my stepdad as he was dying from cancer and after he passed, helping my Mom pack up 23 years of life so she could move. I learned a lot about everything that summer. While it was hard in many ways, I grew a lot that year and learned a lot about me as a person.
5. Failing swimming lessons when I was 12 or 13. It was the first thing I truly failed at in life. I was devastated. Broken. But I survived. Learned about how sometimes it doesn’t matter whether you can, it is about how you look that counts but you march on anyway.
6. Buying our house. Coming home that first day from work and realizing this was our home!
7. What happens in the rental car, stays in rental car – time with good friends in rural Manitoba. Sharing good times with my colleagues. The meaning of friendships, the bonds of trust, and redefining friendships as adults.
8. Seeing my son befriend street cats in Mexico. His compassion and love are boundless when he feels secure. It warmed me deeply to see him feel such compassion.
9. Cooking meat pies with my son. Sharing time in the kitchen reveals a side of my son I love. We can talk in earnest, share humour, thoughts, and private ideas we wouldn’t in a normal setting.
10. My first date with my husband. Not so much the date as the moments before and after. They defined what I knew would be a relationship that would last.
11. Traveling alone. The sense that I could do it and not get lost changed me and gave me a crazy sense of independence. Made me realize there was nothing in this life I could not do.

Unsure what I am talking about? You can catch the intro post here, but in short… The wellness studio I go to is running a free workshop this week, Elevate & Illuminate: A Free Lion’s Gate Portal Offering. Trista, the owner, is presenting live everyday, a gratitude challenge or assignment where we are tasked to come up with 11 things on a set idea or prompt. So, after the eleven days, we will have eighty-eight things or moments of gratitude.