Leave It To The Wind

“ If you reveal your secrets to the wind, you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees.” – Khalil Gibran

Winter is holding fast these days, clinging tight with icy fingers to its overdue reign – the trees still bare with just a hint of budding and snow falling like salt from a shaker on the local mountains.

With the new season waiting in the wings, I’m beginning to note some subtle changes, the air is soft and warm on my way to my morning yoga class now – the sweet pink of rhododendron blossoms peeking out from shiny green leaves and the tender spring green shoots piercing winter hardened soil warm my heart. This warm air brings with it a sense of hope, spring is sure to come once winter loosens its tight hold and slips away into the ether.

The winds of change are on the move, bringing with them new energy and growth. Some of these winds are buffeting me out of my comfort zones – a week or so ago, I jumped on the wrong shuttle bus on my way to dinner at my friend Yvonne’s, it shook me up and left me feeling disorientated. I was no longer on auto-pilot but luckily my inner compass kicked in and I made my way up some unfamiliar streets marveling at the architecture, experiencing the energy of this unknown corner of Vancouver (mere streets away from iconic Yaletown!). I was not far from a busy city street and found my way easily to another bus so I could be on my way, left with the thought, that I should do this more often and just leave it to the wind, allowing those gentle currents to blow away the winter weary cobwebs from my mind.

In short order, I found myself on the edges of Yaletown once again, this time meeting up with my Aussie friend Amanda at a new cafe (Trees Organic Cafe). Because it was new to both of us, I found myself arriving early to claim a spot and found a table by a big picture window with a brutal view of almost a city block of construction, reminding me that Vancouver is ever growing. This means more people will be moving into a city with little room left for expansion, another sign of more winds of change. Despite the urban view, the cafe turned out to be a warm and quiet oasis, a perfect place to enjoy a fragrant tea (I happily drank a lovely warming tea, Candied Ginger Peach Rooibos!). As I was waiting for my dear friend, I took a quiet moment to do some writing as Trees has a wonderful bookcase with a big tray of white paper on top with cups of pencils, markers and crayons nearby just calling out to the writer within. Without the wind of change, these two adventures would not have been conjured, leaving me adrift on winter’s barren ground forever waiting for spring.

Weddings and spring are in the air – a beautiful white horse drawn carriage near the pavilion in Stanley Park (Vancouver, B.C.).

A closer look at the pavilion in Stanley Park (Vancouver, B.C.).

Trees and shadows in the park (Stanley Park), what secrets do they know?

Journal Entry: January 06th, 2005 – Paloma del Mar Hotel, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

…today has been cloudy and sunny, also very humid! It hasn’t rained once since we’ve been here, just sunny day after sunny day…although our Vancouver neighbour who used to own the Roscoe’s restaurant on Robson St. told us that it rained at about midnight on the first night of our stay at the hotel for an hour or so. I remember peeking out our balcony door at about that time, it wasn’t raining but it smelled as if it had – the air smelled so fresh and earthy.

The sister sign (this one taken in the Vallarta Botanical Gardens in Mexico) to one that commemorates the beautiful rhododendrons found in Stanley Park (Vancouver, B.C.).