Read Even More
~tresj
Photo: isla
There's a strikingly scenic spot in this Stampede City --
and it's called Cougar Ridge... Alright… on to a little more background on how this blog came to be…
So, many moons ago, while contemplating whether or not to take the plunge, try out some v e r y novice writing skills and actually start this self-imposed 'writing task thingy' (a process taking oh, only about 4 years or so, dating back to 2012) the following are some very first thoughts I had early on about what the blog would be about.
Once I realized I wasn’t able to shake the 'community journal' idea, I put pen to paper and started working on this more personal section of the blog, meant especially for you LifeUpHerions... (our fellow Cougarians, Westspringtonians, Wentworthees, Aspenlandors, Springbankers...). |
Photo: tresj
(Oh, and of course please include yourself if you’re reading from the lovely Coulees, Coach Hill, Signal Hill, and Patterson... and all of the other wonderful little chinook nooks in between...)
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Ok, here I shall give you one last chance to escape!
Now would probably be a good time to tell you...
Now would probably be a good time to tell you...
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Roots 'o the BlogDon't know about you, but we feel we kinda lucked out stumblin' upon this little corner of the world called Cougar Ridge (or what we endearingly call -- "Ridge Royalty" -- getting glimpses of the 90m Olympic ski jumps towering over us and ceremonious national emblems waving gracefully in the wind… (anyone else need a kleenex?)
Photo Courtesy WinSport.ca
With warm hearts (strong and free!)
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Photo Courtesy WinSport.ca
The 'Glory Slopes of '88'
The winning site for 5 prestigious medals (2 Silver and 3 Bronze for Canada!)
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It looked so new, but also so desolate, almost like a baby ghost town (if that’s possible...)
Even a cool car of 1950's vintage had been left to rust on one of the few parcels of land not yet snatched up by developers. |
Photo: tresj
Any Original Cougs'll remember this old beaute.
She was comfortably nestled on 9th Ave, right where Frills has now set up shop. |
Looking back now, it's amazing how much this community has grown. The inspiration for the Life Up Here blog came out of an “Ah Ha” moment I'd had actually about just that --
...that by chance, the community I just happened to move into was in the exciting process of “coming alive” at a time that I too was trying to “come alive” in the midst of exploring new perspectives on some ‘life evolving’ stuff. |
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...The point is, moving up here wasn’t all I thought it would be, at first. After going through a period where life for me wasn’t always so “up” around here, this blog is the result of life handing me lemons, adding in a few limes, and tryin’ to make the best damn margarita I could.
You see, after the moving truck pulled away it didn’t take long to realize, with all the newlyweds just beginning their new families, I had just moved not into Cougar Ridge – but what sort of felt like 'Couple Ridge'.
Trying not to compare my life with everyone else's was a̶ ̶m̶o̶n̶u̶m̶e̶n̶t̶a̶l̶ ̶f̶e̶a̶t̶ well, just a titch challenging. My reality -- a scenario involving managing to escape that marriage thing (i know i know poor tresjy jean but fear not, life is still a dream...) a daughter in senior high, two dogs, sharing a mortgage with my sis at a relatively late stage in my life (excuse: we were dealt the dreaded twin card...), along with single momhood -- didn’t exactly fit the demographic of the area.
Basically I was feeling insecure, and rather unappealingly "unique".
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Photo: isla - Lola & Leo at Sageland
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However, with the plan to continue the children's educational environment I'd started with my sis at the old house, I began immersing myself in the ‘busy-ness’ of that -- designing our space and hiring contractors in the new location.
(Oh, and making all of this just that much more entertaining was being locked into a 6-month contract with a realtor we just weren't "gelling" with, and the absolute enlightening experience of carrying of two mortgages over the summertime, but... that's another story...) After all was said and done though, it was having a goal and a deadline for opening day that thankfully forced me to focus on completing something that ended up being one of the most exciting and fulfilling endeavours of my life -- working from home in my own child learning environment.
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Happiness depends upon ourselves. ~ Aristotle
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It would still be two whole years however before the black "comparison-complex" cloud I had been carrying around with me, would begin to dissipate.
That “Ah Ha” moment I mentioned a few paragraphs up was the point I decided to really give my head a shake and recognize everything that I had in my life, including finally noticing that I was living in what truly was one of the most beautiful and nature-preserved neighbourhoods in Calgary. Up to that point I had sadly been taking for granted THE One & Only Cougar Ridge – the relaxing nature trails just minutes from home… the pristine ponds such a privilege to visit every morning on the daily dog walk… the revitalizing ridge that saved my sanity in a world I had been creating -- that just happened to involve the exhausting pastime of being overly caught up with other people's thoughts.
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Photo: tresj
“Sometimes we get so caught up in the trappings of success –
the house, the car, the furnishings, the clothes –
that we’re too distracted to notice and appreciate the simple things.”
the house, the car, the furnishings, the clothes –
that we’re too distracted to notice and appreciate the simple things.”
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I was curious if, how much, or how little, other people were also maybe afflicted by these 'threatening theorizations', and I began wondering how I could solve this problem for myself (and everyone else in the same boat).
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It was during that time I finally began tuning in to a world 'out there' of inspiring stuff I hadn’t yet tapped into, including a basic truth: that I had full control over my choice of thoughts and feelings that I was allowing myself to dwell on, and thus 'be affected' by.
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"There are a million reasons any dream might be considered
irrational, unreasonable and a silly waste of time.
On the other hand, there's one that blows 'em all outa the water...
We're all in this together."
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It was sure nice to finally be having more “what if” moments... thoughts that slowly started warding off that internal itty-bitty-pitty committee that had comfortably set up camp in my mind.
I started learning that the things, people and events I had been thinking of as 'less than favourable' in my life were really just disguised learning opportunities, helping me get clearer on how to live the life I really wanted.
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Through it all, what I've learned is that anything can be as good or as bad as you choose to make it.
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"Fireweed & Three Sisters" ~Marilyn Kinsella
MarilynKinsella.com |
With a surge
of energy and one swift lunge, you've reached the castles of nature, the Peaks of Seventeenth. ~tresj |
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And that's where this blog comes in.
Starting Life Up Here is a personal reminder that there's always "that other way" of looking at things – to live our lives with “Life Up Here” thoughts that elevate us, but also keep us grounded at the same time. Life Up Here is all about dreaming big, starting small, and acting on inspiration. It's a way to stay curious about life's possibilities, push through challenges, and trust our intuition. 
My career in child development introduced me to the honour of serving families. It was my educational experiences with children that prompted my own informal study on child behaviour, which then led to the creation of this blog – a platform that would include a section to share insights about child development methods in the name of creating and maintaining child, parent and family harmony.
Life Up Here has always been meant as somewhat of a 'water-cooler pondering-point’ for our neighbourhood, and creating that has involved a mission I now find myself on: To try to sort out all of the daily 'character defining experiences' life seems to constantly throw at us. And one definitely making it to the top of that list would have to be the wonderful, elaborate, perplexing soul-assignment called ‘raising children’.
I'm talkin' about those times we have to dig deep into our ‘patience reservoirs’, the times we gotta fight off (like hell) the temptation to become the adult version of our crying babies, and realize that we can choose to believe that the little being wailing before us is either incapable of figuring out life without our adult ‘help’ –
...Or... we can awaken to the idea that children possess the very intelligence many of us have forgotten -- ...That the newness of their lives revolves around taking their first tenderfooted steps out of the darkness. They hold that fascination we all yearn for, for the little things, the simple things... as they continue to come into the light, blinking with wonder. |
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Viewing things that way (combined with the laid back lifestyle up here) just has a way of enhancing everything that’s going right... and I thought it’d be kinda cool to get a wee conversation going, right up here in our neck-'o-the-woods.
We’re interested to know who shares in our quest to try and live up to Will Smith’s mission to “Do good, and make the world a better place, because I was here.” So to end off, I wanted to quickly explore one of Steve Jobs’ life laws... to dwell for just a moment on the topic of just exactly how people might really be able to “stop living the dogma of other people’s thoughts.”
Anyone else find they have to s t r e t c h themselves a bit to actually live their lives this way? Yep; that’s a tough one. Even at the best of times. Why is it that even upon that last check in the mirror in the morning & feeling our best, we can fall so easily, time after time, into the downward-spiraling entanglements of other people’s opinions.
isla 'n i have questioned at times whether the dogma issue could perhaps be even more challenging for those of us in the early childhood field... those who position themselves in the profession of supporting families on their journeys through the winding hallways of children’s educational development…
But why would we even be questioning that? And why on this blog?
Well to be honest (and in the name of keeping things real!), there’s a certain 'realization process' a person faces upon deciding to embark in the field of children's education and care…
Of course the first realization is the fulfilment that comes from witnessing children's intellectual development (which we can confidently declare is due, in part, to our presence in their lives...) If there were ever such a thing as a PhD in Superhero Neurophysics (with a Juris Doctorate in Animal Noise Divertissement) it's been a great feeling to be held in high regard by kids (almost as if we were the Profs of that class!) However to be thorough, for the thousands of positives in the education field, there may be one in mild contrast posing an occasional challenge for teachers; and this, we are convinced, rests primarily on dogma surrounding education and how best to advance the student.
And through our own process we've realized our most important focus is remaining dedicated not only to the learning that takes place in children, but to the wisdom that has come from the experience we've gained in child care & education as a whole. Thankfully we can say we are capable and willing to continue to make that conscious decision -- to carry out our work with children with strength, poise, composure, an open heart and an open mind, in the name of nurturing children's emotional health, and upholding the well-being of others. It is our wish to conclude by acknowledging all of the families we've had the privilege of connecting with over the years, those who have left a positive imprint on our perception and experiences... those who have welcomed us to be part of their child's early developmental milestones.
We'd like to take this formal opportunity to express our gratitude to those parents, including those resulting in a parting of ways... This blog is a symbol of our hearts... a reflection of the inexhaustible dedication we have toward children's early-learning experiences. Providing an environment of respect, knowledge and a delicate understanding of children's emotional and developmental needs is the foundation upon which we foster and encourage children's independence. We're proud to continue our journey in which we strive daily toward that goal. Cheers to celebrating kids' capabilities! |
At the pond ~ isla
Wow.
You made it to the bottom of my never-ending ramblings!
(Really appreciate you sticking around...)
It would be a pleasure to make your acquaintance one day ~
who knows, maybe we'll bump into you at the next campfire at the Pond...
You made it to the bottom of my never-ending ramblings!
(Really appreciate you sticking around...)
It would be a pleasure to make your acquaintance one day ~
who knows, maybe we'll bump into you at the next campfire at the Pond...
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