Through the Porthole

Haunted by Raffi

Similar to smells, some lyrical melodies remind me of a time or place. And for the most part they are happy memories. Like, every time I hear any Tears For Fears song, I am reminded of my last year at Maurice Cody School. The song Sex and Candy reminds me of the drive to see the movie Titanic. Sea of Love, my grade 11 high school dance.

More recently, there are the bands that remind me of my husband – The Turtles, The Cardigans, Black Eyed Peas.

And then there is Raffi and Baby Beluga. And this song has the greatest affect on me. Every time I hear it or sing it, I am immediately transported back five years ago to the best summer of my life. I must hear this song multiple times a week and it always always always takes me Sointula.

Sointula is a small town on a small island in British Columbia. It is where my husband and I spent 5 unplanned days (our engine on our boat broke) in 2006 – the summer we circumnavigated Vancouver Island with our 10 month old baby. We liked it for one night, maybe two, but when faced with the prospect of more nights our spirits faded. But, we used this time to relax, watch whales swim in the ocean and spend time as a new family.

While stranded in Sointula, my son decided he would only be soothed by the voice of Raffi and the song Baby Beluga. Over and over again we played it while stranded at the dock. We sang it while hiking to the beach. We heard that song hundreds of times. And once the engine was fixed and we untied the lines, my son stopped wanting to hear the song. Just like that.

But its memory has never left me and now when I sing it to my kids before bed, I am reminded of a week without demands. A week where our lives stood still while we waited. A week in family heaven.

Ace-ing My Way Forward

Welcome 2011. What a year 2010 was. A year filled with life-changing decisions. It began slowly, but once the Winter Olympics ended, so did my casual approach to the year.

Let’s see – we moved cities. Left the ocean for the lake. Gave up living on a boat. Bought a house. Started renovations. Said goodbye to old friends and met new ones. Moved closer to family. Did I mention, bought a house!! Wanna read about my decision? See http://mothersmilk.ca/content/transition. It is my honest tale of why we did what we did.

But perhaps one of the biggest decisions I made was to join Theresa Albert and blog about her book “Ace Your Health” and how I am making positive changes for a better me. Along with two other bloggers (websites to come!) I am committing to a year of good healthy choices. You can follow my journey at www.myfriendinfood.com

And lastly, after leaving my blog dormant for a very long time, I have finally decided to update it. It was hard, as my blog was an expression of my life living on a boat. It is my last step in saying goodbye to the old me. Never an easy task. And one I dreaded doing. But I woke up on Jan. 1 and thought – “now is the time. Now or never.” So I am starting the year off on a good foot. A new foot. A new commitment to health, to me and to my family. Day one is good so far. I hope it continues!