Planning for the Next Phase of Life

I'm starting a new project in Internet Safety & Digital Leadership this month.  Through a local NGO, we've received funding for a two year research project which includes building an online community network for partner collaboration and community outreach. I'm looking forward to working on this project with a number organizations in Prince Edward Island. 

Meanwhile, it's hard to believe that in five months I will be an empty-nester. Where has the time gone! My daughter will study Bachelor of Music with a University in the Maritimes.  She has had a few offers and we're down to her top two choices.  We will have a decision made hopefully this week.

This has been a very interesting experience, scouting, researching and applying for university. Some institutions are overly aggressive where others barely communicate ... for us ...  it's the university that has expressed an interest, has communicated at a level that's nurturing yet not over bearing, and has demonstrated sincere appreciation .... plus encourages family participation, decision making and support.

To my friends with children in junior high - it is really important to pay attention to the courses your child selects in high school as their course selection can impact their eligibility to post secondary.   I also encourage early scouting and research.  We started when my daughter was in grade 10.  I'm lucky because my daughter knew exactly what she wanted to study in post secondary - most don't.  Meanwhile, take the time when they are in grade 11 to visit local universities, explore their programs and scholarships.  Start planning early.

For me, this next phase of life will be full of new opportunity.  I am ready to embrace what is coming.  I have started planning ahead, looking into activities I would like to participate in. I'm looking at doing more business on a national level, plus joining an adult learn to sail program, take up cycling, do some travelling, and kick it up a notch with our children's worship team ... plus become more active in our local Toastmasters Club.  You learn by doing, and there is always room for improvement!

There is one motto I have lived by since being exposed to it through Ladies who Launch and that is "Be a Yes person ... when you say YES to life .... life will say YES to you".

I'm thankful for my maker and all he has blessed me with.  I'm thankful for my family, friends, clients and business partners.  I have learned it's very important to align yourself with those who share the same core values as you.

Appreciating the Silence While Sitting In Sackville Library ....

Here I am on a Saturday afternoon, sitting in the Sackville Public  Library while my daughter is spending the day at Mount Allison University.  Chances are, she'll end up studying her BA of Music here next year for post secondary studies.

It's 3:30 PM.  It's quiet and peaceful here.  This is something I have come to enjoy - peace and quiet. Even though we live in a small city in PEI with a population just shy of 15,000 people, it's incredible how noisy that city is becoming with the hustle and bustle of every day life.  


We live on one of the main artery streets close to downtown, and it has constant traffic on it nearly all day.  We're two blocks down from the junior high school so very often through the day we hear junior high students heading downtown for lunch and back.  We live two blocks up from the most popular dance club so quite often we here people in the wee hours of the morning heading home after a fun night out with friends.

I used to like white noise in the background ... in fact I couldn't stand complete silence.  Now it's quite the opposite.  I find constant noise very agitating.  When I'm home alone, I like to turn off all the 'noise pollution' in my house - this includes radio's, tv's, computers, telephone ringers ... all I'm left with is the silence.  I sometimes take out the batteries in clocks to eliminate the 'tick-tock-tick-tock' noise.

Silence, complete silence - how I cherish this!  Our brains need down time. It's like our digital devices, take smartphones for instance ... if electricity is always running through the device, it can get bogged down and stop running smoothly.  You have to turn it off, take out the battery, and clear out the cache in the apps in order for it to work properly and smoothly again.  This needs to be done on a regular basis.

Our brains are the same - we need to unplug and sit still in complete silence.  Every time I make time to sit in silence, I feel 100% better - I feel rejuvinated , I feel more at ease and at peace.