The I Am Here Project

Some Chilean college students embarked on a project to make invisible dogs visible, with the help of brightly coloured balloons. The balloons bore messages such as "Hug me", "Scratch me", "Play with me" and "Don't leave me."

The result is simply beautiful. I hope someone adopted some of those beautiful dogs. There are so many animals out there just waiting to bring happiness and love to a family:

If you'd like to adopt a pet, check out the following places:

Adopt a Pet

Alberta Animal Rescue Crew

Animal Rescue Foundation

Pawsitive Match Rescue Foundation

Second Chance Animal Rescue Society

SPCA

Practice Tip - Know When to Ask for Help

I had to deal with a flat tire recently. It started as a slow leak, needing air every three days. This week, it went down to every two days, then every day.

At that point, I decided it was time to make an appointment to get it fixed. However, Friday is the earliest I can get in. Time to break out my spare tire and jack.

I spent an two hours fiddling with the tire jack. When you don't need to do something on a regular basis, it takes a long time to remember what your next step is. Once I got to solid ground, I hit a snag when I realized that I wasn't strong enough to take the lug nuts off. Time to call for AMA Roadside Assistance.

Roadside assistance arrived within 30 minutes. I effectively wasted one-and-a-half hours of my time and inconvenienced the people I was meeting with. >_<

I bring this up for two reasons:

1. Be aware of the time: Had I watched the clock more carefully, I would have realized that I should have called for help a lot sooner, rather than stumbling through and asking my 1:00 pm appointment to adjust their schedule to accommodate my screw-up.

2. Know your limits: When the crowbar refused to budge after the first three turns, I should have stopped. Instead, I stubbornly pushed ahead for another 15 to 20 minutes.

This applies to music, homework and work. You have a limited amount of time after school to get your homework and chores completed. If your troublespot is still giving you grief after three practices, without improvement, it's time to try something different.

If the "something different" doesn't work after two or three practices, then it's time to ask for help - from your parents, musical sibling or friend, or your music teacher. Don't sit there, like me, wasting time on a tire that I am physically too small and weak to change.

A Good Cuppa Tea

The Oxford Dictionary defines "tea" as: "a hot drink made by infusing the dried crushed leaves of the tea plant in boiling water:" Although technically correct, I feel that Oxford's definition leaves so much out. To me, tea means oh so much more.

Tea to Start the Day Right

I normally brew a pot of tea (loose green tea or black tea for the caffeine boost) at the start of my day. Ever since I was introduced to loose tea over five years ago, I tend to drink it most of the time. 

Whenever possible, I sit and watch my Bodum Assam Tea Press as the tea is steeping. I like to watch the hues change. It starts gradually and then WHAM! - it's dark.

I also try to savour that first sip. It's one thing I discovered while on a silent retreat. When you can't talk for a weekend, what are you going to do? I chose to be present in the moment.

As I cradle the mug, I savour the warmth as it seeps from the mug to my cool fingertips. As the mug nears my lips, I pause and breathe in the symphony of subtle scents. Then, as I take that first sip, I let the flavours dance on my tongue for a few seconds before swallowing. Finally, I relish the warmth as it travels from my mouth down to my tummy.

Then, it's back to the matters at hand. As I drink, I pull out my notebook and make a plan for the day.

I don't always have the time to savour that first cup of the day. However, I do notice that the days that I don't take that extra time don't go as smoothly as the days that I do savour that first cup,

Tea to Soothe the Throat

As a music educator, vocalist and collaborative musician, I use my voice a lot. I often drink tea to prevent my throat from drying up. An added bonus is that the warmth keeps my vocal cords more relaxed.

When I'm feeling run down, my go-to drink is a Hot Toddy (alcoholic or non-alcoholic). I've managed to not lose my voice completely when I'm sick, which has happened in the past.

Tea, Conversation and Camaraderie

Enjoying good conversation over a cup of hot tea with family and friends seems to be commonplace in my circles. This spirit of sharing and bonding has extended worldwide, thanks to Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir.

Virtual Choir 4.0 is comprised of singers from 101 countries. I have really connected with several of them, to the point that we send each other care packages. We call it the Tea and Treat Exchange.

I've had the immense pleasure in trying iced tea from Louisiana, numerous teas from the UK and snacks from Puerto Rico. There is still some British jam left for me to finish, along with the Creole Jambalaya mix. What you don't see are the Cadbury Eggs that were used for the UK/US/CAN Egg Taste Test because, well, they're gone. Eaten in an Google Hangout so I could share my commentary.

Maestro even cashed in on the exchange. He's enjoyed treats from Puerto Rico and the UK. My students know that if you say, "British snackies" that Maestro knows exactly what you mean.

As you can see, tea means oh so much more to me than a mere drink. It's about balance, relationships and experiences. How about you? Do you have a special drink?

Taking Time to Heal Versus Presenteeism

Have you ever noticed that whenever one person gets sick, the bug spreads quickly throughout the workplace (or classroom)? Not only that, by the time the bug has made its way around once, it has metamorphosed into a different strain and the cycle repeats?

Why is that? While we're at it, why does it take so long to get better?

A few thoughts have been floating in my mind as I convalesce over a summer cold/flu. Generalizations, really. I jotted some notes down between naps yesterday. I'll share the parts that actually make sense:

We tend to continue working (or attending school) while sick: I've heard friends say, "X had to get done today" or a student tell me, "I couldn't rest because I had a test the next day." One thing that I'm guilty of saying when sick is, "There's no one I can delegate to and it has to get done."

Does it really? Can't it wait a day or two for us to get better? Isn't it possible to get an extension on an assignment or to make-up the test once you're well? And for my friends with "normal" jobs, surely there is someone who could take care of that "very important task" at work.

Sometimes, I hear people say that taking a sick day is actually frowned upon at work. I once worked in an environment that was like that. Let's just say that it wasn't the healthiest workplace to begin with and leave it at that.

Generally speaking, we spend too much time in enclosed spaces: Viruses and microbes thrive in enclosed environments such as schools, offices and shopping malls. They spread through ventilation system. Perhaps if we spent more time out in the fresh air, we wouldn't get sick as often (or as badly).

We don't give ourselves enough time to heal: I've seen it time and time again when I worked in an office and read about it on the various social networks. We tend to take one work day off, just before or after the weekend and give ourselves only that much time to get better. I don't know about you, but I find that it takes me one to eight weeks to heal, depending upon whether it's a cold or bronchitis/laryngitis.

One thing I've done differently with this cold/flu is face it head on from the beginning. Thankfully, I'm on a lighter teaching schedule in the summer and don't have to worry about rescheduling a bunch of lessons. I tossed all clothes and sheets containing the virus in the wash (hot), took hot showers, ate a lot of hot soup, drank a lot of hot liquids and slept, swaddled in blankets (in the summer heat) to "sweat it" out.

Each time I blew my nose, I washed my hands or use the hand sanitizer. I even took to spritzing my dog with a diluted mix of lavender and tea tree oils so that he didn't become an unwitting virus carrier.

I stopped taking cough syrup because it made me queasy and turned to older remedies: the neti pot, aromatherapy and the Hot Toddy (virgin or alcoholic). The lady at the liquor store recommended Jägermeister. However, everything I've read indicates that it works best on mild colds, not what I have been battling.

Even with all that, I'm sitting here, Day 10. I suppose I should be thankful. if I didn't fight this bug as aggressively, I'd be sitting here with bronchitis AND laryngitis (again). However, I can't help but think that I would have kicked this a few days ago had I rescheduled the few lessons and appointments I did have this week.

One thing I keep circling back to is the question, "Is it worth it?" Is it worth plowing through an illness to get that "all important task" done on time?

From my experience, I can tell you it takes me twice as long to get my bookkeeping done. By the time I'm well, I have to redo all the entries that I did when I was sick due to human error. Ditto with learning or memorizing music. Even my notes from last night are messy and ramble aimlessly for pages before reaching a point. My practice instructions to students are vague in their notebooks when I try to teach sick.

When I look at what I just typed, the answer is pretty clear: no it's not. My productivity is shot. Presenteeism  — showing up to work when sick — just doesn't pay. However, if you need a bit more convincing, I've found the following: The Cost of Going to Work When Sick from GoToMyPC.

In "What Can You Do to Combat Presenteeism", the author reports that "Studies of some chronic conditions and health risk factors found that lost productivity from presenteeism was 7.5 times greater than productivity loss from absenteeism." Then the author gives a more concrete example: "if a company has 150 employees and salary costs totaled $6,240,000. Absenteeism would cost the employer about $187,200 while presenteeism would cost about $1,638,000."

While you mull over whether or not it's worth it for you to continue working while sick, or how to convince your sick boss that he or she isn't doing anyone any favours by coming in today, I'm going back to bed. It would appear that my brain and body have decided that we've done enough work for today.

Diggin' the Pet Spaw Muscle Pack

Pet Spaw Muscle Pack

At Sunday's pet-friendly Stampede breakfast, I purchased a Pet Spaw Muscle Pack for Maestro. It's the perfect size for him and easy to pack along.

To use as a hot pack, simply microwave on high for 45 seconds. To use as an ice pack, store in the freezer until ready to use.

Maestro likes to have it on his achy arthritic joints. If you'd like to buy one, head to Ashbury Cottage.

A quick update on Maestro's laser therapy sessions: After approximately six weekly sessions, Maestro is nearly ready to go down to sessions every two to three weeks.