Autumn, Day 77. Cooking in the present for a delicious future.

I’m feeling the pressure to get things done before winter holidays.  I don’t leave until the 25th, so I can work up to the very last moment.  I’ve had to put some of my accounting work on the back burner this past three weeks as I help new tenants find their stride and deal with a few vacancies that are coming up in January and February in the apartments.

But through this all, each change has been positive. We finally have our Sunworks building up for sale and have made the commitment to move to our new space in the Metropolitan Block in February and March. Terry and I, and Kathryn are all super excited about the new location and the new direction of Sunworks. More about that sometime in the future. I’m sure when we are away for the holidays our creativity and thinking about what is possible will become clearer.  

This week it’s exciting to watch Here To Mars open in the space above Sunworks and begin to build a successful business as owner/operators. It’s good to get to know Jesse and Kat and support them in their efforts. They call Terry and I their restaurant Dads.

They are working hard to create fun and good quality food, while they focus on strong marketing. I encourage you to stop by and say hello. Young entrepreneurs appreciate a little leeway as they find their footing, and these two are open to honest and kind feedback. I’m inviting you to drop by when you come by Sunworks to do some holiday shopping and lend your support.

Meanwhile, in this season of communication, the result is a complete shift of my focus and direction. I have two more major accounting projects to handle and those will soon be caught up. It’s like every part of my life has been released from the moorings and is on its way to a new dock. For the most part the waters are calm.

Tomorrow evening is my ‘quitter’s party’ where my friends, family and supporters will enjoy some food and laughs together and celebrate seven years of public service with our local City Council and with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Folks are coming from all over. It’s going to be a great event to say thank you to everyone for what we were able to accomplish together. We’ll enjoy a pot luck and drinks together. A pot luck is truly one of our communities’ best self-organising systems.  

There’s not a lot of philosophy in this post. Not that I haven’t been thinking a lot about the upcoming season which is not that far away. It will be a time of enjoying the darkness of the year and anticipating the coming renewal as spring approaches. I believe that the work I’m doing this autumn  is a kind of mise-en-place to cook up a delicious and enjoyable new year.

Winter will be the time to carefully execute the planning, to complete the actions set in motion this autumn.

At the end of winter I hope we all can look back at all we’ve accomplished, and not think ‘Gosh, I wish I could have been more present, and put in a stronger and more consistent effort during the fall.’  As I grow weary of the pace of change right now, and all of the unforeseen issues that are creating chaos, I feel fear and anxiety popping up again. Such feelings may stem from future-oriented worries – from not from being in the moment and appreciating what is happening now and what is possible to create by working thoughtfully in the present.

These ideas help remind me to stay focused on communication and preparation this autumn so that winter can unfold gracefully with some time for creativity and completion. Then spring will be a time to watch new things grow as it should be.  

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