Gary's blog

Sleeping in new bed sheets. The feeling of scrunching sand in your feet. Laughing so hard you make no sound at all. When the socks from the dryer all line up perfectly. What do all these have in common? They are all awesome! My wife bought me The Book of Awesome to read. It's all about those little things that happen to each of us that when you sit back and think about it....are pretty awesome. Popping the bubble wrap from a new purchase. The smell and sound of a campfire. It’s all these little things that help us appreciate the great wonders.

It’s been a busy week both at work and packing for my daughter’s new journey in life. My wife and I move her into residence at University this Monday. It has been a little hectic checking off her list of ‘must haves’ for moving out. Thinking back, I don’t ever remember having a list as long as hers, whether that was going off to University or buying my first home. But she is my baby and we have to make sure she has what she needs to succeed.

I was out with my daughter grabbing a sandwich for lunch when I ran into my financial investor Heather and my company lawyer Mary Jean. MJ quickly teased me about when I was going to write about her in my blog. After all, I did promise. As upbeat and positive these two professionals are, there is a reason that I do want to write about MJ in my blog......well because she is upbeat and positive. In fact they both are, that’s why I choose to work with them. MJ runs a thriving practice, is on multiple committees, has a busy home life and is a city councillor.

I was listening last night while my son and two of his friends were planning their next moves in life. My son graduated from college this year and moved home for the summer in search of a job and to pay off some school debt. Now the talk last night was about moving to a different city together, resurrecting a little more fun and adventure and finding a job there. The optimism was extremely high. No problem finding a job. We’re educated. Not much competition.

My wife was heading out on a mini vacation with her parents the other day. One of her last words to me was ‘don’t forget to water the flowers and the garden’. Its been so hot and dry this summer that I hear those words quite often. As much as the plants need the sun for growth, too much of the sun without any rain will cause the plants to wither and die. A great lesson in balance for all of us. We need to balance ourselves emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually. Too much in one area without support from the others can cause a little withering of its own.

Two weeks ago now, my daughter got inked. I’ll have to admit I wasn’t too fond of the idea at first but she explained to me that it wasn’t about looking cool; it was the message behind the ink. So I asked her what she was getting and this is what she told me: Dream. Believe. Dare. Do. This is the motto of Mr. Walt Disney himself, these words are so powerful and a daily walk through life. You must dream big, doesn’t matter how crazy the dreams are as long as you believe in that dream to the fullest.

I love summer. We are in the middle of a heat wave. Last week the temperature hit 35 degrees Celsius feeling more like 46 with the humidity. Now it has been hot for quite a few days but I noticed an interesting pattern with people. There are those that really complain about the heat and others who take it for what it is and enjoy it. The realization I came to is this; the ones that complain about the heat are the same ones that complain about the cold in the winter. In fact, they seem to complain about a lot of things. Complaining is a habit.

The other day my daughter finally had a day off work and we decided to go out in the boat for the first time, together! It was a blast. Then the most terrifying thing happened, she turned and asked, “Hey Dad, can I drive the boat?” I had the look of fear in my eyes, since the boat has some real pep to it and can turn on a dime. I handed over the driving seat to her. I began teaching her all the gadgets and how to properly maneuver the boat while remaining calm as I had complete faith in her.

My older brother just turned 50 years old, as you can imagine I may not be too far behind. I started thinking how 50 years has gone by so fast. I remember when my brothers and I would be bugging each other in the car like young children do or at the cottage tossing each other in the water. It feels like it was just yesterday. I started thinking about my life now and how time has just flown by! My daughter is off to University in the fall, my son just graduated from College and I’m close to a quarter of a century being married to my wife.

Today I have a lot to be thankful for. Don’t get me wrong, I have a lot to be thankful for everyday, but this day is special. Today is my wife’s birthday. I’m a pretty lucky guy to have her by my side. I’ve got a great family, great home, great life and she has been instrumental in all of it. My business can be pretty chaotic. There are times when there is tremendous amount of time traveling away from home. There are evenings where I work late into the night around the kitchen table.