Heather Conn Blogs

I was truly impressed by the eco-friendly ornaments on the real Christmas tree at Langdale Ferry Terminal on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast.

The Langdale shore crew used items from their onsite recycling bin and upcycled them to create at least a dozen tree decorations. Among their artistry, they created plastic strips to make white garlands, transformed drink containers into snowmen, and displayed paper birds’ nests, formed from shredded paper.

As the imaginative workers wrote on a sign beside the tree, 90 percent or more of the items on the tree were recycled. The only exceptions were two dozen small plastic baubles retrieved from an attic, which otherwise would have ended up in the landfill.

I applaud such an environmentally aware approach to seasonal decorating. Thank you for taking the initiative to promote fun, “green” activities and for sharing your creations with the public. I hope that this will inspire others to do the same next year. You’ve made trash beautiful.

Our group at Catch 122 (I’m on the front right, in blue; Annie’s beside me, in green)

While in Vancouver, BC on Dec. 21, I was tempted to carry a tongue-in-cheek placard that read “The end is near,” just to see what responses it would spawn. I decided against it. Instead, I joined my friend Annie at her “end of the world” brunch at Catch 122, a fine-foods bistro at 122 W. Hastings in downtown Vancouver, BC. She’s part of a food bloggers’ Meetup group, which gathers regularly at various urban eateries.

Eight of us enjoyed a memorable meal. I’m not a foodie at all, yet I loved my dish, the namesake “Catch 122.” It was poached eggs on a croissant with house-smoked wild sockeye salmon, melted gorgonzola bleu cheese, arugula, and Yukon nugget potato hash. Delicious!

Owner Brent Kyle  introduced himself  to our group, noting the historical origins of the restored building (he’s got photo murals of 1909 Vancouver street scenes on the back walls, which show the original brick exteriors). He said that he wanted to create an eatery that has great coffee and excellent bistro food. And he’s done it. My sole complaint is that he needs more non-meat dishes. As a pescetarian ( fish and seafood are the only meat I eat), there were only two dishes on the brunch menu that I could choose.

I appreciate Kyle’s sense of humor. He has two 1950s style signs that read “Unattended Children Will Be Given Espresso and a Free Kitten” and “Drink Coffee — Do Stupid Things Faster with More Energy.”

That solstice evening, my friend Vicki and I walked an outdoor labyrinth in Vancouver’s West End, created by Les Blydo. He made an 11-circuit pattern on the beach at low tide, below Beach Avenue near the Aquatic Centre. It looked lovely, with the outer circle illuminated by mini candles, and the lights of Granville Island flickering in the background, leaving reflections on the water.

Later we walked to the Sun Yat Sen Garden in Vancouver’s Chinatown, where we enjoyed a beautiful outdoor array of lantern creations as part of the Winter Solstice Lantern Festival, produced by Secret Lantern Society. Reminiscent of the annual summer Illuminares, this celebration of creativity displayed whimsical paper lanterns of animals, birds, and fish, arranged on-site as if interacting naturally with habitat. Their collective layout looked stunning.

We wandered through the various corners of the garden, delighting in the serendipitous encounters with tree branches full of lit-from-within owls, a heron, and other creatures, including a row of lotus flowers spread across the garden’s still pond. Inside were fun lanterns of a tea set by Carmen Rosen and a large, elongated Year of the Snake lantern by Jacquie Rolston, made with lunaria seed pods. Many thanks to all of the volunteers and artists who helped provide an imaginative world of magical escape

On this full-moon night, a week since the solstice and supposed end of the world, I would like to acknowledge the power of transition and new beginnings. The Mayans weren’t predicting doom with the end of their calendar — instead, they recognized the start of a whole new cycle of humanity. In 2013, the Chinese year of the snake (a wonderful symbol of transmutation), I’m expecting soulful transformations at all levels, from individuals to organizations and even countries.

One important characteristic of this new cycle is that people will no longer experience a difference between their inner and outer worlds, according to psychologist and anthropologist Alberto Villoldo. He’s studied the healing practices of the Amazonian and Incan shamans for 25 years. He believes that we are moving into a time of unprecedented possibility, which will have tremendous consequences. He says: “[I]n the new cycle, you can only change the world by changing your inner life.”

Jurriaan Kamp, co-founder of international magazine The Intelligent Optimist, has said that this is a time of shifting from competition to collaboration. He writes: “We would live in a very different world indeed if our inner experience indeed matched our creations in the outside world. How many wrongs violate our conscience, yet persist?”

In the United States, the wealthiest nation in the world, one in six (a total of 50 million people) goes to bed hungry every day. Kamp says: “The overwhelming response to relief operations has so often demonstrated how committed we are to solving these painful problems. Yet the injustice continues.”

The union of our inner and outer worlds might sound like utopia, yet fundamental change is the scientific basis of life on earth. Our outmoded way of responding to our planet, as evidenced by climate change, cannot continue as it has. In Kamp’s words: “Systems theory teaches that healthy, resilient and sustainable systems are dependent on active participation by the units of which and for which the system exists.” In other words, we need to care about what’s happening around us and take action when we see injustice and abuse.

Cell biologist Bruce Lipton has said: “In many parts of the world, about half of the people (the dying poor in developing countries, the hungry Americans, the 50 percent unemployed youth in Greece and Spain) don’t even participate in the system. This makes the system weak and leads to its ultimate demise.”

Let’s make 2013 a year of conscious awareness and positive advocacy. Any system is only as strong as the people within it, yet one individual can have a monumental impact. Let’s follow our hearts and spirit, seeking guidance from within. If you feel prompted to speak out and take action, carpe diem! Change begins with each one of us.