I snapped at my dental hygenist tonight.

I didn’t mean to, but it just happened. The same way as this post may sound like a bit of a rant, it isn’t really. It is just a point to explain how people feel when things are said to them.

Here is how the conversation went down:

Hygenist: “You look nice and tanned, were you away?”
Me: “Yes, I was away for work.”
Hygenist: “Where were you?”
Me: “Cancun.”
Hygenist: “Work in Cancun, must be nice.”
Me: “Whatever, let’s move on”.

I really didn’t want to get into anymore with her. This is not the first time, or the second or third that this has happened to me. It happened a couple of weeks ago in a Facebook chat, with similar questions, and when I replied I was going to Cancun for work, the reply was “must be nice”.

My job title is senior travel consultant. Travel agent. Travel Professional. Please note that each of those titles has the word TRAVEL in the title.

The funny thing about is that I compared to some people that I work with, I hardly travel. A co-worker took a three week vacation this past September. I have NEVER taken a three week vacation. I have never taken a TWO week vacation. This summer I took a 10 day vacation. That was the longest “vacation” I have ever taken in my 23 years of working in the travel business.

Yes, I have the opportunity to pay reduced rates for travel to see new hotels, destinations, experiences. It is all to enhance my job description – which is travel sales. If I know more about a hotel, destination, cruise line, theme park, I can sell it better to my customers. If I can make my customers happy, I will make my employer happy. If I can make my employer happy, I get to keep my job. And every two weeks I get a present in my bank account.

That is not any different than anyone that works full time.

I think I will end this here. I think you get the point I am trying to make.

I just read this tonight – “don’t compare yourself to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about”. 

I have seen this three times on Facebook in the last week, so I thought I would just post it here, and I will come back to some of the points as reference my blog. 

Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio .

“To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.
It is the most requested column I’ve ever written.

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short – enjoy it.

4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don’t have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself.

7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.

8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye, but don’t worry, God never blinks.

16.. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful. Clutter weighs you down in many ways.

18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.

19.. It’s never too late to be happy. But it’s all up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie.
Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ‘In five years, will this matter?’

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.

35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative of dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. Accept what you already have, not what you need

42. The best is yet to come…

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.”

I didn’t write a post last night. I wanted to, but it was an exhausting day, and I just didn’t have the energy to write when I got home.

Last night I went to a community meeting being chaired by Councilman Alan Sheffman regarding more development in my neighbourhood. I shouldn’t have been surprised that it was a “community meeting” and there were less than 15 people there from the entire community. I know that it was posted in our elevators in the condo, but I don’t know what other kind of advertising there was about the meeting. More people SHOULD care, but it is the same when we have our AGM meetings or other meetings that require attendance, it is the same 15 – 20 people that always show up at the meetings.

This was to discuss the piece of land that is just north of Centre street at New Westminster. If you are familiar with the area – on the west side of the street you have No Frills, Winners and Homesense. On the East side of the street you have the Constantia Retirement residents and then a large empty parcel of land, well, it doesn’t really look like a large parcel of land….until they show you what they want to build.

I knew that this area was going to have a lot of high rise development but I didn’t realize how much when I bought my little piece of pie in the sky back in 2004. My complex was supposed to consist of what was supposed to be 7 buildings. They are currently working on buildings 7 – 9 and there are two more to come to end the project. That will be 11 high rise, high density condos.

The next project is this one I attended last night, which is to have two more buildings (not going up at the same time) high density, high rise condos. The are applying to the city to ‘ammend their application’. The application they currently have is not for the maximum height allowed for a high rise, which is 22 stories. Their current application is for 18 stories, and they want to have it be the full 22 stories.

If you drive up and down Bathurst Street you are familiar with the green fence that borders the parcel of land from Beverley Glen and Bathurst to the Shoppers Drug Mart. That is purchased land that has been zoned for low rise development. They too have also recently applied to ammend their application to the city. They want to change their zoning from about 400 units to close to 800 units in that small area.

I wrote on the weekend about taking the subway “into the city” and the downtown core, and I realized that I am living in “downtown” Thornhill. In the next 5 – 7 years the landscape of Thornhill around the area that I live in is going to change drastically. There will be more high rises, and the arrival of the Rapid way transit system. They think that people are going to stop driving and get on the transit…..

Could be interesting for investors looking for properties to buy as they release the new buildings.

Time will tell…..but I do wish that this area had one thing that it is lacking….affordable housing. I would love to have a home of my own, in this area, but that is not remotely possible.