First Liebster Award

It’s always nice to be recognized for something that you love and enjoy doing in life.

To say I was excited would be an understatement, when I found an unexpected notice, informing that I had been nominated for the Liebster Award! It was no less than a privilege to be coming from Prerana from Inside Travellers Shoes.

She’s an amazing blogger and please head on over and check her posts out.

What is The Liebster Award all About?

The Liebster Award (Liebster is a German word that means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing and welcome) provides new bloggers with the opportunity of discovery, as well as to support and connect with the community of bloggers. Bloggers nominate fellow bloggers with this recognition. Just taking the first step and blogging makes you a winner in my opinion.

The Rules of Liebster Award

• Thank the person who nominated you and put a link to their blog on your blog.
• Display the award on your blog.
• For the Liebster Award 2018, write a small post about what makes you passionate about blogging.
• Provide 10 random facts about yourself (optional).
• Nominate 5 – 11 blogs.
• List these rules in your post.
• Inform the people/blogs that you nominated that they have been nominated for the Liebster award and provide a link for them to your post or The Global Aussie.
• Create new questions for your nominees to answer.

So, here we go…

Once again, thanks to Prerana for the awesome nomination.

What Makes Me Passionate About Blogging

Why are the questions always so darn difficult? On the other hand, difficult questions usually require a fair amount of thought and input.

So, what makes me passionate about blogging? Perhaps a slightly altered slant might be, “what makes me passionate about writing?”

The funny thing is, I was never a writer or had much of a desire to write for most of my life. I never did well or really enjoy in English, grammar and creative writing all throughout school. I was, however, a voracious reader. I’ve always had a creative side to myself but struggled for the vast majority of my years to find a device to let the creativity flow.

Blogging just simply fall out of the sky so to speak. I had followed outdoor adventure bloggers in my area of Ontario and thought one day “hey, maybe I could do that. Write about the adventures Lynn and I take.” So, off I started.

Like many things in life, our blog evolved and continues to evolve and change, even as I write this. I take issues or concerns in my own life and use blogging as the outlet to talk about them. I feel I’ve been blessed with a certain gift that allows me to use the outdoors and nature somewhat as a metaphor to talk about particular issues at hand and to provide hopefully a window that helps others as well in their own struggles when dealing and coping with life’s challenges.

In a nutshell, blogging is a way out of pain for me. I blog because I need to blog. I find writing and hence blogging something I have to do just because. Because, if I don’t the pain and pressure starts to build in my soul and it seeks a way to escape.

Ten Random Facts

• been to the source of the Nile River
• a pretty decent cook
• former school teacher and transportation planner
• will drive any place for an adventure(well, just about)
• finished a canoe trip 15 minutes before a funnel cloud appeared behind us
• cry at sentimental movies(sometimes)
• love to read
• going to retire to the east coast of Canada(with Lynn of course!)
• very early riser in the morning
• once involved at the producer level in a short film piece on water consumption

Questions from Prerana

How has blogging helped you evolve as a person?

Blogging has provided a platform that in essence is a mental health outlet for myself in a way. It didn’t start that way, but it is evolving in that direction. All of that, however, is a good thing. Blogging opened the door for me to think more deeply about where I am in this stage of life. To examine issues within my own psyche and then to use blogging to express where or what I’m feeling at that moment in time. But, in doing so, I think my blogging also reaches out to others in the “blogosphere” who may be in the same situation or experiencing the same issues as me.

What is your fondest memory from childhood?

One memory that has kept coming back over the past couple of weeks, is a Chrismas present my Mom got for me in my late teens. It was a Christmas basket filled with items that I would never go and buy for myself. Things like hot grainy mustard, or different relishes and garnishes.

If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?

Tough one to answer, but I guess if it could be anything it would be that my parents would have had me earlier in their marriage. My parents were in their late 40’s when I was born and my Dad was nearly 50. I know that there are many people who may have been born in similar situations. I don’t think my parents knew how to deal or cope with having a child so much later in life.

If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be?

That I would have more self-confidence. To believe more in myself and my abilities.

If you knew that in one year you would die suddenly, would you change anything about the way you are now living? Why?

Would take a gamble and do the thing Lynn and I talk about most. Retiring to Prince Edward Island on the east coast of Canada. Instead of waiting and planning the stuffing out of it, I would just “do it.”

If the scenario was “just a year to live”, look at all the wasted time waiting for things to line up. Never put off until tomorrrow, because my friend, you have no idea what future brings.

What is the greatest accomplishment of your life?

Next, to Lynn and our daughter, I would say the last fours years teaching was the greatest accomplishment at this stage.

What would constitute a “perfect” day for you?

Waking up early and then a hike with Lynn somewhere along the Bruce Trail, then perhaps having dinner or a late afternoon lunch at a small country inn, and then home to relax with a cold ale.

The other “perfect day” would be the same scenario, but insert PEI beach for Bruce Trail.

Before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you are going to say? Why?

No, I don’t think so. I think it is because the person on the other end of the phone hasn’t rehearsed the call with me.

What do you value most in a friendship?

Honesty and integrity regardless of the relationship. Both are important components that go into any relationship. Additionally, I think that being non-judgmental at least for me is a huge aspect. We all, and I mean we all have issues and “stuff” that we deal with. Having someone, whether a spouse or an acquaintance judge you based on something you may have little or no control over is difficult, to say the least.

For what in your life do you feel most grateful

The love of my family for sure. Friends and “extended friends” along with that. It should always be the people we love and who love us back, that we really should feel most grateful and thankful about.

Nominees

The biggest problem is that there are always too great bloggers to list for a nomination. Nevertheless,  I have nominated five I think are deserving and here they are:

Crushed Caramel – Learner at Love

Salted Caramel – Dr. Tanya

Quirky, Confused & Curvy

findingenvirons – Patrick Coholan

Beauty Lies Within Yourself

Today, if you choose to accept this nomination, answer the following questions below so that we can learn a little more about you.

Here are your questions:

1. How did you pick your blog’s name?
2. What advice can you give someone who is just starting out in the blogging world?
3. What is your perfect comfort food?
4. Who is your favourite blogging person you follow? And why?
5. Describe yourself in three words.
6. What is your guiltiest pleasure?
7. What is your most prized possession?
8. What single quality do you most appreciate in people?
9. What do you love most about blogging?
10. What’s the favourite post that you’ve published? (Link, please!)

Good luck to those nominated and if your reading this and are thinking “why didn’t this crazy Canadian pick me?” Well, I don’t have an answer for that, but why not consider yourself nominated and pass the love along.

All of us out there would love to learn a little bit about you and what makes you tick!

Again thanks to Prerana for the nomination and to The Global Aussie.