Today, is the day, we learn “more about Newfoundland and Labrador.”

“So, how big is Newfoundland anyway?”

That’s a question I frequently get from people going ‘back home’ to the Netherlands or the United Kingdom.  When I was there recently I told them that the island of Newfoundland was roughly 2.5 times the size of the Netherlands, and that Nfld. & Labrador is about 1.75 times the size of the U.K….
Here’s a better answer. This clever map shows you the size of one, right next to the other: What if Newfoundland was an island in the North Sea?  An interesting statistic to keep in mind when looking at the side map is that the island of Nfld. is home to less than 500.000 people, while the much smaller Netherlands has a population of more than 17 million… U.K about 67 million…

The excellent website where I made this comparison is called MAPfrappe.  Here’s a link to the Newfoundland outline I created there.  On that page you can move the ‘comparison map’ around to hover Newfoundland’s outline over any province, state, island or country you like.  You’ll soon see that the outline changes based on where you drag the map, that’s because it corrects for map distortions at different locations around the world.  This is us near the Great Lakes: What if Newfoundland was a Great Lake?

Also worthy of note, is the location of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. France.  Just minutes from Newfoundland’s southern coast!

September 05, 2019

Kicking the Worry Habit

I came to the awareness that worry is like prayer in reverse.  When we worry and fret over things, we make them bigger than they really are, as well as attract what we’re fussing over.  It’s positive proof of the principle of visualization — only in a negative way.

Somehow, I had it wired up that worry was actually virtuous.  I guess I figured I wasn’t being a good parent unless I worried about my kids.  I thought I was being irresponsible if I wasn’t worrying about my business and my finances.  Not so.

It took me over a year to kick the worry habit.  It wasn’t easy.  It took daily diligence to eradicate it from my life.  I occasionally slip back into worry for brief periods, but I don’t stay with it.  It no longer runs my life.  Worry is not our friend; it’s our enemy.  Jim Rohn says, “Worry is like an economic cancer.  And if continued, it will haul you off into a financial desert where you will choke on the dust of your own regrets.”

How’s that for a vivid picture?  Most of the things we worry about are things over which we have little or no control.  If we think about it, it’s stupid.  Agonizing about what might occur and about things we can’t control gives away our power.

The biggest lever for change is to be aware of what you’re doing and realize how detrimental it is to your life.  If you find yourself upset or anxious, check to see if you’re worrying.  If so, focus on what you want rather than what you don’t want.

Wayne Dyer was quoted once of saying, “If you believe that feeling bad or worrying long enough will change a fact, then you are residing on another planet with a different reality system.”  🙂

September 05, 2018

“A market is never saturated with a good product, but it is very quickly saturated with a bad one.”
—Henry Ford

September 05, 2017

I may get a bit of flak for saying this, but the best part of the vacation is coming up.  We woke for a complimentary hot breakfast at the Liverpool Best Western, packed our bags, and loaded them into the Sedona.  Today is a sunny day … a great day to explore around town.

Alan and myself went off in search of two specific geocaches.  We located and logged our finds before rejoining the “three sisters.”  Here are a couple of photos around Liverpool, NS.

After checking out the tourist information, local museums, and the area’s lighthouse, we gathered our thoughts, and a few mementos at the gift shop and coffee shop.  Realizing the drive back to Halifax for our 1:00 PM appoint-ment was not going to happen … and after thinking about cancelling … Esme called the Segway/Halifax tour master and rescheduled.  The new appointment allowed us ample time to drive to Halifax, park the KIA, and take-in the training.

Yes!  This for me was the BEST part on the whole trip.  As none-of-us had ever been on a Segway before this day; and because the training was provided as part of our uptown tour of Halifax package; any one, any two, or any number of individuals could say, “I can’t do this!” and it would cost them nothing at this point.  The owner/trainer of the Segway/Halifax business wanted every person to be completely comfortable, either Ah or Nah … with the decision to “ride the wheels.”  I AM SO PROUD TO SAY THAT EVERYONE COMPLETED THE INITIAL TRAINING AND AGREED TO GO-FOR-IT.  (Just as a side note: Neither my wife Caryl, or Alan’s wife Olly has ever driven a car.)

With one instructor leading the charge, and another bringing up the rear, we toured around the boardwalk, then headed-out to explore uptown Halifax.  We turned an lot of heads and created a bunch of curiosity as we sped up the sidewalk, zipped across crosswalks, and maneuvered around the streets.

REW