Wednesday, 16 November 2016



Others Cared for Me


Cancer much like any major illness creates stress and pressures in family unlike anything else.  When it has crept into the kindest, most giving person I have ever know, it is devastating.  My mother lived a life of love, compassion and gentle kindness and she was taken by Cancer. 

My mother’s journey through terminal illness while being physically challenging was also filled with living in the moment and much joy and laughter.  Living across the country away from my family has always had its challenges but frequent visits and phone conversations have made it manageable.  This illness much like my father’s 8 years previously is the worst case scenario of living away from your family.

While the personal devastation related to the loss of the person I do my best to emulate is indescribable; the strength and support I absorbed from my siblings was incredible.  I did my best to fly home as often as possible as my mother’s health continued to decline but the heavy load was carried by my brothers and sisters.  They thanked me profusely for the time I was there to support my mother’s care but the fact was my efforts were miniscule compared to the efforts of all the rest. 

My mother because of her nature felt all of her children were amazing (six of us).  She didn’t spend any time looking at our deficits.  She was positive, supportive and most importantly hopeful for the future for all of us.  She can be most proud of her children as we cared for her and each other.  The dispersion of a life and its memories can devastate a family.  The raw emotions of the loss often cause family members to lash out at each other, deepening the pain and devastation.  I am so thankful of my brothers and sisters and their care for me during this painful journey.  I am certain they are unaware of the depth of my gratitude for their actions and kind words but I do know that our mother and father are immensely proud of all of us.


My mom and daughters

Thursday, 3 November 2016

Photography for the Soul
There is something about photography that has a significant impact on my life.  It is partially catching the unexpected moment with a photo but it is also being able to go back and re-experience that moment and reconnect with that time and place in your life.  These photos are from the last couple of weeks.
Colony Farms Coquitlam
                                                                                            Photo by Paul Self

                                                      Colony Farms Coquitlam
                                                  Photo by Paul Self


Rocky Point Port Moody
                                                                                            Photo by Paul Self

Sunday, 2 October 2016



Self-care


It makes sense that self-care will be unique to each of us.  By definition self is, “a person's essential being that distinguishes them from others, especially considered as the object of introspection or reflexive action”.

Photo by Paul Self

Clearly self-care is a different journey for each individual.  Each of us brings a toolbox of strengths and weaknesses filled with unique items. As a result our self-care is diverse.  Some of us need space and quiet time to recharge our batteries, some need to journal, paint, dance, vent verbally, socialize or escape through exercise or music.  My definition of self-care would include all of these things and countless more ideas. My guiding principle for self-care is that self-care will result in a sense of grounding which will help an individual to replenish their capacity to continue on with the meaningful components of their life. 

Therefore, my self-care includes those things that I am passionate about and the things that lead to much of my personal satisfaction and fulfillment. I see this as a balance between the physical, social, and emotional needs we have as individuals that allow us to be happy and productive members of the many communities with which we interact.

Being outdoors is critical to my self-care.  Whether running, walking, gardening, birding or spending time with family, much of this I prefer to do outside.  Despite my love of running, I have always disliked running on a treadmill and I have never realized exactly why.  I have always felt it was the shear boredom of running in the same spot but it really has more to do with the confines of exercising inside.  The idea of a treadmill set up outside in my backyard where I can feel the wind and see the trees, birds and bugs seems pretty good actually.

Photo by Paul Self

The quiet of the outside appeals to me.  I was reflecting on this just this morning as I ran through Colony Farms in Coquitlam.  Finding time to run is always difficult at the start of the teaching year and this year is no exception.  Sunday mornings generally, are quiet times for my family and I am usually able to reconnect with my physical self.  With age has come a little bit of wisdom.  I no longer run with expectations of speed or distance traveled.  I make it up as I go and find the effort much more satisfying.  I often throw my camera and binoculars in the car in case I see something of interest (usually birds) while I’m running and I will go back to take photographs. And if the effort to run just feels ridiculous, I will go for a walk. 

Great Blue Heron at Colony Farms                                   Photo by Paul Self

Note: The photos are from Colony Farms.


Saturday, 24 September 2016

Here is the photo that should have been in my last post.

Photo taken by Paul Self

Thursday, 22 September 2016

Postcard

As an elementary school teacher I am interested in exploring the education system’s role in helping to develop healthy children.  In particular I would like to examine the connections between physical, emotional, and social well being and how health relates to the growing disconnect between people and nature.  This picture of my twin girls expresses for me the joy of childhood and the immeasurable benefits of an outstanding school experience combined with a balanced home life.

Monday, 19 September 2016

A little bit about me



My name is Paul and I have recently returned to school as a Master of Education student at Simon Fraser University.  Having taught elementary school for the past 21 years, I feel I have reached a place in my career where delving more deeply into any topic would be wonderful.  I am a gardener, a bird watcher and a runner and the obvious connection to my activities is the outdoors.  I have been involved in track and field and cross-country running all of my life in a variety of roles. I have been an athlete, coach, club president, meet director and BC Games chairperson.  Much of my spare time is divided between working as a coach with young adults as they search for athletic success in track and field and working on the organizational side of athletics in my community of Coquitlam. I am extremely interested in health as it relates to children but I am also interested in lifelong health and wellness.  I wonder about what are the key factors that lead to a happy, fulfilled day-to-day life and ultimately, as we age, what brings us joy as we reflect. 

I am currently teaching a kindergarten/grade one combined class in the lower mainland and I have been teaching early primary for the past seven years.  It is very interesting to try and expand my intellectual vocabulary in a university setting again when I have spent so many years trying to simplify my language to communicate with young learners who are often just beginning to learn English.

I am the father of twin girls who have just entered grade four and I am married to their amazing mother who is the key to the privileged life I feel I am having.  As my own children become immersed in activities outside of our home, I find I am wondering more and more about what really matters to their development as caring, kind, productive and successful members of our community.  I have always felt that one’s physical well being is a key component of emotional well being because this has always been the case for me.  I am starting to question this belief.  The sense of well being I get from running is likely available through other avenues such as artistic expression.  This concept of wellness and the general sense of whether a person feels a deep contentment of who they are and possibly what their purpose is on our planet is a topic I find intriguing and I plan to explore it more deeply during my time at SFU.  I hope to bring a reflective approach to our class discussions and to learn many things as we go. I look forward to an exciting and fulfilling journey.