Moments

There are certain moments that, when we reflect on them, alter the course of our life's path. These moments are usually a while building, but there is something that tips the scale to one side and pushes us to take action.

One of my moments was about 3 years ago. A few of us were sitting around at work discussing what the future held for local television and how that may affect us. One of the group was attending teachers' college and the conversation turned to career change and going back to school. We all wondered what that new path might look like.

About 20 minutes after our group dispersed, my friend Scrappy called me over to his desk. He had a bunch of papers printed/stapled and handed them to me. He said "I think I found your new career". When I started to look at the program offered at Fanshawe College, I immediately recognized it was for me. It combined all of the things I was interested in or had experience in. 

And, so began the seed of change that has now developed into a new career path. 

After discussing such things with friends, these moments can happen on a beach in Dominican Republic or while sitting at your cubicle in a call centre. It doesn't matter where or how the moment happens, but rather how you react to it. 

Have you had a moment that changed your life? How did you embrace the challenge and make the change?

Reflections on Birthdays

It's March 16th and that means it's time to mark another year in the life of Janice Mills. As the number gets higher, there seems to be less enthusiasm about celebrating a birthday. A lot has changed over the years... birthday cards are exchanged for facebook posts and texts, birthday parties (including games, cake and loot bags) turn into a nice dinner and counting down the days loses the thrill that is once held!

However, in the wise words of a good friend, I'm going to embrace my birthday! And in the words of another friend, it's been a great year for Team Janice. Looking back on the past 365 days, I've got a lot to celebrate:

• Paris for Christmas! How cool is that?
• A new job! (includes great hours and a boss that actually appreciates what I do)
• An amazing family trip to the Smokey Mountains. Did I mention Dollywood?!?
• A fantastic party celebrating my Dad's farming career. I'm still impressed by our Farmer's Daughter song.
• Reconnecting with several friends I haven't seen in years.
• Welcoming new friends into my life. I'm lucky to have such amazing people surround me.
• I got my picture with David Spade, Hugh Grant AND Jim Halpert (AKA: John Krasinski) at TIFF
• Another year of "special days" with my nieces and nephews including the introduction of Auntie Janice's Christmas Extravaganza

Sometimes life doesn't quite turn out the way you plan or expect it to but that doesn't mean that it's not worth celebrating!

Here's a look at birthdays past: 

The Incredible Chris Hadfield

Until recently, I didn't really know a lot about Chris Hadfield. I knew he's an astronaut and the Sarnia airport is named after him. And that's about it. However, in December, his name seemed to be popping up everywhere as he made his way into space.

There were reports about him on the news, he was doing interviews with Jian Ghomeshi, and Captain Kirk and even wrote a song with The Barenaked Ladies! His twitter feed contained stunning pictures from outer space and loads of tidbits about what it's like to be an astronaut. I started to really dig this Chris Hadfield guy.

After I was tuned in to what he was doing, his popularity seemed to explode! From elementary school kids to my Grammie, everyone loves him! He's the perfect blend of personality, creativity and science-smart.

One of my favourite moments was when he took this picture of his hometown of Sarnia. Residents of the surrounding area were urged to turn their lights on for a photo as he passed over.  So COOL!

He has taken his mission to space and made it accessible to all of us. Fielding questions about everything from what he eats to how he shaves in the morning, Chris Hadfield has invited us into the ISS. Each time I watch a video clip or read a neat tidbit on twitter, my Canadian heart swells with pride.

Kudos to Commander Chris Hadfield on becoming the first Canadian to command the ISS.