In case you’re in the market for a luxury paddle ball set this spring, here you go.
When we took an afternoon to visit the seaside village of Howth (about a 20 minute train ride from Dublin), we both loved the building – and views – of a mansion called Tara Hall. As I was preparing this Dublin post, I got side-tracked on a Howth real estate website, and spotted Tara Hall. This 5,900 square foot property with 180 degree panorama sea views is for sale with a price tag of five million Euros.
Besides the grand rooms and beautiful views, did you notice all the gold mirrors? Gorgeous!
When I look at the photos I’ve been taking and saving recently, there are some commonalities. One common feature is the black and white checkered floor.
I seem to have always been keen on checkered floors; I wrote this post about checkered floors back in 2016! My plan is to add a checkered floor to our entryway (hopefully I’ll get to it this spring). I think it’ll be so pretty.
Two interiors I’d like to see more of are:
- Suzanne Dimma‘s recently overhauled home in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
2. Leanne Ford‘s all-white spaces everywhere!
Let love in.
This is the message on the hotel key card that I picked up (and forgot to return) from The Clarence Hotel in Dublin. I found it in my purse when I returned to Canada, and I thought to frame it. The card has been sitting on my desk beside my computer since January. It has been sitting there since before freedom conveys. Before war broke out. War. An unprovoked war in a European democracy. How am I even writing that in 2022?
Let love in. The message is simple.
But in 2022, we still don’t get it. Why?
Hate.
Power.
Ego.
Money.
Greed.
Aren’t these things that education and religion warn us about? Encourage us to overcome?
The obstacles to letting love in are grand. Locally. Globally. The temptations are strong.
But what would happen if we remove them? If they vanished. Poof! Would the world be a better place? Would local communities thrive? Would global relationships be nurtured? Would we finally reduce harm to humanity?
I believe that one of the roles of education is to develop well-rounded citizens. It should also teach us to be critically engaged. It should allow us to
listen,
reflect,
question,
evaluate, and
create.
I believe religion can provide spiritual guidance and promote strong values. Love thy neighbour. Be kind. Show respect. Be compassionate. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
And all that.
I encounter conflict nearly every day at the university (my work place). I challenge, and I am challenged. I oppose and agree with other people’s ideas just as they oppose and agree with mine. I am lucky to work within an institution that is founded on principles of open inquiry, freedom of speech, debate, and the rejection of intolerance. As we create and share knowledge, we “question dogmas and established doctrines and encourage critical thinking in all students and scholars” (Magna Charta Universitatum). I know I am lucky to work in such a space.
When I see, read, and hear about local and global conflict – about war – I feel like education and religion have failed us. We are failing one another.
So what do we do about it?
We listen.
We reflect.
We question.
We evaluate.
We create.
and
We act.
We help. We protest. We defend. We talk. We write.
We learn.
We don’t repeat mistakes from the past.
We don’t harm one another.
We battle temptations.
We let love in.
***
Ways to help our Ukrainian friends: Red Cross Canada, Unicef Canada, United Nations Refugee Agency Canada (UNHCR), local Ukrainian churches (Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Saint Sophia in Waterloo).
Stay informed: CBC, CNN, scholarly sources (e.g., The Conversation, University of Toronto), social media (e.g., Mstyslav Chernov, Maksim Chmerkovsky).