It was not Canada Day but Victoria Day on Monday Oooooops!!!!!!

Talk about losing track of time! I try to maintain a balance in my life and I ensure that at least once a week I spend it with someone I really like. Self care is something I advocate for everyone. The eve of Victoria Day and not Canada Day, I saw my neighbour bring out fresh flags to hang on her pole. I am proud that she now flies the Canadian flag above her second flag from her country of origin. The Canadian flag should always fly higher. I somehow in my mind when I casually observed this, while focusing on something else, presumed it would be Canada day which replaced Victoria Day. Canada was in my brain. Earlier during the day, I received a pamphlet regarding Canada Day and had planned to attend. So when I was negotiating a day to look at flowers with someone who has a passion for flowers and photogaphy, I bravely gave up what I thought was Canada Day so I could bring him to see the blossoms of High Park which promised to last about ten days. Time was of the essence. Our conflicting schedules made it the only day possible. It did not dawn on me why I was being asked why we as Canadians celebrate Victoria Day. It did not dawn on me that he was asking about Victoria day because that is the day we were exploring. There was no parking at High Park. Actually there was and I was in it but a woman with a bigger car was shouting at me that she was not going to move and the spot was hers. I thought about how much I have grown. Years ago when I was very young, I would have stood my ground. After all, I drove into it because the person was leaving at the other side. Apparently this woman was on the other side waiting for him to leave. Road rage is increasing and as I watched this woman getting very very mad. I told her I was going to be the bigger person and let her have the spot. She thanked me nicely. I drove out of the spot I was already in and let her have it - the spot that is. What would you have done? You are in the spot. There is no parking. How angry would you get? Is it worth it? By saying I would be the bigger person was condescending. However, I am human. I stopped the car where a team of policemen had gathered and asked if it was possible to find parking or should I just leave. My partner told me that he could walk quite a distance but I would find out later that this was not the case. Of course how far one can walk is subjective. We drove through the park and around it and through the side entrance and behold - the blossom trees. He was disappointed because they were not in their glory. The ten days of bloom must have expired. As I decided to drive to Leslie and Lawrence to show him what we have there, I saw the gardens downtown. I stopped, parked and was surprised that there was no charge to enter. Now, as you have come to notice is, that I am bad with names. Therefore, I will not attempt to say Edward gardens or whatever gardens because I never do pay attention to endless names. After all, if I cannot distinquish between Canada and Victoria Day, how can I possibly get all the names of the botancial gardens right. Right? So my partner points out the Best Western Hotel and I notice that I am on Carlton and that is where some work shops I have been interested in are held there. However, they are not recognized by AAMFT and I am waiting for the College of Psychotherapy to provide a list of seminars, workshops, educational sites that they will approve. However, this is being delayed again because the politicians are out there promoting why we should vote for them. So, now we have to wait for the fall. I have had so much schooling that I could use a break. I have been tempted to go to the University of Guelph to take a course on various addictions. However, it is five days all Saturdays and I am committed on that day. So, in two years they will have the same course. I always ask myself why I should go to Guelph when Toronto should have all this. The Best Western also had a two day program but I already studied everything in their first day program indepth, in my psychology degree so it didn't seem wise when I already understood the psychological and biological effects. They didn't really seem to provide me with what I wanted. I had entered the building and I was exploring all the flowers in the solariam when I stopped to look at turtles. I was really amazed by them. I noticed that people in the downtown core had a place to come to for some serenity. Some brought their coffee to just sit. Very theraputic. Others were tourists exploring our city and then there was me. This is my city and this is one of the few places that I have always meant to come to but never did because parking is a problem. I was beginning to wish that I too had brought my camera. In no time we had seen it all and I noticed that my partner really liked taking pictures of trees. He kept asking me the names of trees and plants and of course all I knew was our Maple tree, the Japanesse Cherry Tree (because I had one once but it decided to die). I now have a tulip tree. I am still waiting for it to bloom. Maybe one of these years. I also could recognize the Magnolia Tree and decided that if my Tulip Tree dies, than I will fork out my own money to plant it. I have too many trees to plant any additional ones. We departed for lunch to Dairy Queen. My lunch was coffee because they had large everything and I did not want large. So I retaliated by only ordering the large coffee, when I wanted small. We lunched inside because my partner was hot. I however, had brought him to Pottery road so we could view the wonderful panorama. He was quite satisfied to glimpse at the panorama upon returning to the car. Off we were again and this time it was to see the botanical gardens at Leslie and Lawrence. Again no parking. This is not one of my favourite places but I have very fond memories of being there with family. They also have a cute little restaurant and the guy who works or worked there looked like Keneau Reeves (have I got the name right?). So, that in itself was a good reason to stop and enjoy the coffee. Since there was no parking, I drove into a side road near Eglinton and found the coveted parking. Yes! However, my partner felt that walking five kilometers to where we had planned to go was too much walking. He also didn't care for the streams. It was at that moment that I realized I have so many interests and can find joy in all nature, that I was quite pleased with myself. I shared that. Off we were again and he was ok with seeing where I like to celebrate Canada Day. I warned that there probably would not be parking but what the heck. He seemed to be enjoying himself and I promised I would show him flowers a year ago. We finally get there and I see nothing. There is no celebration and there are no cars. There is lots of parking available. I cannot understand what is going on and I drive quite a distance before I stop to ask a sporty looking man where the Canada celebrations locale I am looking for is because I cannot find it. He corrects me, with "Victoria Day." I finally wake up and realize it is not Canada Day. I have not squandered Canada Day looking for flowers and blossoms, a promised I meant to keep. I am happy and also self examining. How can I make such a mistake? I tell my partner there is one more place I can show him where there is a promise of flowers. It is near Eglinton and Scarlet. After a couple of hoops, I find this place which I had not visited for some time and of course there is no parking but I suggest that he goes off on his own because it is a small area and I will continue to look for parking and find him. I circle a few times and viola, someone leaves. I park and realize that I have mostly biked here in my younger days. After he has taken an abundance of pictures, giving me some lessons of how to take pictures in relation to the sun, I see a ground hog eating weeds. I am entranced. This ground hog is not afraid of me and I wish again that I had my camera. I remember being in Switzerland and they had a goundhog in a tiny zoo. I thought of all the ground hogs I have seen. I was pleased that my partner was happy with his day. "If you want to really see flowers, you need to go to the Botanical Gardens in Burlington." I promise to take him. I will make the time, I tell my self. I shall bring my own camera which is not the same quality by any means. However, this camera is the most expensive camera that I have ever had. I am very happy with it and all I have to do is point and take the picture. It does all the rest. I do not worry about lighting. I just want to capture that moment in time where in my collection of thoughts, all happiness in relation to what I am seeing returns. I drop off my partner and return home to my little family. I look at the calender and realize that it is not Canadian. It is generic. Every day is about something but not about what day Canada is celebrating. I go off to find my other calenders, but none have the nature scenes that I like, so I keep what I have on the wall. I shall be more mindful next year of what calender I put up on my wall. It will need to have each Canadian celebration vividly marked so I can celebrate the right day. What do you think?