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Chantal Wiebe

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go grey, peace making

3 LESSONS ON GOING GREY NATURALLY

I started growing out my grey in the fall of 2013. I was 32 and grey since 18.

That means I was also at the salon every 6 weeks for 14 years. Growing it out was a personal journey and it seems to be that for many women too.

Here are 3 tips if you are considering it:

Evaluate your reasons!     Grey is not necessarily more authentic if one of your reasons is to be on trend (this is the classic “but everyone is doing it”), or if you know you are just not ready for it. I am certainly not opposed to dye (obviously I coloured my hair for more than a decade and have occasionally coloured parts of it for a little pop of pink!) Take a personal inventory and consider if it will help you on your inner spiritual journey – you’ll need the gumption and right reason for doing it, because, there will be opposition from other people, let’s be honest.

grey pink hair

Find support!      A hairdresser who is willing to help you do you naturally, even if it means losing money, is a good sign they want the best for you, not their pocketbook. Check out my board on Pinterest or @shegreygrey for encouraging stories! It’s not a marriage, either – if you hate it, you can always go back to colouring and try again at a later time.

greyhair02

Document it!     Just like taking a ‘before’ at the start of a new workout routine, the small changes day to day will be noticeable in comparison to the beginning! I wished I documented mine more but here’s what it looked like for me. Blonde streaks helped to break up the “skunk line” and a few months after that I got it toned. My hair grows fast but adding taking a multivitamin with minerals helped it grow faster too!

BONUS TIP! Bold colours (and a little vintage HBC wool) are your friend!

natural long grey hair

February 8, 2019

peace making

5 WAYS TO TAKE A DIGITAL FAST WITHOUT GIVING UP ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Right before the end of 2018, my capacity for checking, scrolling, and tapping came to an abrupt halt. Frustrated with the flood of sponsored partner posts as well as posed selfies of only the most professionally manicured type, I needed to reboot. It was tying my mental health and creativity to their productivity, which of course ran the course of frustration and cynicism at length. But, the reality is people use Instagram and Twitter and Snapchat to make a living. It’s the only entertainment industry that doesn’t call itself that and, after more than 8 weeks away from perfected lives preserved under glass, and several important altered habits later, I feel less affected by it.

Here’s 5 ways to digitally fast without giving up on social media:

  1. Limit materialistic accounts 

Don’t want to feel out of style or frustrated with your closet? Feeling pressured to get that new thing? Put simply, unfollow materialist accounts and step out of the retail ring for a bit. Seriously. Soon, you will feel lighter, and less concerned with online sales and the other creative ways companies find to separate you from your money. Without reminders to look at new things, and then want them, you’ll save money, time and energy in surprising ways. I unfollowed 40 accounts, one of which partnered with ethical brands for capsule wardrobes that advertised a white winter dress priced at over $300 USD as an “essential”.

  1. Muting is your friend

If you don’t want to burn a bridge by unfollowing a friend, colleague, or family member, mute accounts that trigger your inadequacies or present unrealistic perfection. On Instagram, both posts and stories can be muted. That way you can break for while, without breaking up the potential for connection or common ground in the future.

  1. Open when you are ready to post

Have you read your screen time reports lately and found yourself shocked at how many times you pick up your phone in a day? How many times have I intended to do something specific, like text a colleague, when I mindlessly opened IG out of habit? Too many times. Point blank, it annihilates focus and has addictive qualities. If you feel unproductive or constantly out of time, turn off notifications and use Instagram or Twitter just when you are ready to post something. I needed to expressly pause my impulse to constantly “check” and I found myself finishing projects like cleaning up the basement storage with my husband where we fawned over favourite baby items and thumbed through real photo albums!

  1. Remember, it’s not necessarily a break

I used to find myself scanning Instagram as a “coffee break” in between tasks throughout the day but not only was it always longer than expected, it was far less refreshing than anticipated. With spare minutes on hand, filling the mind with more clutter (as each post is associated with unpredictable news or, depending on the relationship, more comparisons), is not a mental break. It can actually trigger stress hormones and prevent you from reflecting and thinking, which are essential for a true break from any kind of work, at home or on the road or in the office. My work flow improved for day to day tasks and big vision projects took on shape more easily too.

  1. Start and end the day in a new habit

Truth be told, my social media feeds were the first and last thing I saw each day. Ugh. Not my spouse, kids, or even my loyal dog. It felt out of balance and it began to demand more and more of my time. For some people, it can affect sleep too, not only because of FOMO and blue light issues, but also as a result of stimulus control – using your bed to watch movies, scroll social media or reply to emails associates it with cognitive activity, and, regrettably, not sleep. I decided to spend time with the “thickness of creation” as Eugene Peterson puts it – that is, doing tangible things, like cleaning, read a paper book, or playing a board game. This part you know already: store and use your devices in another room and if you must keep your phone as an alarm, put it into airplane mode.

In the morning, plant your feet on the floor and plan to open the digital world after you’ve set the tone for the day. For instance, read your emails when you get to work. You don’t need to be mulling them through the shower, breakfast, or sending the kids off to school with a preoccupied mind. Take back some control of your day. It’s the only one you’ll have for the next 24 hours and you’ll need the mental energy to not only make it, but learn from it in a healthy way.

January 12, 2019

peace making

‘THE WAY WE STAY’ AND ‘ROBIN’: DEATH, DRUGS, AND HOPE?

Shortly after reading Robin, a factual and detailed recount of the ghostly existence of Robin Williams, my recently purchased copy of The Way We Stay landed in my lap right before the August long weekend. Like the cover’s single-line drawing of a mother and son connected by hand and heart, both titles are tied up in addiction. But Cere Demuth’s memoir is a lived and breathed accounting of all that’s typically unsaid behind the hours and dates that give some years and take others.

Drug addiction might be a parent’s worst fear, and then the other monstrous dread that likely follows in close succession is the question of recovery. Is it possible? Will it last? Can the cagey and oppositional experience with an only son’s fickle and disappointing chemical affair be wrestled into cautious optimism?

Aside from an outlier Wikipedia source for facts about the Vietnam War and the Women’s Rights Movement during the time of her parent’s participation in extreme underground political groups, Cere’s credibility doesn’t need any references. Her experiences with single- and teenaged motherhood, trauma, and working as a small-town psychotherapist among her son’s widely known addictions is, well, more qualification than anyone wants.

The author of Robin, while creating a rigorous and lengthy biography of Robin Williams, simultaneously deconstructed Robin into a million different disappointments, probably as many voices as Robin played at. He seems to think that no one quite got all of Robin, that as outgoing and forward and even sexually aggressive as Robin apparently was, he hid his one and truest persona – his own. Sadly, after all his efforts, the author perseverates suicide as a criminal act, describing it as something that Robin “committed.” If you change two things about how you talk about suicide, make it this – first, talk about suicide. Then, remember that people die by suicide, they don’t commit it like a criminal or heretic.

For Cere Demuth, The Way We Stay is an anthem of pain and very clearly no magic pill for families dealing with addiction, because even though the book ends, the story doesn’t.

None of our stories do. Not even the reserved ones of Robin.

You and I might not be fluent in the patterns of meth and pot and OxyContin and heroin in the veins and volatility of loved ones, but if your heart has ever pounded with confusion about your parenting, marriage, or friendships, The Way We Stay will remind you to breathe.

Breathing is the way we labour children and lift weights.

Breathing is the way we swim, step on stage, and have sex.

It’s the way we live.

I finished the last chapters of Cere’s book outside, pacing among the dogs. They held their place on the grass and as I turned the last page, I sat down beside them and sighed.

We all hold old pain inside us, but as long as we live, we still have hope.

October 3, 2018

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fresh starts in good company

FROM THE FIELD

THE RESEARCH CRISIS IS REAL

HOW TO START MICRO LENDING WITH KIVA.ORG

THE QUESTION ON GOOD FRIDAY – WILL THE SON RISE BEYOND THE SHROUD?

long natural grey hair

3 LESSONS ON GOING GREY NATURALLY

Salt of the earth

https://youtu.be/zxm0OdM5JFs

What I have learned from suffering

https://vimeo.com/239274128?loop=0

Thanksgiving is an action

https://youtu.be/UCIixg1QXWw?t=1052

Without forgiveness, there is no future

https://youtu.be/uWnodvo03Iw?t=348

Standing tall and not alone

https://youtu.be/NmNM9MLsWu4

On the resurrection, my Lord

https://youtu.be/cJakb6jqcw8

hello@chantalwiebe.ca

chantal wiebe

chantal_wiebe

From a few days ago when I ordered a small part fo From a few days ago when I ordered a small part for our dishwasher. Such a mundane but long overdue task to search out our model number and locate a reasonably priced replacement rinse aid door latch. It was $20 I didn’t even think twice about and even celebrated a wee bit as I crossed it off my house “to-do” list. To my shock, it was delivered tonight, on Christmas Eve. Even if that delivery person doesn’t celebrate Christmas, I wondered if he was missing out on family time. Was he tired after a full day but still had  a long drive back into the city to end his shift? This was certainly not an essential item - we didn’t need this part immediately. In fact, we’ve been without rinse aide for months with very little impact on our day to day. There was no chance to run out and thank him but I hope he felt appreciated today. Even from a long way off. Even through the cold weather and sacrifices. It did not go unnoticed. ✴️ THANK YOU. ✴️ #christmaswiththecovid
Chill chats and laughs on the floor. YouTube galor Chill chats and laughs on the floor. YouTube galore. Farting. Burping. Skating. Taller-than-your-mother hugs. Treating the house like a jungle gym. 🤼 The next few weeks at home together will definitely be hilariously teenaged. Ready or not, here comes Christmas isolation at home with these dudes. 😏#christmaswiththecovid  #wiebebuilds
At some point in the spring, it seems a contaminat At some point in the spring, it seems a contaminated bag of soil, not the typical brand I purchase because it was not easily sourced during the lockdown, gave way to thrips on a number of my plants. I have more than 70, but a few are certainly going to die. Yes, death is imminent for some of my favourites despite my efforts to keep the spread down. And amidst that frustration, this raven zz decided to pop up after more than a year of not growing at all. Surprises have such extraordinary timing. #wiebeplants
Cheers to the bloomers in the background. 🔅#wie Cheers to the bloomers in the background. 🔅#wiebeplants
Yesterday I had 1 errand that was a must but I ran Yesterday I had 1 errand that was a must but I ran into someone and we talked for 45 min. Turns out we share a similar history and had both grown despite significant hardship. It was healing to affirm in each other how it’s never too late to bloom. It was a good reminder that childhood trauma connects more of us than we think and our time on this earth is meant to benefit others. I’m taking a break from private practice, but if you or someone you know needs encouragement during this time, swipe for a small way I can help. Outside of my full time work, I will make time for checking in with a few of you with a copy of a recent receipt to a local business. ❤️ Email or DM to save a spot for you and/or a friend. #wiebeplants
When we say character matters, it should not mean When we say character matters, it should not mean that we dismiss an overt liar but welcome a more subtle, placating one. That would simply convey the bar was so formerly low that now it is only seemingly high because of our shared pretending that the medium is the message. We do not say character matters just to accept more sophisticated semantics. No, when we say that character matters we must mean it. #seentodayirl
A pandemic might be a tempting reason to repeat hi A pandemic might be a tempting reason to repeat history and ineffective practices. When both teachers and students are stressed and learning has been impacted, here are a few things you should know about grade retention.
This quote was given us as the clinical services s This quote was given us as the clinical services staff starting in the inaugural year of Manitoba’s first school system under First Nations jurisdiction. I’ll just leave this here. “What we are looking for is not someone who will cut through our dilemmas for us, but someone who will try to understand them. 
 
Not someone who will impose his/her will upon us but someone who will help us use our own will; someone who instead of dictating to us what we must do, will listen to us with respect.
 
Not someone who will reduce everything to an academic argument, but someone who will understand our personal motives, our feelings and even our weaknesses and mistakes, someone who will give us confidence in ourselves because he has an unshakable confidence in us, who will take an interest in our struggles without prejudging their outcome, who will not allow himself to become discouraged if things get tough and even if we take a different road from the one you would have taken.”
-Paul Tecumseh, The Memory of Persons #servingmfnerc
STUTTER / noun / a series of short, sharp sounds p STUTTER
/ noun / a series of short, sharp sounds produced by a machine or gun.

Origin: strike against

#whowonwho #breakingwordnews
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