Silken's Blog

My fiancé who owns Goodlife Fitness, states this mantra in his first book.  It is far easier to say than to live by.  Good Enough means letting go of the belief that there is some perfect place, some perfect decision, some perfect weight, some perfect achievement that we should be aiming for.

My body, for instance. What if my forty something body, a body not nearly as lean and defined as it was ten years ago is simply good enough.  It is a pretty liberating thought.  My daughter who is ten, just couldn’t figure out why I was in such a bad mood while trying on clothes the other day. “That looks so pretty” she said as I fought my way out of a tightly fitting blouse. It didn’t seem to bother her one bit that my size had slid from eight to ten. And watching her delight in the colours and styles of the clothes I was trying on, I began to see the situation from her perspective, a mother and daughter having fun finding a new outfit. I am a fit, healthy woman who has been gifted with good genetics and a strong body. I exercise every day, eat well and have a tremendous amount of joy in my life.  And so I began to take a different approach.  I turned to the mirror and told my image how beautiful I am; I gave thanks to my healthy body and enjoyed the beautiful colours of the fabrics of the blouse I had just flung to the floor. I poked my head out of the change room asked the sales clerk for a larger size and bought the blouse. Good Enough. -- Silken

Mike Robertson, Snowboard Cross Olympic Silver Medalist, and my son William.

We are sitting waiting for the Closing Ceremonies to begin. Kate just leaned over and told me that this is the most exciting thing that has ever happened to her. When I asked what she meant she said the Olympics, that she couldn't even describe it but "it changed my life mommy." I honestly am not sure what she means but I think this is a very important thing. I know I feel it has been a priveldge to be here these past seventeen days. The events, the medals, the evening fundraisers put on by the CAN fund where every time a gold medal was won Sprott Investments gave a hundred grand right into the jeans of Canadian athletes. Do you know that thirteen members of the Canadian Women's Hockey team needed the CAN Fund to keep training to win gold? Maybe we can get the men's team to donate their twenty thousand gold medal money to the CAN Fund to help some of the athletes who also won gold but are making less than thirty thousand a year.

Its been an Olympics of seeing the games through the eyes of my children. They heard the stories of Alexandre Bilodeau and his brother, the stories of almost in the men's fifty km, the tears that followed. They loved screaming Cananda at the top of their lungs but also learning each evening about Right To Play and its work with the worlds most disadvantaged children. They met many Olympic medal winners and winners who finished fourth, or crash, or simply finished. I know this is an experience they will never ever forget. So I sign off for now to be in the moment with my kids at the Closing Ceremonies of a truly wonderful Games.  --Silken
 

Watched Men's hockey at CAN Fund Athletes House. I called it before USA's second goal by saying seconds before "it would make it more interesting if the US scored." Ooops. Got to say though, it sure made the next sixteen minutes exciting. --Silken

Leaving Canada Hockey Place after the Women's game I waited for the elevator with one of my personal hero's Hazel McCallion, the mayor of Mississauga.  As Two Mississauga natives we gave each other excited hugs while sharing our elation at Canada's Gold Medal victory.  It turns out that seeing the Olympic final was a dream come true for my hometown's Mayor, the longest running Mayor in Canadian history.

I have known Mayor Hazel McCallion since I was eighteen years old, qualifying for my first Olympic Games. Hazel has always been a huge supporter of women in sport, and has a passionate love for hockey herself.  Hazel is an inspirational woman, she has done an incredible amount for the city of Mississauga including bringing head offices to our city, building a cultural centre and ensuring we have the Ice Dogs hockey team.  I had no idea though, that the Mayor was such a hockey fan; she was fairly bubbling with excitement and pride for our Canadian women.  I appear to be the only Canadian who didn't know this given that the You Tube spot with Rick Mercer has had over two million hits.

Coincidently, later that evening, I met the man who found her the Olympic Gold Medal tickets and made our Mayor's visit to Vancouver happen. Good on you!  --Silken