City Adventure: Art, Nature, Seasonal Rhythms and Impermanence

Urban Adventure Grain de Chic Mabo Clothier Mikoleon

A variation on this post was originally published on the Enfants Terribles Magazine blog in 2015

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while or following me on Instagram you might remember that the children and I love to go on adventures in the city. For me, it’s a love for walking, wandering, people watching, art spotting and nature gazing. I’ve always been this way. For them, anything called an ‘adventure’ sounds like fun. And so, a few years ago I started taking Ro and Sen on what I call “urban adventures” or “city adventures.”

Hippie in Disguise Ottawa Canada Sibling Love mabo clothier

Ready for an adventure!

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Ottawa Canada Family Travel Old City

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Aside from feeding my own interest in wandering, I wanted to find an activity that we all enjoyed but that was also active. Going to the parks with the children is great for them, they are doing more physical activity than a football player, however, I usually find myself sitting on a bench or picnic blanket for hours chatting with other parents. Definitely fun and social, but maybe not the best form of daily exercise. And since I have a desk job, I definitely need exercise when I’m not at work.

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As well, preferring human-powered modes of transit, I wanted to prove to myself, my children, and (yes) maybe friends and family, that you can have adventures and connect with nature simply by walking out your front door, keeping an open mind, and looking for the paths less traveled. Nature isn’t some far off pristine sanctuary, it’s all around us: the air, the sky, the grass growing in sidewalk cracks. And, you definitely don’t need to drive a car to get to adventurous places; with some creativity and an open mind you can make your own adventure anywhere.

Ottawa Canada Rideau Canal

Ottawa Canada Rideau Canal

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Sand on this side of the canal, snow on the other

Playing Rideau Canal Ottawa Canada

This might be a good place to explain what an ‘adventure’ is to me. For me, ‘adventures’ don’t happen according to plans. They happen on the margins, or perhaps, as ‘offshoots’ of plans. You set a course, either defined or general, and you see what happens as things unfold. Flexibility is a necessary aspect, and so is openness to the risk of ‘wasting time’ for an opportunity that holds promise.

I want my children to understand that there is an abundance of nature to be found in the city. But if we only ever walked down Main Street or drove to get to the places we visit they might think that we live in a concrete jungle. We don’t need to drive 20 miles to an apple orchard or a petting farm or to a “Nature Path” to spend time in nature, with plants, animals and waterways, these are all within walking distance, if you find the right path.

Motherhood Hippie in disguise

I also want my children to develop a broad and flexible understanding of what art is, that art isn’t only hung in galleries. There is an abundance of free art to be found and experienced in the city. There are commemorative statues of people and events that tell the city’s story, and there is illegal art in the form of graffiti that tells the city’s story in another way. And then there is the abundance of performance art, street dancers and performers, buskers, chalk artists, that can usually only be enjoyed by sheer luck of timing. Being out in the city without a schedule of planned activities allows us to pause along the way for as long as we want to enjoy something we’ve found serendipitously.

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Ottawa Canada Rideau Canal

Ottawa Canada Rideau Canal

Ottawa Canada Rideau Canal Mabo Clothier

Ottawa Canada Rideau Canal

Finally, I want Ro and Sen to appreciate unstructured, unplanned activities. These are days where all you have planned is to walk out the front door with a water bottle and snacks, with little idea of where you’ll end up and when you’ll come back home. The day is not curated by a schedule, organized activities and events (or businesses), but thrives on open-endedness.

We live in Ottawa, Canada which experiences a very cold winter (minus 20 Celsius / minus 4 Fahrenheit is totally normal), with lots of snow, so we don’t do a lot of adventuring in the winter. So, when spring time arrives sometime in April, like it did yesterday, we are excited to get out and revisit the paths and favourite spots we haven’t been to since last fall. At this time of year, what the children notice most is the contrast of seasons; their memory of a spot in its fall incarnation and how it looks after a long cold winter. Plants have died or gone dormant, birds and squirrels are not actively working and playing about, and so on. I hope this brings to life a rhythm and broader understanding of the seasons beyond their own perspective of: winter means snow suit and summer means sandals.

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Ottawa Canada Mural Urban Art

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As the spring progresses and flowers start to bloom, we will continue to explore and find new spots, that we can add to our repertoire of wanders. But also, understanding that each path and favourite spot is never the same twice we try to make the most of each experience, savouring the temporary nature of a field of wildflowers or a graffiti wall that will likely change within a week. I am hoping to awaken that sense of living in the moment and appreciating its fleeting nature. Whether it is conscious or not, I hope my children are developing a sense of appreciation for the impermanence of things and that this will prove useful in living a full life.

Ottawa Canada Dance Hippie in Disguise

Thank you to our kind sponsors for outfitting Ro, Sen and me:

Ro’s dresses by Grain de Chic, removable grey collar by Halo Luxe, laced shoes by Soft Star, slip on shoes by Mikoleon

Sen’s shirts and jacket by Grain de Chic, laced shoes by Mikoleon, sandals by Salt Water Sandals

My dress by Nico Nico Clothing, my mala by Mama Malas

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Talking Slow Living on Ruth & Ragnar

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I get asked a lot about slow living and minimalism and how I bring these to life in our family. Well, first I should probably tell you that most of my week is anything but slow. I work full time outside the home in a very hectic job. I work in politics in Canada and not only are the days hustled, they are highly unpredictable, chock full of emotional people and high stakes situations. I’m a naturally calm person, people often describe me as “zen,” which is probably why I’ve survived in my job. However, after working in this environment for a few years I started to notice that I carried that hustled, stressed energy home with me. I would furiously clean and tidy all evening, I would speedily move from one task to another, and multi-tasking was the only way I did anything. On the weekends I would hustle around doing errands, taking Ro and Sen to a list of activities and catching up on my social calendar. I couldn’t seem to find a slo-mo setting… Read the rest of the post over on Ruth & Ragnar.

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Hippie in Disguise Ottawa Canada Arboretum

When in Rome: The Ottawa Edition

In the news! I was by asked my friends (Carina and Bree) over at Peaks & Harbours to contribute to their series “When in Rome” where they profile cities in terms of their fun, artful, adventurous and family-friendly activities. Sounds like a great resource, right?!

We live a pedestrian lifestyle, so we are out and about walking around Ottawa every weekend, rain or shine, sun or snow. Ottawa is bursting with natural beauty, art experiences and adventure, so it was pretty hard to pick my favourite three spots to share. If you know me well, maybe you can guess…

Find out here.

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image   A Day in New York City

image   Visiting Philadelphia

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset   Urban Adventures

Strawberry Picking

We live in Canada’s national capital, so Canada Day is a pretty big deal here. Lots of people, locals and tourists, congregating in the downtown like sardines eager to see bands and buskers, eat street food and watch the fireworks. As a couple, Matt and I always enjoyed partaking in the patriotic festivities. But with massive crowds, noises, sites and smells amped up to the max, we had a feeling we would need to find our own family tradition for Canada Day once we had children. Even for our outgoing social butterflies, Canada Day in downtown Ottawa was just too much for our children. (We learned the hard way through experience: tantrums and tears).

With strawberries in prime picking season and with the fields safely outside the downtown core, we happily adopted strawberry picking as our family’s Canada Day tradition. This year was no different, except that when we arrived at the farm to pick, there were only off-the-shelf berries available for purchase, as the farmer didn’t want people walking in his fields following overnight rain. We decided to go for a hike at a nearby lake instead and go picking at the soonest opportunity, which luckily was just a few days later.

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Sen thought it was pretty funny to fill his pocket with snacking berries

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While a rascally Sen runs off with the basket, Ro is charmed about using her skirt to gather

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But wait…”Mama, ooooh it’s getting heavy!”

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Tired kiddos getting silly

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Thank you to our kind sponsors for outfitting Ro and Sen:

Organic clothing by Nico Nico from Little Heirloom, a lovely Canadian shop, that ships worldwide. LIttle Heirloom is especially great for Canadian shoppers looking for premium brands and organic clothing with domestic shipping rates.

Leather sandals are by Salt Water Sandals and are available from Mini Mioche, another superb Canadian shop stocking organics, shoes, bags and much more, and shipping worldwide.

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Ottawa Meetup

I have come into contact with so many kind, creative and inspirational people through the Instagram community. People from all over Canada, North America, and the world. I know that some of you are local to me, and so the time has come, I want to meet you in person!

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Please join Ro, Sen and me for an informal picnic and play at Vincent Massey park. This is large park, with grassy fields, trees and boulders to climb, clean bathrooms, fountains, barbecues and picnic tables. Situated near the river and some nice lookouts (no safe access to play in the river though). The idea is to meet in a casual way and connect in the real world, let our kids play, and have some good conversation. Photo taking is totally optional!

When: Thursday July 9th, 2015, from 10:30 am-1 pm, easy come, easy go

Where: Vincent Massey Park, see map here, we will be set up around S2 area, more information about the park is here

Who: Everyone is welcome

I would recommend each person bring water and snacks for themselves and their children. Please feel welcome, but not obliged, to bring something to share. There are picnic tables where potluck items can be placed. Lots of parking is available and close to where we will be set up. Parking rates are $1 for 30 minutes up to daily maximum of $7.25.

Please send me an email or leave a comment below if you are interested in meeting up. While my inclination is to keep things minimal, simple food and free play, it may also be nice to have something special to mark the event. Please be in touch!

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Interview with a Minimalist: Kylah Dobson

Identity labels, like ‘vegetarian’ or ‘atheist,’ can be tough to occupy, because once applied we open ourselves to criticism. If we do not adhere perfectly and seamlessly at all times to the label, then we have failed in our eyes or in the eyes of others. And so, we tend to avoid labels, because then we cannot fail.

Two ideas emerge from the acknowledgement that many of us fear failure. First, failure is necessary to grow and improve; failure is universal; failure is productive. Second, no one has ever been a perfect vegetarian or perfect atheist or a perfect anything; perfection is impossible. In this context, I prefer to view labels as guide posts, rather than badges earned for perfect behaviour. We try our best to live our lives in sync with our guide posts, knowing that we may stray, but always trying our best to stay true to them.

Where is all this coming from? Well, in talking with people about minimalism and with people I would call ‘minimalists,’ most seem to feel uncomfortable with the term, for a variety of reasons, but certainly because they often feel they are not ‘minimalist enough.’ Part of what I want to explore through these interviews is the variety of authentic ways that people live minimally, that there is no one way to be a minimalist. Saying that doesn’t water down the concept or strip it of meaning. But it does liberate people to be experimental and to live minimalism in their own way by focusing minimalism on their lives in a way that resonates with them.

Today, I am sharing an interview with Kylah, an Organic Farmer and Health Coach, who, in my eyes, lives as a minimalist. The focus of her minimalism is on the kitchen, meal times, food and nourishment. While she focuses there, minimalism radiates into other aspects of her life and areas of her home. Everyone’s interest in minimalism starts from a different motivation, whether it is making meal prep simple, so that the meal is more of a catalyst for conversation and connection, than about the food itself or whether it is a desire to minimize the environmental impact of our lives or something else completely. But what each person I’ve spoken with has shared is that minimalism starts to influence other areas of their life in positive ways and over time translates into an orientation to living. Kylah’s story is no exception to this. I hope you enjoy the read.

Let’s start with a little bit about you. Who are you? What are you passionate about? How do you like to spend your time?

I am a country girl at heart. I was born and raised on an organic farm north of Ottawa, Ontario and after traveling the world, and going to university in Montreal, where I met the love of my life, we came back to the family farm to start our own business and raise a family.

My passion is to help others bring a greater sense of wellness, connection and fun towards their time in the kitchen and what they eat. It’s a journey I’m on too and I enjoy sharing it with others on-line and in-person.

Outside of work, I spend a lot of time outdoors with my children, cooking simple family meals with seasonal ingredients, taking photos of everything and anything that inspires me (which, coincidentally is usually nature or my daughters), reading cookbooks, doing yoga and going on the odd date with my husband.

How many children do you have and what are they like?

I have two daughters: Dayvah 5 and Rainah 2. They are wild and free for sure! Our property expands over 50 acres and really they have free range of our gardens, orchards, forest, woodlands and all the outdoor spaces on our farm.

Dayvah asks (what seems like) a million questions a day. She wants to know the ins and outs of everything. How it works. Why? When? And everything in between. She’s super sensitive and a true animal whisperer. The other day she caught a snake and very calming let it wrap around her arm. I was in awe (being extremely squeamish around them myself).

Rainah is a real mama’s girl, always in my arms, always wanting and asking for smooches, and always ready to snuggle. She’s also as stubborn as her mama and isn’t afraid to ask for what she wants.

They are both deeply creative. They literally spend hours each week collecting treasures with their baskets outside to create mini worlds for fairies or listening to audio stories inside and drawing, painting or glueing bits and pieces of paper, ‘trash’ and nature on paper into beautiful collages.

Do you have a favourite quote or words that inspire you?

“… the way we eat represents our most profound engagement with the natural world. Daily, our eating turns nature into culture, transforming the body of the world into our bodies and minds.” – Michael Pollan, The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

I believe there are many ways to be a minimalist and many forms of minimalism. What does minimalism mean to you?

For me, minimalism really comes down to making decisions thoughtfully and with intention, whether it comes to food, clothing, toys or anything else. I feel very fortunate that I even live in a place and time where I have to consider an over accumulation of stuff!

As I’ve slowly purged a good deal of our material objects I have noticed how everything that I have kept gets used more, is better cared for and I feel more gratitude for our possessions. With less, everything becomes a little more special.

Why do you identify as a minimalist? In what ways are you a minimalist?

I have a tendency to shy away from labels as such but at the same time identifying as a minimalist serves as a necessary personal reminder of how important it is to me to continue on this journey of less stuff, more love, more creativity and more living.

Other than paring down our closets and our toy bins, minimalism has made it’s way into our kitchen and to the dinner table. We eat really healthy, super tasty meals but they are in no way extravagant. I am a full time working mom so bringing minimalism to my cooking techniques has actually opened up a huge opportunity for me to discover more and more simple ways of eating. On a nightly basis this usually means one pot or one dish meals and I am constantly searching out and discovering little ways to minimize my efforts in the kitchen by using all kinds of shortcuts.

What is your story? What drew you to minimalism or what motivated you to become a minimalist?

Kids. Seriously! I got really overwhelmed by the amount of clothing and toys and special gear and gadgets I was given in the first years of their lives.. I felt like I was always tripping over something. When my oldest daughter lost a toy she would cry like crazy but I couldn’t find it in the fray of everything else. My solution? Get rid of 90% of it. She just got a lot more imaginative with the 10% I kept. Win win.

Are there people you look to as minimalist role models?

Both my parents.

My mother has a very minimalist aesthetic. I didn’t appreciate it as a child but I’m really drawn to it now. She’s an amazing designer and manages to create warm, inviting, and bright beautiful spaces with very little clutter. It’s truly her gift and I am trying to pick it up from her and carry it into my own life.

My father (unknowingly) practices minimalism in his own way too. He  never gets rid of anything. EVER. But he also rarely buys anything and has never bought into consumer culture. He wears his jeans until they’re tattered at the knee. I haven’t taken it quite this far but I am inspired by his ability to only accumulate things he needs that get used to their fullest extent.

Are there any books, websites or other resources that have inspired your minimalism?

The Art of Simple, Minimalist Baker, and Becoming Minimalist

In what ways do you struggle with maintaining your minimalist goals? What is your weakness?

I love beautiful, well made things – art, nature, pottery, clothing, jewelry – especially anything handmade! And I love supporting artists. But I am learning that I can enjoy beauty in the moment without feeling that I have to take it home with me every time.

Also my children’s art. I want to keep it all too! Every piece is special and unique and I have bins and bins full of it! We  make art with it and give it away as I can’t bare to just trash it.

Does your household abide by minimalism or is this more a focus for yourself?

Yes, they do, mostly by default. My husband is a natural minimalist and it’s me that has to work at it.

Have there been any struggles with the other people you live with about living in a minimal way?

Luckily no. My husband appreciates it and because my children are young they don’t really question it.

Have you had any negative or constructive experiences with friends or family related to minimalism that you could share?

I’ve gotten rid of things that are both sentimental to me and others…LESSON LEARNED. That was a little extreme and I’ve pulled back the reigns on minimalism to that degree.

In what ways has minimalism improved your life?

For me, minimalism has boiled down to one very simple and extremely gratifying equation. LESS STUFF = MORE LIVING. With fewer possessions I spend less time cleaning and organizing and getting overwhelmed and more time reading to my children, having conversations with my husband, cooking good food and pursuing my own personal creative projects.

What have been some unexpected experiences you’ve had with minimalism?

How damn hard it can be! I love thrifting and yard sales and it can be easy to accumulate a lot of $2 items that you really don’t need. My children haven’t caught the joy of thrifting quite yet so it means I rarely have the opportunity to do it anymore – probably a good thing! I still enjoy these activities from time to time but I make sure I always give away or donate as much as I bring into our home.

kylah dobson minimalism minimalist family farmer canada

What advice can you offer to people interested in living a minimalist lifestyle?

Try getting rid of 10% of your stuff. Notice the effect. Then try 10% more. Keep going as long as it feels good. If you’re having difficulty then start with  just one area of your life – your closet, your kitchen or your pantry before trying to take on the whole house at once.

Do you have any goals for this year or the next few that you want to share?

My hope is that my journey of bringing minimalism to the kitchen and family mealtime will inspire others to try it out and get curious about the ways they can apply it to their own unique lives.

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You can find Kylah on Instagram @seasonallynourished or visit her websites Rainbow Heritage and Seasonally Nourished.

All photos by photographer Brittany Gillman visit her site here.

This interview is part of my series “Interview with a Minimalist” you can find the others here.

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Urban Adventures or Wanderlust with Kids

With spring weather around the corner, the children and I are getting excited for our first urban adventure of the year. We’re pedestrians year round, walking almost everywhere we travel to in the city; however, in the cold weather months the walking is more for the purpose of transportation than it is an activity unto itself. In the winter we walk with a destination in mind. In the spring, summer and fall, walking is the destination. Wander, weave, flounder and flow, the streets, alleys and parks around us form a patchwork of sights, sounds, smells and sensations underfoot.

Hippie in Disguise Ottawa

Hippie in Disguise Ottawa Canada

For as long as I can remember, I’ve craved walking: wandering without purpose throughout the city, the countryside, just exploring and waiting for the unexpected to present itself. I suppose I had wanderlust, though I certainly hadn’t heard of the term when I was a young teen who wished to spend her off hours wandering aimlessly, rather than shopping or hanging out at coffee shops. It seems wrong to say “aimlessly” or “without purpose;” certainly the walking restocked my energies and delivered inspiration by way of silhouettes, architecture, graffiti, street performers, weeds growing rampant under a loading dock.

Hippie in Disguise Ottawa Canada

Hippie in Disguise Ottawa Canada

KLT works textile artist hippie in disguise canada

Aside from wanderlust, my environmental preoccupations motivate me to move around in the least harmful way I can. Using my own motor is not only healthy for me, but healthier for the planet. When I met my husband, Matt, he was similarly disenchanted with moving himself through space using anything other than his own body as a motor. He loved to explore and find new spots in the city and its rural outskirts. However, he wanted to move and explore by bicycle. He had no interest in going for an after dinner walk, or leaving an hour early for school so we could take a meandering detour to get to class. We spent many years separately doing our own after dinner ritual. Now after a decade or so I’ve worn him down…or rather he’s learned to love a good wander. He still rides his bicycle at least three times a day though!

We live in the downtown of our city, so there is a lot to discover within walking distance. And by walking distance, I mean we can walk somewhere (at a child’s pace) in 2 to 3 hours or less. Most often, we spend more time getting somewhere than the time we actually spend there, because the walk is just as enjoyable. This ‘breaks’ the common rule that when you drive on a trip somewhere you need to spend at least triple the time there to make the ‘car time’ worth it. Unless, of course, you are a road tripper, and the drive is the destination. But I digress….

Hippie in Disguise Ottawa Canada Louise Bourgeois

Hippie in Disguise Ottawa Canada

Hippie in Disguise Ottawa Canada Victoria Island

One of the first thoughts I had when I learned I was pregnant was that I would have a new excuse to spend hours wandering the city while pushing my baby in the pram — which is a very common way to ‘nap’ your child where we lived at the time. As my children got older I wanted to find a way to nurture a love for wandering, admittedly to serve my own interests, but also because I think there is a lot to learn from wandering. Both learning from the space in which you wander, but also to learning about ourselves. Wandering cultivates a sense of curiosity in and reverence for the mundane, which I think are necessary capacities to develop and nurture, particularly in a fast-paced and over-stimulated world. I could go on and on about all the positive things that wandering teaches us, but I will save some for future posts, since I’ll be posting about our urban adventures over the coming weeks and months. (I need to save some goodies so you’ll come back for more!)

Hippie in Disguise Ottawa Canada

Hippie in Disguise Ottawa Canada

Hippie in Disguise Ottawa Canada River

While off with the children for a few weeks during the last two summers, we would alternate days at the pool park, with a picnic to last us the day, and days wandering the city. At first, Ro would ask “when will be there?” She was focused on a particular destination: the river, the bakery, the gallery. But over time, she began to enjoy the walks themselves and became a more keen observer, looking down streets and alleys, finding dirt paths that could be interesting, and taking an interest in leading us toward discovery.

Hippie in Disguise Ottawa Canada

Hippie in Disguise Ottawa Canada

Hippie in Disguise Ottawa Canada

For Sen, being much younger, he still very much lives in the moment, so he enjoyed the wandering and didn’t expect to “get somewhere.” He especially enjoyed our walks when I called them adventures. “What will we discover today, Sen?” I found it really helped, for both children, to give them a few things to look for: a flower they’ve never seen before, a sculpture, a spot for a picnic. It gave them an orientation for the walk and raised their sense of observation. As the summer went on, they no longer needed prompts from me, they would just let loose and see what struck their fancy as they walked along a sidewalk or path. I was very happy to see they had come to love wandering. So much so, that at times I found myself trying to usher them along more quickly, for they wished to stop to greet every snail crossing the sidewalk or count all the different varieties of wild flower on a hill — not to mention the childhood classic: picking up every single stick to bring home. Perhaps I’d gotten a little too much of a good thing going. But seriously, I couldn’t fault the activity of letting children roam, discovering, spending endless hours outdoors, learning the map of their city through the movements of their own body. We have gotten to a point where can be a great distance from home and Ro can always lead us back. And Sen can lead us about half the time. As a parent of urban children, I think it is a great asset for a young child to know how to navigate the city themselves.

Hippie in Disguise Ottawa Canada

Hippie in Disguise Ottawa River

Hippie in Disguise Ottawa Canada Arboretum

All in all, I’m pretty happy that my children enjoy my favourite pastime. But more importantly, I see the great benefits wandering provides them. Chief among these is appreciation for the path as much as the destination, which brings about the potential to reframe everything we do.

Hippie in Disguise Ottawa Canada

Hippie in Disguise Ottawa Canada

Hippie in Disguise Ottawa Canada

Hippie in Disguise Ottawa Canada

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