People of Georgian: Clerk finds clarity through mindfulness, ‘little lighthouse’

What’s your story?

The Georgian community is full of unique, inspiring perspectives —and we’re sharing them as part of an ongoing series.

People of Georgian: Meet Carey Brown

I’m passionate about practicing mindfulness.

Every morning I do a guided meditation using an app called Insight Timer, and it helps me get the day started with intention and a smile. I work on my breathing and think about what I’m grateful for.

A person holds a yoga pose on a stand-up paddleboard on a lake. — *Carey has been practicing mindfulness every day for about five years.*

‘Remember that your breath is always with you’

I’ve been doing this every day for close to five years, and I really notice a difference in my mental health.

If you’re feeling stressed or anxious, just take a few deep breaths and it’s incredible how quickly that calms me down. Remember that your breath is always with you.

There’s one guided meditation on the app that’s about smiling, and it encourages you to consider how you feel when you’re smiling versus when you’re not.

I feel lighter when smiling; stress or burdens don’t feel as strong then.

Seven people sit together on outdoor couches and smile for a photo. — *Carey, far left, with her daughters and nieces.*

‘It’s like a positive wake-up practice’

There’s another one where you’re encouraged to rub your shoulders, arms… basically from the top of your head, down. It’s crazy how much energy builds up in our bodies from stress.

I always do these guided meditations when I’m half-asleep drinking my coffee. It’s like a positive wake-up practice.

Then, if things get hectic during the day, I can take myself to that calm state of mind because I did it my practice in the morning.

A person wearing a hat and sunglasses stands behind a tall, yellow sunflower growing outside in a garden. — *Carey and her mom, pictured, share two community garden plots.*

Carey aspires to be positive like her mom

My mom is an incredible role model in my life.

She’s 85 years old, I can hardly keep up with her, she’s so much fun, and she sets incredible examples for many generations.

I try to aspire to be like her – to be positive, to be grateful for what I have and not always be looking for more, more, more.

‘My family is my North Star’

Spending time with my “little lighthouse” always centres me, too.

I’m quoting Kim Reid, an Instructional Designer at Georgian, who uses that phrase when referring to her family because they are the light in her darkness and remind her of the direction she wants to head.

Her words impacted me so much that I have embraced that idea wholeheartedly.

I have this fabulous photo of my family and I, and I made a little label and stuck that phrase on the back of it.

My family is my North Star.

Five adults and three large dogs wearing life jackets sit together next to a lake near sunset. — *Carey, far right, with her “little lighthouse.”*

Carey ‘living each day for what it brings’

I’m also becoming a grandmother later this year, and that’s very exciting.

I hope to teach my grandchild to live each day for what it brings.

A lot of people get stuck in the past or they focus on the future and what they need to do to make more money, and so on.

Living each day for what it brings is key because it will help you stay grounded in the moment, rather than on difficult things behind or ahead of you.

Just put your feet down on the ground every day and move ahead.

Carey Brown, part-time Campus Administrative Support Clerk at Georgian’s South Georgian Bay Campus.

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