The Cycle of Outrage
Call it what you wish: divine intervention, coincidence, or dumb luck. But yesterday, as I was trying to hone in on what’s been bugging me, I opened Facebook and saw this.
…General
You’ve Got to Change Your Mind
A young friend, a former colleague actually, told me this phrase as part of a teenage-hood anecdote. When she got upset about something she couldn’t do anything about, her Mother would say, “You’ve got to change your mind”. As someone who didn’t grow up with that kind of advice, I see its immense power and wisdom.
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Upsides of 2021
Overall, 2021 will be remembered as mostly a suckfest. It was the year that deprived Betty White of her 100th birthday, just a few days away. We lived in a terrible tug of war with personal freedoms. One day we’ve got them, one day we don’t, as we attempt to stay out of the coronavirus’s way. But some good things did happen last year.
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Efforts, Big and Small
“Every disaster movie starts with a government official ignoring a scientist.”
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Sick of the Sickness
Recently, I was given some insight into how radically some people are reacting to the pandemic. We’re all sick of it and over it and longing to get back to a life that’s as normal as possible. But there are those for whom this crisis is almost intolerable. It goes beyond their jobs and incomes to the core of their mental health.
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Happy for Moms
It’s an indescribable feeling when, for the first time in your life, you won’t celebrate Mother’s Day.
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Don’t Do Like Debbie Downer Did
An exchange of dialogue on last week’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy gave me a little lightbulb moment. (Spoiler warning!)
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Say Something
You can call this Crisis PR or simply using human decency. But, when something goes sideways with your life or business, it’s better to say something than let others speak for you.
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Halloween, the Pandemic, and Kids
Out here in the wilds of Southwold, Halloween is like every other day. No matter how lit up or pumpkin-friendly we choose to make this house, no one’s going to allow their kids to trick or treat out here. Besides, every kid knows you go where there’s the most return (candy) for your effort and that’s in town.
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A Window on the World
Do you have suppressed wanderlust? I sure do. I’m itching to travel, even to just go on a road trip for a few days, something Derek and I love to do. But to paraphrase Bob Dylan, the times they have a-changed. It will be a good long while before that travel itch can get properly scratched.
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Come On Get Happy
I used to want to be famous. When I was a lot younger, I thought fame was a sure path to acceptance, adoration and financial freedom. I believed that fame washed away insecurities and flaws, leaving behind a shiny, beloved creature without a care in the world. I assumed it was how you got happy.
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Touting Tiny Domiciles
One of my mother’s – and perhaps your mother’s – greatest fears is ending up in a long-term care home. As visitors, we see the activity board and assess the cleanliness of the place. As residents, it must feel like being warehoused.
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Chewing the Fat
I’ve battled my weight for most of my life. The gain-loss yo-yo has always been about 20 pounds, until I hit menopause. Hormone shifts alter where body fat will attach itself while also making it infinitely more difficult to lose weight. Cravings that surge like tidal waves can prompt you to put unhealthy food into your pie-hole. (Mmmm. Pie.) Couple that with the older woman’s “who gives a shit” attitude and it’s a recipe for weight gain.
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The White Experience
A teenage girl who grew up in California dreamed of becoming a lawyer. Her family moved to the US when she was a toddler. She got excellent grades and anticipated going to university and then law school. She was prepared to work to pay for her education. After all, it’s the American Dream. And in America, you can be anything you want to be.
…Mix Master (in training)
For years, I’ve heard people talk about their stand mixers as if they’re family members. Owners sometimes give them names. They talk about their mixers as if they’re a sous chef at the ready. And now that I have one, I totally get it.
…Pandemic Purchases
Online and curbside shopping in the pandemic era has been anything but smooth. For a while, it was next to impossible to get a timeslot for grocery pick-up. Deliveries take a lot longer than advertised. Canada Post has been backed up like a taster in a cheese-making contest. We’ve all had to adjust. Some of us take it better than others.
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