Comedy Always Wins
…Comedy is much more difficult than tragedy. It’s much easier to make people cry than to make them laugh.
Vivien Leigh
Personal Life
Telling Ourselves A Better Story
Last month, when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars, it was a perfect, if exaggerated example of how victims of bullying see their fate. The bully assaults you and then gets an award and a standing ovation. The victim is left wondering, what about me? What about right and wrong? Why does the bully matter more and why doesn’t someone stand up for me?
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Alpaca Acquaintances
I played hooky a week ago today. I emailed all of my clients in advance to say I’d be away, just because. It was a mental health break and a chance to hang out with my sister-in-law and about 40 alpacas.
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Brain Wave Revelation
The untimely death of a rock icon like Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins brings to mind the famous quote from English Poet John Donne.
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Comfort Viewing
If we’re flipping channels or clicking through the offerings of a streaming service and this movie comes up, we’re watching it. Again!
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What We Get Wrong About Sleep
Our collective sleep quality and quantity is one of many things negatively affected by the pandemic. People who never had trouble sleeping now have bouts of insomnia. Add an incomprehensible war with 24/7 coverage and our ability to wind down is worsened. We have always talked a lot about sleep in this house. It’s probably third, after food and the cat. I slept like crap. I had a great sleep. What time did you get up? And so on.
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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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Anticipating Cuddles
Even as we grieved for Miss Sugar, we knew it wouldn’t be long before we welcomed another little beating heart into our home. There’ll never be another Miss Sugar or a Spice. But the place felt empty without a furball to feed and love. Enter Cuddles, a 13-year-old panther-like beauty surrendered to Animal Aide in St. Thomas 7 long months ago.
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Dear Young Woman
I’m writing to you as an elder sister. You can’t imagine it now (nor should you, if you’re living your life well), but I don’t feel that much different than you do. You may look at me like a Mother or Aunt figure. I see you as a peer.
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Efforts, Big and Small
“Every disaster movie starts with a government official ignoring a scientist.”
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The Only One We Get
I’ve been truly gobsmacked over the sheer number of comments here and on social media about my alcoholism post. It amazes me that people respond so generously to an honest revelation about something that, not so long ago, brought me feelings of shame. But it’s when we reveal our flaws that we give others permission to do the same. We ought to learn this stuff in school. So, thank you for sharing your experiences and simply for being kind.
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When Older Eyes Are Smiling
Sometimes, as a typical human, I ruminate about getting older, while also trying not to do the math. You know – the math on life expectancy and that sort of thing. Getting older is the goal, so mostly I’m damn grateful to be doing it.
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Volunteering Made Easy
There came a time during the height of the pandemic that I wanted to do more. Not more work, just something for my soul. So, I pointed my browser to Charity Village and scrolled through the Volunteer Positions. I landed on an organization I’d never heard of: Student Links.
…Bottled Up
My Mother was always searching for the right skincare solution. Years of smoking, and in her younger days, baking in the sunshine, took their toll on her face. After she quit smoking her skin visibly improved. But she always hoped there was something out there that would restore her dewy, youthful glow.
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Chatty Checkouts
As a Stoic, it’s my goal to accept things as they come. That means not wishing away a flat fire or tummy ache or worse. Acknowledge the moment, deal with it head on. Notice that I said it’s my “goal”. As a typically flawed human being, it can take a little time for stoicism to kick in.
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Where You’re Going
My first husband and I moved back to Ontario from BC so he could take a radio job in London. I would be unemployed and look for work while he carried the load. Due to a miscommunication, he thought the salary number he was given referred to his monthly pay. We soon found out that the number meant annually, in the thousands. Not many thousands. It was a lot less than we counted on before packing to move across the country.
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