A few days ago our son told me about a disturbing conflict at English Bay. A stranger accosted him, shouting homophobic and racial slurs, spraying spittle at him. Brandon called 9-1-1. Then he behaved as his higher self; he didn’t take the man’s aggression personally, realizing he was acting from a place of pain. Brandon […]
THE FUN FACTOR
After completing an exercise to identify three each of my top values and strengths, I asked my brother Tim to reveal the same. Like me, he cited kindness, humility and integrity as essential values. When we went on to mention our strengths, however, I realized our exchange smacked of earnestness. I don’t take issue with […]
WORLD BOOK DAY 2022
Padmasree Warrior, founder of Fable, a platform for reading and online book clubs, notes “there is now growing evidence to support what I intuitively understood – reading is a powerful tool to improve mental wellness.” I’m confident reading — though not doom-scrolling — helped many of us stay sane during the years of pandemic restrictions. […]
GET FIT, SOCIALLY
With the easing of pandemic restrictions, many of us will break out of our somewhat sheltered lives to resume favourite activities. But after enduring more than two years of cautious conduct, we may muddle along for awhile trying to find our level of comfort while also respecting the choices of others. Decisions will differ, for […]
RECKONING WITH RESILIENCE
When I google* the word of the year for 2021, different dictionaries cite allyship (supportive association with another person or group), vax and vaccine. But Arianna Huffington, Founder & CEO at Thrive Global, chose a word that resonates with me: resilience+. Defined as “the ability of a person to adjust to or recover readily from illness, […]
LISTEN UP!
“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” — Simone Weil (1909-43) Putting ourselves on mute when others talk is sound advice to follow during our conversations. This tactic ensures hearing, defined as the “the faculty or sense by which sound is perceived.” But how about listening, which means “to pay attention to sound; […]
PERKS OF PHOTOGRAPHY
At this stage in life, and also to endure pandemic restrictions, we’re advised to take up new pastimes: to improve our brain as well as our general well-being. Last year I joined the jigsaw puzzle craze, but to little avail. Five hundred pieces lie scrambled on a portable puzzle board. I also renewed my interest […]
DON’T HOLD YOUR BREATH!
Our son claims it took him almost three decades to learn how to breathe. While that may seem an odd remark for him to make, if we analyze our breathing, chances are we seldom do it in advantageous ways. Often we almost hold our breath rather than inhale and exhale deeply, perhaps even audibly. Having […]
A NAP A DAY
There is more refreshment and stimulation in a nap, even of the briefest, than in all the alcohol ever distilled.” — Ovid In the ’60s when Mom had a house full — and I mean full — of children, she took to napping weekdays from 3-4 pm. She’d get right under the covers of her bed […]
GAME ON
We do not stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing.” George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Most of us cherish memories of playing in our younger years. Outdoors we whiled away the hours with hide and seek, kick the can, scrub baseball and more. Indoors we played card and board games, […]