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Decisions, decisions – and none of them mine…
My son called me from university before the school year ended in April. He was very excited – he’d found an apartment. Plans were afoot with new friends he’s made this year to live together next year. In fact, they plan to move in together in May and sublet if necessary. All that remained to be done was the official paperwork He’d thought out how much the next year of school would cost, had estimated high and had a plan to cover the part over and beyond what I can help him out with. He was proud to have done so,… Read more…
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Cooking up new adventures
There are cookies in my kitchen. Peanut butter cookies. And last week there were cupcakes. Blueberry cupcakes. The week before that, the smell of fresh brownies nearly drove me to distraction. My daughter has recently discovered baking and she’s treating us to an array of mouthwatering goodies on a continual basis. Now, far be it from me to complain about this cornucopia of sugary confections, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to maintain my willpower and refrain from gobbling it all down. For years, my young Ms. Baker has talked about becoming a biologist when she grows up. It’s morphed over… Read more…
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Life has no reset button – or does it?
I read a blog recently from respected Canadian business man, Peter Aceto. The president and CEO of Tangerine Banking argued that there’s no “reset” button in life. I have to respectfully disagree with him.While we are all a product of the experiences we have in life, there’s no rule book that says those experiences have to define our future. We can reset, reinvent ourselves and rechart the road ahead. In retrospect, I think what Mr. Aceto really meant that there’s no chance to have a “do-over”, and in that, he’s right. We cannot change the past. The decisions we’ve made and the experiences we’ve… Read more…
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Almost there…
Something happened this week. It’s as if a switch got flipped in my brain. I feel optimistic about things for the first time in a long time. The beginning of spring – a little late this year! I don’t know whether it’s because of the time change, which has meant lighter evenings, or the psychological boost that comes with the arrival of the spring equinox. Maybe it was the realization on Friday that there’s actually something growing in my garden, despite the snow which hasn’t fully receded yet. Could it have been the chatter at work, and the Facebook postings of Iranian friends… Read more…
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Wanted: Spring
I have a bone to pick with Wiarton Willie. It was just over a month ago that southern Ontario’s groundhog pointed his head out of his hole and did not see his shadow — predicting an early end to winter. Yet here we are, with less ten days to go to the late “six more weeks of winter” that the site of his shadow would have foretold and not a single sign of spring in the air. February was officially declared coldest on record by Environment Canada and now the Royal Botanical Gardens has measured 15 inches of ice in Cootes Paradise – basically… Read more…
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Walking the tightrope
I haven’t blogged for a couple of weeks. There are a couple of reasons for that, although not particularly good ones. I have been all-consumed by work, in an unhealthy way. I knew I was burning the candle at both ends and pushing my limits. I haven’t seen much of home, much less my kids in the last month. My dog is feeling very unloved and unwalked and my waistline is showing it too. I haven’t had time to call, let alone email or text friends. I’ve been skipping yoga classes because I haven’t been home early enough to get… Read more…
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Little things for the year ahead
I’m sure the “blogosphere” is full of new year’s posts today; full of people extolling their grand plans for the year that sits in front of us as unspoilt as freshly fallen snow. I could write one like that. But I won’t. I know better, from past experience, than to make grand pronouncements of all the things I hope I’ll be able to accomplish this year: the pounds I’ll shed (again!), the great works of charity I’ll accomplish, the calm, unharried professional I’ll be in the office every day, or the perfect parent my children will witness. Those hopes will vanish more… Read more…
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A yarn of a different kind
Snow arrived in my part of Ontario almost two weeks ago, and as it fell softly on my newly-raked lawn (just in time, phew!) I found myself picking up my knitting needles for the first time in a long time. I’m not sure what made me put them down in the first place, but I discovered a couple of three-quarter-finished projects at the bottom of a bag of yarn. So, with a cup of steaming tea at my side, I settled down to finish them up. A young colleague at work had recently picked up needles for the first time.… Read more…
