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Melting
I’m melting. Full-on puddle of sweat on the living room floor. We’ve been in the middle of a heatwave. I thought I had it all planned. My air conditioner had never worked well since buying this house a few years ago. And original furnaces often grind to a halt in houses of this age. So, in an organized and responsible fashion, as soon as I figured these people were working, I had quotes on replacing them both. I chose a contractor and I scheduled replacement. Piece of cake! I’m not one to turn on the A/C early or often. I’d rather… Read more…
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Who is your imposter?
I was walking through the woods, listening to a rebroadcast of a webinar about “imposter syndrome” when one of the panelists asked this question: Who is your imposter? If you aren’t familiar with it, imposter syndrome is that feeling that you’re not quite good enough, that you don’t belong – and that someone is about to “out” you as a fraud. First coined in 1978, it’s often associated with high-achieving women. You probably know these women. They’re educated, they hold good jobs and they’ve done well in their chosen professions. They’re humble about their success; they were lucky, they might… Read more…
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Breaking the cycle of boredom
Today, I brought a colleague a chair. It was the highlight of my day. I haven’t set foot into another retail establishment since mid-March although I have done a couple of curbside pickups. It’s not quite the same as browsing through the racks. Coronavirus lockdown is wearing on my nerves. Like everyone else, I’m keeping my distance, I’m limiting the number of interactions I have and I’m staying home. Grocery shopping trips are quick and infrequent. I had to pick up several tubs of margarine during my last to check if they were vegan, and when they weren’t I put… Read more…
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Coronavirus conundrum
So. We’re three weeks into self-isolation and home working due to COVID-19. Everyone’s lives – all around the world – have been turned absolutely upside down as we do our best to ensure we stay healthy and don’t transmit this illness to those we know. I’m fortunate to be fully employed, and even if there has been a pay reduction, work keeps me busy during the days, and money in my bank account. For that I am very fortunate. But it’s still hard. I’m missing my coworkers. I’m missing the jokes in the hallways, the coffee room chatter and the… Read more…
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A new year, a fresh page – what to write?!
Yesterday, on the last day of 2019 – the decade, in fact – my Facebook feed was full of that quotation – you know, the one that talks about today being the first blank page of a new 365 page book, and that we should write a good one. A little googling tells me it’s from to singer/songwriter Brad Paisley, but it’s often unattributed. Regardless, thoughts about writing that book is a little more than metaphorical for me this year. This year, in fact, we get an extra day – 366, in total – not just the standard number. Canada’s…
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Are you happy
I’m reading a book called The Happiness Curve. It posits that our 30s and 40s are the most unhappy decades of our lives – where stress lives and where things bottom out, so to speak – and that in our 50s, we regain a great deal of balance and happiness. I think there’s some truth to that, at least in my somewhat privileged Canadian experience. I have a circle of friends who are either approaching or are just past that magic half-century mark and we’re all seeing a bright shiny future coming closer and closer. We’ve been heard humming Pharrell Williams’ iconic song. Many of… Read more…
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A nuclear family of a different sort
I work for a great company, and support a team in a great industry. It’s a controversial one in many ways and that has led to a tight communications community. But its challenges have been upstaged in recent weeks by a national political controversy in Ottawa that has dragged my company’s name through the mud. I don’t want to get into the whys and wherefores of it all, but suffice it to be said that it has been a long and stressful few weeks for this company communicator. Fortunately, I work with a great team, who have all pitched in… Read more…
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Rain, rain, go away
Beyond my back fence there is a tall, stately poplar tree. In summer, it’s verdant green leaves hide my view of houses further off in the distance, making my pocket sized little garden feel bigger and more private than it really is. In autumn, it’s small leaves turn brilliant yellow and on a crisp sunny fall day, they blow in the wind like gold coins, twisting and turning in the breeze. But this week, the weather has been grey and wet. Very wet. Heavy laden with rain, the wind mercilessly tears them from the tree and throws them to the… Read more…
