When I look at social media, I see the same classroom dynamics playing out every day, just on a much bigger stage. The confident voices, the quiet observers, the ones held back by fear, and the ones overwhelmed by it all. Social media was meant to connect us, yet somehow it often leaves us feeling more alienated than ever.

I kept wondering what my purpose was supposed to be, convinced it was the missing piece to a life well lived. It followed me everywhere, even when I tried to ignore it. This is the story of what I learned when I finally looked closer.

Writing, for me, is how I make sense of myself. It’s how I pull a thought out of my head and onto the page so it doesn’t just float around in there.

Right now, the world feels like one massive family stuck in a car on a too-long road trip.

“The Middle Place” is that sliver of time when you’re caring for your own family while also taking on responsibilities for aging parents.

Thanksgiving usually prompts us to pause and reflect on what we’re thankful for. But this year, gratitude is hitting me a little differently. I’ve always considered myself a grateful person—gratitude has been part of my DNA for as long as I can remember. It’s as natural to me as breathing; I just do it. Recently, though, I’ve realized my understanding of gratitude might’ve been a bit… off. A few weeks ago, I attended a workshop in Nashville led by acclaimed authors Jedidiah J

The ancient Greeks had different words for the concept of time — “Chronos” and “Kairos”. “Chronos” is the forward-propelling time that we measure with clocks. Kairos” is what philosophers would refer to as “deep time”. A time when the world seems to stop entirely, it's measured in moments. 2022 gave us 525,600 minutes in Chronos time Kairos time - immeasurable, can only be experienced. Moments when life is incredible and we wish time would stop so we could savour it a li

Before my kids were born I had thought out my parenting strategy. Being a “spirited” child, I had this idea that as a parent if I could be open and my child knew their opinions mattered then the rest would fall into place. We may not agree but you’ll always have a voice and I’ll listen. We all want to feel understood. Although my strategy was a solid one. I forgot the one thing that I wanted more than anything as a kid which was to be seen as an independent person separate

World events over these past few months have created a visceral reaction in many of us. I wonder how it's possible in our day and age that it feels like we are moving backward. The permissive gun laws that have remained status quo and the reversal of Roe vs Wade in the United States remind me of how fortunate I am to live in the country that I do. If we look at our Country as a house, I see "our rights and freedoms" as the roof and we the people are the walls-the support t

Am I the only one who has felt completely bleak throughout this month? Is it COVID fatigue? Is it witnessing all of the divisiveness? or is it simply Winter in Canada? I am an extrovert. I love connecting with people. However, I have noticed that not being around people has affected my love of being around people. It's like not drinking for a month and then one glass of wine and I'm done. I have read that practicing gratitude helps rewire our brains. Science shows that sim

What I have learned from COVID over these past 2 years is that fear and fatigue are the two things that we all have in common. To the vaccinated(myself included) I see you. I see you wanting to do the right thing. I see you are afraid of catching this virus when the outcome could be no symptoms, to a mild cold, to being extremely ill, and possibly death. To the unvaccinated I see you. You are wanting to do the right thing as well. Some see themselves as whistleblowers and wa

Every time I read an article that tells the story of another casualty of this drug epidemic, my heart breaks. I want to believe I’ve ingrained into my kids' brains to never do drugs. I know they know better. I also know kids are impulsive and making poor decisions is part and parcel of growing up. Of course, it's not just kids who make bad decisions. The majority of opioid-related deaths are in the 20-49 age group. If you haven’t picked up a Naloxone kit from your pharmacy,

In a world where it seems we text more than we talk - I have experienced times where a well meaning message was interpreted in a way that it wasn’t intended. I think I text the way that I talk but, not long ago I sent a message and the intonation I intended versus the intonation the receiver read it were completely different. I remember reading the message to my sister and asking how it was possible that my message could be misunderstood. My sister read it back to me with a d

I have struggled with this term many times over my marriage. Generally it's when I'm angry. What the hell does happily married even mean- it's an oxymoron. I am happy and I am married. Am I happy because I am married? Well I am happy I found the only person in the world who can manage my big feelings. This came in time though, It's not like my husband came in a pre-wrapped package. I have no doubt it started with tolerance of my big feelings then acceptance and then.... we

My anxiety is both my greatest enemy and best friend. It’s a complicated relationship to say the least. The best analogy I have to describe my experience with anxiety is my mind is like a computer with 20 windows open at all times. Each window is a thought. I cycle through each window, it's not intentional it's just how I operate. This process makes me feel like I've got everything handled and under control. At it's best, I find this makes me extremely efficient as I feel

So here it is. One phrase. The one distilled nugget of wisdom to come from my 19+ years...

If your kids have entered that wonderful stage of puberty/karma then you probably know how tricky this stage is...

Coping we all do. Success is the tricky part. It doesn’t have to be even success...