

The Crunch of the Leaves
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.

Jennifer Armitage
Nov 12 min read


The World Is Our Family—It’s Time to Do Better
Right now, the world feels like one massive family stuck in a car on a too-long road trip.

Jennifer Armitage
Feb 174 min read


The Caregiving Balancing Act: A Journey into The Middle Place
“The Middle Place” is that sliver of time when you’re caring for your own family while also taking on responsibilities for aging parents.

Jennifer Armitage
Jan 304 min read


Thankful, Yet Real: A New Perspective on Gratitude
Thanksgiving usually prompts us to pause and reflect on what we’re thankful for. But this year, gratitude is hitting me a little...

Jennifer Armitage
Oct 14, 20243 min read


"The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot." - Michael Altshuler
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

Jennifer Armitage
Dec 31, 20221 min read


How to hug a porcupine?
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

Jennifer Armitage
Aug 28, 20222 min read


Canada Day thoughts
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

Jennifer Armitage
Jul 1, 20222 min read


New Year... Same Me
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...

Jennifer Armitage
Jan 29, 20223 min read


Fatigue and Fear the two things that connect us all
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...

Jennifer Armitage
Dec 24, 20212 min read


Time to update your First Aid kit
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,

Jennifer Armitage
Dec 16, 20213 min read


Lost in Translation
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

Jennifer Armitage
Nov 27, 20213 min read


Happily Married? Depends on the day
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

Jennifer Armitage
Nov 9, 20213 min read


Friend or Foe
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...

Jennifer Armitage
Oct 24, 20212 min read


Are you a new mom? Things I learned from my on-the-job training.
So here it is. One phrase. The one distilled nugget of wisdom to come from my 19+ years...

Jennifer Armitage
Oct 17, 20212 min read


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

Jennifer Armitage
Oct 17, 20212 min read


Where did “Coping to Success” come from?
Coping we all do. Success is the tricky part. It doesn’t have to be even success...

Jennifer Armitage
Oct 16, 20212 min read
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