01/24/16
Bill the Cat

2015 – That was the Year that Was

I think I can make it now, the pain is gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is the rainbow I’ve been praying’ for
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.

Johnny Nash – I can see Clearly Now

Thank Goodness that the year is “was”

Good Morning. Let the stress begin...

Good Morning. Let the stress begin…

My first inclination is to describe 2015 as an “annus horibilis”.

Certainly there were enough bad things going on to warrant it. Continue reading

11/15/15

Paris Cries, Junior does not

When I heard of the attacks in Paris, my heart broke. Is this what the civilized world had come to? Yet junior seemed unmoved.

While watching the CBC, tears streaming down my face, I worried about my friends, my friend’s friends, my family in DK, my family in Italy. Where would the cowardly acts of stupidity stop?

Junior says, “It’s not happening here, it’s not happening to people I know. I’ll save my tears for then, otherwise I’ll run out of tears.” I understand that. He’s watched me cry for almost a decade but I haven’t run out yet. Continue reading

10/26/15
Mind Soundtrack

The Soundtrack of My Life

The Soundtrack of a Year

Music has always been a huge part of my life. Some albums I loved so much and played so often that they became the background

Mind Soundtrack

Music in my head

soundtrack to my life. The songs would be playing in the back of my mind for whatever situation I was in, like a movie soundtrack.

I’ve often found that when a situation arouse, the music that needed to accompany that scenario showed up as well. Like the universe sending me musical karma to make it through. Continue reading

07/9/15
Dreams Road Sign

Dreams

Dreams Road Sign

Dreams Road Sign

You ask me what’s my pleasure,

A movie or a measure.

I’ll have a cup of tea

And tell you of my dreamin’

Dreamin’ is free.

Blondie (Dreamin’)

When I think of all the dreams I’ve had over the years, I wonder why some came true, some didn’t and some didn’t quite turn out the way I wanted. Continue reading

03/9/15
Forget those

Where are your Friends when the going gets tough?

Where are your friends when ya need ’em?

I get by with a little help from my friends

Ringo Starr

Why is it that when a woman is going through a tough spot, people leave her alone?

Yet, when a man is going through a tough ordeal, people rally round him.  They bring him food, they offer to make him dinner, they clean his house.

The Evidence 

I’ve seen this first hand.

When a friend died, people tripped over themselves to help her husband.  I went over and cleaned his filthy house, made food, helped out with the kids.

Yet when a family friend lost her husband, no one went over to clean her house or made her food.  After a couple of weeks, people stopped calling.  Why? Continue reading

12/31/14
I don't plan

New Year Resolutions

A New Year, New Resolutions

Making New Year resolutions is a bit of a double edged sword. On the one hand it can be the spark that you need to go out and achieve some goals to better your life. On the other hand it can create guilt and feelings of failure when you look back at the year past and realise you’ve not ticked off one thing on your list.

So How to Start?

So, how to create resolutions that inspire and not depress you? You can’t make them too airy fairy, like “I want to be a better person” because there’s nothing to achieve. How do you measure “better”? Continue reading

07/2/14
Hands saying Hello

A Call from a Long Lost Friend

A Call from a Friend

I got a call from a long lost friend.   It was perfect timing, I had just come in the door.

As soon as I heard his voice, I knew who it was. Agent J. I hadn’t heard from him in over 5 years, maybe more. And there he was on the other end of the line calling from the other side of the world.

He and I have been friends for decades. Not bosom buddy types but the kind that when we get together it’s like we just saw each other last week. His dad and my dad were buddies which is how we became friends. Continue reading

03/31/14
Humphrey Bogart

Norman – A Man of Character

Norman’s House of Flowers

I’ve walked past his house many times over the years. It’s on the way to a store I frequent. In the spring and summer, his front yard is full of flowers. It’s in stark contrast to all the carefully manicured lawns around him.

All these years I’ve enjoyed the garden during every season yet I’ve never seen the person or people who inhabit this house. Until today. Today, I met Norman.

I was standing in front of his house, admiring the field of poppy plants springing up amongst the hyacinths and daffodils. “Spring is on the way!” he said. “And isn’t it grand!” I replied. Continue reading