They say that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, but what if an experience leaves you scared, even scarred? What then? Get back on the horse, or maybe a pony? Almost two decades ago, I was thrown out of a white water raft in a class IV rapid in Nepal. I wound up in a cast from ankle to …
Snoring problem often transferred to non-snorer
We’ve all heard it, in person or in the movies, those who sound like heavy breathers, who whiff out puffs of air at force at random intervals, or even the echoing cave bear hibernating snorers. Interestingly enough, the same person can be any and all kinds of snorers. Sometimes it is related to weight, sickness, alcohol , and/or sleeping position. …
Canoe tour opens eyes, cements connections
When I was invited to participate in the big canoe tour with Canoes for Conservation, as a friend of the tour operators, I was excited to see for myself what the buzz was about. The big canoe tours being offered on the St. Mary’s River are the hot, new, tourist/local attraction in the Sault and they’re making waves (literally on …
Getting ready for an emergency
Last week was Emergency Preparedness Week in Ontario. I know this because I won a Facebook contest put on by Sault Ste. Marie Fire Services. A question was posted: “How often does Emergency Management Ontario recommend you check and refresh the items in your emergency kit?” I answered correctly: “Twice a year.” One doesn’t have to look far in the …
No neat definition for spring cleaning
While many are still debating if it is actually spring or not, the spring cleaning urge is setting in for me, even if I have to wear my parka to do it. That said, my spring cleaning isn’t the traditional cleaning frenzy. I think it’s fair to say that, especially as parents, most of us cringe at the number of …
Digital hoarding habit catching up
I feel like it is time for me to attend a meeting. So here I am, standing up from a school gymnasium chair, pushing the chair slightly backwards out of the circle and saying: “Hi, I’m Nadine and I have a hoarding problem.” I’m sure the response would be: “Hi Nadine,” and then I would continue and explain my affliction/vice. …
Something nice about ‘new love’
Ahhh, new love. It’s a feeling so intoxicating, so big, it’s like your skin is going to burst open and the joy and hope and promise of a happily ever after is going to jump out of you shining like the brightest, warmest sun and then will start skipping and dancing around the room not caring who’s watching. You wish …
Is eggnog glass half full or half empty?
By the glow of the Christmas tree, before a single present is unwrapped, there is contentment. Before any holiday meal is cooked or eaten, there is fulfillment. Before the clock strikes 12 on Dec. 31, there is hope unfettered for a new and infinitely possible year. Yet we make the holidays so busy, so complicated, so much more than they …
Finding comfort in your own skin
My son is reading a book where one of the characters has the ability to change their appearance and identity, and he said he’d like to be able to do that. Having tried to be other people unsuccessfully myself, I suggested that he just focus on being an excellent him. I tried to explain my missteps to him, to hopefully …
Black Friday deals welcomed, but not boorishness
Black Friday has somehow become a day that I love and hate at the same time. It’s like the pair of earrings that I didn’t know I needed, then I saw them, at a deal of a price, and then I had to have them, and I cursed the fact that suddenly I couldn’t live without them. Celebrated on the …