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 …
Flu shot helps more than recipient
To vaccinate or not to vaccinate? There is no question. Immunizations save lives. Period. The smallpox vaccination eradicated that disease completely. Hundreds of thousands of people died because of smallpox outbreaks and now no one needs to be vaccinated against it anymore. Similarly, I don’t think anyone could dispute the importance of childhood vaccination programs that have almost eradicated diseases …
Time doesn’t heal all wounds, but it’s a start
They say that time heals all wounds. Those of us who have been wounded cling dearly to this platitude knowing that it isn’t completely true, but it’s a start. While time will heal some wounds, there are others time just changes. In dealing with the loss of someone, it can truly feel like the end of the world. Especially with …
Catching the Ace wouldn’t change life much
Catch the Ace fever is rampant in the Sault, and it’s hard not to get swept up in the excitement. I’m not a lottery player, but there are lessons to potentially draw from the experience. If you’ve been living under a rock in the Sault, the Esquire Club is running a charity raffle called “Catch the Ace.” People buy $5 …
Myth of fairy tale wedding, simple divorce
No one goes into marriage thinking that they’ll get divorced (unless they are a gold-digger) and yet, so many of us end up divorced. Something quite unthinkable 60 years ago is commonplace today. We truly have a disposable society, from the toasters we get as wedding gifts to the weddings themselves.Why do marriages fail? There are countless reasons, including some …
Here’s how to get my vote
Since I’m now receiving robo-calls from political candidates, I guess it’s indeed that time again. Politicians, if you want my vote, here’s how to get it. Firstly, focus on issues that you can deliver on, not things that while they may be good ideas, are completely out of your mandate. (And if you do get elected, make sure you deliver …
Tale of two lung transplants
It is the tale of two lung transplants…with the best of health outcomes and not the best of health outcomes (I won’t call it the worst). Two Algoma area ladies got the call in December of 2015 that they had been added to the lung transplant list, both relocated to the GTA to be within the required distance of the …
Men in speedos reveal plenty
“How many industries would totally collapse if women stopped feeling ashamed about our bodies?” was the random musing that a friend posed to me in a recent email. She went on to say: “Why can’t we all have the confidence of the middle-aged men shopping for Speedos at my work yesterday?” Considering that she works in downtown Toronto, and there …