Growing with gratitude for life's challenges
I dress up for the occasion, happy that the day has finally come to trim the tree. Then, after fluffing out the branches (our tree is artificial as I’m allergic to the real ones), I am exhausted. The nature of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. No worries, though, our Ukrainian roommate is eager to help and in no […]
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I knew from the moment she walked in the house that something was wrong. Our Ukraine roommate is usually sunny and eager to greet us when she comes home. But on this occasion, she turned her head away so I could not see what she was hiding. “It wasn’t my fault”, she responded when I […]
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I’m attending Restorative Yoga classes. It is yoga positions totally supported. Relaxing. Focus on breath and on releasing tension. We do something called supported fish (I think) – lying face down with a bolster under our hips. “Our junk drawers”, the instructor says and I almost laugh out loud. The last time I went for […]
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The three and nine year olds don’t want to come in out of the snow. The parents are too cold to stay out – not yet attired properly. I feel my bones ache at the chill of it. How quickly our perceptions change, but isn’t that life? A bird’s eye view:
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The woman in the video I’m watching says that she is in support of the cuts to Medicaid, claiming that she has been paying for healthcare for illegals. I cringe. There is so much wrong with this statement, but the point that strikes me the deepest is the lack of humanity. I don’t know how […]
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What times we are living in. One for the history books for sure, as 7 million people took to the streets yesterday in support of the No Kings protest. As an outsider (Canadian), I am pleased to see my neighbours take action, peacefully, to oppose what is happening at a governmental level. I cannot imagine […]
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I’ve started a second TikTok account just for the exploration of dreams. (@DreamCrone). It had 600 followers and lively discussion up until 2 weeks ago. Then I decided to lead my followers through an exercise examining the power of symbolism. I used my dream as an example. The exercise requires telling the dream aloud, using […]
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Even at 67, I am discovering new insights about myself. One of them is that I protect myself with walls – as impenetrable as concrete, yet invisible. I like to tell myself they don’t exist. And yet when I think about my relationships, I feel the ache of distance. I alternate between warm and standoffish […]
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Decoding our childhood involves taking a second look at those things we considered norms: like my mom’s insistence that we didn’t need umbrellas. I carried that philosophy into adulthood, along with the habit of depriving myself of many common items. It took my husband’s insistence that I didn’t need to go without that helped me […]
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“Are the children being taught Canadian curriculum or Ukrainian?” Did I detect a tone of disapproval? I was speaking at a Women’s Institute regarding the Ukrainian School we have set up in town. I explained that the children all attend Canadian school during the week, and this is an extra-curricular program which occurs on Sunday […]
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One Woman's Quest II 