Changing the Lens

March 7, 2022.Reading time 1 minute.

Reading through old journals, so much focuses on lack of money. I express guilt for not providing enough as a single mother, anger for being abandoned by my children’s father, and shame for having to rely on others. The feelings still linger. And then I hear my father’s voice: “The good Lord always provides.” And […]

Learning What Matters

February 21, 2022.Reading time 2 minutes.

Parents brought children to the occupation in Ottawa. They set up camp on a main thoroughfare, in front of apartment buildings and retail shops, and obstructed the lives of others. They honked their big rig horns, left their diesel engines running day and night, and set up barbeques, and food tents, and bouncy castles, and […]

How To Start a Cult*

February 16, 2022.Reading time 2 minutes.

Find an issue people are able to get passionate about, say, child trafficking. 2. Share information and increase the outrage. Start with facts, but insert the occasional manufactured story to test the waters. Maybe try Pizza Gate. 3. Increase paranoia by suggesting that so much is hidden from the public. Again, use actual cases, for […]

Contemplating a Tree

February 14, 2022.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Meditation, a former teacher of mine said, is as easy as contemplating a tree. Imagine its roots running deep into the Earthgrounding and nurturing Imagine its branches reaching towards the skybending with the breezes Imagine yourselfdeeply rootedtouching the sky,strong and calm. (Image my own)

Mindful Practice

February 11, 2022.Reading time 1 minute.

In darkest times, I learned to pray, asking each day for healing and insight to guide me. I walked with awareness, appreciating the sacredness of all living things. Breathing consciously, I discovered an effective way to release tension. In meditative moments, letting go of self, I felt at one with nature. “What does that mean?” […]

Don’t Take It Personally

February 9, 2022.Reading time 1 minute.

Spurred on by my mother, I left home at the age of seventeen. It was the right thing for all involved, but when my parents replaced me with two cats, I couldn’t help but feel slighted: I’m deadly allergic to cats. When my mother-in-law spiked a meal with milk, hoping to prove that food allergies […]

Dormant

February 7, 2022.Reading time 1 minute.

There’s a restlessness in me that defies explanation. It’s not that I am bored – I have any number of creative projects on the go – it’s that I have a sense that I’m missing something, something that lies deep at my core. But what? And how do I access it? Something that is dormant […]

Happy Hallowe’en. Do You Believe In Ghosts?

October 31, 2021.Reading time 1 minute.

“Mom, we’re renovating the old theatre, and, well…I think…” “There is a ghost there.” I finished my son’s sentence. “Yes. He’s quite famous.” “Really? I’m all alone here, in the basement, and I’m getting creeped out.” “His name is Ambrose Small, and he’s been hanging around for quite a few years, so I’m pretty sure […]

Through The Looking Glass

June 4, 2021.Reading time 1 minute.

Thank you to Indie Blu(e) Publishing for including my work in their latest anthology. Through the Looking Glass: Reflecting on Madness and Chaos Within gives voice to those otherwise silenced through stigma or marginalization. The anthology features stories, poem, and artwork. Through The Looking Glass is available through Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, and other major online book […]

Burnout: A Review

May 9, 2021.Reading time 1 minute.

I first heard sisters Emily and Amelia Nagoski on Brené Brown’s podcast, Unlocking Us. Wanting to know more, I ordered an audio version of their book Burnout: The Secret To Unlocking the Stress Cycle. As a woman, their words resonate from beginning to end. Emily Nagoski, PhD and her twin sister, Amelia Nagoski, DMA, exam […]

Imagine

If we could lift understandingto indigenous teachingsexpand our loveto earth, sky, and seaMake personal gain tabooand Ancients a weigh point If we could witness the mountainsslow floating across the skyand touch the dolphin’s soulanxiously swimmingwhere tuna are netted Would we cower at our insignificanceor move forward, learning to acceptthat all of life is deeply woveninto […]

Dear Child

I know a little girl,whose hair in ringletsfalls, unkempt from lackof brushing; who standswhen she should be sitting;who laughs with defiance whenchallenged, her dark eyes gleamingwith mischief; who holds her chin uphigh and stamps her feet, arms foldedin protest when she does not get her way. I see that little girl,have watched her play,with a […]

Re-de-fine-d

Ask me how I’m doingand I’ll say “fine”, notbecause I’m actually fine,but because “fine” is the onlysocially acceptable response. If I said that I have been lyinghere, for three hours now,willing my body to move,that would elicit unsolicitedadvice and tarnish my “fine”. I’d berate myself for breakingmy promise not to moan,knowing that complainingprovokes a compulsive […]