Growing with gratitude for life's challenges
Sometimes my focus is off. Like in the photo above – I thought I was capturing the body of water beyond, but in reality I only managed to get the fronds and a bit of fence. I’m still sick. I’ve stopped counting the days, but two bouts of antibiotics and many weeks later, I am […]
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There is an old train trestle in town, that traverses the river just above the falls. In 1999, townspeople banded together to create a walking trail where the old line extended through the city. It affords spectacular views. It is also not easily accessed by those like myself with mobility issues. But I am determined. […]
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Attitude says: “I can do it!” despite Grandma’s warning. It says: “You’re just kidding, and I know it.” Attitude doesn’t need words to convey it’s message: Which is why even birds can express it: (Thanks to Nancy Merrill for this week’s challenge: attitude. Also linked to Fandango’s word of the day, attitude.)
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Positive is my granddaughter’s signature thumbs up! Or the enthusiastic greeting of a beloved pup: A visit from a favourite bird, can set my day up right: As can the sudden appearance of a butterfly so bright: (Thank you to Tourmaline for this week’s challenge: positive. All photos are from my personal collection.)
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Children understand the mechanics of accomplishment: take a risk, try and try again, and bask in the accolades that follow. As I grow older, I wonder at what point in life I lost that simple understanding. Now, as I watch my granddaughters, I feel compelled to regain some of that old spunk: tackle the new, […]
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My living room has beautiful big picture windows facing two directions, allotting me a full view of the neighbour’s front gardens to the north, and the constant comings and goings on the street in front of the house. Lying on the couch with my morning cup of tea is how I like to greet the […]
Read More“What’s the worst that can happen?” Mom likes to muse. “If you can handle that, you can handle anything.” When a marriage of seventeen years fell apart, Mom said: “There is always Welfare.” I didn’t want to accept the ‘worst’ for my life, and so I fought to stay afloat, and rather than succumb to […]
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I am that kid. First day of school, teacher proudly organized, in charge, forgets she is addressing humans not machines programmed to comply. I cannot tolerate oppression: authority already overbearing in my life. I am a pressure cooker, combustible, ready to explode, like an uncorked grenade counting down the seconds. “We need to set some […]
Read MoreIt has been two years now since the diagnosis of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) changed my life. The disease, recently renamed Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disorder (SEID), has also been known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, although the latter is really a misnomer. ME affects muscles, the spinal cord (nervous system), and the brain stem. I wrote about […]
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One Woman's Quest II 