1st World Problems

 I read a funny thing on Twitter this morning.  The author of the tweet asked if we had tried having a victory party for the every weekend still protesters. If we have banners and cover them in confetti. If we tell them that they won, will they go away?  It's a funny line about a pretty serious conversation. If you are unaware, there are still "anti-mandate" protests happening every weekend in downtown Calgary. One in Beltline and one in Inglewood. They aren't just gathered in a park, sitting with their signs and soliciting honks from passing supporters. They are blocking traffic, throwing smoke bombs, selling white supremacist logoed gear, and they even have a pizza tent set up. The people who live and work in these areas are suffering the worst. Many feel unsafe in their own places, and no one seems to care. Small business owners are losing money as customers either can't physically get to them or don't want to engage with the potential powder keg that is go...

When was the first time you traveled on a plane? I don't remember the first time, I was very young. It was sometime in the early '80s. Flying when I was a kid always seemed like such a luxury to me. Most of the flying I did was as an "unaccompanied minor". So I got to board the plane first, the aircrew took amazing care of me, and except for the one time they forgot about me between flights even the security people took extra time to make sure I was ok.  Flying for me has always meant that I was on an adventure. Lately, it is a cramped adventure when all there is to look forward to is a bag of pretzels, being way too close to strangers, and for some reason Ginger Ale that tastes like manna from heaven. Covid has even removed food for purchase on flights unless you're in first class.  I think as planes have crammed more seats onto planes, and some of the nice touches (food, space, not feeling like cattle) have faded away there has been a shift in how flying is perc...

We made it! Only to be caught in yet another round of the same. Groundhog Day is a movie that I have seen a handful of times. It's the usual Bill Murray fare, where he plays most of the movie as a narcissistic madcap and the other actors just try to keep up.  Instead of waking up every morning to "I got you babe" though we are waking up to the same government stern warnings, sometimes with the finger waggles, sometimes with stern eyebrows. Still plying the do as I say, not as I do message. Those who aren't vaccinated still aren't vaccinated, those who won't wear masks still won't. The only difference now is it seems that we are all sharing the same facing the same levels of depression and despair.  I traveled over Christmas to a place that has approached this pandemic in a very different way.  For the most part, people don't wear masks, or socially distance, or avoid gathering in large groups. They have picked up and just gotten on with it. To be hones...

  Here we go again. There is another variant on the horizon and before we all scramble let's put our thinking caps on and put together a plan based on what has worked and what hasn't worked from before.  We know that masks work, yes they suck and no one really likes them but they keep transmission down and we can mouth swear words right in front of people's faces when they displease us. And in the winter, the mask can help keep your face warm!  We know that social distancing works. I miss hanging out with all my people all together but, we know that isn't safe yet. Small groups mean more quality time together and another way for you to avoid the people in your life you don't care to see.  The vaccines are being proven to prevent getting really sick. If you haven't gotten one yet, time to really think about why you haven't. If you are scared of needles, some of the clinics have therapy dogs to ease the fear. If you're scared of them tracking you, they can...

This is another holiday adjacent post.  For us, and for many, the holidays come with an increase of many things. Junk food, shopping, and snow are a few of these things. There is also way more social engagement than during the rest of the year. We always over-commit, and I always wind up not wanting to go but then having a great time when I am out there. You know how it goes.  I do find though that everything gets overdone. Too much food is eaten, too many drinks are had, too much money is spent. More importantly, too much of yourself can be given if you're not careful.  We tend to seek out family this time of year and it is sometimes to mixed results. We might allow people to be around us that we normally avoid. Or enter into conversations we normally wouldn't. It's ok to leave if you feel uncomfortable. In fact, it's probably better than feeling bad about yourself or the situation if you stay too long. The kindness that you are giving others should be extended to your...

 For many of us, it's the holiday season.  The kickoff to Christmas for me has always been American Thanksgiving. Probably because all of the commercials for toys and presents really ramp up right about now. Oh! And remember the Sears Wish Book? That always came out about now. The bible of consumerism would show up and I would spend hours going through it. Circling what I wanted for Christmas. Planning my future house through the household section. Picturing what I was going to look like when I was a working adult. It was a nice distraction from whatever else was going on.  Hannukah is also this week, a little earlier than normal. The eight crazy nights start on Sunday, November 28th and end on December 6th. When I was 11 I had a friend named Arthur. He was the first observant Jewish friend I ever had. Every day at school during Hannukah, he would bring us treats and he taught us how to play dreidel.  For many, the holiday season carries more stress than it does for ...

Sometimes forgiving someone has more to do with you than it does with them. I think we all have had people in our lives who owe us apologies, big and small. Following the phrase forgive and forget can cause more damage than it heals. In my opinion anyway. I am not talking about someone stepping on your toe, or losing your place in a book. I am talking about when someone has harmed you. The type of harm that you think about at random times, for me it's when I am not sleeping.  Many times when someone hurts us this deeply, they don't realize the profound effect that it is having on us. No one wants to believe themselves capable of hurting another person in a way that isn't temporary. And for those of us that are hurt, bringing up what was done can cause more trauma or reopen a wound that doesn't need to be reopened.  Forgiveness doesn't always have to be a public thing. Many of the things I have forgiven I have never mentioned to anyone else. Just kept it within me so...

So, I didn't get the job.  This was a different kind of rejection though. this company actually took the time to call me and let me know that they had gone in a different direction. And then she told me that I had done an amazing job in the interview and that I had a lot of the things they were looking for in a person. Not about my professional experience but me personally.  It really made a big difference. It was probably not a big thing for her, but for me, it was a kindness. My brain has been wreaking all sorts of havoc with me lately. There have been lots of negative thoughts and dark places. Instead of this rejection sending me deeper into a spiral, this lifted me out a bit. I slept for five hours last night and woke up in a positive place.  Rejection isn't always a bad thing. I am a big believer in the universe and what it provides. Maybe it's because I don't want to be the only thing in control of my life. Or maybe I need to think that there is something bigger o...

  Friendos,  This might not be the most fun post. I have an idea of where it's going but let us buckle in and tackle this together.  I am not going to open a debate here about vaccination. Nor am I going to open one about restrictions. If you came here to fight, I am not the one today.  As adults we are allowed to have differing opinions. It's your body, you do you boo.  This is where I draw the line though. A week ago in Salmon Arm BC,  anti-mask/vaxxers entered a school while children were attending classes. This prompted the school to go into lockdown. What kind of backwards pageantry would ever enter the mind of a sane person to think that the right place to put on this kind of show would need to take it to the children? The organizers of these sorts of events need to give their heads a collective shake. Schools should be a safe place. These protestors brought terror and confusion into those hallways. The worst part of it may be that they felt rig...