The world has grown weary, and lately I have been feeling weary about the world. A song by Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 sprang to mind this morning. My lifelong friend Lasse introduced me to this band at about the time the song came out – way back in 1994. Lasse and I and our…
I certainly wasn’t born a fighter. I have notched up nearly a half-century of conflict avoidance, and counting. However, in my formative years I did have several brushes with the masculine art of fisticuffs. My first pseudo-fight was with a bullying kid. I had complained to my dad that the kid wouldn’t leave me alone….
My dad is not a violent man, but he did care a lot about my well-being and growing into an upstanding member of society. A child needs lessons about how actions have consequences! You must understand that the years of my childhood were only just removed from the “strap at school” years. One day I…
My friend Ted is wise beyond his years, even though he is in his eighties. When one of his relations was talking about the bad path her son was on, she told Ted “He is in with a bad crowd.” Ted replied “No, he IS a bad crowd.” Touche, Ted. Who we choose to hang…
Many years ago, when I was just out of university, I found myself back in the big city of Vancouver to jump through some supplemental educational hoops. On the plus side, Valerie was able to join me and we took the opportunity to see the sights. As we walked along the downtown street, we passed…
In the last week or so, someone posted a note on the Facebook page for our little island in the Salish Sea. “Tell us the story of how you came to be here.” How did we get here? That is such a big question, considering how far back we have to go to untangle our…
When I was a young lad, my family lived in a couple of nailed-together shacks in rural British Columbia. To say it was rustic would be giving the wrong impression. “Farmhouse chic” it was not. “Late 70s Broke” was more the vibe. Ah, the things you settle for in an age of stagflation. The house,…
I must have drifted off for a bit. This has to be the longest delay between setup and punchline! My apologies, readers (or perhaps “reader”, as I can only count on Valerie to read at this point – and she is just trying to make sure I don’t say anything too embarrassing). If anyone else…
14 Days of Mixed Nuts This past week the whip-wielders in Coursera started reminded me that we had reached week ten of “The Science of Well-being”. I walked out of the hallowed halls of university 25 years ago, but the prospect of missing a course deadline still tweaks my anxiety. I have to remind myself…
Seven Days of Squirrel Patrol After the first six weeks of the Science of Well-being course, the focus shifts to an extended implementation of tools. As I indicated in my last article I have chosen to implement a meditation practice. This was not the easy route. I could have picked “implement good sleep habits” and…