On May 11th, it was my birthday – forty-five trips around the sun, as they say. I’d say 45 puts me pretty firmly in middle age. I have many thoughts about my current stage of life, and since it’s my belated “birthday post” (I actually started this post more than a year ago, when I Read More
Tag: gratitude
“Cancel Canada Day”: reflections on why we need this
It’s July 1st, otherwise known as Canada Day. This year, for the first time, Canadians are being asked not to celebrate it. Given the past few weeks, in which we’ve seen confirmation of hundreds and hundreds of dead Indigenous children buried in unmarked graves at residential school sites, the request not to celebrate is absolutely appropriate. As Read More
Some Leftover Gratitude for 2021
Hi, lovelies, Happy New Year! You might have noticed that I was going strong with my gratitude posts for almost all of November, then suddenly posted nothing at all for more than a month. Yep. In case you wondered, it doesn’t mean that I had no gratitude during that time. Quite the contrary, I was Read More
Useful Items That Do Their Jobs – Gratitude Day 24
You know when you have an item called a “shoelace” or a “windshield wiper”, where its job is right there in the name, and it just has that one job to do… and it DOESN’T DO IT? It’s supposed to be useful, and then it isn’t. That is a pet peeve of mine. Then there Read More
Winter Wonderland Snowfall – Gratitude Day 22
Today, I am grateful for the beautiful snow we’re having. Isn’t it great how snow lightens up the world right when you need it most? Just like how shade also offers itself right when you need it. Normally, we don’t really get into the Christmas stuff – music and decorating etc. – until December. The Read More
Family of Word Nerds – Gratitude Day 21
I’m grateful to be able to say that my children have inherited my penchant for interesting vocabulary. AB is relishing the lessons they’ve been doing in her class on adding “juicy details” to one’s writing. Yesterday, E correctly (and metaphorically) used the word “begat” in a sentence. More on their lexical prowess later. For now, Read More
The Diversity of YouTube – Gratitude Day 19
Today, I’m feeling grateful for YouTube. It feels funny that I can remember the babyhood of YouTube even though so many people I spend time with every day cannot (because they weren’t even born). I remember thinking, “Who is going to watch random strangers doing inconsequential things in their living rooms?” Turns out, almost everyone! Read More
Those Little Moments – Gratitude Day 18
Today when I walked into my house after work, I could tell that that guy I love made that food I love because it smelled so good in here. It kinda made my day. (He’s on evening shifts this week, so most of the time we only overlap at home when one or both of Read More
Four Seasons – Gratitude Day 17
Although I did appreciate that ridiculous press conference held by the outgoing US presidential administration at Four Seasons Total Landscaping, this post is not about that. It is about actual seasons. This morning on the way to school, E asked, “Would you rather be uncomfortably hot all the time, or uncomfortably cold?” (Tough question. I Read More
Apple Butter – Gratitude Day 16
Just this, right now. A bunch of peeled apples, quite a bit of time cooking, a bit of immersion blending, some cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, and a bit of maple syrup made by friends of ours… It makes the house smell amazing. I’m so grateful for apples, especially local apples, and everything to do with Read More