Happiness doesn’t just happen. It is a very personal concept, and achieving that content state is different for each individual. Because I am mostly an extrovert, being around people is vital for me. I need stimulation, education, and communication. I need validation and security. I need good health, hope, and unconditional love. These are aspects … Continue reading My Happy New Year →

“I got the music in me” I do love music of all sorts, and though I have little talent in that area, it has long been a source of great pleasure.  Early memories are of my grandpa singing as he worked in the garden. Because of him I learned the words to so many songs-gospel … Continue reading Music Memories →

We all have expectations of people from our partners, to our family members, to our friends…even to our casual acquaintances. These expectations stem from our values and belief systems, which ultimately are a product of our experience, culture and upbringing. Often, too, what we expect of people is tied to our sense of worth and … Continue reading Examining Expectations →

To quote our grandson Reid when he was getting restless and bored watching a baseball game, “I just can’t do nothing!” I feel your pain, Reid. I have trouble just relaxing and doing nothing. I blame my mother, which is what all healthy adults do. She brought me up to ‘accomplish something every day’, and … Continue reading I Just Can’t Do Nothing! →

Sitting here in my Nashville AirB&B, I have been thinking about travel. It is truly one of the joys in my life. I learned to appreciate travel as a child. Certainly, I was not a natural; apparently, when I was little I would voice my concerns. “We are going to get losted,” I would lament … Continue reading On the Road Again →

I experienced poverty as a child, and lived 'paychenque to paycheque' for many years in my earlier adulthood. I know what it means to think and worry about money constantly-to pay the bills, to buy Christmas presents, to repay a personal loan, to be able to afford a reliable vehicle. In my senior years, I … Continue reading From Need to Greed →

I am having an internal debate about whether I should delete Twitter or not. Morally, I think I should, but practically, I do not want to. I have been on Twitter for many years. I did not use it much in the early years, as I just did not find it useful to my daily … Continue reading To Tweet or not to Tweet →

I’m back volunteering in classrooms again this year as part of the Linking Generations program in Strathcona County. As the title suggests, the purpose of our group is to connect children with seniors and vica versa. Some children do not have a grandparent in their lives for a variety of reasons-distance, estrangement, death. We are … Continue reading The Pleasure is all Mine! →

Halloween used to be my favourite holiday. These days, I do not even dress up, and since we are in a condo, we don’t have kids coming trick-or-treating. It’s not like the good old days, but it is still a day for great fun. As a kid, we made plans a week or so ahead. … Continue reading Down Memory Lane-Halloween →

You knew me as a child But I am no longer that girl In the real world You knew me as a woman But that person’s gone Moved up and on You knew me as a friend Why did I let go I don’t know You knew me for a while Time changed me somehow … Continue reading Know Me Now →