Tell me you do this, too — as you flip past the newspaper section containing obituaries, you can’t help but stop and read the ones accompanied by a photo of a young-looking person. Here’s why I do it. Having lost a few friends to cancer, I feel compelled to find out if that’s what ended [...]
Tag Archives: Life is short
Ways to help Haiti
Disaster puts our petty little problems into context, doesn’t it? If you feel inclined to help the people of Haiti struggling after yesterday’s earthquake, here’s a suggestion: My colleague (through the Halton-Peel Communications Assocation) Marnie Hughes was project coordinator for the International Conference of Healing Hands for Haiti in Toronto last November. She says, “I [...]
Why you need balance
Just a couple of years ago, today would have been a travel day. I’d have my bag packed, a batch of shortbread made, and would be (probably frantically) doing some last-minute work this morning before heading to the airport for a Thursday-to-Sunday pre-Christmas getaway. Destination: Vancouver, and the home of my very best friend from [...]
Don’t wait to live your life
All the fuss about Tiger Woods this week (who is thankfully no longer the top trending topic on Twitter) just made me think this: If those who are already gorgeous, thin and rich — like Elin Nordegren and Shania Twain, for American and Canadian examples — are having trouble reaching happily-ever-after, why do so many [...]
How do you support a friend with cancer?
I lost another friend last week, this time to inflammatory breast cancer. It’s a particularly nasty form that often comes on suddenly, acting similar to mastitis (also an inflammation, usually related to breastfeeding), and spreads quickly. Her oncologist had only seen 12 cases in his practice, and every one of the women who had it [...]
Life takes action
Through the serendipity of the web, I somehow came across a blog called 37 Days. Asheville, North Carolina writer Patti Digh asked the question, “What would I be doing today if I only had 37 days to live?” after her stepfather was diagnosed with lung cancer, and died 37 days later. She later turned the [...]
Let’s kick-start the economy!
Tired of reading/hearing about all the layoffs, bankruptcies and other bad news filling the media these days? Do something! Here’s Michael Katz’s suggestion: spend your way to an economic boost for your own town. Michael is “Chief Penguin” (aka president) of Blue Penguin Development and author of the e-newsletter that’s at the top of my [...]
Words are precious
Trust a writer to take away a word-related lesson after a near-fatal experience. Daphne Gray-Grant‘s regular Power Writing newsletter was delayed. When issue#149 did arrive, she explained the delay: she’d been in hospital because she’d had a stroke. Most powerful of the lessons she said she had learned: “When you have words, use them…Write and [...]
Guilty summer pleasure
All summer, I kept working away on hot days, even with a pool coolly beckoning. “I’ll finish this project now and swim late in the day,” I told myself. I can’t tell you how many times a glorious sunny day turned dark as rain swept in about 4 p.m., just about the time I was [...]
Too perfect
When my elderly neighbour passed away more than a year ago, his daughter took time to mourn. Then she started the task of cleaning up and fixing up, intending to sell the place. It’s a small two-bedroom bungalow, so the likely buyer will be elderly. The daughter knew this buyer would be unlikely to want [...]
