I’ve been haunted by phantoms three times quite recently. They weren’t horror-movie ghosts. They weren’t figments of my imagination. They were emotions I’d amputated from my psyche but which came back to torment me (thankfully, only very briefly). I was experiencing what I call Phantom Emotion Syndrome. It’s like Phantom Limb Syndrome, which is the […]
Category: Blog
I’m standing with my toes curling into the now cold sand. Stars are multiplying in the deepening dusk. Behind me, small waves burble their embrace with the beach. In front of me, the bonfire crackles along with the chatter and laughter of encircling family and friends. I’m not in the circle. I’m on the fringe, […]
One of the most harmful admonishments has to be: “Act your age!” Who, exactly, gets to say how anyone is supposed to act at any given age? Where is that list of certified age-appropriate actions? I get the importance of responsibly acting in accordance with the role you’re in. For example, as a 65-year-old grandmother […]
Dedicated to my Deerhurst friends. It’s taken me a lot of years to appreciate the adage: a friend is your mirror and your shadow; your mirror never lies, reflecting back exactly what’s in front of it, and your shadow never leaves you, sticking with you no matter what you’re up to. There are exceptions to […]
Cece, short for Cecilia, is my granddaughter, two years old at the time of this writing. She’s the most beautiful, intelligent, disarming child in my world. She’s kidnapped my heart and is holding it ransom. Her innocence, potentiality and vulnerability are demanding a huge payout—an ecologically sustainable world for her future. Before Cece, my love […]
Standing on the outfitters’ dock and looking back across Kawawaymog Lake and the autumn-coloured hills beyond, I was overtaken by melancholy. Even though it had been an epic struggle against wind and whitecapped waves to canoe across the endless lake to return to the starting point of our adventure, wet and chilled I wanted to […]
You can’t see it to pursue it. You’ve heard the adage: pursue a butterfly and it eludes you, sit quietly and it alights on your shoulder. It’s much like that with self-development. You scare it off when you frantically chase after it with your huge butterfly net of self-help books, life coaching, motivational podcasts and […]
