My father had Alzheimer’s, so whenever I hear about anything to do with degenerative brain function, I tend to listen. This morning I spent an enjoyable half hour listening to an archived radio broadcast a friend had sent me the link to. The show was an edition of the CBC’s Quirks and Quarks, and featured [...]

It is a common desire to seek out the like-minded or similarly situated in society.  It gives us greater joy to share our passions with those who share them – consider a book club, or a professional association.  And in times of strife, we find comfort in those who understand our misery.      One of [...]

My fourteen year old son sometimes reminds me more of a five year old.  Despite being at an age where normally, teenage children are stretching boundaries in order to gain independence, he’s becoming even more dependent on me.  In the short term, this isn’t a bad thing, and it’s quite understandable in the circumstances.  He [...]

My mother was a genius at getting me to do things around the house.  She’d simply say “but you’re so good at cleaning the kitchen; really, no one can clean it like you can!” and sure enough, she would be right.  I was also told that I never finished projects, and that I was so [...]

I learned about the healing power of compassion during a period in my life when I was hopelessly unhappy in my job.  For various reasons, changing jobs was not an option so I stayed put, but I decided to add another element to my life that could give me satisfaction.  Around that time I happened [...]