So many times in my life, the words that have come out of my mouth have not expressed the intention in my brain. There is immediate regret or embarrassment because the words have been harsh, or awkward, or just plain opposite to what I intended. I’ve cut people off, sounded ungrateful and appeared to celebrate… Continue reading Why Does Your Foot Like Your Mouth?
Category: Connections
Cheerleading At Any Age
I love my cheerleaders, but I don’t tell them often enough. Our cheerleaders are the people who support us and cheer us on, when we embark on new projects. As a teacher, they were the ones who supported me when I tried new lessons, or methods to teach the harder to reach students. As a… Continue reading Cheerleading At Any Age
Looking For A Mentor
Having a model to follow is a valuable way to learn. As a teacher, I knew that telling my class something would have a limited impact. However, modelling the behaviour gave them the ability to see the idea in action and understand it better. We all need mentors in our lives to show us how… Continue reading Looking For A Mentor
Appreciation For The Dog
Our dog speaks human much better than we speak dog. We don’t give her credit for her ability. She uses our body language, our tone of voice and our words, to understand and respond to us. She’s worked hard to learn many phrases and commands. I don’t think I’ve put the same energy and concentration… Continue reading Appreciation For The Dog
Table Talk
Logic tells me that it’s easiest to find time to talk with people I see regularly. Experience tells a different tale. Finding time to have meaningful discussions with the family members who live with me, is a challenge. There’s Lots Of Small Talk. We talk all the time but it’s snatches of conversation about schedules… Continue reading Table Talk
Mundane Treasure
Graduations, weddings, births, holidays and celebrations: these are events which I’ve spent a lot of energy, time and money on over the years. I tell myself that they are important occasions that deserve my attention because I’m making memories for myself and those involved. But when I look back at my favourite times with people… Continue reading Mundane Treasure
Do What Scares You
It’s easy to become complacent and settle when you retire. You get pushed along by the rhythm of the day, and suddenly a week, a month and a season has rolled by. I could feel it happening to me and I didn’t like it. In an attempt to grow, I chose to do something that… Continue reading Do What Scares You
Healing My Relationship With Plants
I found myself talking regularly to the orchid in my bathroom, when it bloomed during the dead of winter. Its bright yellow and fuchsia blooms lifted my spirits when everything outside was frozen. I know they say that talking to your plants is good for them, but I’ve found that it’s been good for me… Continue reading Healing My Relationship With Plants
Truly Listening
I don’t know why it surprises me, but I still have so much to learn. Often the stuff I have to learn is not new stuff. It’s not stuff that I’ve never heard about before. It’s the basics: easy things that are hard to follow through on. This past week, it was listening. Listening. Yup,… Continue reading Truly Listening
All The Lonely People
When I look closely, I can see them sitting in coffee shops, wandering around grocery stores and waiting for the bus: lonely people. Lonely people can be surrounded by others and still feel isolated. It’s the lack of meaningful social connections that leave people feeling abandoned. Loneliness is something I’ve become more aware of now… Continue reading All The Lonely People
Retired, And Now What? 