Go to the Water

January 21, was the 16th year for Bell's "Let's Talk Day". The day is identified as a way to come together to make mental health a priority. The annual awareness campaign and day is to help reduce stigma associated with mental health and to promote awareness and understanding. Break the silence and talk about it. Bell is investing $10 million in Canadian mental health initiatives, making a total of $194 million since 2010. The third Monday of January is identified as "Blue Monday" or the most depressing day of the year. The "Monday Blues" is a day where someone experiences negative thoughts about Monday. It is a common feeling of unhappiness as people face the work week. This year Blue Monday was on January 19th. The weather that day had a real feel of -35 with the rest of the week even colder. It doesn't take long to get down when the frigid cold goes on for days. I have heard that "Talk therapy" is the best therapy for mental healt...

I heard the quote, "you are what you eat". I smiled to myself because that means I am pretty darn "sweet".  The phrase, "you are what you eat" is intended to mean; that the food we eat has a direct impact on our health, well-being, and overall identity. The quality and type of food we choose to eat can influence not only our physical health but also our mood, energy levels and even our personality. I have a close relationship with cookies. I like everything about a cookie, I like making them, baking them, eating them, sharing them and admiring them. Cookies are comfort food, and they make the best gift ever. I once heard the saying, "if you don't know what to do, bake cookies".  My whole cookie making life has changed since I met "parchment paper". A cookie is meant to be soft, and these two things will ensure they are. Parchment paper and removing the cookies from the oven before they are done and allowing them to finish baking on ...

I watched an inspiring piece of news about a 71-year-old man who had lost his wife of 45 years and his daughter. As a retired social worker, he was encouraged by his granddaughter, that lost her mom, to turn his pain into purpose. What this man does is: he sets up two chairs and a table in various public places and encourage people to sit and talk. He is taking a step towards hope and kindness shown by a total stranger. He is traveling all across Canada and is doing what he calls "lean into love, lean into life".  I was at coffee with a friend whose husband had passed away just before Christmas. She said that everyone had left from Christmas and it was the first day she was on her own. She had no expectations of herself; she was just going to "see" how she made out. She said, "this is the process, this is how it's done and something I have to go through". One thing she was planning was to return to her volunteer positions; she was ready to give back. S...

What are your first thoughts when you think of starting a new year? This year my first thought was the fact that we have one quarter of a century behind us. I also did the math and realized when we are halfway through the century, I will be 94 years old. I feel honored to come from female longevity, but it scares me to think of a 94-year-old me.   My "write 6 things I am going to do in my 70th year journal on the 27th of every month" is already derailed. I started on November 27th, and I never made it one month without forgetting to do it. This may not be as easy as I thought, it wasn't until Dec 30th that I remembered. I should have kept writing all the great ides I had in November because so far, I have only been able to come up with one thing out of the 6. Clearly, I have no trouble creating a deadline or identifying a specific date to make sure I stay organized. I have come to realize it is the follow through that is the issue.    I had planned all through the Ch...