Go to the Water

I notice from time to time, I will publish a post, then I find something I wish I had included in that post. I started this blog as a spot to put random bits and pieces, gave it a name and here it is, a "Follow Up".     Shortly after I published, "Road Rage", I witnessed a situation that I believe I was meant to see. I was stopped at an intersection because it was an amber light. I could hear in the lane next to me the acceleration of a big truck so the driver could get through on a red light, the amber option was long gone. Little did he know a ghost car was following him. In a split second the lights and sirens were going, just like a crime scene. The cop was right behind that truck in no time, and I knew they would be having a chat. As I spontaneously did a fist pump, I asked myself if that was perhaps the wrong reaction? Is it wrong to enjoy seeing someone get caught by the police for intentionally running a red light? That driver had the option of slowing down ...

I once heard Admiral McRaven speak, and I found it unusual that he started his speech about making your bed. As a Navy Seal Admiral, he will have seen and done a lot during his service. It made me realize that a simple act like making your bed was a discipline that helped him in his career. Admiral McRaven's message was to inspire others to embrace a routine to start the day. I truly expected a stronger message, but in hindsight, it was a strong message.   Making your bed has a different meaning for each of us. Some people won't come out of their bedroom without their bed being made. For them it is very important that making their bed is the first thing they do. For me, making my bed just falls into one of those tasks that needs to be done at some point in the morning. There is nothing going to happen in my world, like bed making, before I have coffee. Making my bed is part of a process that occurs at a random time in the morning. O nce the process starts, it is like mania has...

What prompted this post about Asylum seekers came one day when I heard on the news that the border crossing Roxham Road was being closed. Roxham Road was a makeshift custom border crossing between the U.S. and Quebec and was run by RCMP officers. Often the news would show clips of dozens of people walking to this crossing, carrying all their humble belongings in the hopes of having a better life. The whole vision almost looked illegal, but that was ruled out because of the RCMP presence. Just the sheer magnitude of numbers was concerning to me. I knew I needed to learn more about this process and the best way to do that for me is to blog about it.  After spending considerable time searching on google, I was overwhelmed with information. Every now and then, I like to make a knowledge-based post and this will be one of them. Here is what I have learned.  Roxham Road was a rural Quebec road that was used as an unofficial crossing by migrants entering Canada from New York to apply...

            Once upon a time, when I would introduce myself to a new student group, I would say, "I don't do excuses". I always included myself in my rules, which meant I would not allow excuses into my life. I found it to be a much purer and honest way for me to live. My responsibility was to be part of the development of a professional person and as a professional you should be better than an excuse.                                          I was having lunch with a friend and as I was sharing a story, out of her mouth came "I bet you said, I don't do excuses". I was a wee taken aback as she went on to say, "I tell people that you don't do excuses". It was at that very moment I thought to myself, "what has happened to you?". I was just going to embark on an excused filled story of the way I live my current life. This was a moment where time just s...

I am sure as you read this blog you are beginning to think, "I don't know one other person on earth that makes more of a fuss over their birthday, birthday month and now birthday year". Its craziness isn't it, but I am having so much fun with it. To be honest, I can't believe I am now 67 years old. How did that happen so quickly? Everyone says that you should live life to the fullest. I believe all of this mayhem is my effort to have some fun while trying to live life to the fullest.   In 1976, my Grandpa Dempsey died at 67 years old, I was 19 at the time. It seems weird to write this, but I thought he was old, and his time had come. I guess being old for me at that time was around 67. He seemed old, he had been ill for years and he looked and acted old. My grandchildren aren't even teenagers yet, so I'm not sure if they think I am old. I loved to spend time with my Grandparents, and I have such fond memories of them. But I never did any of the things with...

As my 66th year comes to an end, so does the list of things I have done throughout the year. I am going to start off the last ten, with the trip I made to Saskatchewan for my Alumni event. In this  community there are several old wooden country churches. Making the list of firsts is my visit to the Winlaw Church. It was part of the alumni event and what a beautiful old building. The thing that struck me the most about this church is how the community has put their arms around it to save it. The foundation is not good, which is understandable, and money has been raised to repair it. We were blessed to go inside and witness the beauty within. There it stands holding memories for every community member and now memories for me as well.    I have already written about my first ever Alumni event. Everyone was asked to share what they enjoy about retirement. Some of the comments were: traveling or planning to travel, sewing, knitting or other things that bring them joy. One pers...

This is a topic I am so passionate about. I love to hear stories from women that have developed their own successful business. They dreamed it and they made it happen.  Women have a variety of reasons to start their own business. Some are tired of, or have lost their jobs, and decided to fulfill the dream of having their own business.  Businesses vary from being at the corporate level to just a small home-based business. When a woman develops her own business, she knows she will have support of others. She also knows, at the end of the day, the person that is truly going to make it successful, is herself. That is where the passion is ignited.   Over the years, I have had several business plans developed in my head. The one thing that was stopping me from going into business was, I had a career. A good and secure career at that.  I feel many women feel the same and it may have stopped them from branching out into their own business. Some women have no desire to b...