Five Years a Writer

I have pledged to write a new post for this blog every day in May.  They hook you with their vulnerability, reel you in with their need, and release you into life-long servitude with their charm.  Photo by  Biel Morro  on  Unsplash To learn more about our cats, read my post from last year. I’m talking cats, of course. Possibly any animal will do this, but my experience lies with cats. I had a dog once, but it was a short-lived relationship. Let us not dwell on that.  I grew up with cats and have lived with cats my entire life. The house is empty without one. Once, I lasted a whole six weeks between cats, but then I was back at the Humane Society finding the next one. Before that trip 11 years ago now, my cats had found me. I was a sitting duck, as it were.  Monty (Montgomery) moved with me from Edmonton to Halifax, but was killed by a car shortly upon arrival. Newly made friends found me Bounty (Bountiful) to fill the void. Both were gorgeous orange felines, as

I have pledged to write a new post for this blog every day in May.  The concept of leadership is much on my mind, as there is such a dearth of it in our world today. Yes, individuals are in positions of leadership, but that d oes not make those individuals leader s. For it is th eir actions, not t heir position, that make them so.   L E A D E R S H I P: E is for EMPATHY and ENGAGEMENT This second E is a no-brainer for me. It has to be for Empathy and Engagement.  Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash   Without empathy — the ability to understand and share the feelings of others — a leader cannot ignite others to see her vision for the potential it holds. And without nurturing the engagement of others in that vision, the leader remains a lone wolf with a good idea, maybe, but no-one to help her implement it.  To be a leader is, at once, to hold a vision and, also, to let it go: Hold it close with care and commitment, while inviting others in to help take it

I have pledged to write a new post for this blog every day in May.  I am no longer commuting by foot and bus to get to my place of work, so I have been taking early-morning walks through my neighbourhood as an alternative way of getting some exercise into my daily routine. And on these walks, I am seeing things that I did not previously see so readily; I think they were not there. The hydro poles used to be covered with posters for live face-to-face public events. But in these days of lockdown, the hydro poles are covered with other kinds of announcements. They are signs of community and they speak to the human impulse to use creativity to show compassion during these strange times. We are, of course, not all the same. Some say, “There’s nothing to do” while others say, “I know how to fill myself up” — and do so by going inward and then putting themselves, via their creation, out there.   As I walk the quiet early-morning streets, I appreciate the risk the creative o

I have pledged to write a new post for this blog every day in May.  It’s early morning, still dark out, when I get up. The cat wants feeding and I have work to do, so I’ll use this quiet time to be productive.  from my collage series, COVID-19: end-date unknown/Nine  First things first, I put on the kettle for tea. Then I feed the cat and fire up my laptop. Check email. Loads of auto-mailed messages from worthy causes and political organizations that want my attention — and money. Shut that down. Go to Facebook. And open that e-window onto the very large world in which I am living these days, despite being in lockdown in our very small house.  Social media is much maligned for its commercial content, its relentless reach into our wallets, and its highjacking of our minds. But it can be so much more if you ignore the noise and search for the creative, instead. And when you find that one site, that one voice that draws you in with genuine feeling, then I guarantee you th

I have pledged to write a new post for this blog every day in May.  You either make them or you don’t. We could likely divide the world’s population into two camps: “Make lists” and “Wouldn’t be caught dead making a list”. Me? I fall firmly into the “Make lists” camp.  Photo by  Glenn Carstens-Peters  on  Unsplash Yes, I make lists to keep me on track and to ensure I actually do what needs doing — water the garden, take out the recycling, buy milk, pump up bike tires, and so on.  However, deep down, I make lists because a fully achieved list, a list on which every item is struck through with a confident line, a list that has been well and truly conquered, is a list that gives the satisfaction of several or many things having been done, i.e., brought to an end, closed, terminated. It is not the doing of the individual items that gives me joy. It is this beautiful state of completion that makes me love lists.  Sometimes, I play with the list. Sometimes, I amend it

I have pledged to write a new post for this blog every day in May.  The concept of leadership is much on my mind, as there is such a dearth of it in our world today.  Yes, individuals are in positions of leadership, but that does not make those ind ividuals leaders.  For it is their actions, not their position, that make them so.    L  E A  D   E R S H I P: D is for DECISIONS  Photo by  Jens Johnsson  on  Unsplash   Anyone in a formal, named position of leadership has the authority, indeed the responsibility (though not necessarily the wisdom) to make decisions. Indeed, the job of a leader is to make decisions. Therefore, I am making D for Decisions.  To be sure, D could equally well be for delegate :  The team will always outperform the individual — no leader is an island, so they must build a strong team and enable them to achieve their own work and responsibilities.  D could also be for diversify :  Too much of the same on your team and you’ll suffer

I have pledged to write a new post for this blog every day in May.  To mark this year’s Mother’s Day, I am contemplating motherhood via three women: one real, two fictional. Each is a robust and complex character, worth knowing and appreciating. One embraced motherhood, one refused it, and one fought for it.  Anne embraced it : I celebrate my mother, Anne, every day, and am delighted to feature this year the tribute  I wrote lo her last year. Everything I say in that piece remains true to this day. Mum raised my siblings and me to be who we are — independent, confident and capable. We are the lucky ones.  Cristina refused it : I salute Cristina Yang , a character on the long-running medical drama Grey’s Anatomy. Yang is young, ambitious and very skilled. She “has greatness in her” as a cardiac surgeon and, when faced with an unplanned pregnancy — even though she is married to a man she loves — she stands her ground as a surgeon first and chooses to end the pregnancy