A couple days ago, I learned it was International Men’s Day. I confess: I didn’t know there was an International Men’s Day. The person who brought it to my attention was a woman. Another person in the conversation was a man, and he said he felt uncomfortable acknowledging a day to celebrate men. And then, through the …
When we told our grandpa we planned to get married one day, we weren’t much older than in the above photo. Grandpa responded that cousins aren’t allowed to get married, and I remember feeling perplexed. Why wouldn’t I be allowed to marry this boy, when playing together was one of the best parts of my …
A man named Scott introduced me to the phrase “take good care” near the beginning of my (first) career. Since then, I’ve heard the same expression from others who have all been as warm and kind as Scott. I love this phrase. It’s like a request, obligation, and blessing all rolled into one. It suggests …
One of the best things about my job is the people I get to meet and the various ideas they bring into my life. Earlier this year, for example, I was exposed to the poet Mary Oliver during meetings at the Banff Centre. More recently, while I was Christmas shopping, I saw that Oliver had …
Here’s an easy-to-swallow statement: I think it’s sad when people die. I’m going to assume most people generally agree with me there. But let’s digress for a moment. (Although I’m pretty sure you’ll see where I’m headed.) A few days ago, I completed a government survey on supervised drug consumption sites. As I wrote in …
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I decided to change career tracks a couple years ago, and ended up going back to school. I think one of the best things at any level of education is the people you meet, and I was lucky to make a bunch of new friends – including several …
On my walk to work every morning, I pass through a playground. On the day after the Alberta election, I took the above photo for this post; the kids’ chalk drawings reminded me of the phrase, “everything we need to know, we learned in kindergarten.” If you read my last blog post, you can probably …
I saw Barack Obama speak in Calgary earlier this month. Dave Kelly, a local personality, had the honour of interviewing the former U.S. president, and started the conversation by asking what advice Obama has for parents trying to teach children how to be kind – especially as the “leaders” around us are often behaving anything …
If Wikipedia is to be believed, the first Valentine’s Day celebration was held in the year 496, and it wasn’t until the 18th century that the day became an occasion for couples to show love for one another. So, it’s maybe safe to assume there have been many variations in how to acknowledge (or not acknowledge) …
One month ago today, I received a Master of Social Work degree. On November 16, my classmates and I donned gowns with very strange sleeves (they’re more like tails or wings), and walked across a stage to shake hands with some university VIPs that most of us had never met. Despite these bits of ceremonial …
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