I was chatting with a new friend recently. We discussed a variety of topics, looking for common ground. Fortunately, we found it quickly in the details and the big-picture themes. She has a son starting his first year of university, which is a huge milestone for him and the family. My children are in their…

I came across this connection while watching TV. It flew by quickly, and I may have a few details wrong, but the essential connection was clearly remembered. It stuck with me. Let’s go back in time. There was a time when women were either not allowed or culturally prevented from entering bars. If women did…

I was flying to Toronto recently on Porter Airlines. The actual airline is important. It is a smaller airline. It isn’t new, but it is new to Western Canada. It feels as if I’m a member of a small club. There is only one centre aisle with just 2 seats on either side. I squeezed…

I know this sounds a bit risky, a gamble if I must say it in a word. But, let’s see where this leads us. Back in the day, I had a staff member who was applying for a position elsewhere in the organization. He kindly let me know in advance. A week or so later,…

I was listening to my wife do her daily crossword puzzle this morning. And no, that is not a mistake – I did really mean to say listen. Shouts of not fair, gotcha, who the heck would ever know that, or impossible! She said she wouldn’t have it any other way. She enjoys torturing herself….

I am sure many of you will know what this code is for. I was talking with a friend the other day, and he mentioned he was talking with an elderly couple. They were both in their late seventies. He asked her what the secret was to their loving relationship. She promptly replied, “It’s friends…

I came across this phrase about the artist’s role in our society. I first considered whether I supported this idea and, second, who is an artist. Let’s work backwards and think about what makes an artist, an artist. Applying this label to certain folks who create art is obvious – thus, an artist. But what…

I have a cat problem. In fact, I have two of them—I mean problems and cats. We were catless for about 10 months for the first time in many decades. It was time to jump in again. We found our first cat, aged 2 years, at the local Humane Society. The second cat, aged 6…

As I gained more years of experience, I noticed my short-term memory was becoming less reliable. It started with getting up to go to another room, then forgetting what I went there for. At first, I dismissed the forgetfulness, as not everything is due to growing older. Sometimes, things just happen. Unfortunately, the more it…

I couldn’t help but be aware of how divided we have become. We seem to be breaking up into ever-increasing groups of like-minded people. Then, each group evolves and splits as differences are identified, and a finer screen is needed to hang with like-minded people. The trendline indicates we’ll all be in a group of…