Passion Power

The adolescent stage is between 13-19 years of age. They are filled with untapped potential, but the teenage years are often not seen as positive. It’s the stage of life where we are fraught with insecurity and self-doubt. The stage where we make mountains out of molehills. We sit around feeling isolated, lonely, and believing we are the only ones. The brain is still developing and there is a lot of life lessons learned during this period of life and it doesn’t always go smoothly. It can be explosive and full of drama. Author Cassandra Clare writes, “All my life I've felt like there was something wrong with me. Something missing or damaged. Every teenager in the world feels like that, feels broken or out of place, different somehow, royalty mistakenly born into a family of peasants.” I don’t know anyone that wishes to go back to that time in their life again, yet it’s a time of great discovery about ourselves and world around us. There has been so much emphasis on redefin...

In May of 2012 a man drove out of a campground after spending the weekend with his 17-year-old twin daughters and the family dog.   Instead of turning left to head back into the city, he turned right and drove at high speed straight into a cement truck killing all of them on impact.   I cried every day for a month.   The news of the tragedy went on for weeks.   Who could do this to their own kids and why? It came out that his ex-wife had a restraining order against him.   He also had an alcohol problem. Think of the anger that was festering in him. The wrath he must have felt toward his ex raged in his heart until one day he just snapped. So many lives forever changed.   So many questions as to how this could have been prevented. Didn’t someone see his spiralling downward and try to help? Where was his support?   I have the same questions about the school shooter in Uvalde Texas in the US. Didn’t anyone see the warning signs and try to reach out. The s...

The US reached a stark milestone this month of 100,000 people dying of drug overdoses in one year. That is 275 overdose deaths every day.   In Canada, 20 people die every day from overdose. It is considered immoral in some circles to demand anything from an addict which helps not the addict or the city.   In Michael Shellenberger’s book, San Fransicko, why progressives ruin cities he writes that calling the problem homelessness rather than open air drug scenes you neglect the fundamental problem which is lack of a system and planned strategy for helping people off the streets. The homeless have a life on the streets high on meth, shooting heroine and smoking fentanyl.   No one can coerce them into getting treatment because they don’t want treatment and public intoxication isn’t a crime anymore because they don’t want addicts in jail.   Public officials are finding out quickly that ignoring the problem doesn’t make it go away. Shelters have rules and cities shou...

 How is a person with disabilities, mental health issues and addictions supposed to improve their lot in life when the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) benefits get clawed back whenever they go out and work for extra income.  We discriminate because we don’t understand the struggle is real for so many Canadians trying to live on $1100 per month or less. Under this benefit, they can earn an extra $200 per month before the government starts clawing back the benefits. With no incentives, no encouragement, job coaching or family support such as transportation or childcare for example, how is it possible that someone can lift that boot off their neck?   It takes a toll on someone’s health trying to get basic needs met, trying to reach out to people who do not listen, trying to do the right thing and make good decisions.  Throw in some addiction, depression and violence and you have yourself a taste of what it is like living hand to mouth year after year afte...

When I read your note about all your feelings and ways in which you beat yourself up I thought it's no wonder she's having a rough time. I agreed with many things you said and believe me your self awareness is pretty good but not as gentle as I would like for my oldest daughter. Acceptance is just sitting quietly and acknowledging what's true. What's true is you're having a wonderful time and there are days when you meltdown. What's true is that you have limiting beliefs about yourself and are ordering shit sandwiches instead of roast beef. You are Gold my dear. Your greatest worry shouldn't be that you are nuisance to someone else. There is no such thing as a 'great' worry. Worries aren't great. This approval seeking is immobilizing you and making you neurotic but don't worry my sweet daughter it happens to the best of us. This universal popularity you so desire with every fiber of your being is.... well.... shall we say a waste of ...

I was raised in a household in seventies where nurturing a child’s self-esteem would be considered laughable.   I remember hearing, “good kids should be seen and not heard” and my Father would get a few laughs saying that “the joys of raising kids are grossly exaggerated.” I know that my Father loved me, but I did feel small and insignificant. Parents don’t purposely try to lower their child’s self-esteem.   It happens by accident.   We must remember our own baggage and not be a bully or worse, overcompensate by treating them like a victim.   There’s no power in being a victim. I remember notes being passed around in class. Am I The Only One?     Hats were getting rip off people’s heads, people were being followed home from school and tripped.   It’s not much different now but kids have lost their ability to cope. Social media has amplified this, and many can’t deal with the stress of not being accepted or good enough.   To make matters...