Passion Power

A good friend is like a four-leaf clover, hard to find and lucky to have. There is mutual trust that builds up in lifelong friends. William Shakespeare wrote, “a friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become and still, gently allows you to grow.”   I also believe that friendship is the secret sauce to a lasting marriage. There are many obligations in life and friendship should not be one of them. Friends aren’t there to live up to our expectations. If you put too much pressure on a friendship it will fizzle away. Friendships evolve as people do.   If we don’t see each other in a while we can pick up where we left off.   Sometimes we must forgive our friends because the friendship is more important than the grudge. I have friendship requirements, but it doesn’t matter what your status is.   You have to be a fairly positive person and a decent human being.   No haters and no victims. You must accept me...

I have no idea how to have a caring conversation with someone who always plays the victim card.   Am I the only one? Victims feel sorry for themselves and blame other people. Yes of course there are genuine victims that we must help.   Then there are fake victims who have this underlying envy and an inventory of excuses for why they can’t have what they want.   People who can’t see the forest through the trees have a thick layer of denial.   That’s a hole I won’t be climbing into anytime soon. I recognize that every situation requires a response from me and although my first impulse may be to blame someone else or feel sorry for myself, I remind myself that it will not give me what I want. At some point you have to jump into the driver’s seat and create the life you want rather than make excuses for why your life is unsatisfying.   A victim mentality lets you take the moral high ground.   All it really is if you look at it is the refusal to take respons...

  I have always treated new years as a fresh start.   Like God hit the reset button and gave us all a new beginning.   So why is it already mid-January and I haven’t made a single goal for 2021.   There is no plan. I don’t really like it very much.   It seems perfectly reasonable to make new year’s resolutions and if you are all about positive change as I am, you plan out the year.   Without goals we are tossed around like a flag in a windstorm, right?   It seems unfathomable to just see what happens. What kind of crap is that? My husband’s resolution every year is just to be better than he was the year before. I ask him to be more specific, but he says no to me every time.   Last year a global pandemic, completely out of our control thrusted us into this abyss that we are still trying to climb out of.   It taught me that life is unpredictable.   We’ve had to learn how to adapt to new conditions, overcome challenges and improvise...

 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...

I think it is a fabulous idea to write your own personal political manifesto. Am I the only one that gets annoyed when leaders speak,” on behalf of all Canadians or Ontarians.” How is that even possible? What I learned through the US election is that mass media is tilting society towards ‘crazy town’ and trying to throw us into separate camps. The best way to avoid group polarization is to march to the beat of your own drum, have your own set of values and a political manifesto to adhere to. Now I can focus on the issues I care about without getting lost in the weeds?  I can lay all my cards on the table because I am irrelevant. I am an ordinary, unseen member of society with the right to cast my vote and voice my quibbles. I have nothing to gain and nothing to lose. I cannot get cancelled. Just a regular schmo. I am not going to get elected or hired or fired. I will not lose my job or position. I have no coworkers to posture around. I have no power or authority. I have no group or...

Let us not open the border just because Canadians decide they do not want to be Canadians this winter. Am I the Only One? Seniors want to leave the country and travel to their summer retreats and no pandemic will get in their way. Oh, I get it, summer activities and outdoor fun have come to an end. Winter can be cold and cruel not to mention the white stuff. It gets dark by 4 o’clock and if the sun just happens to be out it is 20 degrees colder. But wait a minute. The Americans were locked out of Canada all summer. They had places to go and people to see too. Why are people acting so entitled?   As we get older and the world changes around us. We either become more accepting or we get more demanding. Then I remembered Lois. Lois was my 80-year-old neighbour who had a cute little cottage across the street. She offered no commentary on the neighbours, did not say much about current events or grumble about association fees or the price of groceries or the weather. In fact,...

Lessons from Covd-19 For many of us, the pandemic has reduced to tatters the illusion that nothing could catastrophically go wrong in the world. Mainstream media will continue to bombard us with gloom and doom reporting, misinformation, political turmoil, and social unrest. I try and maintain a healthy perspective. Perhaps this cosmic reset button will be good for us and help us align with a higher purpose. I count my blessings so that I focus on what I appreciate and value in my life. There will always be something to grumble about but during the pandemic it is important to cultivate a good mindset. Gratitude is a rediscovery of what we often take for granted and what is important to us. What else can I learn about myself and others through this experience?  My Mom always said that greed is a terrible thing. I think she was right. Maybe it is enough to have a place to call home and people to love. The comfortable homes we live in, the cars we drive, the beds we sleep in, w...