Simple words explaining complex ideas
A dictionary of ways to avoid annoying readers Early in the pandemic, many of my friends laughed when they heard their partners talk in zoom meetings for work. One friend said, “I didn’t know they were bilingual.” It turned out my friend’s partner was fluent in Management Speak. On zoom, they engaged stakeholders in paradigm-shifting…
Frustrated by your spell-checker? Learn to laugh at those squiggly red lines under our Canadianisms. Whether you’re a Canadian writer or someone who comes-from-away writing about us, you need to know these spellings and vocabulary unique to canucks (the people, not the hockey team). We start with a combination of British and American spellings. Then we mix…
I’ve spent years advising people to declutter their life because it will enhance their ability to focus. Clear away the nonsense and you’re left with what really matters, right? I started out this pandemic with heartbreak about a writing and yoga retreat I’d looked forward to for months. As I realized it would need to…
This story has nothing to do with anything, just a twitter thread reminded me of this hilarious saga so I thought I'd share. There's no lesson or point other than it still makes me laugh years later 😊 My daughter Julia loves animals and always says she can’t live in a house without them. I’m…
My passion for the outdoors, for the truth of nature, is matched by my love for a city where the truth of people is on full display, vivid and syncopated. I was disappointed to cancel my upcoming trip there, but it was a small sadness, an excuse to rebook for a longer visit another time.…
Like many, I was heartbroken to cancel upcoming trips, while also grateful that we got the lead time here in Canada to cancel things before it was too late (hopefully). Because it seemed ideal for the times, we did go on our planned March Break adventure: We stayed in the middle of the forest, in…
In yoga the Sanskrit word sukha is used to talk about the sense of ease. Sukhasana - easy pose - is sitting cross-legged. When I came back to yoga practice after years away, the gentle, kind instructor of our beginner class shocked us one day by saying we wouldn’t start the class lying on our backs…
Does the term self-care feel a bit icky to you? It’s used so broadly it had no meaning to me and conjured up images of Instagram ads for skin products. The idea behind it makes perfect sense: I care for my children, pets, friends, home … and for myself. But are skin products or having…
I used to have a wish list on Amazon, but I couldn't add the things I truly want. They can’t deliver on world peace or solutions to the climate crisis, and don’t seem to have any products to eliminate racism and sexism and ableism and ageism and all the other ways people are told they’re…
Blue Monday!? There's a tradition at my workplace for Blue Monday, where people wear their brightest, clashing-est clothing to fight off the darkness and cold of winter in Canada. I'm not sure the science behind it is solid, but it does mean I get to wear purple polka dot pajama pants all day so I…