Words are how I understand how I feel
I don't make things with my hands, that often. Apart from the time I spend in the kitchen crafting meals, I'm not really someone who "makes" things,...
Third places after the pandemic
One of the questions that comes up often when we're having video chats, either at work or in our personal lives, is about the first place where we will go...
The sounds of the tea kettle
I have taken to listening, with conscious intention, to the sound of the kettle as I make my tea. The kettle always starts with a low hum, as if it is...
Finding it hard to write
When the pandemic shutdowns and closures started ramping up two weeks ago—when people were recommended to stay home and only go out for essential services—I...
Pandemic panic
It's hard not to panic when the state of the world is changing by the minute. Even for someone who is notorious for being level-headed and (perhaps too)...
To quiet the racing mind
A few unrelated, miscellaneous things that have been occupying my thoughts recently, in no particular order: 1. Jesse Wente, on our national broadcaster,...
Finding the things that you love
Today is Valentine's Day, and so I'm asking you to write a love letter. Last week, L and I went to a pop-up supper club hosted by a very talented couple who...
That’s okay
Some days, you have nothing to say. And that’s okay. Some days, you have so much on your mind and can’t figure out how to get it all out in a way that makes...
An orchestra outside
I’m not sure when I became someone who wears headphones over his ears every time he ventures out of the house. I’d like to blame audiobooks, or podcasts, or...
Ferry breakfast
Today, on the third day of the new year, I woke up thinking of ferry breakfast. The BC Ferries ships that head to the Southern Gulf Islands all have a small...
Slowing down at the end of the year
Our friends started receiving our Christmas cards in late November this year. December is always a busy month: between wrapping up things for the end of the...
A haircut, and a chance
A little over halfway through my freshman year, almost two decades ago, I agreed to let my friend S cut my hair. S had never cut anyone's hair before, and...
The physical design of our neighbourhood acts against the creation of community
We didn’t have any trick-or-treaters come to our door last week for Halloween, so I’ve taken on the formidable task of eating all these chocolate bars...
An abundance of apples
Every year, by mid-October, our home is filled with an abundance of apples. Even after making apple crisps and apple crumbles, even after taking apples into...
We didn’t have a TV set, but I still had Sesame Street
We didn’t have a television when I was really young, but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t get to watch TV. Our neighbor down the hall in our building was a...
Conversations, thoughts, and hope
A few disparate, unrelated, unedited and unrevised reflections from the past two weeks: I have had to explain the concept of minstrelsy to at least a dozen...
First responder
Cleo, our cat, has become my first responder when I am feeling the onset of a panic attack. I’ve had enough panic attacks by now to be able to feel them...
A mile in someone else's shoes
I was reminded that L (my wife) and I wear the same size of footwear—yes, I have small feet—when she recently came home with a pair of shoes with a floral...
Suspended at the top of the world
At the top of Scex Rouge, as part of the Glacier 3000 experience, there's a suspension bridge between two peaks that sits 9,800 feet above sea level. Around...
You—each and every one of you—have my endless gratitude
Sometimes, all you can say is thank you. Today is one of those days where I don’t have anything to say but to express gratitude for everyone who has reached...
