And It Begins....

 Hi!

Well, it's that time of year again!

Holiday season? Sure! But, the time of year I'm talking about is the minus double digit temperatures and snow!

We do have to admit, at least where I live, that having this kind of weather wait until the clock strikes December is a win!  But, somehow even when you know it's coming, even when you appreciate the reprieve of waiting, the cold still hits, especially for the first few days. 

It's kind of like having an old acquaintance to whom you manage to be civil, that you even kind of like, depending on the circumstances, show up at your your door. They appear sort of within the time frame they said they would, but they are kind of obnoxious, full of bluster, they make a bunch of extra work for you when they visit, and make a habit of overstaying their welcome. 

When I step outside and the familiar prickle of the air hitting my face makes me wince, I think for about a microsecond, why do I live where it hurts to breathe for way too much of the year?

And then I remember... because it's Canada.

Sometimes I receive comments on here and through other means that tell me I'm a hypocrite, that Canada is a mess, is horribly corrupt, and a garbage place to live. 

I can only assume these comments come from people who either have never experienced Canada, or have a tough time with the process of critical thinking, and/or are not incredibly discerning when it comes to distinguishing fact from fiction. 

So, this next bit is for you.

From World Atlas's list of most loved countries in the world right now, Canada ranks #1

From Reputation Labs' list of countries with the best reputations, Canada ranks #2, right behind Switzerland.

Fun fact: The United States was nowhere to be found on either list.

Our unemployment rate is down, our GDP is growing, as are our wages, although at a slower pace than we'd like, and our inflation has flatlined. 

I'm not making this up, you can google it. 

So, before you come for me because I make fun of your sleepy, creepy, Cheeto in charge, calling me names, and exposing your ignorance for all the world to see, please do some homework. 

Donnie dearest is sleeping in meetings and press conferences, but is up all night frantically exposing his senility in rants on social media.

He's old, his brain is mush, and he was never that bright to begin with, so the slide down is from a short hill. 

I can't imagine how frustrating it must be to watch your hero fall. To discover things about him and his buddy Epstein that you wish you could explain away. To have sooooo many truths come to the surface all at once, truths that aren't going away.

It was bound to happen. Truth always finds it's way from shadows into the light, exposed for all to see. The trick for some will be the willingness to finally accept the reality that follows. 

We tried to warn you that this is who he is. We tried over and over again, to no avail.

Yeah....

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One day You're Just Driving Along...

 

Hi!

Life, as you know, can, and usually is, completely unpredictable. It takes you to places you didn't plan on going. It nudges you toward and away from spaces. You plan, you agonize over what might happen ten years from now, assuming that you have some sort of control over what that may be.

We all do it. It gives us a sense of comfort to feel like we control what happens in our lives. I think it's natural to want to do so.

If you look back on your adult life, how much of it was under your control compared to responding to circumstances you had no hand in creating. You, then, found yourself relying on your gut instincts as to what the next move should be, making choices. We make choices for sure, but the reasons we are needing to make them are the result of life just... lifing. 

The good news is this. If we truly follow what the deepest parts of us guide us to do, we generally land just where we are supposed to be when we are supposed to be there. We feel it when it happens. there is a sense of contentment, of belonging. Life becomes less stressful, peace becomes more than just a possibility.

It doesn't mean where you land is always going to be without challenges, because we need those to grow, but it makes the challenges more palatable, turning what would have felt like climbing a treacherous, ice-covered mountain into a nice hike up a hill with incredible scenery along the way. 

Lean into what lights you up, it will always get you closer to the kind of peace that feeds true contentment. 

One day you are just driving along, the next, there are dinosaurs dancing at a wedding! Embrace the dinosaurs! Unpredictability... embrace it.

****************************************************

This weekend, our neighbours to the south are celebrating Thanksgiving. They are doing so as some of their leadership sends out messages of well wishes for the holiday, while they, in the same breath say horrible things about immigrants.

Did they miss the part of history class that explains the reason there is a "thanksgiving?"

It's truly baffling, the lack of thought process. These are the people making the most important decisions in your government.

Anyway, happy Thanksgiving neighbour! I sincerely hope you and your families have a fabulous weekend!

Full Of Laughter And Light...

 Hi.

This week, it's personal.

When you come from a family, the size of which would fill a forest, not just a tree, the unwelcome heaviness of saying good-bye comes far too often.  

This is Debbie. 

Although a family the size of ours tends to spread out over time, the connections remain. Debbie was one of my cousins who grew up and lived in the same town as I. She was a few years older, but I spent a ton of time at their house growing up, and was privileged to spend some time in the same town as she and her husband lived when they were a new family finding their legs, and I was fresh from the nest. 

From what seemed like a mount Everest type adventure with Katimavik, right out of high school to the shenanigans of her country kitchen days, to becoming a wife and mom, and caring for people for a living, she lived a big life, though, not nearly long enough.

I will always remember Debbie as a kind, adventurous spirit, always full of life and laughter. Although we didn't see much of each other as full grown adults, she was such a bright light for so many, even when she was so young, I can't imagine that diminished in any capacity as she spread her wings, over time, further from home.

I know she was surrounded by love as her soul took flight from the confines of the body that could no longer support her. As there is some solace in that, because of that love, there will be far too many that will so deeply feel this loss.

It's a privilege to love deep enough to mourn someone once they've gone, and a privilege to be loved enough to be mourned. That privilege does little to ease the pain, especially in the moment, but is what helps us put one foot in front of the the other as we walk through the fog of it. 

When the memories begin to bring more smiles than tears, and the deepest, darkest heaviness begins to fade, and we, once again, can begin to take in full breaths, the privilege of that love is what encourages  us as we keep going, doing our best to live the life they would have wanted for us. 

*****************************************

Deb...

So full of mischief and light, laughter and love.

You will be sooooooo missed. 

This Is What A New Day Looks Like...

 

Hi!

Truth is tough. Truth is resilient. Truth can only be hidden for so long before it makes itself known. It finds its way to the surface... always... even when weighed down in the darkest deepest cesspool. 

Truth doesn't disappear because you want to pretend it isn't true, you pretend its a hoax. 

Truth is making its way to the surface, honing in on the Cheeto in Chief and is about to celebrate with the best come-back story ever. The truth has been beaten up, abused, ignored, trampled on, almost murdered in plain sight, and dismissed as non-existent by this horrible being and his minions for far too long. 

The survivors are not a hoax. 

When the most disgusting pedophile in modern history calls his buddy Donnie dirty... it makes you wonder what qualifies as dirty to a guy like that. What would he find "dirty." Obviously what he deemed acceptable was heinous in any decent human's mind, what does "dirty" even look like? I can't imagine, and, frankly, don't want to give it too much thought or I might throw up.

The disgusting squatter of the Whitehouse has openly admitted, repeatedly, while being recorded, to things that make our skin crawl. He's oblivious as to the difference between right and wrong, good and evil. He can't seem to comprehend that female humans are people with rights equal to his own. In his mind, these children were his play things for him to do with as he pleased. He wanted... so he took. 

The Truth is patient, but determined. It can't be avoided forever. 

I guess my question is this.

Once everything that has been hidden in the shadows finally comes irrefutably to light, will that finally be the line in the sand? Will that finally be a bridge too far? Will raping children be the final straw? Or is the kool-aid so potent that even this horrific truth can't penetrate the fog?

One can only hope those that are left worshipping this bag of crap will finally have the blinders lifted.

Let's hope. 

This is what a new day looks like. Truth always wins. 

The Skies...Ever Changing...

 

Hi!

The skies, ever changing, the winds ever shifting, the pendulum swings in perpetuity.

People who have never been hungry, giggle in delight at the thought of making those who already struggle, suffer more. They feast on decadent treats as they demand the courts allow them this cruelty. 

Lines form in record fashion, waiting for portions donated, not by those who feed on king crab and lobster, but those who are but a heartache away from being in the line themselves. 

They drink champagne in designer clothes, while fawning over million dollar cars as millions lose hope, for they will no longer be able to afford the medical treatment they so desperately need. 

This twisted distortion of humanity gloats as they bathe in their delusions of superiority, even as they suffer a multitude of losses across the country they are so determined to rip apart. 

Crimson red is weakening, becoming more purple in hue, purple is becoming more blue. The blue tent is getting bigger, stronger, is fired up and ready to take this fight from the streets into the ballot  box.

All of this on the eve of the day we honour our veterans. Those who have, and continue to sacrifice for our freedoms. I can't imagine the frustration and pain they feel in this moment of history. 

Thank you to those who voted for the return of sanity and humanity. Keep up the fight! 

You got this!

Sooooo... Let Them Eat Cake... I Guess?

 Hi!

So, the Idiot that is currently squatting in a house that belongs to the people for which he spends all of his time conjuring new ways of abuse, threw a party last night.

Ironically, like using Village People music at his homophobe jamborees, his party was Gatsby themed. So you think for one second, it dawned on a single person attending this grotesque 'let them eat cake' moment that the Great Gatsby was a story of indulgence, corruption, greed, and how, unchecked by integrity, it implodes?

Do you think any of them were thinking of the people who were in lines that went around city blocks, waiting for whatever might be available at their local food banks due to the fact that they've been furloughed because dinglenuts and his crew of incompetence can't govern, the very job they were put there to do by the people standing in said lines. 

They had dancing girls, can't help but wonder if they were over 18, entertaining in the most cringe-worthy fashion. It felt like burlesque under duress. 

Meanwhile, back at the house, he's 'remodeling', which in Trump-speech means, ripping out historically respectful decor and replacing it with his gaudy, dementia-riddled sense of taste. It's like one of those renovation TV shows, only there's only one participant and they keep him drunk, high, and sleep deprived for the entirety of the project. 

Can you imagine living in a house, rent free, through a temporary privilege, bulldozing a sizable portion of it to build something the owners didn't ask for, and absolutely didn't approve of? Can you imagine if you were handing an amazing privilege such as this and then gutting the integrity of the place without permission?

What would the repercussions of that would be?

Vandalism. Breach of contract. Public nuisance. Eviction. 

He's partying while millions of people are very likely not going to have their SNAP payments on time, if at all.

Indulgence, corruption and greed. Zero integrity to keep it in check. 

The world is watching, wondering how this is being allowed to happen.

You can stop him. You got this!

This Is Real Life...

 Hi,

I simply can't imagine what it must be like to wake up every day in a country where your supposed leader is a senile toddler with no ability to think decisions through to their fruition, nor the consequences that might be attached to his lack of impulse control.

He cancels trade deal negotiations over an ad that speaks the truth he doesn't want others to believe, or even acknowledge, 

I mean, he's tearing down the East Wing of the Whitehouse, for Christ sake! Does he really think his health, such as it is, will even let him be around for the completed reveal of his ode to bad taste? Because that is highly unlikely. 

He does realize this isn't his own personal property right? He understands that simple fact, doesn't he? I hope the next president turns this temu temple to the Orange Cheeto into an immigration centre, or a homeless shelter, or a research facility, or maybe a rehab centre for surviving women and girls who have suffered at the hands of predators. 

I can't imaging, yet this is real life. Masked men are attacking and ripping people from the streets with their only offence being "not white." They are throwing elderly women to the ground if they have the audacity to speak up. 

He's taking actions that signal he is wanting to start conflict around Venezuela, sending a bunch of military personnel down there for no good reason. Putting your love ones in harm's way for what?

Your senile toddler needs a time out, and not the kind that requires your entire government to shut down.

You have people being forced to work for no pay. There's a word for that.

The 'No Kings' rally tells the world you have had enough. Let the ballot boxes do the same with such authority, they can't cry foul play. 

You need to. The world needs you to. Do it. You got this.