Imagining that someone else has all the luck and opportunity slowly eats away at our mental strength and resourcefulness
My daughter has a Facebook friend whose life seems perfect. She lives in a gorgeous house, has a really rewarding career, and she and her family go on all kinds of exciting adventures. No matter where they are or what activity they’re involved in, the whole family appears carefree and joyful! This friend is constantly…
When crisis strikes, I instinctively wonder if there are any parallels and guidance I can take from my elders’ lives
There’s no shortage of anxiety right now. The reasons are ample: little children are aware of the climate change crisis; adolescents are boldly marching with Greta Thunberg to draw attention to the need to decarbonize our world; for months, financial analysts have been speculating on when the great stock market boom would end; the job…
There’s no U-Haul behind the hearse to carry it all anyway
Nearly 25 years ago, I declared a war on stuff. I was helping to clean out the house of a favourite relative who had died and there were moments when the sheer volume of stuff threatened to overwhelm us. Everything had to go, right down to the last nail in the shed. It was then…
Cookies and funerals remind us that our lives are greater than our physical presence in the here and now
I do not enjoy attending funerals. And yet, I frequently come away from a funeral feeling peaceful and uplifted, in a subdued sort of way. A well-celebrated funeral puts me in touch with humanity, and reminds me that each life has a transcendent meaning. As a funeral I once attended illustrates, the transcendent meaning of…
You need a last-minute gift? Here are a few ideas you can pick up or order for quick delivery during the holiday week – suitable for all ages. Table fun Jenga by Hasbro requires a little more brainpower than brawn. It’s a classic low-tech game, fun to play with family and friends of all ages. You…
Whales, glorious sunsets, warming fires, close-knit family, a hand-cut tree, elaborate toasts – and plaid!
The humpback whales were still breaching and blowing as we crossed by ferry from Little River to Powell River on our way back to Skelhp after a week with friends. In mid-December, the big ocean visitors begin their travels south, and once again the local orcas and sea lions become the dominant residents of the…
The pre-Christmas preparation can turn the jolliest of elves into Scrooges
I have a holiday cocktail napkin that reminds me to keep a sense of humour during the busy weeks leading up to Christmas Day. The napkin depicts a spotless 1950’s kitchen where a mother and daughter are preparing to take Christmas dinner out of the oven. The little girl looks excited about the feast ahead,…
Well-known risk factors undermine children’s health and development, but there are protective factors you can employ
Helicopter parenting. Tiger parenting. Free-range parenting. These are buzzwords we hear all the time that are supposed to describe the ‘best’ approaches for parents to take raising their children. We all want the best for our children, and parents happily and eagerly adopt the latest, greatest advice. Even governments enact legislation that promotes one approach…
We are a long way from identifying definitive biomarkers to illness and personalized gene therapies are likely generations away
By Nicole Letourneau and Suzanne Tough University of Calgary Genetics will save the day – that’s the message you see constantly in the media and even in academic literature. But it's a message that can distract us from providing quality care now. Newspapers herald breakthroughs in finding genetic biomarkers for autism. Magazines trumpet finding a…
Video game review: In this roguelike game, you take on the role of not one hero but an entire family
Children of Morta Developer: Dead Mage PC, PlayStation 4, Switch, Xbox One The gameplay in Children of Morta really shines. It's fast, fun, satisfying and continually fresh. Unfortunately, that exposes the shaky story and weak world-building of this new game. In Children of Morta, you take on the role of not one hero but an entire family, the…