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Posts from the ‘The Power of Community’ Category

Jul 21

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Of Hunger and Heat Waves: Why Our Current ‘Reverse Heat Stroke’ May be Crippling More Than Just Our Tans

I was teaching in one of the universities while the country was suffering from a severe famine. People were dying of hunger, and I felt very helpless. As an economist, I had no tool in my tool box to fix that kind of situation. – Muhammad Yunus

The sun is out. It is a ridiculously beautiful day. My kids are wearing short sleeves and getting ready to play in the yard. It’s wonderful, a welcome change from the summer-substituted overcast cold, which has the Wet Coast running for their fall sweaters and bellyaching about every aspect of our rain-torn lives.

Oh, no, I’m not ragging on anyone else. I’m one of the guilty.

Read more

Jul 13

Why I am Grateful for Demi Moore: CNN’s 2010 Woman of the Year, Anuradha Koirala

You know when people compare something to a trainwreck, meaning that they know they should look away but just can’t? Reading David Batstone’s Not For Sale is like a reverse trainwreck; you want to stop reading because its just so awful, what’s happening to these real, live, human beings, all over the world, but you know you shouldn’t. Every page that Read more

Jul 10

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Why The World Needs Strong Women, and Why Kate Hudson Would Have Made Me Jealous Six Years Ago

As many of you have heard, both Kate Hudson and Victoria Beckham welcomed babies this morning – a boy and a girl, respectively. I offer them both my congratulations and my condolences. Babies are always good news, hence congratulations, but I can not imagine what it would be like to have your baby’s arrival be announced to the whole world, hence, my condolences. Anyhow, that’s for another post, something like Why I’m Grateful that I’m Not a Celebrity, or 10,001 Reasons to Stay As Obscure As Possible. But the news Read more

Jul 5

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Monday’s Mama Musings, Just a Day Late: Its Okay to be You, and You, and You

I had intended to write a very short post this morning, something about contentment, or perhaps why conflict may not always be a bad thing, maybe. I had several adorable anecdotes to share with you all, moments that would make us smile at the curiosity and freshness of children. But spending a week away with those dearest to me and reconnecting with some whom I see but a few times a year has propelled me in a different direction. Read more

Jun 24

What Cancer Has Taught me, Part 359: How to Overcome the Haters

“Always remember that others may hate you but those who hate you don’t win unless you hate them. And then you destroy yourself.” – Richard M. Nixon

Confession: I hate being hated.

No, I’m not proud of that hating-being-hated thing. The very phrase is irrational. You and I both know that I’ve realized I’m not – nor are many of us – going to be popular. But there’s a vast difference between being popular and being despised. And though I’m desperately trying to turn those parts of myself that have been against things to be for them, this week, I’m having a little trouble with that. Read more

Jun 21

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What Cancer – and the Canucks – Has (Have) Taught Me, Part 358: Maybe Its Not Just a Game

Okay, okay, you can put the tomatoes back in the fridge drawer. You can stifle the ridiculous laughter. Before you wonder what psychological obsession I must have to be writing about hockey, again, be assured that what I’m about to say has really just nothing to do with something that trivial. Really.

I mean, hockey – it’s just a game.

Right? Read more

Jun 16

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What Cancer – or the Canucks – Has (Have) Taught Me, Part 357: Be the Change You Wish In Others

I know what you’re thinking (aren’t I always so perceptive?). Right now you either want to 1)not read this, or 2)run to the comments section – or my facebook profile – to tell me how evil the Canucks – or their city – are, and how dare I even suggest that this tragedy actually taught me something immensely positive this week…. but hear me out first, please. I don’t want to get my tear gas out. Word on the street is that the entire province is out of stock.

Ok, that was gong-worthy. But I had to try to lighten up one of the darkest days I’ve remembered in this part of the world. Read more

Apr 22

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What Cancer Has Taught Me, Part 356: Embrace your Inner Dork

Hey, you, over there, keep the L up in the air
Hey, you, over there, keep the L up, cause I don’t care
You can throw your sticks and
You can throw your stones
Like a rock and just watch me go, yeah
L-O-S-E-R, I can only be who I are

I know, you’re thinking, what? She’s excited to be a loser? And where’s the first 355 parts of what cancer has taught her? Let’s just say those 355 things are not really written down, because they don’t need to be. Those are the givens, all the cliches Read more

Nov 18

A Case for Christmas Cards

Every Christmas, it seems there’s more and more to do. Ironic that a holiday that should be about inner qualities of peace and joy, by its very over-eventfulness, robs us of those sweet sentiments and prayers for quietness and rest and joy that we send to family and friends.

That is, if you’re one of those people who like to send Christmas cards.

Every year, I argue with myself. Cards or no cards? Read more

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