The moment you stare into someone’s car
Have you ever pulled your car up to a stoplight and glanced over at the driver in the car beside you. Magically, somehow they know you’re looking at them. They stare right back. Just by looking at someone, you change your relationship with them. By looking at...
In search of the perfect cookie
The chocolate chip cookie. What a perfect creation. Whether it was first made by accident, or a flash of brilliance and loose hand with chocolate, this mouth-watering creation has remained a classic for many years. This year, Mackenzie made it a goal to perfect her...
A waste of lime
It’s amazing how two people can hear the same thing but interpret it in entirely different ways. Joe and I were at the cottage recently, and he shared a line from a country music song he’d heard recently that he found amusing. The song is by Ingrid Andress,...
Everybody needs a prickle
We all need to have a sense of belonging. Even porcupines need to connect. Did you know that a group of porcupines is called a prickle? Even if we don’t look approachable, it doesn’t mean we aren’t looking to connect.I have a friend Kari MacLeod who walks both her...
If I just block out the pain…
I see a lot of people who tell me that they don’t know what they’re feeling.Years of pain have led them to block off emotion. An effort at self-protection.This may be very smart over the short term. If we are immersed in a situation that is truly intolerable, it can...
Sleepwalking through life
Many clients believe that change is sudden and dramatic. Sometimes it’s like that. But in my experience, more often, change is more like a gradual awakening, like a bear stirring in it’s cave after a long hibernation.It’s easy to sleepwalk through our lives. We jump...
The beauty of simplicity
Summer is often a time of travel and exploration. This year will be no different.I won’t be leaving the province, but instead will enjoy a staycation, looking more closely at the wonder of things closer to home. Last weekend, Joe and I walked a dark laneway near our...
Measuring growth
On the surface, a young seedling looks fragile. In fact, it has likely spent a good deal of energy and time growing roots, and building strength even before it breaks the earth’s surface.Trauma recovery is like that. Chances are, a great deal of growth happens even...
You do you
It’s been a few weeks now since we’ve been allowed out and I still can’t get my haircut. Things are returning to normal, but not for me. My roots are exposed, clear as day for everyone to see. I feel vulnerable, and less than my best self. Everyone around me is...
Two steps forward, one step back
They may reappear when you least expect it. Just when things were getting better, a symptom returns, reminding you of a past that you had hoped was left behind. What does it mean when old symptoms reappear? Even when you're working hard on your recovery, it's normal...
