“Who are we anyway…?”
I attended a marketing workshop recently and learned a marketing golden rule: ‘Never put yourself out there on social media when you are in the midst of a meltdown.’ Vulnerability is fine, but not a full on meltdown. What an excellent piece of advice. Can I promise...
The Strength of Community
This past weekend I was in Toronto visiting my brother, Martin, who also is the Artistic Director for PTSD Hero Comics. Together with his family, we enjoyed a lovely dinner at an outdoor restaurant at Pape and Danforth. We skipped our usual second stop of ice cream at...
Taking that First Step
I remember from when I was a kid how my older brother and his friends were amusing themselves on a hot summer afternoon by jumping off a local shed roof. It was quite a height… perhaps seven or eight feet. Not wanting to be left out, I was determined to make the leap....
“I like to Rock!”
I’m working with a few veterans who have discovered the joys of guitar. Some play contemporary music, but surprisingly, most stick to the oldies. Good ol’ rock n’roll. I love to watch videos they show me of their playing, and the obvious pleasure it brings. Have I...
My (not so) Private Obsession
Ever been so obsessed with something that it’s all you can think about? That’s kinda me these days. I constantly think about the Landing Strong Program. It’s almost all I talk about. It’s become a bit of a problem for me. I seem to have sidestepped small talk, and get...
What Inspires You?
I had a first responder in my office this week who totally inspired me. In his journey of recovery, he’s picked up a new hobby. It’s healthy, active, and encompasses much of his free time when he’s not working. He wonders if this new obsession is healthy. He’s been...
Surviving PTSD… like a fish out of water
I remember when the kids were little, they had a pet Betta fish. For some reason, that only they would understand, they named it “Llama." One day, I asked my son to clean the fish water. He happily obliged, but left the small round fish bowl on the bathroom sink (with...
“Can you have too much of a good thing?”
“Mom can we go to Italy?” my daughter called out to me when she was little. Wondering why she would ask such a thing, I enquired further, “Why do you want to go to Italy honey?” “Because it would make me happy," she replied. “Happy?” “Yes happy!” she explained,...
“It really stinks!”
It really stinks... a corner in the reception area of my office, that is. I can’t figure out why. I’ve looked everywhere for the source of the smell, but I can’t find it. Normally the waiting room area is a fresh sunny place where people comment on the pleasing...
Naked and Afraid
Anyone who knows me well also knows that I love a challenge. This may be, in part, why I so much enjoy the show Naked and Afraid. It’s not that I have the desire to be dropped in the middle of some foreign wasteland with a complete stranger and no clothing. Quite the...
