Author Archive
Woofstock and The Case for Living with Pets
Posted by: | CommentsIf having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans. – James Herriot
Come June and it is Woofstock time again in Toronto. For years my husband and I had been considering adding a dog to our family. But busy careers and constant travel and mobility kept us in a state of suspended animation for much longer than I care to remember.
However every year, we were unanimous in our mutual agreement to visit the Woofstock festival and pretend for a space of time that all the dogs there belonged to us!
This year, we took our little Ginger out on her first outing to meet other waggy tailed people of her ilk. Our earliest observation of her behaviour towards other dogs is that she did not care much for canine attention. Especially when inquisitive little dogs snuffled her ears and were generally annoying to her. She is her own little person with a royal identity of her own.
I knew from my experience of walking her last summer, that she was terrific for my waistline as I dropped two clothes sizes in a few short weeks and have been looking forward to shedding my store of winter pounds as quickly as I could. Little did I know that Ginger could help our health in other ways too! Read More→
The Riddle of Risk
Posted by: | CommentsMan cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to leave the shore – Andre Gide
Risk has been defined as the chance of injury or loss, a hazard or danger.
Now if Risk-taking means a definite chance for a loss, I respectfully disagree. The only possible loss is the loss of that which you don’t want- your current results.
I have always had a high tolerance for risk. And as I reflect on my life and the many risky decisions I took which have brought me to this place in my life, surrounded by these people, makes me wonder if the decisions I took were in fact a good thing. A very good thing!
We hesitate to leave the safety of our well worn paths and our comfort zones. Yet in order to grow we need to leave the seeming safety of our known world in quest for new horizons in order to grow. But therein lies the conundrum and the Riddle of Risk. Is it good for us or not? Read More→
How Does your Garden Grow?
Posted by: | CommentsIl faut cultiver son jardin; Cultivate the Garden within. – Voltaire, Candide
Spring is here heralding the appearance of the darling buds of May. The Cherry blossom trees are in full bloom with the perfume of the petals spilling out into the surrounding yards and streets and while the beauty of the flowers is fleeting, the fragrance seems to linger on.
Somehow this season symbolizes growth to me. There is the freshness of growing grass around us, little baby rabbits and chipmunks abound in the fields and hills around us. The trees are in leaf, with all of them bursting forth into delicate pale green foliage at the same time in response to some hidden conductors cue.
Everywhere I walk, there is the enticing smell of freshly watered soil, the refreshing moistness of freshly mowed grass, newly planted saplings and flower beds and even the weeds are topped with delightful sunny yellow and bright blue flowers. Every garden I see holds the promise of growth and beauty. Read More→
The Indispensable Person
Posted by: | CommentsThe cemetaries of the world are full of Indispensable Men. Charles de Gaulle
One of the keys to being in high demand is to make yourself difficult to replace. However make no mistake, no one, not even you, are infallible or indispensable.
On Chasing Rabbits and the Multitasking Myth
Posted by: | CommentsTo do two things at the same time is to do neither – Publilius Syrus, Slave in the first century, B.C.
Spring came reluctantly but it is here at last with fresh green grass on the slopes of the hills around us and bouncy little rabbits popping out of holes eveywhere.
Our little dog Ginger is perplexed. She cocks her little head in bewilderment, first this way and then that, at how the bunnies pop in and out of the field, give her a come hither flicker of tufty tail and then disappear swiftly into the ground.
She goes quite crazy chasing first this rabbit, and then that, catching neither in her hot pursuit of the cheeky little teases. Never having caught a wild rabbit either, I was wondering if I was qualified to give her tips on how to chase one rabbit at a time , with single minded focus, in order to stand a chance of catching it! Read More→
