Valentine's Day pisses me off the way going to church can. A dozen long stem roses, a cheesy Hallmark card  or communion with God does not absolve you of your week long or year long lousy attitude, taking your life for granted  or your partner, children, family or friends, health or good fortune.  This is not the one day to show love, be good, be better than yesterday. Can't we do this all year long?I remember when my dad worked at IBM, there was this 'rule'  that there should be no surprises at review time.  This applies to all relationships.... More »

This is somewhat fascinating to me as it  stirs up a lot of emotion with the marrieds.You need to understand that, pretty much without exception, we would all rather be in a good and solid marriage.But we are not.We had to leave or be left.Now dating we are discovering much about ourselves and the 'outside' world.If we say outloud, "I want everything" we are met with gasps. Is it piggy or greedy to want everything and what does that mean?When I say what I want it is not about perfection or a certain look- in fact physical looks are dramatically less... More »

Leading a passionate life answers Maslow's highest need in the hierarchy-the need for self actualization because when you are passionate about what you are doing you are putting your unique whole self out there in all its glory. I call it 'feeling alive'.To help you arrive at this level of passion in you life, you can think about the following questions1. What do you love about yourself?2.What do you find easy?3.What are you happiest doing?4. What would you do for free?5. What do you like to talk about?6. What would you regret not having tried?7.How can you make the world... More »

I am in a big hurry to knock off some things from my BIGGER gotta do list. Next year I am having a big birthday - ( those of you who say '40?' are invited to my party) - and I am pretty sure this has something to do with it.I have wanted to get better at public speaking and so when I was asked to be the guest speaker  at an AGM for a not for profit that I am a big fan of- I could not resist. Because it scares me and makes me nervous.The topic was passion and... More »

"I'll have a tall, thin blonde. Care to join me?"                                                    Guy in front of me at Starbuck's this morning. He turned and winked at me, a little pleased with himself that he could order a girl and his coffee at the same time.Yes, Starbuck's has now come out with a light ,subtle, mellow roast they call 'blonde.'Subtle?Light? Mellow? Not this 'blonde'.... More »

Last night I went on a scary date.It was scary because I am very afraid of heights. It is maybe my only  fear and I have had it my whole life. It has stopped me from doing many things. I hate myself when I can't do something because of a fear.When we arrived at the climbing gym my mouth was hanging open. Here it is Friday night and all these people could have chosen to do anything they wanted. And they chose this? What is even more bizarre is that they appeared to be liking it.WTFWhen my friend proposed this... More »

As many of you know, my dad is in a long term care facility for  late stages of Lewy Body Dementia. I went to see him yesterday and I thought about something that has occurred to me several times over the last year. For those of you who dont know me I love him and I HATE this and  that likely goes without saying but worth saying in case you find this bizarre-  but at times I feel likeHe has taken one for the teamWhen someone you love so much gets sick- really sick- no turning back sick, they show... More »

"I would like to live like a poor man with lots of money"                             pablo picassoimagine you could be simple and pure, not weighed down by the negative effects of an abundance of money and power and still be totally you, the best version of you and yet never spend any time worrying about money.... More »

My book club chose this book for our latest read and the one to review at our annual book club weekend- no surprise that we would chose a title like this to jump start the new year.The book claims to revolutionize the way you live your life through the power of positive feelings and visualizing. It seemed only right that we would build the weekend around such a simple yet compelling notion.The weekend was a soul searching weekend and we organised food and exercise around that. Beyond the regular eating drinking talking laughing and preparing fabulous food- we meditated and... More »

 I find inanimate objects can hold a whole story and an entire set of memories.When I was at school, I had a soft pink shirt that my friend Nancy and I called "the kissing shirt" because  anyone who wore it would be so irrisistable that she would be kissed. That shirt got borrowed by so many girls for its magic powers. If I had that shirt today, it would tell many stories.Today, I have two  objects that hold many storiesOne is the 48 sidewalk squares between Sam's house and my house.On those squares in the last 4 years the six... More »