It’s officially fall here on the West Coast of Canada. The mornings are cooler. The leaves are turning those gorgeous shades of red, gold and orange before making their way to the ground. Kids are back at school, routines are returning, and many of us are trying to shake off our summer “daze” and recalibrate. And if you’re feeling a little unsettled right now, you’re probably not alone. Transitions can be challenging at the best of times. They disrupt our routines, ask us to

Image created by ChatGPT Jun 8-26 The past two weeks have been very challenging for me. I had a bit of health scare, where I originally thought possible heart issue, which turned out to be something else (massive heart burn coupled with a pulled muscle). I had woken up with this strange sensation of feeling like I had something pressing on my esophagus - not the “I-have-a-sore-throat” feeling. I’d had heartburn before, but this felt different. I shared my concerns with my hus

Spring has sprung The grass is riz' I wonder where the birdies is? ~Sometimes credited to E.E. Cummings or Odgen Nash (Image created by ChatGPT) This was a cute little poem my dad used to say, in his Scottish accent, at the beginning of spring. The thought of it, puts a smile on my face. He always had such a joy for life and an appreciation for the simple things, like ice cream with KitKat laying in front of a warm fire, storytelling of cold weather and taking solace in a cav

Reflecting on my weekend, I think overall I stayed true to ‘my plan.’ What’s the plan? Well, before I answer that, I think it’s important to situate that the plan is in relation to being an alcohol minimalist. An alcohol minimalist is someone who drinks mindfully, prioritizes alcohol-free days, and maintains a peaceful, intentional relationship with alcohol without relying on it to cope or socialize (Co-Pilot). When I began my journey to find a better balance, I stumbled up

Those are words that are usually associated with relaxation but not how my daughter (22) described it. I had this great conversation with her about how I’d made some ‘bad choices’ over the weekend and it left me with those feelings of shame and guilt. She smiled at me and simply said, “Sometimes we need to be kicked, so we can get up and kick back. Doesn’t mean we haven’t made progress.” She is so wise! Thinking back, I don't regret the time I spent, or the money I spent (wel

Life can be hard some days. My hard is relative of course. I feel very supported by my friends and family, have a roof over my head, food in the fridge, and clean clothes. My ‘hard’ days look more like, dealing with stressful situations, trying to keep myself regulated, helping my kids navigate their life challenges, trying to support my team members through personal and professional growth, helping my mum with her health needs, managing pet care, exercising, finding time to