Notice.

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According to the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention, over 3700 Canadians die by suicide each year: 10 each day. And it is estimated that between 6 and 28 people are deeply affected by each suicide. I know from personal experience that's true.

It amazes me how people sometimes conspire to ensure others are happy. Thank goodness for sneaky people who notice, especially when laughter disguises and deflects.

Notice.

"Comedy is acting out optimism." ~Robin Williams

Things that deserve the stink-eye:

companies that attempt to connect with disenfranchised youth by glorifying dysfunction and greed and essentially exploit them.

Swim it out.

Do this. It rocks. 

What builds muscle mass and improves endurance? What protects us from joint stress and strain? What helps alleviate arthritis? What improves cardio-respiratory fitness and burns calories almost as efficiently as cycling? What works almost all our muscles? What is effective when we're old or injured? What cools the body (and the mind)?

Ice cream (especially root-beer floats).

I wish. Actually, if you were thinking eating of any kind (instead of swimming), sadly that is incorrect, but I like the way you think.

This year, one of the hottest I can recall, I have gone swimming in

a.       a pool.

b.      the ocean.

c.      with a bear, literally (thankful he kept to his own side of the river and left fairly quickly).

d.      in that shimmery-shade-of-sugary-blue glacial water.

This was weird. I seldom swim. For me, clothing is rarely optional and water and I haven’t always been in a trustworthy relationship. Yet, in that water whether it was salty or freezing or a little too populated, I couldn’t help but unwind. And it made me wonder:

1.      Maybe flying is actually floating.

2.      Maybe swimming washes away more than we realize.

3.      Maybe swimming resets perspective.

4.      Where else can you pee your pants in public?

5.      Maybe swimming makes us young again.

6.      Maybe it’s impossible to be unhappy in the water.

“For whatever we lose (like a you or a me), it’s always our self we find in the sea.” –e.e. cummings

Go swim. 

A Recent Selfie

Yup. It's me.

At the end of this month, both my teens will move away to University/College. This recent selfie will help them remember what I look like (and what I mostly do.)

Wordfuse (Rumour Edition)

Know the feeling?

For some people, gossip is so juicy, it gushes.

Things that deserve the stink-eye:

my teens. Sigh.

Plus this. Hmm.

Just so you know the answer is no.

Is it ever worth it or at all necessary to line-up to buy the newest version of anything?

Things that are most likely the devil:

Dear Trail Mix,

How I love you. Plus I want to punch you in the face.

Sure sure. You are a convenient, healthy snack to take while hiking blah blah blah BUT there's this too:

1. I don't hike. And I'm 99% sure that 93% of the people who buy or make trail mix do not hike.
2. Bears like trail mix too. See #1.
3. Whoa. I just had a moment: when bears eat trail mix am I the not-so-secret added ingredient?
4. You are not healthy. In all your deliciousness and apparent abundance of good cholesterol or whatever Dr. Oz is bullshitting about this week, why oh WHY are you like 6,349 calories per handful? WHY? (4.1 The real reason you are unhealthy: I can eat 17 handfuls before I even realize it.)
5. I always eat the M&Ms / Smarties first. You KNOW this yet those pesky geriatric raisins you insist on including get in the way and I accidentally ingest one or two so why oh WHY aren't you easier to eat?
6. Raisins are crap.
7. You need more chocolate. (I have heard some describe you as "M&M's with obstacles.")
8. You're so hipster. What's next: quinoa?
9. I just googled you and "surprise," quinoa trail mix balls are a thing now. My reaction: NO. And by no I mean I would probably try them.
10. Trail mix balls? Ha. Seriously? Let's leave Bear Grylls out of this. Anyway, new versions of trail mix are unnecessary: just omit raisins.

Oh Trail mix, I just realized something else. Maybe I'm projecting my dislike of raisins onto you?

Wow. Thanks for the eating disorder too trail mix.

Surprise

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“Nothing surprises me anymore.” We've all heard this statement. Maybe we've even used it to summarize something difficult to fathom. Just watch the news. Never-ending conflicts. Never-ending greed. Never-ending mixed-up priorities. A whole lot of stupidity. That sort of thing can turn a person into a cynic, a cynic who says things like “nothing surprises me anymore.” But be honest: is that really the truth?

A few days ago, my bee-keeper (don't you have one?) told me that one honeybee makes less than a teaspoon of honey in its entire lifetime. Mind = blown. Honestly, I’m still quite surprised by so many things:

1.      That someone is reading this.

2.      Pancakes; I’m always delightfully surprised when someone makes pancakes.

3.      Syrup: it’s basically tree barf, isn't it?

4.      How much food I can shove down my throat in one go.

5.      Inner strength. (It’s like we all have a surprisingly deep well somewhere when needed.)

6.      Acceptance.

7.      Forgiveness.

8.      Pure compassion.

9.      What people wear (or don’t wear) at the beach.

10.  The weather.

11.  How moving a beautiful voice can be.

12.  New words. Latest favourite: carpe noctem. (It’s Latin for “seize the night.”)

13.  Technology. I very nearly walked into the back of a truck while texting the other day.

14.  The things we all obsess about, like shoes or cars or bacon or emojis or whatever.

15.  How complicated coffee is now.

16.  How much I've accomplished in my life.

17.  How much I haven’t.

18.  Spiders.

19.  Hugs. (Definitely not spider hugs although that’s a surprise I can live without.)

20.  How just a few happy words can sometimes change the way everything feels.

Things one should never outgrow:

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birling.

(Keep your log spinning.)

(If you fall, get back on.)