Why waste your energy playing games? Isn’t it time to cry your tears; to shout your passion; to dance like Zorba; and to let your soul touch the Soul of the world? William Martin It was January, 2024 and Reen and I were headed to Brandi Carlile’s Girls Just Wanna Weekend music festival in … Continue reading Dancing #1000wordsofsummer
Parts Work
The parts of mewho used to give a shitabout what we are “supposed” to doare hiding out backsmoking a jointWhile the partwho wants to danceis doing cartwheelsin the front yardafter spending the morningdrinking mimosason a rocky beachflirting with a sunburnAnd for a momentall the partsare at peace
Lunch #1000wordsofsummer
When we moved from our small town in Wisconsin to urban Toronto, it came with many changes. One was a significant career shift for my husband, Tim. In Wisconsin, Tim had been a practicing attorney. And while he loved the mental wrestling with a complex legal challenge, his ADHD made efficiency exceptionally difficult. Much of … Continue reading Lunch #1000wordsofsummer
Party #1000wordsofsummer
My dad was the eldest of 5, and the only one to move (slightly) away. The rest of his siblings all lived within roughly 15 miles of each other and I had loads of cousins. When I was growing up, these cousins would all have massive family birthday parties. One of my favourites was when … Continue reading Party #1000wordsofsummer
Divorce #1000wordsofsummer
The first people I knew who got divorced were my uncle Randy and aunt Cathy. Apparently she had fallen in love with someone she worked with and decided to leave my uncle. Their marriage had been challenging, as he was an alcoholic, but he’d gotten sober and was absolutely head-over-heels for their little girl. When … Continue reading Divorce #1000wordsofsummer
Perfume #1000wordsofsummer
My mom hated perfume. She said it gave her a headache. But really, I think it was the combination of ALL the perfumes mixing and swirling around the car following a shopping trip that was truly the culprit. You see, my grandma – she loved perfume. As a kid, I spent many Saturdays hunting for … Continue reading Perfume #1000wordsofsummer
Office #1000wordsofsummer
My office is in a rundown office building in the northern edge of Toronto. The first time I went there, I was in a taxi from my airport hotel and I was convinced the driver must certainly be lost. We were traveling through this industrial park with several pharmaceutical factories and some type of bakery, … Continue reading Office #1000wordsofsummer
Sister #1000wordsofsummer
I have only one sister. One sibling. She’s three years younger than I am, and I can still remember waiting on the cement steps outside my front door on that July afternoon, watching for my parents to pull into our driveway with my new sister, Melanie. I was only three, and I think its likely … Continue reading Sister #1000wordsofsummer
Scarf #1000wordsofsummer
Although I’ve spent most of my life in the north, where the wind howls and the temperature can drop to 40 below, the only scarf that ever really meant something to me was the most lightweight, thin piece of patterned grey fabric that you could imagine. I bought this scarf at some type of Spanish … Continue reading Scarf #1000wordsofsummer
Church #1000wordsofsummer
I found “god” in the tall pines and sunset views of Green Lake. Along the rock labyrinth in the woods and through the barefoot singalong in the chapel. I wouldn’t say any of these were miraculous but I felt a profound sense of connection to something bigger while participating in the Mom & Me summer … Continue reading Church #1000wordsofsummer