06/23/15

The Big C, Take 2 – Prepping for Radiation

The next steps of my cancer treatments

Hurry up and wait, again.

Once the operation was over, I was foisted back onto the cancer waiting list. This time it was for radiation treatments.

The Radiation Oncologist

When the cancer mill starting turning again for me, my first appointment was meeting the radiation oncologist, Dr. C. She was going to determine how long and how much radiation my poor breast would receive. I had read in the literature that additional treatments in the form of supplements may also be required. I had decided that I was not going to take any chemical substances, some of which had brutal side effects. I was going to try a more natural approach. I noted it on the forms I filled in for Dr. C. Continue reading →

03/9/15

Where are your Friends when the going gets tough?

Where are your friends when ya need ’em?

I get by with a little help from my friends

Ringo Starr

Why is it that when a woman is going through a tough spot, people leave her alone?

Yet, when a man is going through a tough ordeal, people rally round him. They bring him food, they offer to make him dinner, they clean his house.

The Evidence

I’ve seen this first hand.

When a friend died, people tripped over themselves to help her husband. I went over and cleaned his filthy house, made food, helped out with the kids.

Yet when a family friend lost her husband, no one went over to clean her house or made her food. After a couple of weeks, people stopped calling. Why? Continue reading →

02/10/15

A Mexican Moment

A Glimpse of the Mexican Sun

In the long dark of Winter, we need a bit of sunshine. A Mexican moment.

Although Wiarton Willy said spring will be early this year, it feels like it’s eons away.

So, here are some pictures from my Mexican trip.

It’s a sunny, warm, relaxing Mexican moment for you.

Continue reading →

01/27/15

The Long Dark of Depression

Depression – Let’s Talk about it

Tomorrow, Bell is sponsoring “Let’s Talk”- an initiative designed to create discussions about mental health. In recent years several celebrities have come forward to talk about their battles with depression and mental illness.

Unfortunately Robin Williams lost his battle with his dark depression demons.

The Dark

In the dark of winter on the damp coast, it’s easy to feel depressed. The dark grey is all around you. It’s dark in the morning when you get up and it’s dark in the afternoon when you go home from work.

Everyone has experience being depressed at some point in her life. Most of the time you can pull out of it by going out into the sun or doing something you love to do.

But what if nothing helps? What if you simply cannot bring yourself to do the things you love to do any more? Continue reading →

11/4/14

Fit and Healthy 12 week Experiment

If you’re wise exercise all the fat off,

Take it off – off of here, off of there!

Annie Lennox, Keep young and Beautiful

The Fit and Healthy Experiment Begins

My Fit and Healthy experiment all started with my finding a very cool tracking book called The Fit Book. It was just lying around the mail room and Agent K said I could have it. It was the ultimate food and fitness tracking book, all in a moderately small and neat package.

The Log Book

Every weight loss book or program always insists that you have to log your food intake and exercise if you want to be successful at losing weight. Over the years I’ve just logged my progress in a boring old notebook. This notebook was sexy. It had colour, it had columns and tick boxes, it had food and exercise tracking all in one spread. I got excited just looking at it.

So I decided that this little book showing up at this time was a sign that I needed to get on with my health regime. Continue reading →

09/23/14

50 Lessons – #36 Growing Old

Growing Old – Gratefully

Growing Old Ain’t for Sissies

Bette Davis

After I posted Regina Brett’s 50 list, I saw an opinion piece in the Globe and Mail that related to #36.

Heather Sanders published a piece in August 2014 about women and our penchant for denigrating ourselves, no matter what stage of life we’re in. Her hypothesis is that we should age gratefully, and stop being so hard on ourselves. As Regina puts it: Growing old beats the alternative – dying young.

Here’s the link to the Globe and Mail website, Ladies, it’s time to age gratefully. I’ve also included it below in case the link doesn’t work one day. PS Thank you, Heather. Continue reading →

09/12/14

50 Lessons Life Taught Me

Regina’s 50 List

Regina Brett of Cleveland, Ohio, once wrote a column for The Plain Dealer called “The 45 Lessons Life Taught me”.

It’s pretty insightful and certainly has helped me put a few things in perspective. It’s not a 50 – 50 list. It’s a list of observations that can help make life a little easier to enjoy.

The original list was 45 lessons, but she’s added 5 more for good measure. Continue reading →

07/28/14

Feeling Special

I’ve lost that Special Feeling

I’m special (special)

So special (special)

Gotta have some of your attention

Give it to me.

The Pretenders

Special to No one?

It occurred to me the other day that right now, in my life, I have no one who makes me feel special.

Family, husband, junior, friends – no one says to me, “Sharole, you are special. You have unique talents and gifts and what you do with them is very special. You should go forth and use them more often.” Continue reading →

Damp Coast Dame

Thoughts created in the rain

Tag Archives: Perceptions