Category: The everyday

\”For what it\’s worth… it\’s never too late, or in my case too early, to be whoever you want to be. There\’s no time limit. Start whenever you want. You can change or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope…

In almost every yoga class I go to, it’s a challenge. Truthfully, sometimes the challenge is just in even showing up. But I do. And once on my mat, I take direction from my teacher who will tell me to stretch, lift, bend, hold, push. I often see others do this all with ease and…

In my early twenties, I worked in different tourism outlets around the world. In 1996 I found myself working for Tourism British Columbia where, for eight hours a day, I’d answer the calls of people needing answers about the provence. And if they needed reservations – from hotels to tours – I could do that…

Standing in line to place my order, I noticed the young cashier behind the juice counter. Specifically, I noticed her hair. It was such a lovely colour that I tried to think of stealth ways I could take a phone photo of her so I could run to my hair stylist and say, ‘this, this…

While I definitely love summer (long days, beach time, bbq\’s, travel, warm breezes), autumn truly has my heart. Crisp weather, reason to wear boots with tights, hot apple cider, leaves falling, light changing, cosyness, warm meals…. However, living in Southern California, fall doesn\’t really exist. The change is subtle; the light is different, there is…

\”The French love of debate and their belief that people should be actively engaged in ideas and issues means that they expect others not to shy away from expressing and defending their opinions. French business people expect others to disagree and argue with them.\” from the book, Doing Business Internationally I remember once in the…

My dog, Jack and I were at the vet today. And while we were waiting for some things from the vet we relaxed in a corner. I on a seat and him on his side, sleeping.Two rowdy boys, about 4 and 7, came in with their father and the biggest most hyper great Dane. These…

Frederiksborg Castle, Denmark. Photo by Alex. \”Courage is a hard thing to figure. You can have courage based on a dumb idea or a mistake, but you are not supposed to question adults or your coach or your teacher. Because they make the rules. Maybe they know the best or maybe they don\’t. It all…

\”Even in the cold months of January and February, the Danes are hard to beat – some even seek colder heights in Norway and Sweden for skiing. These dark months of biting frost are, however, still lit from within by the warm, homey light that the Danes love, yet now with a light somewhat dimmer…

On NPR today I heard the story about a \”John Doe\” who was walking around Seattle and couldn\’t remember his identity but could remember bits of his very fascinating life. The Seattle Times ran a story on him today as 12:03AM and by 5:30AM someone in China had written to say they knew who the…

Roses by Alex This morning I was walking my dog and just a few feet in front of me was a little blond girl, maybe four or five, who was walking very slowly. And in between walking very slowly she\’d stop at every single flower, lean in, inhale and then walk to the next. In…

Amish settlements have become a cliché for refusing technology. Tens of thousands of people wear identical, plain, homemade clothing, cultivate their rich fields with horse-drawn machinery, and live in houses lacking that basic modern spirit called electricity. But the Amish do use such 20th-century consumer technologies as disposable diapers, in-line skates, and gas barbecue grills.…

I had a very long, very real dream that involved living in Malibu, me running in running shoes, sweatpants, t-shir, baseball cap and running into a plethora of celebrities as I make my way home. I know, how can that be realistic? Me, in sweatpants and a baseball cap running? The strange thing about the…

Staying with my girlfriend, who has lived in the same roomy, beautiful flat for 12 years, I have become extraordinarily homesick for my own place. It hasn’t helped that I’ve been visiting with other friends with equally beautiful (and lived in) homes. And although spending half this year living in amazing hotel rooms had me…