Stand up!!
-
Light at the end of the tunnel
October. It’s always been a special month to me. It’s my birthday month, after all. But more than that—it’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month. A few years ago, I wrote about my own experience with domestic violence. I had been through it. Survived it. And I wanted to share my story. To bring awareness. To let someone out there—anyone—know they weren’t alone. And do you know what happened? I got backlash. People from my past reached out, concerned—not about what I had gone through, not about what had happened to me—but about how it made them look. Imagine that. People worried about their reputations over the reality of what I lived…
-
Crossroads…
Just a little Wednesday food for thought… I’ve been thinking a lot about crossroads lately. About how many of them we meet in our lives. About how they shape us, whether we want them to or not. The definition of crossroads is: “a point at which a crucial decision must be made that will have far-reaching consequences.” Far-reaching consequences. It sounds intense, doesn’t it? And yet, it’s exactly what it is. Gone are the days of my parents’ generation, where life followed a neatly wrapped sequence of events.Meet your life partner. Get married. Buy a house. Have kids. Work a steady job. Retire. Live in peace until you’re old and…
-
All in this together
Boy, has it been a while since I last wrote… Okay, my journal doesn’t count. That’s my personal chaos, my messy, unfiltered thoughts spilling onto pages no one will ever see. But here? Here, it’s been a minute. And, wow, has life happened in the meantime. Summer. Can we have it back now, please? I know, I know—I’m Canadian. I should be used to winter by now, and honestly, we’ve had it easy this year. But with February creeping up, I can’t help but plead: Winter, please, stay kind. This summer, I actually fell in love with the city again. Maybe because I hadn’t spent a summer here in a…
-
Walk So Kids Can Talk
This year marks 30 years of Kids Help Phone—three decades of offering a lifeline to kids navigating some of the hardest, loneliest moments of their lives. Three decades of listening, supporting, and reminding young people that they are never alone. If there’s one thing that has always been a soft spot for me, it’s people in pain. Kids, teens, even adults—anyone who feels helpless, lost, or unsure of how to navigate life’s hardest chapters. And let’s be honest—we’ve all been there. Bullying. Family struggles. Loss. Abuse. A diagnosis that changes everything. Life can be a lot. And for young people who are still learning how to name their emotions, how…
-
#SayNoToBullying
The Courage to Stand in Pink: Why We Must Show Up Against Bullying On April 10th, communities around the world united under one powerful, simple act: wearing pink. Not because pink is just a colour, but because on this day, it is a statement. A declaration that we choose love over hate. That we will not stand by while others are belittled, isolated, or made to feel like they don’t belong. This day, The International Day of Pink, started with two high school students who saw a classmate being bullied for wearing a pink shirt. They stepped in, but they knew that stopping one act of cruelty wasn’t enough. So,…
-
Hint… Hint…
The Universe Speaks in Signs—Are You Listening? Do you believe in signs? I do. Always have. Little nudges from the universe. Subtle, almost imperceptible, but undeniably there. A song that plays at just the right moment. A name you haven’t heard in years suddenly appearing in conversation. A whisper of something that tugs at you, like the universe is trying to tell you something. For as long as I can remember, I’ve asked for signs. I don’t know why—maybe it’s faith, maybe it’s intuition, maybe it’s just the desperate human need to believe that something bigger than us is guiding the way. And lately? It’s been dimes. Not just coins.…
-
It’s cool to be kind
Must be a full moon coming, because all the unkind, mean-spirited people are coming out of the woodwork today. It started early. Too early. I dragged myself out of bed to shovel the mountain of snow that had buried Toronto overnight. They said on the radio that it was the worst snowstorm since 1967. Historic. And not in a fun, let’s-build-a-snowman kind of way. More like, let’s-ruin-everyone’s-morning kind of way. After clearing my backyard, I moved on to my car, only to see one of my older neighbours standing there, shovel in hand. I asked if she needed help before I left for work, but she gave me a polite,…
-
All you need is a big umbrella!
It’s raining here in Toronto, which somehow feels fitting. Isn’t it funny how when it rains, it pours? As if life needs to throw everything at us all at once just to see if we can handle it. No more strength tests, please. I am not a bodybuilder, and if I were, I’d be a pretty pathetic one at that. Though, to be fair, I did start running again recently. Well, more like my dog decided I should start running again. He gets too excited on our walks and is way too strong for me, so I don’t have much of a choice. But hey, silver linings, exercise is good…
-
We are the future!
What has happened to this generation?! WARNING: A bit of a rant incoming—but I promise, it comes from a place of hope. We, the future, have dropped the ball in some serious ways. The idea that each generation would be better than the last? Yeah, I’m not sure that applies anymore. And I don’t say this to be negative, I say it because we should be doing better. We can be better. We’ve made progress in so many ways, political awareness has increased among young people, conversations about equality, mental health, and environmental responsibility are happening more than ever, and we’re seeing real advancements in medicine, technology, and human rights.…
-
Day 1 of 365…
Happy first day of a brand new year! I’ve never really been one to buy into the whole “new year, new me” thing. But I do believe in fresh starts. In pressing reset. And while I think we can choose to become better versions of ourselves any day of the year, there’s something about a new year, or even a birthday, that makes that reset feel more official. That said, I do have this weird little quirk where I have to start things on a Monday. If I eat badly (which, let’s be real, usually means inhaling way too many sweets), I tell myself, Okay, next Monday, I’ll do better.…