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Mennonite Marathon NL
Following the tradition established in August 2020 to commemorate the arrival of the first Mennonites in Manitoba, in 2023 I took the opportunity while visiting my wife’s family in the Netherlands to run to the birthplace of Menno Simons himself. Fortunately my in-laws live only a half-marathon distance from Witmarsum, so the mission could be…
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The Fire Inside
In her characteristic weaving of old and new texts from a wide variety of sources, Maria Popova of The Marginalian first brought this quote from Vincent van Gogh to light, framing a discussion of the myth of normalcy from Alain de Botton’s book. Here’s her quote: “Does what goes on inside show on the outside?”…
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Public Poetry on a Friday Night
Join us Friday, April 21, 7:30pm at The Public in Steinbch for some poetry! I’m excited to hear words from some incredible local poets, including Sarah Ens and Luann Hiebert and others! I’m also honoured to be able to share some words of my own. We’ll be bringing back the Beer Haiku challenge for big…
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Wolves Don’t Want to Eat You
Last week we went on a Wolf Howl Hike in the Whiteshell and learned a bunch of things about wolves, including how they can’t huff or puff, nor can they blow your house down. I also wrote about our experience on the same hike last year (and made a zine about it, we didn’t actually…
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The Blank Slate
It’s January 1. Happy new year. This morning I skied in the Sandilands with friends. Beneath the low gray sky, the world was white. Thick snow from a couple weeks back still caked to tree branches and needles and a thick layer of hoar frost made for a beautiful scene to take in as we…
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Longest Night Run 2022 Recap
For five years we’ve spent the winter solstice running through the night. In our community, the calendar has become marked by the Longest Night Run overnight relay, each of the 16 hours of darkness a reminder of past hours and miles spent together in the cold dark. We’ve remembered the joys as well as the…
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The Week in Between
Last night my wife turned to me, “Today was Tuesday, right?” We talked about this weird week between Christmas and New Year. The frenzy of choir concerts and family gatherings is over, nearly all the Christmas baking has mysteriously disappeared. But the next thing has yet to begin. I’m not sure what day it is.…
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Molting
“Don’t talk to me now, I’m molting” – Andrew Bird, Inside Problems I spent six weeks without running. As a self-proclaimed “Runner”, and writer of daily running poems, this time off, forced by a minor foot injury, represented a shift in identity. If a runner doesn’t run, are they still a “runner”? Can I write…
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Longest Night Run 2022
The Longest Night Run 2022 is now ready for sign-up. Register here. Get all the info on our website here. As I wrote to past participants today, even as the days shorten, an anticipation grows as we approach Dec 21, and the longest night of the year. The longest night of the year has now…