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What you need is here
The words from Berry’s beautiful poem have been resonating with me. What you need is here. What you’re looking for isn’t in tomorrow or some day. Not in a new house or outfit. Not in a new job or income bracket. Not in your screens or daydreams. Not in the hopes of a winning lottery…
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How to Draw (lessons from a 7-year-old)
I don’t draw well. But I’m learning, thanks to my 7-year-old. When I was a kid, I drew all the time. I drew animals, hockey players (goaltenders sporting 90s Jets gear was my specialty), just about anything. I enjoyed the life of a prodigy artist and drew for the adoring masses (namely, my mom and…
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Naming the Dust Bunnies
We recently welcomed our third child into the world, making life exciting, rich, and also messy. Actually, the past few months have been a process of turning our house upside down, re-organizing beds, bedrooms and clothing to make room for a newborn, and there’s no promise of it being turned right-side up any time soon.…
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Consider the Birds
“Consider the birds,” a wise man once said. So I did. My daughters, wife and I, over breakfast on this springtime morning watched our backyard, and considered the birds. Chickadees, juncos, house sparrows and finches. Magpies, grackles, crows and jays. Robins, flickers, a song sparrow. At least I think it was a song sparrow… I…
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It’s Always Impossible
Until it’s not. Do you remember when Tony Hawk landed his first 900? Millions of people, including myself, watched history get made in real-time during the 1999 X-Games when Tony tried and tried and tried again (10 failed attempts in all) to land the first 900 degree spin (that’s 2-and-a-half full rotations). It was an…
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Gifts and Graces
What do you notice? What do you pay attention to? Most of us, most of the time, are paying attention to the time (or lack of it), the thing we’re stressing over, or the thing that’s undone. That’s how we’re wired. We’re good at spotting danger and conflict, and paying attention to the things that…
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Is it well-considered?
If you’re a parent, you know how this goes. You’re in the middle of grocery shopping, speeding between the bakery and the milk cooler when your 3-yr-old looks up at you urgently: “Daddy, I have to go to the bathroom.” Mission aborted, new mission! Suddenly your urgent objective is to get to a bathroom before…
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The Trouble with Technology
We like to say that we live in an era of progress and innovation. The devices in our pockets have offered us new ways to communicate, make beautiful things and connect with people. I love technology (but not as much as you, you see). I spend most of my day behind one kind of screen…
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Slow Down, Be Creative
I’ve always seen myself as a creative person, but I’ve realized one main obstacle that often gets in my way. I am a speedwalker. No matter where I’m going, I’m trying to get there as quickly as possible. My posture is just like that of the familiar pedestrian icon, leaning forward, eyes on the destination.…
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Gumption is better than Hustle
We love to hustle these days, don’t we? Hustle is worn as a badge of honour, and is touted as the key to success by many a motivational speaker. But I’ve having my doubts. I’ve had seasons of hustle, where I worked through lunch, burned the midnight oil, and was out catching worms with the…
