When I was much younger people saw me as being so beautiful or sosmart. Some who knew me very well, actually saw both. I strove at all costs to have my intellect be recognized as my principle asset and, heaven forbid, someone would relate to me as just "another pretty...

As a prelude to the upcoming release of my book, Confessions of a Middle Aged Hippie, I thought it might be good to reveal one rather embarrassing public confession first. A confession that only those who know me well, would already be aware of. When I was much, much younger,...

My father always had a very dapper, well-groomed moustache adorning his thin upper lip. The few rare times he decided to shave it, it was truly like coming face to face with a totally new person. It so changed his appearance, he seemed somewhat unfamiliar, a stranger I hardly recognized....

For a very long time, I've had a mostly distant love affair with the West Coast of both Canada and the U.S. It started with frequent trips to southern California in my youth to visit family and continued when I discovered Sedona, Arizona in the mid-1980s; a place...

Driving the congested streets of my home town, more often than not, I'm likely to be faced with gridlock and a frustrating lack of traffic flow. No matter what time of day I choose to take to the streets. I often try to imagine living in a city where both...

As one of the most physically unathletic people ever, I found myself almost glued to the television for the duration of the Olympics, curious to catch a glimpse of some of the world's most gifted in their chosen sports. Watching excellence in athletics is always awe-inspiring for me.

My curiosity...

A defining moment that propelled me forward on my personal spiritual journey, was reading Out on a Limb, Shirley MacLaine's 1983 autobiographical accounts of her own spiritual journey. My quest has led me down many revealing avenues, exploring so many possibilities, that they are far too numerous to even begin...

Approaching the security checkpoint while leaving Portland airport, I realized that everyone was being asked to step into the large full-body scanner before being allowed to move on to their departure gates.

Alarm bells went off in my head, as I'm committed to protect my safety and well-being by...

This month is somewhat of an anniversary celebration for me. Ten years ago, I naively flew off across the ocean to an alternative clinic in Germany looking for answers, hope and healing, for my undiagnosable medical condition. Weighing in at 89 pounds on a 5'6" frame, I was a walking...

In a world where every minute of every day we are exposed to non-stop information from a myriad stream of sources, this week there were moments when I sincerely felt I'd reached the point of information overload.

Generally, if you ask me what I consider fun, I'd say "learning something...

"One man's junk is another man's treasure". This well-known adage certainly sums up my recent experiences in finding new homes for my old things. Things that others might call junk, I still see as treasures.

For as long as I can remember, I've been a collector. And, I'm not in...

This is an article I honestly never thought that I'd write. Although I sincerely would love to be in a committed, loving relationship, as a person who cherishes personal connection and one-on-one interactions, I admit I'm probably not the most likely person to be reporting on my experiences with online...

The final day of an incredible year and I was given a small test to see if I was truly committed to standing for what I believe in.

I was joining a friend for a pre-New Year's Eve afternoon conversation over tea. I consciously put extra money in the parking...

It's probably no surprise to hear that "laughter is the best medicine." There are many documented stories of how laughing has had the incredible power to heal. Dr. Norman Cousins is perhaps laughter's most well-known messenger, writing about it in his book Anatomy of an Illness.

After being told...

It started with what seemed like a simple question I asked myself. That question, not surprisingly for anyone who knows me, led to a series of additional questions. Without questions it isn't possible to uncover meaningful answers. Somehow, I wasn't getting clear answers for myself, so I started asking people...

It was an interesting and changeable autumn day. Somehow when you wake up to pounding rain with seemingly little hope of blue skies, for me anyways, sometimes it's hard to get up and get moving. The news on the radio was reporting little improvement in unemployment rates and went on...

Although there will be many tributes and eulogies written about Steve Jobs, this one is simply my personal observations of how this one visionary man has changed my life. When I received an email, as one of Seth Godin's tribe, asking what action we would take to honor Steve Jobs'...

There is always one bittersweet moment each time I arrive in Sedona, knowing I will have to say goodbye again. The first time I ever laid eyes on the exquisite scenery of Sedona, was back in the late 1980s when it was still somewhat of an undiscovered paradise. With a...

When I heard that Blockbuster was closing 146 Canadian stores, I realized that for me, this is truly the end of an era. It seems technology, price and ease of access have brought another chapter in the ever-changing history of how we interact with movies to a close....

There is a not so quiet revolution brewing all around us. If you're a coffee drinker, you may not have even noticed. Tea is taking over, not only our imaginations, but it is changing the retail landscape as well. Specialty tea shops are opening at a record pace, in response...