Next Step... Adulting

 

Hi!

Well folks, once again, it's that time of year.

Another group of kids privileged enough to live where education is available, even mandatory... where they don't have to worry about war in their back yard... You get what I mean... well, they get to graduate from high school, and are taking their first real steps into adulthood.

The majority of them have gotten to live the lives kids should get to live... being kids.

Does that mean they don't feel anxious about their future? Does it mean they aren't apprehensive about what comes next? 

No! Absolutely not! Within the next little while they will be walking into a world that feels both foreign and familiar. The literal world around them won't have physically changed much, but their role within it will.

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To those about to walk into adulthood.

Although your surroundings may not become completely different, your perspective will.

Here are a few things...

No matter how high your self esteem, no matter your level of confidence, you will come across something, or a few things that will test that to the core. Don't let it break you. It's okay to shake, just don't break.

The chances of you experiencing a shitty roommate are very close to 100%. Always get receipts for money going out. Paper trails are imperative. No matter how nice they seem, or how long you've been friends.

Toilet paper, tampons, food and utilities are way more expensive than you realize. And, yes, garbage cans and light fixtures are not self-cleaning. 

Put due dates for bills you need to pay into your calendar on repeat, with reminders a few days beforehand. Brain farts are more common than you think, especially when you are first starting out. It's important. "I forgot" won't fix late fees or keep services from being cut off. Stamping "bad risk" on your record can take years to erase. Landlords and mortgage brokers pay attention to all of that... so should you.

Accepting financial help is okay... just don't make a habit of it. Accept... don't Expect. Besides, there are few things more satisfying than the ability to pay your own way in life. 

Be resourceful. If you need something, or want something bad enough, there is always a way. Legally, of course. Never let getting knocked down keep you down. Take the hit, take a step back, take a breath, get your feet under you, and get a 360° look at the situation. A path forward always exists. Sometimes, you just have dig deep to find it. 

Not everyone grows up in an encouraging environment. Leave that behind. You know who you are. Even if it's buried deep, you know what you are capable of. Never let the nagging and dragging down of the words they tried to use as weapons against your self-worth make you doubt that. Use those words, their words, instead, as fuel to brighten your shine to levels that will kill every shade they threw.

The best thing about this next part is that you are finally in charge of your life. The scariest thing about this next part is that you are finally in charge of your life. From here on in, you have to own your choices. The good news is, there are very few choices in life that are fatal or impossible to recover from. 

Speaking of choices, don't make them out of fear. When faced with a big decision, walk yourself through the worst case scenario. If you can be okay with whatever that is, there is no reason not to do it. 

Life is not perfect. It resembles instagram, not even a little bit. You are going to screw things up for yourself now and then. Shit storms are going to happen through no fault of your own. Life is messy, can feel overwhelming, and can be just plain hard. It's all part of the ride. But.... there are always good things on the other side. Every experience, good or bad, shows you a little more of who you are, and who you are meant to become. 

That, by the way, never stops. None of us have been where we are at this very moment, before this very moment. I have never been the version of me that I am today before today. Nobody is. Be open, stay willing to learn from every experience.

You only get one chance at life. You might as well enjoy it. 

Adulting is hard.... but it also can be fucking fantastic! Soak it up!

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May you spread your wings and fly to heights that only lived in your dreams.

May you understand that even when things are at their worst, it's never as dark as it seems.

May you find joy, have something to laugh at every day.

May you look at your future in wonder, live each and every moment, letting nothing get in your way.

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Piled High.....

 

                             

Hi!

In a few hours from now, Summer 2025 will officially arrive!

Where I call home, we have earned the moniker, "The Land Of The Living Skies." When I say earned, I do mean earned. The clouds pile high, then spread into shapes that can, ever so briefly, make part of you believe in dragons, after which, the sunset kisses the edges, making it simultaneously more beautiful and more ominous. 

Our living skies can be generous with rains, bringing to fruition a green that could challenge the tones of the Emerald Isle, but they are also capable of spinning terror and destruction across our fields. 

Our skies are beautiful, endless, can shift in a heartbeat, and leave you utterly breathless. 

We try to navigate through both the beauty and the chaos with care, not taking either for granted.

*****

The intentional, nonsensical chaos that plagues those that inhabit the space south of the 49th, infects the entire planet. It's purposeful harm aimed deliberately at those who have the least chance of surviving it. The wannabe king isn't satisfied ripping away safety nets for his citizens, no, he has to stick his sweaty nose into places it need not be. Provoking, prodding, encouraging violence everywhere.

His joke of a birthday party was perfectly and entirely overshadowed by those who rebuke his hateful tyranny. Those ordered to participate, did so under obvious duress, thus phoning in a spectacular sloppiness that was thoroughly appreciated by all who witnessed it. 

This self-absorbed clown has claimed calls and deals that simply don't exist, he mumbles on about flag poles as he tries to set the world on fire. The rest of the world sees him for the Biff that his is, we are just waiting for those with the power to do so, to put him in the care home he needs so desperately. 

How long do the rest of us have to watch this exercise in self-destruction? Are you just going to let him go until there is nothing left to save? I find it hard to believe that there is nothing you can do. I find it even harder to believe that you lack the desire to do so. 

I mean, back in 2015 we thought it was a joke. Then...it wasn't.

At least, then, there were still a few guard rails in place.

Then, 2024 happened, and we thought, surely you wouldn't be dumb enough to let him have another go at dismantling what you've built. But here we are.

If you are waiting for midterms to fix this, I have a sneaking suspicion you'll be too late. There will be precious little to pull from the ashes at that point. As it is, world relationships have been rerouted, brilliant minds are being welcomed, given ample opportunity elsewhere. Your workforce is disappearing, industries are going under. Hell, your ability to predict deadly weather has been gutted to the point that seasoned meteorologists are pretty sure they won't be able to warn people in time.

Things are piled high, the dragon is evil, senile, dumb as a bag of rocks, and the edges don't look like they are going to soften in time for beauty to prevail. Just do something, for cryin' out loud. 

Okay... back to summer...

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May every sunrise bring adventure, joy, and laughter, enough to seep into the depths of your soul.

May every sunset help you relive the magical moments of the day, allowing you to let the hard stuff go.

May you get to take in some lazy days of summer, and not have them pass in a blink.

May you anchor yourself often, be in the minute, summers are numbered for us all, gone faster than you think. 

May you spend your luxuriously long days doing things that light you up, whatever that may be.

May your time and energy, life's most precious commodities, be used wisely, unfettered, set free. 

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From Where I Write...

 

Hi,

Over the years, I've been asked, on a few different occasions, where the urge to write comes from. I took a minute to think about it...

From where I write is quite tiny and quaint, filled with soft light and whimsy, family photos and favourite things, a comfy chair and memories.

From where I write is, sometimes, light and silly, about things that live on the surface, that bring a laugh or a giggle. Things that are simply fun and bright, because that's the space, in a perfect world, in which we would live most of the time.

From where I write is a place of caring. There are far too many people walking this planet in genuine doubt if anyone even cares if they exist. There are too many who never feel a real hug, never feel doted upon, never feel cherished, never feel like they are the world to at least one other person. We can do better.

From where I write is, sometimes, dark and angry, overwhelmed and dumbfounded by the injustice that certain factions of society want us to normalize. The unfettered insanity that is happening south of the 49th, the stupidity coming out of the mouths of people who apparently don't have the ability to apply logic and reality to any given situation. 

From where I write is, sometimes, a place of sheer sarcasm. The thing is, when my writing comes from this space, I mean... when people can't seem to recognize stupidity and hypocrisy, what else is a person to do?  Is it a coping mechanism? Probably. Does it piss some people off? Most definitely. Do I care? Not even a little. I threw off that part of my give-a-shit sometime in my 30's

From where I write is a place of heartache. For everyone living through horrific circumstances that have been thrust upon them by either mother nature, or some man-made hell that is inevitably driven by greed, greed of power, greed of money, greed of ego. People... people, not statistics, are in incredible pain. We've been made to believe that such pain is inevitable, unavoidable, unfixable. Complete and utter bullshit.

From where I write is a place of hope. Every time I see a Pride flag wave in a space where it wouldn't be expected. Whenever I see true and respectful inclusive representation in public forums. Whenever I see people standing up against cruelty. Whenever I witness simple acts of kindness when they think no one is watching. 

From where I write is a place of endless possibilities. I look at future generations, and I see compassion, I see acceptance, I see innovation, and brilliance. If every kind of education could just be pulled from the shelf of privilege, and spread amongst all who have the aptitude and desire... well, wouldn't that be something. 

From where I write is a place of knowing that if I can't put it in the pages, my soul will overflow. Stories are everywhere, if you just pay attention. If you write with purpose, whether fiction, folly, or other, someday, somewhere, one of these words that are put to a page will make someone feel something, think something, or look at something in a way they maybe hadn't felt, thought of, or seen in that way before. And... that's the point.

I can only write from where I am.

I can only write from who I am. 

I've learned from who I used to be, and always strive to be better than I am in this moment. 

It's all I can do.

If You Just Squint A Little...

 

Hi!

Ahhhhh, the great pyramids!  Well, if you squint a little and drum up the powers of pretend of your childhood, it could be.

Okay, maybe not pyramids... maybe gravel piles. But, if you squint just a little...

It seems like our neighbours south of the border are having to do a lot of squinting to make things look better than they are. It's getting downright scary. 

As comic relief, it was pretty entertaining watching the richest man in the world and the most powerful man in the USA go at each other like a couple of characters from 'Mean Girls." I mean, the insults and threats are far more dangerous than high school girls can generally muster, but the energy is the same. Can't wait to read the Burn Book!

Deporting people willy-nilly, with zero due process, no rhyme, no reason, just masked men scooping up random people, shoving them into unmarked vans and disappearing them. Nothin' to see there...

Just members of the National Guard being called upon to do their best to make peaceful protests look like Jan 6. Probably not exactly legal, but, nothing to see there...

Just trying to pass a bill that will most definitely cause the most vulnerable of citizens at least harm, if not outright death, but we all die, right, Senator Ernst? Nothing to see there...

Just the most powerful person in the USA rage tweeting absolute nonsense in the middle of the night, stumbling up airplane steps, falling asleep during important events, insulting heads of state at every turn, but Joe was the problem? Yeah, nothing to see there either...

They keep screaming about shutting down the borders... is that to keep people out or, at this point, keep people in?

If you squint just a little, you can see the MAGA mountain begin to crumble. 

I don't think we'll have to squint much longer...

On a brighter subject....

Happy Pride Month!!!!!

Before any of you come at me with the "Why do they need a whole month?" "Why do they need parades?" nonsense...

It's because you keep trying to pretend queer people don't exist. 

It's because you give side-eye whenever you see someone dressed unconventionally.

It's because you still can't wrap your head around the phrase "love is love."

It's because Pride Month makes you uncomfortable, unhappy, angry.. instead of joyous and fabulous!

It's because there are still far too many people who live in fear of being themselves.

So rainbow it up! Wear them, fly them on a flag, tattoo them if you want to! Let people know you are a safe place. That with you, they can relax, and just be themselves. 

If you just squint a little, you'll see that, hopefully very soon, rainbows will wrap the world...

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