Winter in BC is usually not like winter in the rest of Canada. The coastal cities are spared the freezing temperatures and snowfall records. Our temperatures rarely dip below zero and rain keeps our forests and mountain trails lush and green. But like the tempestuous pull of the ocean and its changing tides, winter in... Continue Reading →
Self-Care: Make it Your Own
January is almost over, and the in the last couple of weeks, I’ve heard the melodic warble of the chickadee signaling a change in the air. The days are longer, warming up a little at a time, and even the though the first month has flown by, the year is just getting started. Just prior... Continue Reading →
Happy New Year 2019
I am counting down my last hours of 2018 in the tranquil days between the winter solstice and the advent of a New Year. The events of the past are crackling in the air, preparing to slip into memory, only to be revived in wistful moments of reminiscence. 2018 was a crazy spectacular year with... Continue Reading →
Harmony for the Holidays
It’s been a long and busy year. Winter, spring, summer and fall have kept me busy with work, family, friends, travelling, and, as always, battling the ongoing whims of disease. The beginning of 2018 started out with several goals and aspirations, and although I accomplished some of them, I found life, or more accurately my... Continue Reading →
Revisiting A Light in The Darkness
I wrote this post almost three years ago and while I thought about writing a new piece for this year’s All Hallows Eve, I realized I couldn’t say it any better than I did back then – and also, the wicked weather on this gloomy Sunday afternoon has cast a bit of a spell on... Continue Reading →
RA Blog Week: Transforming Lives
If I had to have rheumatoid arthritis, I chose a good time to have it. Today we have more choices for treatments, education on management, advocacy, community, inspiration and medical teams that help us live the best life we can. I am fortunate to be part of a patient advisory group with Arthritis Research Canada.... Continue Reading →
RA Blog Week: Mindfulness and Restorative Moments
Mindfulness is a beautiful way to recharge and be present in the moment. It’s not always easy to achieve, especially when pain gets in the way and medical appointments fill up the spare cracks in our busy lives. There’s always something that needs to be done and never enough time to do it. My moments... Continue Reading →
RA Blog Week: Tips and Tricks and Days Like This
Managing arthritis can sometimes be tricky. Wellness changes from day-to-day and there’s no predicting how we’re going to feel. I can have three glorious days of no pain, and then wake up on the fourth day feeling like a truck ran over me during the night. This is frustrating because it ambushes my plans –... Continue Reading →
RA Blog Week: Medicine and My Spoonful of Sugar
Medications become a part of life with rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory autoimmune conditions. They are meant to control our pain and inflammation and are prescribed by our specialists with the intention of improving our quality of life. Sometimes things don’t go smoothly in our interactions with our doctors, pharmacists and insurance companies. I am... Continue Reading →
A Destructive Beauty
The summer heat arrived in July and thrust our lush west coast into a drought. Forest fires began their deadly run through the province. Every year we are forced to cope with massive fires that ravage our desiccated land under a relentless heat. Our summers are stronger, hotter and longer; our winters colder, moist and... Continue Reading →