The Unofficial Guide to Life
Here we pay tribute to different chapters of life, honouring the passage of time. Perhaps we cling to an irretrievable past or yearn for an unknown future, all the while doing our best to live courageously in the present. We revel in monumental occasions; cherish quiet moments. Obstacles, uncertainty, regret: thank you for making us stronger. Make yourself a cup of coffee and get comfortable: this is the good stuff.
Morning. The coffee is brewing, and Hall & Oates are singing, and the door to the back porch is open, letting in that cool, almost-September breeze. I like these quiet mornings when I’m the only one home. It almost feels like playing house – the way I used to when I was little. Except now it’s real.
Continue reading “The Secret Lives in Kitchens”
There are a few remaining rays of August sunshine left and I’m sitting with my back to the window, letting myself soak it all in. I don’t do that enough. Soak things in, I mean. When I read books, I feel like I’m sometimes too motivated by needing to know what happens that I don’t savor every word, sentence, paragraph. And when I eat, I feel like I want to try everything, so I chew quickly, so that nothing runs out before I’ve had the chance. And when I walk, I stride with purpose, propelled forward by some invisible force.
Continue reading “More Than…”
I hear a plane flying above me, somewhere in the pure sky. There are birds chirping, somewhere in the trees. And in between all these things, somewhere in the deep folds of the universe, there’s me. I’m not doing anything spectacular – not jumping on overnight bus journeys and waking up in new cities, or trying new foods with names I can’t pronounce, or climbing volcanoes at sunrise – I’m just here, quietly existing in my own little way.
Continue reading “These Moments, Too”
Today is June 28th. I turned 28 years old at the beginning of the month, something that came and went like an old friend who so comfortably walks through the door without saying hello and leaves without saying goodbye. That is to say, I didn’t really think about turning older this year. It somehow just happened.
Continue reading “28 Years Later”
Journal Entry Written May 28, 2014
Well, I did it. Today, I walked across the stage in a gown and cap, shook hands with the Chancellor and Dean, and became an official alumni of UBC. Looking back, I can’t believe I actually did it.
Continue reading “A Graduation Story”
I had a plan. In fact, I always have a plan. On scraps of paper, in my notebooks, and in memos on my phone, I write down my years at a glance. 2020 was the year I would head south to traverse the unknown frontiers of Central and South America. I’d eventually make my way to Israel, and Eastern Europe, then celebrate Christmas in England.
Continue reading “Into the Unknown: Coronavirus Edition”
In my mind, May is hues of soft pastels, tulips in the front garden, a floral patterned dress as I sit on a patio in the glow of early evening sun. There’s a promise in the air; laughter rings. Yes, I’d love another gin and tonic, thank you.
Continue reading “May Days”
It’s raining outside, bringing me back to the Goldenes Quartier where I strolled in the drizzle of Viennese rain, passing from shop window to shop window and listening to Billy Joel sing slow down, you crazy child, you’re so ambitious for a juvenile… Continue reading “Slow Down, You Crazy Child”
July 8, 2015
It’s hard to predict when tears will suddenly spring into your eyes when something jolts your memory of someone or something special. Continue reading “Finding Feathers”
