Health is Wealth

I never realized how much I love drawing and colouring until I allowed myself to finally explore this in my bullet journal and on my iPad. This, dear readers, is the story I have wanted to share for a while: the birth of my BJ last year, in 2021. It took me a while to decide on sharing this part of my life because to be honest, my BJ is something really personal to me. I hope by sharing this story - and parts of my BJ here - you will be inspired to create, to explore your hobbies, to become vulnerable through art, and to learn more about yourself and your talents/interests. (Note: no images in this post are mine. When I share my work, it'll be clear that it is mine!). I used to spend time on Pinterest exploring pins on bullet journals, adoring the spreads before me. I loved the ideas there, but for some reason, felt like I could never do this. First, I was not 'good' at art. Second, I didn't even OWN a bullet journal or tools to draw/colour. Third, I didn't have the...

October brings about the beautiful colours of fall - leaves gracefully shedding from trees, changing colour from orange to yellow and red. It is quite a lovely sight. Although I quite dislike the weather getting colder, there is something special, touching, and lovely about the autumn season.  October - at least in Canada - hosts Thanksgiving Day. Traditionally, people get together and eat turkey and gravy, stuffing and pie, etc. But what is thanksgiving really about? You may or may not be familiar with the Pilgrim history. I'm not getting into that here. Instead, let's take a moment to reflect about the important of gratitude in our lives. It is easy to go about our days and not stop to be mindful of our blessings. Consider how busy your day is - from getting up in the morning, going to work or school, interacting with dozens of people, taking care of yourself and others, etc...there is A LOT happening in one day!  An 'attitude of gratitude' is important to have. It fo...

  No one likes to be challenged out of their 'comfort zone'. You know - the place where you know you will succeed. Please note that I am not talking about real safety. There is a HUGE difference between challenging yourself to do something you are worried you will fail at, and putting yourself at risk of harm. I am not a 'risk-taker' by any means. I hate roller-coasters. I despise scary movies. I don't speed through yellow lights hoping to pass through. At the same time, I'm not superstitious. I will take some risks if I think that they are reasonable. I will apply for positions that I am not sure I will get. I will try drawing something that I have never tried before. I will (cautiously!) try new yoga positions to test my balance. At the same time, I very much dislike getting out of my comfort zone in certain situations. For example, I applied to a position a while ago, feeling nervous that I would not get it. I mean, how awful would it be if I did NOT get it? ...

Death is always a difficult topic to discuss - whether we are mourning someone in our own lives, or trying to comfort others who have lost someone. Even if death is 'expected' - as in, someone is ill and we expect them to pass shortly - it is always 'unexpected'. We do not know exactly when someone will pass away, and it always feels 'too soon'. As a doctor, I have faced death on multiple occasions - both in my personal life and in my professional life. Episode 3  of my podcast discusses this is more detail.  I am by no means a grief counsellor...but as a human being and professional who has had to comfort others - and myself - in situations of loss, here are some pearls I have gleamed.  1) When death occurs, acknowledge that is has happened. It is natural to go through some stages of grief, including denial, bargaining, acceptance, etc. Ross and Kessler  describe these in more detail. Essentially, it is okay if you cannot yet 'handle' the fact that some...