The Journey of a Friendly Giant

Have you ever met someone that has heard of you before meeting you? This is happening to me more and more as my motivational speaking gains momentum, and I’ll never get over this strange phenomena. I’m always extra careful when meeting those people for the first time because I know I’m human, but sometimes they don’t! I’m sure you’ve heard the old saying that says something about how meeting people you admire could often lead to disappointment. I always tread lightly in these situations, and if I feel like I’ve been put on an unattainable pedestal, I’m quick to correct that misconception. It’s easy to make assumptions about those you don’t see on a regular basis. From a distance, everything looks much simpler than it is in reality, especially the lives of The trouble is, we do this almost unintentionally, which makes it difficult to monitor. It takes “ unlearning ” behaviour, which is much more difficult than learning something brand new for the first time, especially for adults....

It's very rare that your first time traveling will be your only time. Once exposed to the exciting and unpredictable newness that often comes with leaving home, the chances of you making more travel plans are very high. What I enjoy most about traveling is the reminder it gives me that life comes in different colours, flavours, tastes and smells. Traveling also does a wonderful job in teaching lessons of humility and tolerance of different ways to live life. I'm no rookie to the traveling game, my travel bug has become more of a monster; I've lived in over 5 countries and visited over 25 in my lifetime so far. In fact, this blog originated as a travel blog for an international internship I was fortunate enough to experience with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). I wouldn't be the person I am today without having traveled as much as I have, and I hope my now 14 month old (already!?) can say the same one day. Needless to say however, like most thi...

"So how's daycare going?" When I say ‘okay’… what I really want to say is that it’s not that great.  Daycare isn't getting easier for me, but it is getting easier for him (apparently). He still screams "MAMA!" every morning with big tear drops streaming down his face. It still crushes my heart every morning, (how can it not?...)  I'm not numb to his crying yet (What If I never am?)....  Plus I'm still breastfeeding so physiologically, and quite literally… I'm a hot mess. This is the beginning of week three, and he has now started crying for the entire 20-minute car ride to daycare. He then proceeds to fight me when I try to take him out of the car seat when we arrive. He's strong too! He has ripped a blouse and a necklace almost effortlessly because he didn't want to let go of me when I tried handing him off to the daycare attendants. He also head-butted one of them right in the mouth, taking her by surprise and frankly,...

Finish the following sentence in your head: Young people of today are ____________.  Was your answer a positive quality or a negative one? If it was negative, you’re the norm. If it was a positive answer, then you're an outlier, a rarity, and someone that deserves a metal; because the youth of today, are generally seen as spoiled, lazy, distracted and undeservingly entitled individuals. I could back that statement with countless personal examples, however, this article published by the Globe and Mail is enough.  Are Todays Youth worse off of just lazy and entitled? The funny thing is that the state of youth today was shaped by the adults of this world. Our parents, the baby boomers, grew up in a time where economic security was practically guaranteed to the educated population that chose the career path of life; a time where one single income was enough to afford the luxuries or a Mortgage, a car and all of the other necessities to support a happy and health family. ...