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The other side of fear

ceili-joy

One of the first signs that Ceili had more serious fear and anxiety issues than the usual ‘settling in’ to a new home nervousness came on one of our early morning walks. As we walked along a quiet path towards some woodland, we spotted a neighbor and his two dogs, maybe 20 or 30 feet ahead of us.

Ceili froze. She couldn’t go forward and she couldn’t go back. She was stuck – totally paralyzed by her fear of these dogs.  While our neighbor’s dogs are big, they are also the epitome of laidback calm. They had absolutely zero interest in Ceili.

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Becoming a writer

books

A couple of weeks ago, I applied for a very special writing residency program for expat writers. To be honest, despite encouragement from someone who had previously participated in the program and Himself, I thought I was a long shot.

In a sense I’ve been a writer for hire my whole adult life. I wrote my first press release for a real live, paying consultancy client sometime around my 17th birthday. I spent pretty much every working day from college graduation until our move to Norway writing in some form or another.

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No more secrets – talking about domestic violence

One of the things I love about my expat life is its unexpected twists and turns – the extraordinary opportunities that pop up if you’re open to grabbing them.

I had one of those amazing, ‘pinch me, how did I get here’ moments last week. I had lunch with Denise Brown, one of the warmest and most genuine women I’ve met in a long time. You might not have heard of Denise but I’m pretty sure that you will have heard of her sister, Nicole Brown whose ex-husband was O.J. Simpson. Denise was the special guest at Fort Bend Women’s Center first annual Healing and Hope lunch and I was lucky enough to spend time with her ‘backstage’ as well.

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Postcard from Campbell River

Campbell River is a known as the gateway to northern Vancouver Island. Located on the eastern side of the island, its a picturesque waterfront town whose slightly sleepy exterior hides the fact that its actually home to a host of exciting opportunities to explore British Columbia’s natural world.

Our choice of adventure was an afternoon of whale watching with Discovery Marine Safaris, chosen by our local host because of their commitment to ethical viewing and conservation.  Continue reading “Postcard from Campbell River”