Category: Health & Well Being

There Are No Free Rides…

I don’t know if any of you have heard of the most recent trend where people are using a certain Type-2 Diabetes medication for weight-loss. I had a colleague of mine bring it to my attention this morning and I couldn’t believe it, when I watched the news clip released by Global news on October 6 about the phenomenon. It’s one of those things that quote frankly rank right up there with eating Tide pods or snorting condoms. Although, I guess this one isn’t so much a dare as it is a quasi-medical attempt at cutting corners.

So, what am I talking about here? Well, specifically, I’m talking about a medication call “Ozempic,” or semaglutide, which is the generic name. like most Type-2 treatments, Ozempic is intended to be used in tandem with proper diet and exercise in order to help control and maintain blood sugar levels. Problematically, this drug apparently also promotes a certain level of weight loss, which people are jumping on, because no one seems to understand that healthy weight loss does need to involve proper diet and exercise. If anyone wants to see the news clip, it can be accessed here.

Like pretty much any medication or treatment ever created, any specific medication will usually carry more than one use. That’s why it isn’t overly surprising that even if this medication is intended to help control Type-2 Diabetes, someone was bound to jump on the weight-loss train. The caveat is that like every medication or treatment, there are also side effects; some of which can be pretty serious if the medication in question is not being taken for its intended purpose. Ozempic is no different.

According to an article posted by WebMD, mild side effects of this medication can include tiredness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and constipation. On the more severe side, there can be a possibility of kidney issues as well as pancreas or gallbladder disease. Doesn’t exactly sound like a fuckin’ spa treatment, right? Seems like a bit of a risk to try and lose weight quickly. Seems easier to simply start working out and eating better but what do I know? Oh, wait! I’m a patient with Type-1 Diabetes who has managed to go over four decades without any serious complications. THAT’S what I know!

That last point and likely the biggest issue, is the availability of the drug. Because people are all jumping on the bandwagon to get their hands on it to build their bikini bod, people who actually need it to help treat Diabetes are left wanting. If you watch the news clip I linked above, supply chain issues are becoming a problem. Not so great. There are no free rides, folks! If you want to lose weight, get up and get moving. Control what you consume and in what amount. Seek the guidance of trained professionals in both nutrition and fitness. The concept of any magic drug that will help you lose wight is laughable. Even the ones that may have this effect, the risks far outweigh the reward. Food for thought…☯️

Type-1 Diabetes And Kids…

No, I don’t mean kids WITH type-1 Diabetes… I mean having Type-1 Diabetes while there are small children in the mix. If you take care of yourself and manage your condition properly, you’ll eventually reach a point where life will progress to a point where children are part of the equation and get in the mix. We often hear that being a parent means sacrifice. So, what happens when there’s an aspect of your life that you can’t sacrifice or even compromise on? That can makes things difficult, especially since children don’t have the tools or the maturity to necessarily understand some of the ins and outs of their parents’ condition. If you’re just entering into this particular chapter of your life, let me share some of the realities I’ve faced in that regard over the past decade…

Managing Type-1 Diabetes in the hopes of reaching old age and seeing your family grow up, requires a number of moving parts and aspects that don’t always work well when there are small children in the mix. At times, it can mean being borderline rude and mean to the members of your family, even if in reality, you’re doing it in the interest of being around long enough for their benefit. Even IF you’re lucky enough that this may be understood, it eventually falls on deaf ears when the years melt away; especially since most people don’t understand the need to maintain one’s standard as opposed ot just trying to fix it later on. The irony is, as technology has advanced and my personal treatment has become more effective, it’s opened up the door to different issues. Here are just a few of the bigger ones:

Treats Aren’t Necessarily To Share
While some people can get away with a quick glass of orange juice or some of those glucose tablets, those options have been very effective for me. In short, fast-acting carbs have included candies such as jelly beans, gummy bears and other fat-free gummy options. Skittles also work well in a pinch. Picture yourself having a low and trying to wolf down a handful of that goodness, only to have your toddler want to have some. On the one side, handing over a couple of them wouldn’t necessarily break the bank. On the other, depending on the available stock one has, the few you hand over may be the ones you need to push yourself up the added point or two to get back to normal. Trying to make a child understand that is usually difficult at best. After all, why does daddy get to snack on some goodies and I don’t?

Sleep Is Not An Option Or A Negotiation
As I’ve often written about before, sleep is an integral part to a person’s overall health. Blood pressure, mood, weight loss and blood sugars are all affected by the amount and quality of sleep that someone with Type-1 Diabetes. This can often mean that grabbing the occasional nap as well as ensuring that one gets the 7 to 9 hours of nightly sleep required is difficult. Ever had a kid lift your eyelids and ask for food? Or have both children awake and basically beating the shit out of each other while you’re trying to nap? I have. Just this morning, despite it being the weekend, I had one of my kids wake me up at 5 o’clock because his iPad was dead and he needed something to watch his cartons. How well do you think he understood that daddy needs his sleep and he shouldn’t be waking anybody? Not in this lifetime?

Equipment Is Always At Risk
This is a big one, especially if you include items like an insulin pump or continuous glucose monitor sensors in your treatment. Over the years, tubing and equipment have been torn out, grabbed, yanked and destroyed by the little hands of the innocent. This can lead to significant issues, especially if you happen to have NO coverage for your supplies. Imagine trying to figure out how you’ll get proper insulin delivery when your infusion set still had two days’ worth and you were on your last one? During both of my sons’ infant years, trying to spent some cuddle time while trying to keep them from ripping out my equipment has proven problematic. Babies don’t usually understand “don’t touch” at the best of times. When they see something that’s shiny and plastic, grabbing is grabbing.

Exercise Can Be Difficult If Not Dangerous
I’ve spent the majority of my life pushing myself physically. From my martial arts training, to police training, weight lifting, cycling and the score of hours I spend on the punching bag, exercise is not only a big part of who I am as a person, it’s the thing to which I owe the majority of my good health and Diabetes control to. It’s no secret that physical fitness contributes to one’s overall health for anybody, Diabetes notwithstanding. But one’s commitment to fitness can be compromised by the presence of children in the mix. Picture bench-pressing a solid amount of weight, only to have your kid walk up next to you and decide that it’s a good time to tickle or poke your eye. Or even if they don’t, getting smacked by the bar will cause a meltdown that will end your workout pretty fuckin’ quick.

The caveat to this one is that at some point, your kids will be able to join you in those workouts. There’s a lot of fun in having my toddler on the punching bag while I’m on the strike pad and we take turns switching. Or having my oldest play a rigorous game of basketball of tag with me. On occasion, I even get lucky enough to entice my oldest to use the punch pads while I hold them or move along with me as we do some calisthenics. That’s where at least one aspect can be fully shared or enjoyed with one’s kids. But finding the free time for oneself to commit to a solid workout is not only not often understood by one’s kids, especially when it means added time away from home. Kids don’t get that.

The last point I’ll touch on, is the scariest part of all. There’s always that possibility that the son may inherent the condition of the father. It’s one of the things that keep me awake at night the most. So far, my oldest has been found free and clear. I’m hoping it stays that way. but the reality is that dealing with Type-1 Diabetes can be difficult at the best of times. Explaining it to one’s children and navigating some of the difficulties listed above (and there are others) can be just as difficult. The important thing to bear in mind is to stay consistent, recognize that may not always understand but that you’re doing it for them. They may not be happy about it but in the end, everyone will be better off for it. Food for thought… ☯️

Lean, Mean, And A Few Things In Between…

One’s health and fitness has many moving pieces and sometimes it can be difficult to navigate the vast plethora of bullshit that you can find online nowadays. I say this with the firm understating that I’m reaching you now through an online medium, but I stand by my statement. Even if you set aside all the misinformation or pseudo-science that can be found online, it’s important to remember that what works for one person may not work for another. What’s more is, doing things wrong may cause more harm than good.

This seems like a good time to remind everyone that I’m not a medical practitioner, dietitian or have many formal training. This post is intended solely as my opinion, based on my own experiences. talk to your own doctor before contemplating anything mentioned here. Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, let’s talk diets and fitness. For most people, dieting generally means either cutting the amount of food you eat or eliminating certain food groups that one may have read contributes to overall weight gain.

The problem with the former, is many people believe that cutting the amount of food they eat will automatically make them lose weight. Although this can occur in some situations, it can also have the opposite effect. Because the human body is programmed to keep you alive no matter what, eliminating your food intake or starving yourself, will usually result in your body hoarding away what you DO eat as fat, which it will then use to sustain you should there be another long period without food. Depending on your metabolism, one should rather examine HOW one eats as opposed to trying to eliminate HOW MUCH they eat.

Another big problem is depending on the almighty scale. People tend to measure progress on the number staring back at them from a scale, but that can be deceiving, as well. The problem includes the fact that if you’re building mass as a result of exercising more frequently, that scale may not be your friend. The whole “muscle weighs more than fat” concept is total bullshit! A pound of fat or a pound of muscle is still one fucking pound. I will die on THAT hill.

But even if you’re waistline is slowly getting smaller, your muscle mass may be getting bigger, which could be why you aren’t seeing the results you want. It’s important to remember that you need to incorporate ALL factors into your fitness journey, including what comes in, what comes out, your weight, your diet and your exercise routine. Each person is unique and even though your neighbour has lost tons of weight from fasting doesn’t mean that will work (or is safe) for you.

I happen to be dealing with my own weight-loss journey at the moment, where I’m dealing with that very scenario. A certain change that one of my martial arts counterparts has tried showed great success and seems to be working for me, as well. More on that in the near future but the important thing to rememher is if you’re dieting, be sure to control aspects such as portion size, frequency of meals and HOW you consume your food. People don’t seem to recognize the amount of damage one can cause by simply trying NOT to eat in order to lose weight.

For example, there’s a reason you need to consume food. Carbohydrates provide a primary source of energy for the body. You know, energy? That thing you need to stay alive and do ANYTHING??? Completely cutting carbs prevents that. Other aspects, like include proper levels of finer and protein, to help with the proper growth and repair of muscle tissue and the normalization of your elimination systems. This means that if you do something du,b like eat nothing but protein, you’ll stop yourself up like a loaded subway car during peak hours in Tokyo. Not pretty…

The key to it all, is balance. Just like you should be taking regular breaks from fitness to allow the body to heal, you also need to find the means to control your portion sizes and still get all the food groups and nutrients you need in order to stay healthy. Fad diets are usually just that; a fad. The complete elimination of entire food groups should be avoided, unless done on the advice and guidance of a medical professional. And for light’s sake… Don’t STOP eating in order to lose weight. To somewhat quote The Mandalorian, this is NOT the way…

Take A Break Before You Break…

Maintaining one’s fitness is an ongoing battle, usually with absolutely no end on sight. Usually and for the most part, people develop and maintain a routine for themselves that isn’t always conducive to proper fitness. one of the big realities, and the one people tend to overlook the most, is that rest is just as important and integral to one’s fitness journey as staying consistent and committed. And foregoing appropriate rest can have some nasty effects on your overall health as well as your fitness goals.

When you have Type-1 Diabetes, proper exercise and maintaining one’s fitness becomes an entirely different kind of fight. Without proper, consistent exercise, blood sugars can run amok, your health will decline and your condition will be all the harder to manage. Granted, some of that can happen even if you DON’T have Diabetes, but I do, so I tend to focus on that. The problem is that you can go past consistency and slowly stray into working out TOO much.

Our bodies are designed to respond to physical exertion in a number of different ways. When it comes to building muscle, growth is achieved by exerting the muscle tissue to the point where micro tears occur. Through the healing process and the proper consumption of protein, fibre and water, the muscle tissue grows back at an increased size to compensate for the level of exertion the body noted during the previous workout. This only part of the aches and pains that one might feel after a significant workout.

The issue comes into play when those aches and pains grow severe enough that you lose mobility or use of those particular muscle groups. For example, if you had a wicked leg day and the following morning, you can barely walk, this means that you’ve over-exerted yourself and you should consider taking a period of rest and treating the affected area with heat and/or cold to aid in the healing process. To continue to work out and exercise in those circumstances can lead to injury, which would require longer recovery time and some circumstances, medical intervention.

So, what can or should be done in these types of circumstances? Well, some people rotate the muscle groups that they exercise. This means that if they do leg exercises today, they may do arms and chest tomorrow. That kind of thing. That’s a good practice to have, regardless of the level of exertion that you put yourself through, especially since you should work towards developing the body as a whole and not necessarily focus on only one aspect. But it’s important to bear in mind that resting one particular part of your body isn’t always enough. N o matter you’re level of commitment or your goals, you sometimes need to allow the body as a whole to get some rest.

A strong, consistent fitness habit will help to ensure better health, better weight management and better overall blood sugar control. proper exercise contributes to better blood pressure, better sleep habits and has been shown to improve one’s overall mood. Although having a fixed routine doesn’t always work for every person as each of us is different, there’s always a way to work towards something that works for you. Just remember to drink plenty of fluids, get adequate rest and don’t push your body beyond the warning signs it’s giving you. You’ll recover faster and although you may think that working out none-stop will get you to your goals faster, it’s good to remember that sometimes, slow and easy wins the race. Food for thought… ☯️

A Little Perspective…

Throughout the course of my life, I’ve had to put up with a lot of misinformation and “helpful” suggestions from friends and family regarding how to better manage my Diabetes. Over the decades, I’ve had people try and tell me how to adjust my diet, my exercise regiment and even my insulin and medication dosages; all in the interest of trying to help. Surprisingly enough, 99% of the time, this unsolicited advice has come from folks who are neither Type-1 Diabetes themselves, nor do they have someone close to them who is (besides me, of course).

One of the big problems with how I’ve managed my Diabetes throughout the decades is that I almost have an invisible illness. People don’t assume I have Diabetes to look at me. I have sight in both my eyes, although the injections don’t make that easy, all my organs are clear and function normally and I have all my limbs and appendages without ever requiring amputation. Admittedly, this is pretty rare for someone who was diagnosed over 40 years ago and has suffered through some of the complications I have, as a child. This can make it pretty easy to assume that your granola-crunching ways may hold the key to healing me. But it doesn’t.

For example, quite some years ago I had someone I was associated with, who tried to convince me that if I switched to eating only vegetables (not becoming a vegetarian, mind you. Simply eating nothing BUT vegetables) I would no longer be Diabetic and would no longer require insulin injections. I can just read my tombstone now: “Here Lies The Blogging Buddhist. Died With A Turnip In His Hands…” Cue the sad music… This approach obviously wouldn’t work, for a wide variety of reasons. But it’s a good example of how I’ve often received “advice” from people who know nothing about the condition I live with. Here are a few more…

I Have This Diet That Will Heal You! First and most importantly, there is no diet that heals or reverses Type-1 Diabetes. This is often a common beliefs because in some rare cases, diet and lifestyle changes can help reverse the effects of Type-2 Diabetes. The problem is that Type-1 and Type-2 Diabetes are significantly different conditions, basically only similar in name. My body’s own immune system is attacking my insulin-producing cells, resulting in my condition. There is no diet that can repair or reverse that. Keep your tofu, natural diet alternative shit off my plate! I’ve already taken insulin for the carbs.

Can’t You Just Exercise More And Eat Less? You Wouldn’t Need Insulin Then, Right? Ah, the age old question… If insulin reduces your blood sugar levels, can’t you just consume less sugar to keep it from rising and exercise more to balance it out? No. No, I can’t. There are many reasons why this can’t be a thing and why people who became Type-1 Diabetic usually never survived beyond two weeks, prior to the 1920’s. Insulin is hormone and it performs several functions within the body.

The main functions and the important ones, include controlling your body’s blood sugar levels by helping sugar enter your cells to be used for energy. Energy… You know, that shit you need in order to stay alive? Yeah, that. Insulin also helps the body to store the excess energy for later use and helps to balance out your body’s weight and metabolism. Without insulin, a whole mess of nasty shit starts happening inside your body, resulting in a slow, painful way to die. So, no, Karen! I can’t just exercise more and eat less.

It can be easy to misinterpret or misunderstand someone else’s condition, especially if you’ve never experienced it or had a family member who has. What’s important to realize is that most people with Type-1 Diabetes have received professional medical care for their condition and know what they need to do. Some random diet you’ve found in a magazine or fitness ideas without the benefit of how the condition actually affects the person’s body won’t be helpful. And believe me when I say, we’ve heard them all before. Food for thought… ☯️

On The Run Doesn’t Have To Mean Without Fun…

Growing up, my household had a bit of a wash, rinse and repeat approach to meals. For the most part and being raised by a French Acadian mother meant that feeding a group of people involved tossing meat, potatoes and veggies into a giant pot and boiling it until it became mush. usually served with dinner rolls and pickled beets, this was also the ONLY meal my grandmother ever served; a testament to a leaner time when wartime families had to feed a dozen people or more at every meal.

As grateful as I am for having had the opportunity for a warm plate on my table growing up, there’s no arguing that it seriously influenced how I choose to consume my meals now, as an adult. Throughout school, I was always burdened with the same ol’ peanut butter sandwich without the benefit of adding jelly, due to the sugar content. It became tedious and boring and i usually dreaded lunch time as something to get through as opposed to a period to sit, enjoy a meal and contemplate the events of the day. Things have changed…

As an adult, I find myself dealing with the same challenge of bringing lunch for myself that doesn’t involve something generic and won’t throw a significant curve ball against my blood sugars. I usually have breakfast AND lunch at work, which allows me to get to work a bit early so that I can get a jumpstart on my day. This morning for example, I had a leftover boiled egg from yesterday’s potato salad. carb-free and filling enough to get me through my morning, it was a good option.

So what about lunch? The big problem I had during my youth is that the classic sandwich poses logistic issues that, from a flavour standpoint, can’t be ignored. If one makes their sandwich first thing in the morning and includes all the constituent parts, t you run the risk of having things sit and meld together in a way that may cause your bread to get soggy or the flavours of certain ingredients to change, once they absorb some of the others. Refrigerating a sandwich over several hours will also tend to alter the flavour and let’s be honest, who really thinks a cold sandwich is tasty?

The alternative is simple; be willing to do some assembly DURING your lunch hour. I’ll use yesterday as an example. I packed a large, flour tortilla into a sandwich bag. provided they’re fresh, they’ll be plenty flexible and will fold nicely. Then, pack some shredded cheese and your preferred sauce in small, reusable containers. Then, I chose my meat, which on this occasion was some very lovely slow cooker chicken that my wife had prepared the day before. Keeping all these ingredients separated prevents the flavours from mixing with one another, come lunchtime. Another thing you prevent is needing to heat the meat portion of your meal with condiments that likely shouldn’t be nuked. Ever try reheating fries that already had ketchup on them? It usually doesn’t go well…

The benefit with allowing yourself some time to assemble your meal at lunch time is you’ll get a better, fresher tasting meal and you have the opportunity to heat up your protein without heating up your wrap or condiments and sauces. This can apply to a number of different meals. Today, for example, I’ve brought a small bowl of homemade chili with a container of cheese. Sprinkle a bit of buffalo sauce in that bad boy after heating it up, mix in the cheese and allow the heat of the chili to melt it just a bit and you’re off to the races.

So, this all rather feels like a first world problem and it begs the question, why am I bringing it up? Well, for a number of reasons. The first being that just because you’re having a meal at work doesn’t meal it should be an enjoyable experience. Fast meals intended to be jammed down your gullet so you don’t starve during your shift shouldn’t be the norm. I say this while fully acknowledging that some folks only have a brief window for meal breaks. I, myself, never had a scheduled meal break while I was a police officer.

That being said, and something I learned a long time ago, is that a rushed, stressed meal period will also affect one’s blood sugars. Although every meal can’t be a pageant, being able to take the time to actually consume your meal without rushing and having a hot alternative in front of you can have a significant impact on one’s blood sugars. Given everything else that’s affected by Type-1 Diabetes, it should be no surprise that event he way you consume your food can have an impact. Just something to consider. Food for thought, pun fully intended…☯️

Mellow Out With Some Melatonin…

This is one of those posts where I need to be very clear in that I am in no way a medical professional and everything outlined below is strictly my opinion and what I’ve noted from my own experiences. It’s important to consult and discuss any new supplementation with your doctor or medical practitioner before starting to take it. This is especially true of anyone with Type-1 Diabetes since, as you know, just about everything affects us in some given way, shape or form. Moving on…

I’ve had some recent experiences with Melatonin supplements and I thought I would share my personal findings, since it seems to be all the rage these days. I say these days, but Melatonin has been researched for decades and first started to be used as a nutritional supplement in the 1990’s, with it becoming licensed for use in Canada in the early 2000’s. You can find some at just about any pharmacy and many retail outlets and it will usually come in gummies or pill form.

So, let’s start with the basic question… What the fuck is Melatonin? Simply put, it’s a hormone that’s naturally produced by your oft. When it gets dark out, the body is triggered to produce Melatonin, which signals your body to sleep. This is why you read so many sources that tell you to stop staring at screens at least half an hour before bed; because light reduces your body’s Melatonin production. For the purposes of this post, I’ll be discussing my use of Melatonin supplements, which are artificially created and packaged.

I recently had the opportunity to try Melatonin after my wife purchased some from a local distributor. She had been having troubles falling asleep and thought to try them herself. One night, when I found myself wide awake and on a night off, I decided to give one a try. Hers were in gummy form and contained 2.5 milligrams of Melatonin. I took one about half an hour before I planned on going to bed and spent the majority of the night up. It had done nothing. The following night, I took two gummies, which gave me 5 milligrams of Melatonin. The difference was amazing. I fell asleep nicely and not only did I get a full, uninterrupted night’s sleep, I woke up refreshed and without any grogginess or sluggishness.

Being cognizant of my responsibilities during the day, I chose not to repeat the attempt the following night. That came later, during the next weekend. However, 5 milligrams now appeared to have no effect. I made my peace with the possibility that I had built up a resistance to it, which would be problematic of a hormone one’s body produces naturally. It wasn’t until some time later when I was shopping at a local retailer, that I found over-the-counter pills for 10 milligrams of Melatonin. I grabbed a bottle and brought it to a pharmacist to discuss. We went over the medications I was on and finding no complications or interactions, I bought the bottle and brought it home.

I took a single, 10 milligram pill about half an hour before bed and found myself once again drifting off to a solid night of uninterrupted sleep. It was glorious. As it was the weekend, I had the benefit of repeating the experiment the following night, with the same results. Apparently 10 milligrams is my sweet spot. I’ve made a point to stay away from taking some every night but it’s been very effective for me in helping to reset my proper sleep cycle and get a good night’s sleep. A couple of nights of taking it consistently at the same time and I now get tired and feel the need to go to sleep on my own, even without it.

The important thing to remember is the same as with all supplements. Be mindful of your uses, side effects and any possible interactions with other medications you may be on. WebMD, one of my favourite medical websites, has a great article that covers many of these aspects. You can read it here. Personally, none of the medications I take appear to interact with the Melatonin and my blood sugars have remained consistent. I haven’t experienced ANY of the possible side effects listed for short term or prolonged use. I will note that the instructions on the bottle recommend short-term use.

All in all, I’m reasonably satisfied that the supplement is doing its job; resetting my sleep cycle and allowing me to get a good night’s sleep. It’s also the first supplement I’ve ever taken that doesn’t appear to require continued use to enjoy the effects. I usually only take them on the weekends but my sleep during weeknights appear to be more consistent now. I don’t know. The rest of you will have to try and judge for yourself, considering every person is different. But I have to say that although I hadn’t even heard of this stuff before my wife brought it in the house, I’ll admit that I could have used it to help with sleep cycle years ago. Just remember to be cautious and check with your doctor before getting too far into it. ☯️

A Little Fur Therapy Never Hurt Anyone…

Last weekend, my wife and I took our boys to a local zoo. Local being a relative term… We travelled three hours to get there. but I digress. The point is that with some of the extreme heat we’ve been having in recent weeks, spending long periods of time outdoors has been difficult, given that everyone in our household is fair-skinned and burn like Canadian bacon. So we grabbed the opportunity on a day when the temperatures were a bit cooler.

To be honest, I have mixed feelings about zoos. On the one hand, I’m not a believer of caging any living thing against its will. Although most domestic animals like dogs and cats have it way better than they probably realize, certain animals like birds, bears and large cats don’t belong in a pen, cut off from their natural habitats and relegated to a life of captivity. As a child, I never visited a zoo as my father very much shares those same beliefs. Now that I’m a father myself, I have to admit that there’s a certain benefit to showing all these different animals to my children in a relatively safe environment.

We left Regina early enough o reach Saskatoon around the time the zoo would begin to. Open to the public. Our thinking was to hit it up on a weekday so as to avoid some of the larger, weekend crowds. The boys were actually very quiet and composed on the way up. My wife and I had our coffees and breakfast sandwiches; the boys had their drinks and snack foods. It was a clear sunny day and we even enjoyed the entirety of the ride without music. Many would think that doesn’t sound great but it was nice to actually enjoy a quiet ride where there was no ambient noise.

When we arrived at the location, we were greeted at an entry gate where we were told there was a parking fee. This was curious, as one would think that an admission fee should usually include parking. But we were here and it wasn’t a hill to die on. I paid the parking fee. The parking lot was already quite packed but we managed to find a parking spot before making our way to the entrance kiosk. $40 later and we were in. After a long drive, we used a restroom inside a terrarium-style building, where the boys got to see fish, frogs, lizards and snakes. The day had begun quite nicely.

As were walking towards the inner paths of the zoo, I explained to the boys that there was a lot to see and experience and that they should take it all in and enjoy what they were seeing. As I was explaining this, I noticed a play park structure located in the middle of the zoo. I got a pit in my stomach as I realized that if my boys saw this park, all they’d want to do was go play in it. Why they would build one in the middle of a zoo, where the intention was to see animals, was beyond me. I strategically placed myself between the play structure and the boys and ushered them in a different direction.

I thin the boys enjoyed seeing the animals, for the most part. Everyone enjoyed the butterfly house the best, especially since some butterflies would actually land on people. We were less than an hour in when Alexander start pining to go home. I tried explaining that we still had plenty left to see and that we had just gotten there but he was adamant he wanted t leave. He changed his tune when we rounded the corner and walked right into the play structure. Fuck. Of course, now he wanted to go play…

I took Nathan to see a few more of the enclosures but as one can’t control the behaviour of animals, getting them out and visible isn’t exactly a possibility. But we did get to see two grizzly bears frolicking in the water, which was entertaining. We made our way back to the vehicle when we realized we had two hungry, cranky boys on our hands. We made our way back onto the highway for Regina, after handing everyone their respective sandwiches and snacks for lunch.

All in all, it was a good trip and a great experience for the family. Considering they could have gotten fresh air and played at a park at home, I probably could have done without using a full tank of gas and paying money just to have them to do it inside a zoo but at least they got to see some animals. The experience was there, and that’s a what mattered. Naps and a cool basement were certainly enjoyed, after a long day out in the sun. ☯️

Stepping Out Of The Matrix…

As modern parents, trying to raise children in a way that lets them understand that negative actions can have negative consequences can be difficult. After all, the differences in how children are raised these days are significant and obvious. When I was a kid, being “bad” (and I use that term loosely as it’s pretty subjective) usually resulted in my being sent o my room. But these days, sending a kid to their room is the equivalent of sending them off to a spa day, with all the electronics and toys they have.

For our children, the easy solution is the removal of the electronic devices. My oldest, especially, has a Nintendo Switch, a used cell phone that I programmed with his school’s app, which now has a plethora of games and by virtue of our current renovations, his sleeping space even has a small flat-screen with a streaming stick. This means the boy can basically plug in when he wakes up and doesn’t need to unplug unless we force him (or cut the power). The worst part is having a large backyard with plenty of space but yet, getting him outside is a chore unto of itself.

Last Saturday, Nathan once did, or refused to do, one thing or another, which is not all that surprising. At only 8-years old, he’s already turned into an unruly teenager, shirking and refusing even the simplest of chores and tasks. Considering the previous few days saw him barely budge from his bed for food or the washroom and he rarely even bothers to get dressed, my wife indicated that he should get his juvenile butt outside and that the following day (Sunday) would be a device-free day.

Although a good idea on its face, since one should not spend ALL of one’s time on an electronic device, a thought occurred… I told my wife that we should ALL have a device free day. The boys, her and myself. No phones, no iPads, no television, no electronic devices of any sort until we’d had a full day without them. Although initially agreed to as a good idea, some apprehension began to bubble towards the surface. The realization that, as adults, we use our phones for almost everything imaginable, an alarm, a clock, reminders, calendar planner, looking up random information as needed and checking the hours of operation for any errands we need to run, came crashing down unceremoniously.

The idea behind my thinking was twofold. First, it’s difficult to expect children to do something if the adults don’t lead by example. Barking orders is easy. Practicing what you preach is a lot tougher. By virtue of this, joining the boys on a no device day would show them that we’re also capable of it and that it’s no big deal. Second, it would give us the opportunity to indulge in other forms of relaxation or distraction that many people seem to leave behind. We already had a couple of things planned for the Sunday that would take us through the majority of the day.

On Sunday morning, I woke up, checked the time then hid away all my devices and powered down my laptop. As he slept, I grabbed Nathan’s Nintendo Switch and hit cell phone and tucked them away. I powered down the television and headed upstairs. Our device free day had begun. I’ve taken the habit of sitting outside for the first hour of my days off. I find it helps me to start my day calmly, as I enjoy the birds, squirrels and rabbits that run around the neighbourhood. Within minutes, my toddler came outside and joined me. He actually played on some of the structures we’ve bought for the back yard, played with some toys and in the dirt and EVEN sat still for an entire ten minutes with me, which is a rarity.

Our morning saw all of us leave the house together for a Costco trip. All in all, it was a pretty uneventful trip and we stocked up on things we needed for some time. When we got home, we spent the afternoon in a combination of naps and time outdoors. I cleaned out the garage, the boys spent time building a fort and my wife spent some time reading. I even got to dip my nose in a couple of graphic novels I’ve been meaning to get through. It was a fun, calm afternoon. The weather was nice, we got pleasantry of fresh air and the boys got to see that they’re able to spend some time without necessarily being tethered to an electronic device.

Why am I writing all of this? Probably seems like a bit of a boring narrative, right? The point is that it was good for the adults, as well. It allowed our heads to cool and for us to do something other than allow a digital display to dictate our day. By the time everyone had eaten supper, we let the walls down and devices were permitted. As it was Sunday night, laundry and showers for everyone needed to happen and keeping the boys occupied and out from underfoot during this process can be a challenge. But it’s important to remember that there’s a great, big world out there that deserves your time. Once in a while, you just gotta step out of the matrix. Food for thought… ☯️

Time Enjoyed Is Never Time Wasted…

The modern world has made it difficult to simply sit back and enjoy silence. Between work, chores, family obligations and the constant need to be doing SOMETHING, the world has left the concept of simply knocking back and doing nothing behind. The advent of social media has also brought about a phenomenon where people seem to consider it more important ton make hobbies and past times about making money online as opposed to simply enjoying them for what they are.

In recent years, I’ve come to realize that at some point, one needs to step out of the rat race in order to allow the body to heal and recover from the stresses of daily life. As nice as it would be to live a live without stress, thinking that one could accomplish such a thing, especially in today’s climate, is pretty much a fool’s errand. Stress comes in many forms and can have many emotional, mental and physical effects on the body. This makes it all the more important to take time to simply let the silence sink in.

Finding a quiet environment has been difficult for me, considering my children are like two overloaded freight trains that feel it necessary to go head-to-head on the tracks. After a long day’s work, coming home to a constant barrage of noise can make it all the more difficult to relax and let one’s mind cool. That’s why I’ve started to partake of a new practice of sitting by myself, first thing in the morning. This is pretty straightforward, given that it’s the summer season but when I wake up in the morning, I usually grab my energy drink and go sit on the front step.

Despite the warmer weather, the front of my house doesn’t face the sunrise, so the front step is shaded and allows for a coool,m refreshing means of starting one’s morning in silence. If I’m smart enough to be silent myself, the amount of early morning wildlife that I see running around is wonderful. Between squirrels, rabbits, local cats and a variety of bird species, it’s basically like my own little nature retreat. That is, until the boys wake up and bring their loud, raucous voices outside to join me. Everybody wants a piece of daddy… First world problems.

It’s important to find ways to enjoy a bit of quiet. We get so tied up in the constant racket of our daily lives that we often forget that our bodies and minds need a bit of time to cool. Otherwise, the opportunity to burn out is very real and prevalent. Whether that means finding a private spot and taking the time to meditate, sitting quietly in the mornings like I do or even just taking an hour at a local coffee shop with a good book. It’s all good. you can’t miss. It’s all an important step of self-care that one must observe. After all, if you don’t take good care of yourself, you’ll never be able to help care for others. Food for thought… ☯️