Shannon's Blog: Minding My Own Business

It's that time of year when the world falls in love Every song you hear seems to say   "Merry Christmas, may your New Year dreams come true." - Christmas Waltz by Sammy Cahn & Jule Styne I love the centrepiece laid out on the table above, and the way it brings joy on so many levels: pinecones for texture and growth, pomegranate seeds for colour and zest, sprigs of pine for fragrance, and of course, a lantern to light the path. Add a little Sinatra to round out the senses. Whatever your personal tradition, this is the time of year we find solace amid the darkness, and celebrate the gradual lengthening of the days.  During this time of reflection, I wish you all the warmth and coziness of December.  Wrap yourself in a blanket and curl up by the fire. Take afternoon naps. Bake gingerbread. Keep your loved ones close.  It's the season for comfort. From my home to yours, Merry Christmas! xo Shannon  *** What a year!  This marks my...

"On the subway, we feel like strangers, but we're all in this together." - Ben Lee, Singer full song here I've been talking to a lot of people and seeing a lot of comments online from people who are lonely. We are finding it harder and harder to make those personal connections that give us that sense of belonging we all seek. I don't have the clinical or sociological expertise to discuss the roots of this problem or its significance on society, but I'm a human, and I've also experienced loneliness - especially through large swaths of my adolescence and young adulthood - so I feel modestly qualified to talk about this. I don't mention any of it to bring you down. I mention it because there's a terrible irony here: If you feel lonely, you're not alone. This is a complex topic, with many strands and solutions that vary by circumstances.  But let's not overlook the simple solutions either - whether you're lonely yourself...

We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.                                                                                          - John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States In the last month, I've been taking ca...