My Favourite Hothouse Flowers

This time of the year, rain or shine, is all about the flowers for me.

I live to garden, and I garden as I live; with planning, effort, a dash of whimsy and most importantly, hope.

By balcony, back yard, terracotta pots or hanging basket, whatever form my gardening has taken over the years, the plants and flowers that become most precious to me are always the ones that take more care, where at first, I am little uncertain as to if and how they “will take”.

You wait. You watch. You hope. And when they do finally bloom and flourish, you bask in the rewards of patience.

“Hothouse...

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Posted on 17 Jun 2013, by Linda Lee Ross
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What is the Meaning of Life?

What is the meaning of life? “Why are we here?”, “What is life all about?” “What is the purpose of existence?” Speculation throughout history has been tackled from theologians to scientists regarding conceptions of existence, social ties, consciousness, happiness, symbolic meaning, purpose, ethics, good and evil, free will, the soul and the afterlife.

A 1970’s TV show called Mary Tyler Moore had an episode where Mary was in a rut. She was bored with her life and felt she had done it all. Questioning her job and her personal life left her struggling to find some refreshing new meaning to...

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Posted on 26 May 2013, by Carol
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Luc Vigneault est une personne

Photo: Beatrice Murch

 

La date est le 5 mai 2013, l’Émission est «Tout le monde en parle ». Un mur tombe. Une date à retenir. Un moment mémorable et un pas de plus pour combattre la stigmatisation. Un homme au rire inimitable blague avec Dany Turcotte et Guy A. Lepage. Il discute avec tous les invités présents. On lui pose une foule de questions, il répond avec une franchise, une aisance et un humour incomparable. Tout le monde est intrigué; tout le monde est touché, et peut-être un peu déstabilisé aussi. Ce n’est pas tous les jours que des préjugés, profondément ancrés, éclatent en...

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Posted on 13 May 2013, by Sylvie Bouchard
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Ridin’ Cowgirl ☆ ☆ ☆

A cowgirl gets up in the morning, decides what she is going to do and does it.
-Marie Lords, 1861

Gritty but glamorous, keeping up with the boys but always a lady, a hard worker who loves her animals as much as she would ever love a man, the Cowgirl mystique.

What makes some women feel an irrepressible need to be free, believe that their freedom is their birthright, and that their independence is worth more than all other ?

What role does a sense of freedom play in our mental health ?

Whenever I am going to have a rough day, I know it the minute I open my eyes.

It is not usually for...

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Posted on 15 Apr 2013, by Linda Lee Ross
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The Shadow in the Room

The art of interpretation in a live performance (music, dance, theater, etc) is an ongoing process of improving technique while tapping into intuition and intention. It takes at least a decade to master a skill, but a lifetime of experience to harness skill with intention and intuition.

Stage fright occurs before a live performance partly because skilled precision and creative intention are to combine and convey artistic expression in its purest form in one single shot…no retakes.

Fear that stifles can keep the performance artist off that stage more often than on it. However, If...

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Posted on 25 Mar 2013, by Carol
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Les proches, la famille et le rétablissement

Depuis les années 80, le concept de rétablissement a été redéfini.

Mais que veut-on dire au juste par rétablissement ? Est-ce que ce concept signifie quelque chose de concret pour la famille et les proches de personnes aux prises avec un trouble de santé mentale ?

Sur le site web de l’Institut Douglas, on retrouve la définition suivante que donne William Anthony du rétablissement :

«C’est une démarche personnelle et unique, visant à changer l’attitude, les valeurs, les sentiments, les objectifs, les capacités et/ou les rôles de chacun. C’est la façon de vivre une vie satisfaisante et...

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Posted on 19 Mar 2013, by Sylvie Bouchard
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Inspired by a Friend’s Spirit

My friend has a very rare slow moving form of cancer for 20 years. Her attitude about life is that she is going to live, no matter what. Nothing is going to stop her. She happens to also be married to a man that fully supports her and as such, these two are quite heroic to me.

They work at the same company, and have worked out an employment agreement to travel to a warmer climate about 2 to 3 times a year for healing purposes. For years, they have been sailing in the south, renting boats and asking friends to join them, share in the expense but more importantly, their dream and...

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Posted on 25 Feb 2013, by Carol
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Sortir la famille de l’ombre…

Families often face the same stigma, discrimination, and isolation that comes with having a mental illness.—-Linda Lee Ross

Tous les proches-aidants, quel que soit le type de maladie dont souffre le proche, ont beaucoup de choses en commun : l’affection qu’ils portent au proche, la culpabilité d’être en santé alors que l’autre souffre, l’inquiétude, l’impuissance, la confusion, etc…Mais ce qui caractérise le proche qui accompagne une personne aux prises avec un trouble de santé mentale, c’est la stigmatisation.  La stigmatisation touche autant les familles, que la personne atteinte d’un...

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Posted on 18 Feb 2013, by Sylvie Bouchard
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♥ Amitié Mon Amour ♥


I am not a romantic person, not in the least. Reading a romance novel would quite simply be hell on Earth for me .

It’s not that I don’t believe in Love. I believe passionately in Love.

I just don’t feel that the love we consider romantic is any more interesting, important or fulfilling than the love I have found in friendship.

My most prized possession, secret love weapon, spiritual vitamin, most effective anti-depressant, security blanket, guardian of my mental health: Friendship, my Great, my True Love.

Every friendship I have ever had has started off with a “spark”, a unique...

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Posted on 11 Feb 2013, by Linda Lee Ross
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Travel is quite the Learning Curve

Traveling is part of an important learning curve with regards to rituals, anxiety, fear and acceptance of change. For some the ability to cope in a new environment can be easier, while extremely difficult for others. There are in fact, people who chose not to travel due to shear terror.

I’ve traveled extensively to tropical countries, at first for a week or two at a time. The trips were either all inclusive, or part of a cruise ship tour. Those trips almost resembled a home away from home package, so adapting was smooth. Twice I spent a couple of weeks abroad, living with...

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Posted on 27 Jan 2013, by Carol
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