Essays

Illustration by Drew Shannon for The Globe and Mail. I stare out the window at the office building across the street. I see people sitting at desks, typing on their keyboards, sipping coffee, and bustling about in their honeycombs of offices. I can’t help but feel envious of them, busy bees doing busy things. Living their lives.
I tune back into what my nephrologist is saying. “ … need to start dialysis in [...]

It was the beginning of summer during one of our scheduled evening phone calls, when my mother first mentioned a robin was building a nest in her light fixture on the balcony. “But I swept away the twigs the bird had started collecting,” she said. “Some of the twigs are still on the balcony floor. What a mess!” She’d have to go out and finish the sweeping later. The following evening while on the phone [...]

I’m going on a picnic by the Bow River with Samson the Border Collie mix. We’ll eat our lunch by the Bow River. The first thing I have to do to prepare is pack my canvas backpack with items we’ll need: dog treats and kibble for Samson, a tuna sandwich for me, sunscreen, sun hat, a light sweater, and a cold thermos of water. Samson is a water connoisseur and likes his water fresh and [...]

I’m sitting in the waiting room at my nephrologist’s office and staring at the large bulletin board beside the reception desk. The board contains pictures and descriptions of various kidney diseases. As I wait, my sense of nervous anticipation builds. I try to remain calm as I know anxiety will raise my blood pressure reading. I do some deep breathing exercises that I learned from a yoga class. “Breathe in relaxation,” I tell myself. “Hold [...]

Istanbul, Turkey The story of how I became a purse vigilante in Istanbul It was our first evening in Istanbul. My husband, sister, brother-in-law and I had just had an exhausting overnight flight. These four Canadians were looking forward to an early dinner and a good night’s sleep. The next morning, we were scheduled to fly to the gorgeous beaches of Bodrum in southern Turkey. My brother-in-law selected a restaurant near the [...]

I stare in disbelief at the emergency vet doctor trying, but still unable, to absorb the awful news. Our beloved Rascal, the smiling black and white Border Collie that we walk regularly, has a bleeding tumour on his spleen. He has a few months to live at most. Of the two Border Collie brothers, Rascal and Samson, Rascal seemed the more fragile and delicate. It was only a few weeks ago he was running [...]