Life Lessons from Little Things

We all have familiar patterns – typically, things we grew up with.  Things our parents or grandparents told us.  Things which were common, or “known” in our community. In my experience, food is high on this list.   Like most people, I grew up understanding the foods my parents ate, and developed initial opinions and preferences on this basis.   For example, I still can’t fathom why anyone would ruin a perfectly good potato salad by putting pickles (or relish) in it.   I’m completely baffled on this one – and that’s only partly because I cannot stand pickles.   But that’s another one of those “other-day” topics. However, as I grew up and got out into the broader world, I realized that there were foods I’d never had.   Foods I didn’t even know existed.   As a true lover of food – cooking it, smelling it, and most especially eating it – this was a wonderful revelation.   At some of my early jobs, I was able to get to know people from other cultures and try many different thing

Welcome to my blog.   This is a new endeavour for me, and I hope you’ll stick with me.   I’m Canadian, so if you notice that some words are spelled a little differently than you’re accustomed to, that’s probably why.   I’ve found that there are lessons all around me – some of which I’ve enjoyed learning, and some less so.   I look forward to sharing these with you through stories – a favourite medium of mine. I’m no longer anyone’s definition of young (unless you’re 80, in which case I might qualify), and I now have plenty of pets.   I’ve had plenty more, and have loved each and every one. But when I was young, I always wanted pets.   Desperately.   A dog, or a cat.   Something I could love and interact with, that would love me back.   Unfortunately pets were not a happening thing in my world.   My mother wasn’t overly comfortable with animals, and my father – who grew up on a farm – had a clear picture that they belonged outside. Cue some less-interactive pets:   a rabbi