Over the years, I’ve often wondered how it is that little things can make a big difference. Take the words “please” and “thank you” – my dad use to say that civility doesn’t cost you anything; and that you attract more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. If these things are true, then…
When you shift gears on a multi-speed bicycle to go up hill, you naturally shift to the smallest gear on the back wheel sprocket, right? Wrong. According to Ted, our certified bicycle mechanic, “it’s the smallest chain ring on the crank which drives the biggest gear on the back. The big gear helps you get…
Canadian novelist, Margaret Atwood, once remarked that in Canada, you can say whatever you want, because no one will listen. And, it’s a standard operating truism – particularly in America and increasingly in Canada – that politics is becoming extreme and polarized, no matter where people are on the political spectrum. Not only that, but…
“Bows and flows of angel hair/ And ice cream castles in the air … I’ve looked at clouds that way” – Joni Mitchell’s ‘Both Sides, Now’ I wonder if you would join me in a little experiment. No matter where you’re reading this– at home, in a coffee shop, wherever. Simply close your eyes for…
“It was twenty years ago today / Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play.” Beatles’ ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ (ibid., 2) [“… the most famous cover of any music album, and one of the most imitated images in the world.” – Wikipedia] John, Paul, George and Ringo – what can I say about…
My biggest wakeup call came recently and it was our 3 year old grandson, Kolton, who opened my eyes to it. A beautiful sunny morning, we had walked over to his future school, where he enjoyed watching all the kids at play. The big kids even let him score a goal during a fun…
I was having a conversation with a bright, young university student as he despaired over not knowing what the strategic Business term, “SWOT”, meant on a recent exam. I could have told my young friend that he needn’t worry about failing to remember it. What follows is an open letter to him. [Real name omitted.]…
When I first heard the lyrics to John Lennon’s hauntingly beautiful ‘Happy Christmas’ (War is Over) in 1972, it spoke to my heart in many ways and has since become a Christmas classic. Its message still resonates today. ‘And so this is Christmas, And what have you done? Another year over, A new one just…
Just a short note to readers re: my planned activity for future posts. Since September, I’ve had the opportunity to write a monthly newspaper column – ‘Music in Me’ – and as such, I submit it every 3rd week in the month. (I’ve been simultaneously releasing it to the www.fredparry.ca blog.) It just means…
A word about Andy Rooney, (of ’60 Minutes’ TV fame) who recently past away at 92. “A writer’s job is to tell the truth.” (Andy Rooney) He said he had a knack for putting down on paper, what most people would have wanted to say. And, for the most part, he did. Not many of us can…
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