No Dessert

Posted on March 5, 2026 by msw blog

When you were a child, what was the rule about desserts after dinner? Were you frequently admonished when you grew bored of what was on your plate and wanted dessert instead? Perhaps you can recall a parent wagging their finger at you and saying, “No dessert until you finish your dinner”.

Positively Purging-I welcome your feedbacks in the comments and your likes and passing the real life wisdom on to others as I embark on this new venture of “positively purging“, as I know each of these pieces represents something…

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Live Fully

Posted on March 5, 2026 by msw blog

Marcus Aurelius in my ear, “It is not death that a man should fear, but never beginning to live.”

Positively Purging-I welcome your feedbacks in the comments and your likes and passing the real life wisdom on to others as I embark on this new venture of “positively purging“, as I know each of these pieces represents something…

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Self Care

Posted on March 4, 2026 by msw blog

It’s Friday. The toys are still on the floor, laundry’s judging me, and I just made my favourite food. Self-care, but spicy –Code and Crayons

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Quiet Kindness

Posted on March 4, 2026 by msw blog
  • My grandma was in the hospital for a long time. When she died, I donated her old, knitted quilt to the ward that treated her. 2 years later, when my daughter was born, I noticed the same colorful quilt folded at the foot of our bed. A nurse smiled and said, “It’s our good luck blanket. It brings joy to our patients…”
  • My car broke down two hours before a job interview. I was broke, panicking, and called a mechanic. He checked the engine, sighed, and said it’d be “a quick fix.” 10 minutes later, it worked. When I asked what I owed, he said, “It’s already paid.” Turns out, my dad, who passed last year, used to bring his car to the same guy every month. He said, “Your old man told me to look out for you.”
  • A cab driver noticed I kept checking my phone, anxious. He asked if I was okay. I said my sister was in surgery. He turned off the meter halfway through and said, “I’ll wait until you get the call.” We sat there 40 minutes in silence. When I finally got good news, he just nodded. Then he hit play — it was “Here Comes the Sun.”
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Aging: ‘Loss of possibility’

Posted on March 3, 2026 by msw blog

I love the Op-Ed section of the paper. I believe we all need to write at least one letter on something we’re passionate about in our lifetime. In saying that, I applaud this reader

Re: “High suicide rate among seniors is a tragedy for entire community” (Dec. 4, Opinion):

There is a twist on grief and being older many may not realize. As an example, my pet cat died about a year ago. Although I love every pet I’ve had, and have grieved the passing of each, the grief from this was stronger and lasted longer than ever before. Not just my cat died, but as I realized I will never be able to get another pet, the possibility to have a pet also died.

The same is for every close relationship an older person loses for whatever reason — there just aren’t enough years, time and energy to replace that relationship. It’s not just the loss of that close relationship, it is also the loss of the possibility of ever again having a similar close relationship.

The loss of possibility, whether it is in relationships, health or usefulness, is far more painful than the original loss.

Barb Blevins, Bellevue

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