Like most North Americans my age, I grew up on a diet heavy in reruns of The Simpsons. One scene that often comes to mind involves Ned Flanders, the Simpsons’ overly pious neighbour, confessing to their longsuffering minister: “I’m meek, but … I could be meeker.” What I love about this quote is that it’s … Continue reading Humility
One of the buzzy books of the past year was Sayaka Muraka’s Convenience Store Woman, which follows a woman in her mid-thirties who has never really fit into society, but who finds comfort and belonging in her work at a convenience store. The book is a fascinating exploration of social expectations and what it means … Continue reading Teamwork
Henry James famously said “Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind.” Kindness is a fundamental virtue, one that is as basic to our preschool and kindergarten classrooms as counting to ten and learning our ABCs. And … Continue reading Kindness
One of the traits I admire (envy) most in people is energy. When I see people who can succeed at their jobs, volunteer, and work on their hobbies, all the while raising kids and being attentive to their spouse, I’m simply in awe. You see, I’ve always been a bit of a low energy person, … Continue reading Zest
I’ve been feeling particularly creative lately: I’ve been dusting off old writing projects that have been sitting in folders untouched for years, having ideas for things to write in this blog, and thinking of new poster designs and ways of displaying photographs in my apartment. It’s an exciting feeling, a wonderful embarrassment of riches that’s hard … Continue reading Creativity
Matthew Root 