Author Archives: ruthalanna

Yesterday was pretty exciting. And also, a bit anxiety provoking, but mostly full of giddy anticipation. I was on my way to Europe…for the first time. As I prepared to leave yesterday, I was struck by the dramatic role reversal: the vision of the parents leaving home with our carefully stuffed backpacks while our childrenContinue reading “Back to the future”

Self. What a strange looking little word when it stands on its own. We so often pair it up: self-inflicted, selfless, selfie… More often than not, the expression surrounding the word self also denotes a negative connotation: to be focused on one’s self is to be, well… selfish. But the self is our home base.Continue reading “Self-serve”

Our lives are filed with stories: once upon a time, a tale of epic proportions and happily ever after. These are the stories we divulge with ease – like our Instagram stories and Facebook posts – those shiny little pearls we share, letting everyone know that life is good. But in between these bright momentsContinue reading “Storytime”

Nothing like finding your groove.  The quest can be the epic search of a life time or a surprise lightning bolt connection.  Or sometimes, it could be a seed that was planted long ago, but lays dormant, slowly growing underground, until one day, suddenly a beautiful flower appears.  It’s kind of like when all theContinue reading “Lead the way”

Hope: to cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true[1]. I’ve been thinking a lot about this word. It’s a word that is used often and in a variety of circumstances. Maybe too much? I hope it doesn’t rain today; I hope the kids did their homework; I hope this recipe turnsContinue reading “Hope XXL”

Giddy up! The early bird gets the worm, right? I have spent the better part of my adult life running: not always literally (although I’ve run a few marathons in the past decade), but metaphorically as well. Go hard or go home. Set goals. Meet them. Exceed them. Push harder. Expect nothing less than theContinue reading “110%”

Breaking up is hard to do. Or so the song goes. The song is about the end of a romantic relationship, but the topic on my mind isn’t about couples splitting up. I want to contemplate cutting ties with bad habits. Just to begin with a disclaimer – for those who didn’t know me inContinue reading “Breaking up is hard to do.”

Second chances. Forgive and forget… or not? At one point or another we all get hurt. And chances are, we channel that hurt into anger towards a certain source – the person or people who we believe are the instigators of our pain. But all that hurt and anger is pretty counteractive to leading aContinue reading “Take two.”

Cirque Peak, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada. Photo: Ruth Arless-Frandsen Life is fragile. The moment we are experiencing right now will change by the time I finish writing this sentence. This is not to say that we are fragile. In fact, we have to be like those flowers that grow amid the rocks on theContinue reading “Mountain flowers”

TIME-OUT! When my kids were young, a time-out meant sitting on the “chaise bleue” and taking time to think about the behaviour that had landed them there in the first place. It was also a time for everyone (mom included) to take a deep breath. To step back and take stock. To be still. TheseContinue reading “Sounds of silence”