Self-help
Going Traditional: Dancing at the Legion
Dancing at the legion sounds like it should be a Stompin Tom Connors tune. It is not, but there is a reference in the Stan Rogers song Lies, so there’s evidence that going dancing at the Legion is a traditional Canadian behaviour…even if I personally had never done it before.
By Kate Baggotta day ago in Chapters
Air & Accomplishment: Taking an Aerial Sling Class
Sass Fitness Studio kicked my ass. That’s not their slogan, but I am definitely not the first to say it. Over the past 7 weeks, I have intentionally gotten myself into some rather challenging situations. Aerial sling was the most physically challenging yet.
By Kate Baggott9 days ago in Chapters
A Typical Lady in her Fifties: Trying Pickleball
“All the other white ladies in their fifties are playing pickleball,” my friend Aldo asked, “why not you?” Aldo, I might add, knows better than most that not all pickleball players are white ladies over fifty, but he is still right. Taking up the game is trendy among my demographic. It was one of the issues that made trying it less appealing for the last three years or so, even though some of my best friends are white ladies in their fifties. Still, Aldo’s suggestion that I am just like them is completely fair. I like many conventional activities like discussing politics and religion, wine tastings and watching cooking shows.
By Kate Baggott14 days ago in Chapters
Aiming for Euphoria: Trying Archery
Artemis, Amazon women warriors, and Robin Hood represent everything I knew about archery. Basically, I knew nothing about the tension of a bow or how to let an arrow fly by rolling the string off the three finger tips holding it in place. I knew nothing about how to take a stance and take aim at a moving target. After trying archery this week, I should probably know more about those things, and I am not going to brag about how well I did because I don’t want to offend archery purists. No, it was not “real” archery. It was virtual archery at BATL Grounds in Niagara Falls . We could also have done knife or ax throwing, but I’ve already tried those two.
By Kate Baggott21 days ago in Chapters
Do Not Fear Your Inner Hippy: Ecstatic Dancing
My previous attempt at ecstatic dancing was foiled by my disorganization. It was before the pandemic. It was a dreary Sunday afternoon before the pandemic. I’d managed to get to the Odd Fellows’ Hall for the last hour. I could hear DJ BRIZE doing his thing while I took my socks and shoes off, I saw my friends on the dance floor and went in for hugs. And then, the music stopped. I had gotten the time wrong and missed it all. That attempt to try ecstatic dancing does not count.
By Kate Baggott26 days ago in Chapters
Infrared Lights & Yellow Lights of Caution
Is an experience still new if it ends up exactly where you knew it would? This week, I tried infrared light therapy. It’s one of those new technologies that is “backed by science.” Being under the lights is supposed to improve collagen production, improve skin conditions, speed recovery after exercise and a million other claims we’ve all seen on social media ads for treatments and devices.
By Kate Baggottabout a month ago in Chapters
self - exposure
it is too easy to lose sight of what matters. I find myself going back and forth in my own mind on why I even chose to land here, on this page - of all places - quietly shouting my innermost thoughts into the very abyss that is this world wide..stage.
By A.I. Reads3 months ago in Chapters
The April Anxiety: How I Stopped Dreaded Tax Seasons from Draining My Business. AI-Generated.
There is a specific kind of quiet panic that sets in for small business owners around early spring. You start the year with grand visions of growth, new client acquisitions, and team strategy meetings. Then, the calendar flips, and suddenly, a mountain of financial paperwork threatens to bury everything you’ve built.
By Mary Petterd3 months ago in Chapters
