Summer blog posting…It’s Blog Post #23. It’s a whole lot of ‘practice what you preach’ as I’ve been working (nursing) less and writing more. I’ve recently finished two articles and have two more on the go. I’ve been emailing with editors and getting in contact with sources in hopes of having some new published pieces to share with you soon. Thanks to everyone who sent emails saying they enjoyed Blog Post #22. I also had quite a few people tell me they enjoyed the two nursing jokes at the end. No love found for the Star Wars joke though…

After posting my photo of Toronto last time, it seems only fitting that I share a recent photo of beautiful Vancouver. I took this photo from the top floor at Vancouver General Hospital showing False Creek and the downtown area I call ‘home’. I really need to work on my photography as I’m pretty sure I lost out on a job with a food blog when the food photos I had weren’t all that great. Rejection; one crappy part of this freelance writing thing.

Rejection can go both ways as I recently turned down an opportunity to write for a content writing company. They had tight deadlines, an elaborate screening process, and far too many restrictions for a casual writer like me. It can be very challenging to say, “no”. As a former chronic people-pleaser, I can attest to almost always saying ‘yes’ to projects, favours, and commitments. If I did happen to say ‘no’ (usually it was because I had other commitments/plans), I would be filled with feelings of guilt. Recently, I have changed my thinking. Saying ‘no’ is an important part of caring for ourselves. Your first obligation must be to yourself (meaning your emotional, physical, and mental well-being). For myself, the guilt of saying, ‘no’ is gone. I know what I want in life and what’s important to me. If I don’t define those things for myself and set forth my own agenda, there’s always someone who will find a way for me to help them with their agenda. It’s a known saying among caregivers, “You can’t care for others, if you don’t take care of yourself.”

Drink up!

A recent study in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease concluded that moderate to heavy drinking was linked to lower risk of dementia. Cheers to that!! What was I writing about again?

Great story!

Don’t worry. I remember. I remember a little too good. Recently, my wife said to me, “I heard this old song yesterday….or the day before…maybe it was last week. It was so good. I can’t remember what it was called. It brought back memories.”

I said, “It did? Seems like it erased memories. That’s not even a story. That’s not a thing that should be said. ‘I was on the train yesterday and there were people there. I didn’t know any of them. One looked like someone I used to know. Nobody said anything. The end.’ Does that sound like a story to you?”

Don’t take anything I write here too seriously. Sometimes, I need to be turned into the jerk to make it work.:).

Words of Wisdom

1.Don’t sing along with songs out loud to strangers if you can’t sing. Let the amazing artists that write and sing share their talent. That goes for concerts, the office, the bus, or wherever. Save it for the shower or your solo drive to work.

2. Don’t even try to write lyrics for songs. Don’t say, “It’s as easy as 3.14…” It’s not. It’s the hardest job in the world. Ed Sheeran is a walking, talking, singing, and writing miracle. Have you heard Castle on the Hill? Lyrical miracle! When he sings, “I was younger then…” ,my heart melts. When were you younger, Ed? “When you were six years old”? and “You broke your leg”? You were younger then? When I was six, I was younger too. It’s like he was speaking and singing directly to me.

3. If you really want to write music, do as Justin Bieber has recently done. Sing a song in another language. I know what you’re thinking. Roy, “What do you mean?”

It’s time for the ending jokes. I have to admit, I have a lot of new material lately. I’ll give out a couple and save some for Blog Post #24. Enjoy.
I was recently at an all day Dementia Care workshop. The instructor was quite good and went through the morning speaking about dementia, Alzheimer’s, cognitive impairment, and delirium. We then broke for lunch. When we returned, she asked, “Does anyone have any questions or comments on what we covered this morning?”

I said, “Yeah. What did we talk about again?”

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My wife’s friend was telling us about how she had recently taken up fishing and she was very excited, “I caught my first fish the other day!”

“Didn’t that upset the people at the pet store?”

Disclaimer: I actually enjoy quite a few Ed Sheeran songs.