Kerri On Down The Road

At the start of the year, I noticed an online trend of folks looking back at pictures from 2016 to compare where they were and where they are, ten years later.  So, of course, I decided to take a peek and see what was happening in my life a decade ago.  Looking at the pictures created a wave of emotions, some joyful and some bittersweet. It was not easy to stare into the smiling face of a woman who had no idea what the next ten years would hold for her. I felt sympathy for her, as I knew the journey she would face, and despite there being many moments of true joy, there would also be moments of grief, disappointment, and feelings of failure. I felt tenderness towards her; she was making the best choices she could with the information she had, trusting her gut and wanting so badly to believe that she was following the best path forward. I felt pride in her strength to course-correct when she could no longer deny that the direction she was headed in was not one she could qu...

The start of a new year often brings with it a desire for change. The act of making New Year's resolutions comes with a sense of hope and sometimes fear: speaking a wish out loud is vulnerable and also brings a feeling of realness to the situation.  You wouldn't necessarily set a resolution for change if deep down you didn't feel strongly about the reasons behind it.  Stating an intention or choosing a goal is such a personal act. Yet, we feel compelled, or pressured at times, to share our desires widely, perhaps trying to add accountability by including others in our quest for a new start. The initial excitement and wonder of what could be are often replaced by an honest question - what now?   The power of an intention to change lies in the way the change is approached.  I have learned (the hard way) that focusing only on a fairytale outcome is a surefire way to undermine your goal and your success. Having an idea of what you would like the outcome to be is imp...

 With the arrival of the new year came a new semester at school, and the harsh reality of needing to move from a rather relaxed schedule to one that includes reading textbooks and completing assignments again.  The two courses I am starting are both based in psychology, focusing on the brain and behaviour, and the differences between human and non-human cognition.  The scientific method plays a large role in both courses, and fortunately for me, it is something I find rather interesting.  The precise and well-thought-out parameters of a scientific experiment, in particular, appeal to me, as does the ability to control for unknowns. Ah, if only life could be so straightforward sometimes.  As I was concluding my reading the other day, I was struck by the similarities between scientific methodology and the way I often approach issues in my life. I start with a theory or hypothesis about what is happening that I wish to change or modify, and I then try to determine ...

 As mentioned in my last post, I ended 2025 with a focus on shedding the old to make space for the new year, new experiences, and fresh perspectives. This involved a lot of cleaning and purging of old paperwork, items, and clothing that were no longer needed, no longer fit, or were no longer relevant.  It felt invigorating and purposeful to go through this exercise, and I highly recommend it to anyone who feels that same pull. One area that I didn't spend as much time on involved my personal physical space...my body, to be precise.  While I was busy making way for the newness that a new year brings, I didn't devote time to evaluating my relationship with my body, how I present myself, and how I feel about myself.  Just reading that last line makes me think, "No wonder!"  Who in their right mind would take time out to make THAT deep dive? It wasn't until I listened to Jen Hatmaker's book Awake: A Memoir that  I realized the work I still needed to do.  I...

 I cannot remember a time in my life when I felt so compelled to move forward, to shed reminders of the past, and to make room for what lies ahead.  I am a sentimental person at heart, and often find it difficult to physically release items and tokens that have been given to me or that I have collected through relationships, experiences, and other routine aspects of life.  From time to time, I have found myself in need of a good purge, usually because I need more room to store things, or have a significant move on the horizon, and the thought of packing spurs me into action.  Those clean-out sessions are reactionary in nature -- often, decisions being made about what to keep and what to pitch are made on the fly and without much thought. rat This time, the urge to trim has come from a different place entirely.  I started to notice a desire to cull my belongings as the winter solstice arrived a couple of weeks ago.  Heading out of the year of the snake and i...

 There is no denying it, I am not the best plant mom out there.  I enjoy having plants in my home. I love the tranquility their greenery brings to a room, and as a result, I own quite a few.  Despite my appreciation of houseplants, my ability to nurture them often falls short.  I do not know their proper names.  I do not talk to them unless I am apologizing for letting their soil become dry.  I often sit down at the end of the night, ready to read and unwind, when I notice their droopiness and promise to water them first thing the next day.  I then imagine them staring at me, blatantly drinking water, and ignoring their thirst.  Anytime I bring a new plant home, I ensure it is of the "hearty" variety, meaning that it can withstand some neglect and irregular maintenance. Succulents and pothos have been reliable go-tos over the years, and I've even managed to keep an orchid and snake plant going much longer than I had ever imagined possible. So ther...

 The Instagram algorithm got me again.  This time, it wasn't clothing or a new running program that was guaranteed to shave minutes off my next marathon.  Nope.  This was all about balance, in the form of a funky and fun-looking balance board.  I watched numerous videos of people of all ages trying to remain stable on the precarious-looking rubber band that was attached to the board, all with the promise of various fitness benefits and improvements to be had by only spending minutes a day on this contraption.  Of course, I was curious.  I am wrapping up a university course on fitness and exercise programming at the moment, and we have talked about the importance of balance and mobility in an overall wellness routine, especially as one ages.  And well, this one is aging. Fortunately, before I was able to add anything to a cart, I remembered that this was not the first time I'd wandered down the path of balance in my fitness quest.  I pushed my...