Ruby drops onto the couch, sighs as if she had been holding her breath for three days. Although only 43, fatigue traces the lines on her face, despair shades her complexion. Her vitality spent, she has barely made it to our session. With two young children and a busy career, Ruby is constantly on the
The Right Metaphor for Difficult Moments in Life Read More »
I have the habit of collecting moments of delight and wonder. These are quiet, unassuming encounters that uplift my soul and reveal the brightness of life. Sometimes I chance upon a small kindness that renews my faith in others; other times I am tickled by amusement. None of these gifts arrive with grand proclamation or
Discovering the Joy of Every Day Life Read More »
In his autobiography, Speak Memory, Vladimir Nabokov wrote that “life is a slim crack of light between two eternities of darkness.” Take a fraction of that briefest spark, and we arrive at a day like today. Perhaps there is little that marks today as anything extraordinary within the span of our lives, yet within the
This is It! Mindfulness for an Ordinary Day Read More »
We are living with harrowing geopolitical uncertainty. The economy teeters on a knife’s edge. Expenses strain our accounts; prices insult our wallets. The cost of living exacts a toll on our wellbeing, both physical and mental. The strain across society manifests in debt, unemployment, and worse, homelessness. A generation of young people are locked out
The Alchemy of Finance and Soul: How Money Reveals the Psyche Read More »
It’s Earth Day. Outside my window, the leaves of oaks and maples are unfurling from buds. The air carries fragrance. The cherries and magnolias are in full bloom – an effusion of pink and white regales the streets. Everyday I watch the garden burst forth with shoots of green and petals of vibrant colour. Tiny
Lessons in Wholeness from the Land Read More »
We are living in a modern iteration of the Book of Revelations. Housing affordability, economic uncertainty, political turmoil, war, inequality and climate change have coalesced into what Edgar Morin has called the Polycrisis. The pressures of life can fracture our psyche and erode our wellbeing. This fractious state of affairs is the backdrop against which
Falling in Love With What Is: Acceptance in the Face of the Unacceptable Read More »
Marcus Aurelius (121 CE – 180CE) was a Roman Emperor and follower of the Stoicism, a philosophical tradition that prizes virtue and fortitude amid life’s challenges. Widely considered a wise ruler, Marcus Aurelius leaves behind a precious volume of his own reflections titled “Meditations.” I read this book many years ago while backpacking through Europe.
Wisdom for Difficult Times: Reflections from Marcus Aurelius Read More »
We have entered a tumultuous time. The new US administration sends waves of uncertainty throughout the political and economic landscape. Talk of tariffs has frayed the trade relationship between the US and Canada. The US’ withdrawal from the Paris Climate agreement signifies a setback in efforts to mitigate climate change. The threat of a US take-over of Gaza
How to Face Political Anxiety in a Time of Uncertainty Read More »
In a recent conversation, a friend asked me the difference between reading books and scrolling on a phone: “If you lament the bus riders with their eyes locked on their screens, might you not also bemoan the same absorption if everyone was reading books?” The question led me to ponder the qualitative difference between the
Reading: The Bread and Butter of Inner Life Read More »
I picked up the guitar at the age of 17. As a teen, I loved hard-rock music: Bryan Adams, Steven Curtis Chapman, Eric Clapton, Metallica, and many more. The brawn and sizzle of an overdriven guitar was the soundtrack of my youth. My mother bought me my first guitar and amp: a black Squire Stratocaster, and a
The Zen of Rock and Roll: Life Lessons from Playing Guitar Read More »
David Chang Counselling is gratefully located on the territories of the the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. David supports and celebrates diversity in race, gender, sexual orientation, language, culture, and neurological composition.
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