Chapters

Music saved my life

January 13, 2023

Chapter 21: All that you can and can’t leave behind

Do I regret breaking up? YES. I wish I could have seen some other solution, but at the time, I was desperate to get out of a situation that seemed impossible to resolve. Things had escalated to the point of no return - at least, it seemed that way to me. But the truth is, I still very much love my wife, and I miss her every minute of every day. It takes courage to come out and say this sort of thing publicly.

December 25, 2022

Chapter 20: One Banana? Now I Know!

I remember doing a grocery run for her, and on her list, she had “1 banana”. I thought to myself, “Who buys just one banana?” I now purchase just one or two bananas because they last me several days. Like, mum, I can’t eat a whole banana in one sitting. So, now I know what it’s like to buy food for ONE.

November 23, 2022

Chapter 19: The Cobalt Blues

In 2001, I was fitted with a metal-on-metal hip implant which was supposed to last me my whole life. These implants began failing by the thousands, and there are currently several class action lawsuits in the U.S. against various manufacturers. Mine has been leaching high levels of Cobalt and Chromium into my body since 2015, disastrously affecting my health.

August 7, 2022

Chapter 18: Confessions of a French Canadian

This past year, I discovered and became hooked on French radio, specifically 107.3 ICI Musique on Radio Canada. What a treasure I found! Beyond my incredible appreciation for the quality and vast repertoire of music they serve up, I am equally in awe of the disk jockeys' command of the French language, which is without compare. I've always considered myself fluent in both languages, but there is fluent, and then there is fluent! These D.J.s are in the top 1% of the most wealthy in terms of their command of the language. Their sentences are always beautifully structured, filled with wonderful vocabulary, and delivered without any effort. No pauses or hums and haws. Just perfectly spoken French, which for me, is music to my ears.

August 7, 2022

Chapter 17: Les confessions d'un canadien-français

L'année dernière, le divorce ayant bouleversé ma vie, j'étais perdu et je cherchais un endroit où je pourrais trouver du réconfort. C'est alors que j'ai découvert et que je suis devenu accro à la radio francophone, plus précisément 107.3 ICI MUSIQUE sur Radio-Canada. Quel trésor j'ai trouvé ! Au-delà de mon incroyable appréciation pour la qualité et le vaste répertoire de musique qu'ils proposent, je suis également en admiration devant la maîtrise de la langue française des animateurs, qui est sans comparaison. Je me suis toujours considérée comme parlant couramment les deux langues, mais il y a couramment, et puis il y a couramment ! Au Québec, pour ceux d'entre vous qui habitent ici, vous savez que le français qui y est parlé peut varier énormément selon la région, l'éducation et bien d'autres facteurs. Je crois que je fais partie de la classe moyenne en raison de la facilité avec laquelle je peux m'exprimer en français. Ces animateurs sont dans le top 1% en ce qui concerne la maîtrise de la langue. Leurs phrases sont toujours parfaitement structurées, remplies d'un excellent vocabulaire et prononcées sans effort. C’est du français sans égal, qui, pour moi, est « de la musique à mes oreilles. »

March 17, 2022

Chapter 16: Quand on est en amour

This chapter is all about love and loss and how they have played out for me. Being in love is like growing a pair of wings, allowing you to go from here to there, as the albatross does, coasting effortlessly for hundreds of miles on an ocean breeze. Nothing can hold you down anymore. You've been set free. You feel alive for the first time in your life.

January 1, 2022 • Part 2 of 2

Chapter 15: I Will Begin Again

This is Part 2 of the "Does everything happen for a reason?" conversation I began in Chapter 14. Here, I share my thoughts from the perspective of someone who has lived through a fair amount of hardship.

June 3, 2021 • Part 1 of 2

Chapter 14: A Bitter Sweet Moment of Surrender

"Does everything happen for a reason?" This is the philosophical question I pose in this chapter.

June 3, 2020

Chapter 13: Third Of June

June 3rd did not have any specific importance for me, until 1997, when I heard the song "Third of June" by Corey Hart playing over the radio in a medical transport vehicle. Here's the story.

May 30, 2020 • Part 3

Chapter 12: Heroes

All of my days are spent coping with so many dreadful symptoms that it's hard to stay optimistic about anything. But, like most things, it all boils down to perspective, and that is the purpose of this chapter. I'm hoping this story will change perspectives a little bit, and maybe help people have an easier time getting through the COVID-19 days, weeks, and months to come.


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