LOVE CAN’T BE GUARDED

 I understand you, married women and men. Believe me, I was there.

You are trying to hold on to your spouse and keep him or her for yourself. It is normal; it is love. But listen to me as a romance writer who has researched extensively about marriage, divorce, and cheating: holding on to a person who doesn't care about your feelings, and blaming another single man or woman for talking or calling them, is not how you protect your relationship.

You are simply trying to limit your spouse's social and business life, thinking that if you prevent them from talking, doing business, or seeing certain people, your marriage is safe. The answer is no. If a husband or wife truly loves their spouse, they can work, socialize, and interact with both men and women while still caring deeply about their partner's feelings. They will love them unconditionally, regardless of how many other people around are prettier, more educated, or healthier.

If you notice your spouse ignoring your feelings and you try to blame someone else for their actions, you are just making excuses for them. Sooner or later, those excuses run out, and you will realize a part of you has been gone for a long time—all to protect something that did not belong to you in the first place.

I have noticed many couples fighting with outside men or women over simple small talk or business interactions. Some even go further, spreading rumors about single, divorced, or married people who work or talk with their spouse, all in a desperate attempt to save their relationship. You are only trying to hide what is wrong in your own marriage by blaming others and labeling them as bad, flirtatious, or disruptive.

In the end, your relationship will either survive for the rest of your life without true love and care—covered up only by attacking others—or it will suddenly end out of the blue, leaving you surprised. Real love cares about the lover; it does not ignore or hurt them.

ON THE AIR, OFF THE RAILS: WHY CANADA’S PUBLIC RADIO NEEDS ACCOUNTABILITY

Listen to the recorded address below as I take these issues off the page and speak to you directly on the air.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lb5XxhjZdDJGwxfaIQfrcFiXkg9L208i/view?usp=drive_link

THIS IS WHO I AM, THAT IS WHO YOU ARE

THE HIDDEN PRICE OF JEALOUSY

 Competing with others to prove your worth is a game you will never win.

If you are truly at peace with who you are and content with the life you lead, there is zero need to compare your life, your belongings, your relationships, or anything else to someone else’s.

When you live in a constant state of comparison and contest, you might manage to gain similar things or build a similar facade, but it will never bring you genuine happiness. The standards will always move. There will always be someone richer, someone better-looking, someone with a higher-status job, or someone with better health and greater wealth.

If you spend your whole life locked in jealousy and competition, you waste precious energy trying to outdo others—energy that could have been spent enjoying what you already have or improving your life on your own terms.

This hidden competition is deeply unhealthy. It harms your peace of mind, and it strains your relationships with the very people you are trying to outshine.

Stop and think before you act: Are you living your life for yourself, or are you just living it to compete with her?

A FAIR DEAL OR NO DEAL

As a Canadian writer following the trade negotiations between the United States and Canada, I believe Prime Minister Mark Carney’s decision to end the negotiations is ultimately in Canada’s best interest. While walking away will inevitably place short-term pressure on Canadian businesses facing new tariffs, maintaining a firm stance is crucial for our long-term economic independence.

​From a protectionist standpoint, President Trump’s strategy of applying steep tariffs to foreign imports is designed to serve his nation's interests. By imposing high taxes on imported goods, his administration aims to direct internal businesses to produce, trade, and purchase domestic products—driving consumers toward American goods because heavily taxed imports struggle to compete on price.

​When it comes to Canada, the U.S. undoubtedly relies on our critical resources. However, as Prime Minister Carney recognized, the current U.S. approach seeks access to these vital supplies at minimal cost or under threat of total ban. By leaving the negotiations to protect Canadian resources, Prime Minister Carney’s "good deal or no deal" approach is the right boundary to draw for Canada.

​Both leaders are doing their best to protect their citizens, but the fundamental difference lies in their execution: the U.S. is doing it at Canada's expense, whereas Canada is acting defensively to protect its national resources.

​Personally, I believe the U.S., by putting too much pressure on Americans, is taking a risk, while having a fair deal with Canada is in its benefit—and Canada should fight for a good deal or no deal.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: CLARIFYING THE FACTS AND BOUNDARIES

 Good morning. You know me from my articles on this website and my books.

Today, I am posting this article to put an end to rumors that have been spread everywhere for the last 15 years. The mental and emotional harassment became so bad that I moved to another city, but I notice that even here, those rumors are everywhere.

Certain individuals, in an effort to cover up their nonstop harassment, are using my book characters—mostly from my book Waiting Eyes on the Road—by spreading 24/7 rumors assuming that I am waiting for my book character, that he is real and supporting me, or that he even pays me money. This rumor is too ridiculous to even answer, but since harassers are following me even to my new city and my new home, I have to disclose their abusive assumptions.

Another rumor they are spreading is that I am dying to take my ex back, which is absolutely not true. As I have mentioned many times in my previous posts, we are two adults and have no need for a third party to tell or direct us to reunite or stay separated. If those abusers must know, there is no plan for reuniting.

Another rumor I have noticed is that I regret my separation and that I feel every step I take after it is a mistake. Again, if you must know, I lived with my husband for decades, and while we have many memories, regret is not one of them. We have two daughters together, and separation does not change the facts that we lived a long time together and love our daughters.

A fourth rumor is that some individuals are following me everywhere to criticize my choices, pretending my book characters left me for whatever habit I have. That is, again, too ridiculous to answer, but this emotional abuse is nonstop, and I have to clarify.

For the hundredth and final time: all my books are fictional. I created my characters; they are not real, with the exception of my book Can We Talk, which is my true story.

I am asking for the hundredth time: stop this nonsense and stay out of my personal life.

ALBERT EINSTEIN AND THE RELATIVITY OF HUMAN LIFE

 I was studying Albert Einstein's theories of relativity and comparing them to our daily lives. Einstein said, "There is no such thing as absolute rest in the universe; you can only ever measure your speed compared to something else." It is an incredibly valuable theory. We have all experienced sitting in an airplane feeling no motion at all, or riding a bicycle and feeling a rushing sense of speed. These are perfect everyday examples of relativity. [1, 2, 3]

What drove me to review his theories was noticing how certain individuals behave. Some people believe they are incredibly fast, wealthy, healthy, or whatever other positive adjective they like to tag themselves with. The worst part is that they try to rub it in other people's faces to feel superior. On the flip side, there are many people who look up from a lower position, compare their lives to these individuals, and claim they should be living that exact same way—even believing they have a right to criticize you for not having what you have.

I want to be very clear here: everything is relative. You might be incredibly wealthy compared to one group of people, yet considered completely average—or even poor—by another group. To see this in action, you only need to look at billionaires. They are billionaires, so of course they are wealthy. However, when you compare them to other billionaires, some of them are not even considered rich anymore.

The exact same logic applies to being poor or living in poverty. Some individuals are considered poor compared to an average person. Others might actually be richer than the average person, but because they compare themselves strictly to the upper class, they view themselves as poor.

This brings me right back to Einstein's theory. There is no such thing as an "absolute" standard for anything. It is not just about speed; it applies to wealth, health, education, and smartness. Everything is relative. 

How about we just live our own lives? If we feel richer, healthier, happier, younger or wealthier, we should simply enjoy our life without rubbing it in someone else's face. On the other hand, if we feel poor, sick, slow, old or sad, instead of bothering others and interrupting their lives, we should focus on improving our own circumstances. After all, no one else is responsible for our life except ourselves.