Kyle Lowry, Walter White, March Madness and More

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Well it’s Mid-March and we are officially a year into this mess known as the pandemic and now the media is pushing the arrival of the third wave. Cool.

Does anyone else feel like March 2020 and March 2021 have merged? Thank goodness I have an Instagram feed to remind me that the last 12 months existed. Seriously, if I close my eyes, I can instantly go back to this time last year and it feels like it is now. We were on the kid’s March Break, or March Broke as I was calling it, and trying to navigate staying busy with the boys.

It’s been a year since signing up for Disney +. It’s been a year since I started playing Red Dead Redemption. It’s been a year since I watched no March Madness.

Anyways, how are you? How is life going for you? Gotten your vaccine yet?

How about a brain dump?

I Can’t Believe it Has Been a Year!

COVID-19

As the 2021 calendar turned to March, the first thought I had was, we have been living the COVID-19 pandemic life for a year! Seriously, it has been 12 months of this shit. And while the vaccine rollout is happening (slowly), brighter days are finally ahead. But leaving February behind has been a mental kick in the gut if you take a moment to really reflect on the last 12 months.

For me my first memories of how it started was the daily tracking of the Diamond Princess. You remember? The floating coronavirus event that was really the first sign of what was to come. Reading in horror, all of the people trapped in their rooms literally. At the time, I doubt anyone felt that 12 months later we would all know the feeling. But it was on the other side of the planet. Everything was going to be okay and not reach Canada. Right?

4 Ways I Am Coping with Being Stuck at Home

Coping with being stuck at home

As we come up on one year of basically being stuck at home, I wanted to share four ways I am personally coping for the sake of my mental health.

We all have our own situation. Small businesses closed, others working from home, online school, no eating out, can’t see friends and family and the list goes on. Just walking outside feels like a luxury at this point.

I have written before on the benefits of us all being at home, but what about me? How am I personally getting my mind through the day? What small things are bringing me happiness?

Oh and to avoid anyone saying, what about your wife and kids bringing you joy, that of course should go without even being said. They get me through the down days and I do the same in return.

This post is about me and my solo time activities that take my mind off of vaccine roll outs, shots in arms (or lack of), daily pressers, washing hands and worrying about an unknown future.

It truly is a full-on battle for proper mental health and whatever you can find to bring you even 10 minutes of “normal”, I say go for it.

Here are just 4 of the ways I am coping with being stuck at home.

5 Positive Takeaways From Online School

5 positive takeaways from online school

“I don’t like online school, when is it over?” ~ Unnamed children in my household.

Does that sound familiar? The COVID-19 pandemic continues to play with our kid’s education like a yo-yo spinning up and down between in-person and online school. Everyone in our house was done. We were ready to return to the real life classroom, hopefully for good.

Blowing up 5 O’clock

Weird title eh? What does this guy have against 5 O’clock? Is that morning or evening? Fair question for Like a Dad readers. For us it means kids and video games

For most 5 O’clock in the pm is awesome. It’s home time for most. A time of joy and hope for a fun evening ahead. 5 O’clock for many is just the best.

In our house, this time of day is also pretty sweet. In the week, we are pretty much home and, on the weekend, it’s when my wife and I actually get to sit in a room in peace and no children.

Where the kids at?

Well, 5 O’clock has become like Christmas that comes around every 24 hours. As our youngest would gleefully say – It’s video game time!

6 Months Clear – Let’s Drink?

Today marks 6 months to the day since I walked out of The Peter Munk Cardiac Centre in Toronto and went home after what seemed like months in a bed hooked up to all kinds of devices. That day will always stick with me. The smell of fresh air and the feeling of relief.

 

As most of you know, I was admitted for some pretty scary heart issues and remained in the hospital (UHN represent!) for almost 2 weeks. Amazing how things have changed since.

 

I had my 6 month check in with my cardio team and it was fitting that it was with “Dr. Nadia” as she will always be known. The doctor who helped me a great deal mentally and physically to get through to the other side. She was elated at seeing me for the first time since.

 

Today was a key milestone in the road to recovery. I had always known the 6 month mark was a big one. And it was.

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#WealthSimple: Keep Calm & Carry On

This is a repost of an article I published on LinkedIn.
Please go and like the original and connect with me on LinkedIn.

In early 2018, I finally gave in to all the ads where a young person talks about their thoughts and worries about saving money while a beep bop tune plays in the background. The ads were for WealthSimple, an online platform to make saving for retirement easier. I knew you have heard of it.

wealthsimple

I like tucking away money for the future. I like online platforms that make things easier. I like bread and butter.

Then one day at work, coworkers were talking about it and the success they were having compared to a person managing their savings and that’s all it took. I finally decided to give it a try.

I have become a huge fan of WealthSimple because of its simplicity. Hence the simple in their name. Duh. But it’s 100% the truth.