I remember thinking this when I watched the University men’s soccer teams play in the national championships in Victoria, BC, recently.

Picture this: it is the semi-finals round of a major national sports tournament.  There are two teams in this round of the competition.  Both teams have worked really hard to get here. Both have practised hard and won their important games.  The players have most likely been playing for many years and have practiced daily.  Each team has also grown really tight as a unit.  But, watching the teams recently, I was reminded that it doesn’t matter how well you have played in the past or how much you practice; in the semi-finals, it is about this moment. Each player must be totally “present” in the game.

I went to watch this Improv music class at the beginning of the week with a friend of mine.  A new friend was teaching the class, so he invited us to attend.  The class had five students, who each played different instruments in this fourth-year class.

I was expecting to be blown away by their music and they did really well. The thing is, I wasn’t blown away by their performances.  All the students were amazing musicians but they weren’t excellent.  My definition of an excellent performer is someone who has the abilities but also has the mental drive to shine and take risks.  It felt they were staying in the safe zone and not taking any risks.

One of the students even said they were insecure.

I know we all have busy lives, but we can take two minutes out of our day and remember the Veterans.

This is very dear to my heart as one of my grandfathers was a Captain in World War Two and one of my grandmothers was a nurse in the same war.  Also, members of my extended family have served either away or on the home front in past wars.  I also have friends who are currently serving.

Please show respect for Veterans by wearing a poppy throughout the week and thanking them for sacrificing their lives for us.   I ask you to think of the Veterans and their families and friends during the two minutes of silence.

"Do not let yourself be surrounded by people who will peck you to death like a duck" - Maya Angelou

I heard Oprah say this quote on her Lifeclass last week, and the message hit me hard.

When I heard the phrase, "peck you to death like a duck", I was brought back to my childhood and a situation I had witnessed at our local petting zoo.  I remember going into the barn and seeing four birds (I forget what kind they were) in a pen.