Today, we had a family lunch to celebrate Chris, a few days in advance of his actual birthday. After we had eaten, we lingered at the table, talking about memories from childhood. Shane and Mel fondly recalled the House Hippo commercial by Concerned Children's Advertisers. You might recall the documentary-style commentary on the tiny animal:

The North American house hippo is found throughout Canada and the Eastern United States. House hippos are very timid creatures and are rarely seen, but they will defend their territory if provoked. They come out at night to search for food, water and materials for their nests. The favourite foods of the house hippo are chips, raisins and the crumbs from peanut butter on toast. They build their nests in bedroom closets, using lost mittens, dryer lint and bits of string. The nests have to be very soft and warm: house hippos sleep about 16 hours a day.

At this point, a different narrator breaks in to say that although the story sounds very real, you knew it couldn't be true. She adds, "That's why it's good to think about what you watch on TV and ask questions."

Mel noted that the house hippo had made a comeback in 2019. The House Hippo 2.0 ad by MediaSmarts states:

House hippos have returned to Canadian homes, but they're extremely hard to spot. They enjoy admiring their reflections, hoarding socks, helping themselves to your devices, and annoying your pets. It looks like Canada has a house hippo problem.

Once again, a different narrator interjects to question whether the problem is real. She explains that they brought back the house hippo "to show how easy it is to be fooled in our digital world."

Mel wasn't sure how effective the house hippo commercials had been. Indeed, one article on the Return of the House Hippo noted that, with the launch of the 2.0 ad, many people admitted that, as children, they had thought the house hippo was real. My favourite statement from the article was this one: "Small hippos to hide about the house are still a popular thrift shop find among Canadians of a certain age." Now I want to find a tiny hippo.

Let's move on to nostalgic posts of a different kind.

In my experience, positive comments are like statements whispered in a dream. The words are fleeting and the details are forgotten far too quickly. Often, I'm left with only a general impression of the observation—a warmth that makes me feel good about myself and the person who uttered the comments. It's like Maya Angelou said: "People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel." Negative remarks, by contrast, are like a bee's sting. I remember the exact words, who said them, where I was, and the hurt that I felt. I remember the insults or careless statements—word for word—months and years later.

"Before starting, our brain visualizes the hardest parts to come, and instead tries to simulate real work by focusing on small mindless tasks. Luckily there’s a construct of the mind known as the Zeigarnik effect, which compels humans to finish a task that they’ve already started. The Zeigarnik effect shows that when we don’t finish a task, we experience discomfort and intrusive thoughts about it."

— The Science of Productivity

My mood today matched the heavy, gloomy weather. The enormity of what I'm facing weighed on me. I slept poorly last night and awoke feeling disheartened. I spent all morning and a good part of the afternoon on the couch. I watched a movie to distract myself from my worries. Then I napped. I don't often experience sadness, but when I do, I give myself permission to feel what I feel. I know that—in time—the dark cloud hanging over me will move on and the blue sky will appear once again.

Many of you used your special powers to reach out and say or do something uplifting. You shared quotes ("Worrying is like a rocking chair: it gives you something to do, but never gets you anywhere. "), jokes, videos, photos, songs, virtual hugs and laughter, reassurance ("one step in front of the other my friend"), stories of your own ups and downs ("you were not alone in feeling down"), signs of spring, resolutions to make changes based on my example, permission to have bad days, compliments, encouragement ("the marbles you still have in the jar are the important ones"), offers to talk, thanks, acknowledgement ("Crap days suck. But they help us appreciate great days."), positive thoughts, inspiration ("Rest today and be ready to be divine."), shared optimism ("We will live in the sun again."), wishes and blessings. Every message was a little cheer as I slowly climbed out of a dark hole.

I cannot let fear of the unknown stop me from chasing my dreams. I am the lotus flower: determined, open, beautiful.

A father chose to work from home when his daughter was young so that he could meet her at the bus each day and walk home with her. He recounts: "Most days, I could afford to dedicate attention to her kindergarten stories and adventures. However, one day, I had a very important project consuming my attention. I barely acknowledged Lauren during the walk home. As I got her settled in the room next to mine, my attention was elsewhere. After a few disingenuous 'Uh huhs, 'that’s nices,' and 'good for yous,' I noticed her monologue had stopped. Before I could look over to ensure she hadn’t gotten into something, I felt her hands hold my cheeks and turn my head toward her while saying, 'No Daddy, listen with your eyes.'"

"If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done."

— Bruce Lee

[Professor and author Adam] Grant states that bringing the end-user perspective to staff "can have a significant, lasting effect on employees’ motivation, performance, and productivity." This happens in three ways, which Grant calls impact, appreciation and empathy. He writes:

"Happy people do not experience one success after another and unhappy people, one failure after another. Instead, surveys show that happy and unhappy people tend to have had very similar life experiences. The difference is that the average unhappy person spends more than twice as much time thinking about unpleasant events in their lives, while happy people tend to seek and rely upon information that brightens their personal outlook."

— David Niven, The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People

For my part, the most important thing I've learned about cancer is that it's possible to face the disease and still find joy, happiness and connection. I expect that it will be the same as I continue to age.

Even more remarkable is that the Easter Bunny has faced her own health challenges: treatment for breast cancer, genetic testing, and—less than two weeks ago—surgery to remove her fallopian tubes and ovaries to reduce her risk of ovarian cancer. That she can be thinking of others at such a time is remarkable. Then again, she is the Easter Bunny. She is strong, positive, grateful, proactive, and a role model for her children.