Today, Mel and I went to Perth to watch and participate in the Lanark County Pride Parade. We also took the opportunity to do a self-directed food tour, as we had done in Montreal in March. I'll have more on our latest trip to Perth in tomorrow's post. In the meantime, Happy Pride!

While we can't always know how our words and actions affect others, we can control the extent to which we tell others about their significance in our lives. Here are a few ways to do that, based on my own recent experience giving or receiving praise. Tell a call centre agent how helpful they have been and how well they answered your questions. Leave a comment on someone's social media post explaining that what they wrote resonated with you and why. Let a neighbour know how much their beautiful landscaping lifts your spirits. Go beyond simply thanking someone for a gift by letting them know how it made you feel.

"When Jim was injured, I went to the hospital and years later he told me, 'I couldn't imagine why Fred Rogers was bringing me my homework.' At any rate, we started to talk, and I could see what substance there was in this jock. And, evidently, he could see what substance there was in this shy kid. So when he got out of the hospital and went back to the school, he said to people, 'You know, that Rogers kid's okay.' That made all the difference in the world for me. It was after that that I started writing for the newspaper, got to be president of the student council. What a difference one person can make in the life of another. It's almost as if he had said, 'I like you—just the way you are.'"

— Fred Rogers

Returning to the question of what it means to be a woman, I would say that my empathy, compassion, caring, generosity, dependability, friendliness, warmth and creativity are as integral to being a woman as having reproductive organs, hair and breasts. Womanhood is so much more than the package.

We sometimes experience guilt because we believe that we're not reciprocating someone else's thoughtfulness in the same way or at the same pace. I've dubbed this "reciprocity guilt." And I've decided that life is too short to feel bad when we deserve to feel good.

[Time management coach Elizabeth Grace] Saunders says that while almost any of us can go above and beyond normal expectations in short bursts, particularly at the beginning of a job or project, pushing ourselves to work long hours over an extended period is not sustainable. She states: "The key to success at work and in life isn’t really starting strong, it’s staying strong."

"Sometimes leaving is the only option, because it is the only way to choose yourself. And when you choose yourself, you are consciously choosing to thrive in spite of the hurdles you will face by leaving. When leaving is the only option, courage is your companion. Stand tall, accept your circumstances, and walk proudly toward your future. By choosing yourself, you will always triumph. Believe this in your heart."

— Cyndie Spiegel

To me, Jenesis is a work of art as well as a gift of love. It is a reflection on my past, a distillation of my current reality, and a peek into my hopes for the future. It is my personal truth, and a glimpse at my nakedness. I believe that, in contemplating my condition, I am helping others to consider their own lives.

Both the buddy bench and the friendship bench reminded me of the "chat benches" police set up in two parks in southwest England to combat loneliness among older people. The benches carry signs saying: "The 'Happy to Chat' Bench: Sit here if you don't mind someone stopping to say hello!"

Following my recent exchange with the couple who gave me a mango in the self-checkout line of my local supermarket, I coined a new expression: mango moment. It's any encounter with a stranger that leaves me feeling happy, appreciated or amused.