Kali J Desautels

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Originally intended to simply focus on book reviews, over time, KaliDesautelsReads has morphed into its own entity. I write about issues that are near to my heart, be they political, feminist, motherhood, mental health, or, as the title holds, books. A thirty-something Canadian woman in my mid-thirties, I have been “super married” to my high school sweetheart since 2006, and together we have two crazy, clever, kind, hilarious, wonderful kids. My first book – How Not To Blog: Finding Myself, One Post at a Time is available on Amazon (in eBook formats for you clever tech readers, and paperback for those of us who love that new book smell!) I have tried a podcast – it’s still on Apple and Google Podcasts – but writing is where my heart is. My life changed dramatically when my husband was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer in 2018, and I am now a writer for a leading Canadian Cancer Non-Profit. I am lucky enough to have a family that loves me and pushes me to be my best, even if it is outside of my cushiony comfort zone. I have a village of friends that nourish me, mentally, and spiritually. Welcome to my thoughts. Sit down. Stay a while. Enjoy a cup of coffee!

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  • Both and Neither

    This is me this week –Pic 1 -dressed up for work and smilingPic 2 – following a doctor’s appointment In pic 1, I am feeling great and ready to take on the world. In pic 2, my hair is matted, I’m in my sweats and I am not ready to take on anything at all.…

  • Today was weird

    Today was weird. Today I didn’t do well with anesthesia. Today I felt confused and disoriented. Today I wish that I had had a hand to hold. Today I should have asked for support. Today a simple procedure snowballed into a painful, confusing, disorienting situation. Today I lost my words. Today I worried about loved…

  • Orange Shirt Day 2020

    Posted @withregram • @kalidesautelsreads Posted @withregram • @morning.star.designs Every Child Matters 🧡. “Orange Shirt Day on September 30th opens the door to global conversation on all aspects of Residential Schools. It is an opportunity to create meaningful discussion about the effects of Residential Schools and the legacy they have left behind. A discussion all Canadians…

  • COVID Test Came Back Negative, But He Is Still Staying Home.

    This kid’s COVID test came back negative, thank goodness. He has his usual back to school cold/flu. I feel like it bears noting that he got sick regardless of following the safety guidelines that were mandated to schools for Fall. He wears his mask, he washes his hands, and he is in a classroom as…

  • Things I Seem To Have Missed The Memo On

    I am less than three years away from my 40th birthday. This puts me smack dab in the middle of middle age. I am too young to be old, but much too old to be young. I am finding myself thinking lately about all the things that I should know or know how to do…

  • Get over it

    Repost @womenforblacklives • Get over yourself Get over ourselves I’d also like to add First Nations lives to this list. White comfort and white tears will never fix this white mess. We need to fix this, and fixing things means that things have to get painful and uncomfortable. #rachelcargle #blm #blacklivesmatter #endwhitesupremacy #bipoc #metis #firstnations…

  • Baby’s First COVID Test

    Baby’s first COVID test He was not thrilled that the gargle was off the table, but he had his swab like a big boy. Now we hide him away and await results! He described it quite well as feeling like getting pool water up his nose LOL #covid19 #swab #swabtest #covidbc #maskedup #braveboy #itsprobablyjustacold #bettersafethansorry…

  • Reflect.

    It’s been at least a month since I have pulled out my oracle cards. It has been more than that since I returned to my mat. I think it is time to recentre myself. To accept my stress and anxiety, and to sit with it. To stop sitting in it. To take time to be…

  • Addiction is hard. Relapse is harder

    It doesn’t matter what you are addicted to, a relapse is always shameful and painful. It might be drugs or alcohol, or, as in my case, shopping for things I do not need and cannot afford. It’s easy to say “oh just this one thing is fine”, but one thing leads to two things, leads…

  • Gemini Cycle

    I have cycled out. The dark, wet slog has begun to brighten and dry, leaving me free, coated in fine dust. The dust is the residue that resists the cycling out. There. In my hair, on my hands, clinging to my eyelashes, on everything that I have touched or ever will touch. I have cycled…