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!
“It’s important to realize that brand is much more than a logo and slogan. A brand is who your company is: how you function and make decisions.” -Joanna McFarland, Co-founder of HopSkipDrive
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#instagood
#photooftheday
#fashion
#beautiful
#happy
#cute
#tbt
#like4like
#followme
#picoftheday
#follow
#me
#selfie
#summer
#art
#instadaily
#friends
#repost
#nature
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Good day, Crocus! A week ago, buried under snow and ice, today smiling at the warm spring sunshine. It makes me smile to see crocuses, because they are usually the first spring flower that I see. Today, the walk to the hospital was warm enough for just a sweatshirt, bright and sunny, and the flowers were purple and pretty. This was a great way to end the week and to start the weekend.
Posted @withrepost • @positivelypresent Reposting this one in honor of @barkleythemorkie’s Gotcha Day. 💕🐕💕 I brought her home six years ago today, and she’s been bringing me joy ever since! ☺️ This little drawing of her is now a @giphy GIF that you can use in your stories or texts (if you have the keyboard installed). Search “positively present” via the GIF feature in Stories to use it here on Instagram!
It’s Friday – what are your plans for the weekend?? Do you like to plan things or just roll with it? I like to use the weekend to plan for the week ahead, usually, but sometimes, lately, the weekend is our time to just be still, and wait. .
Fever? Check. Jammies? Check. Fortnite? Check. Your great-grandmother shoving tissues in your sleeves to stop you wiping your nose on your clothes? Check.
This poor monkey has been getting sick all week. Every other day I think he is better, and come home from school sicker. Thank goodness it’s the weekend, and he can drink fluids and rest.
Good morning! I had to bring Dave’s car in for a slow leak in his rear passenger tire today, before his appointment at the cancer centre this morning, and I came to a strange conclusion. I had long thought that auto repair shops treat me differently along a gender bias, and maybe sometimes that is true, but I don’t think it is always true. I think part of the paternalistic behaviour that I have come to notice is the result of a complete lack of preparedness and learned helplessness on my behalf. If you were dealing with a customer who cannot tell you what type of car they have, which tire is leaking, how old the car is, would you not tend to be likely to assume that this person does not belong here? If I want to be treated as a grown up, instead of a confused child, the least I could do is prepare for the most basic of questions!⠀
“It never ceases to amaze me; the courage of hobbits” – The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
For me, this is like children – they are braver and stronger and more courageous than for which we give them credit. They are small and may appear timid, but in a big scary world, they always surprise me with their fortitude and willingness to do the things that scare them.
How am I? I am hopeful. I am exhausted. I am scared. I am happy. I am angry. I am grateful. I am sick. I am the healthiest person in the room. I am a wife and mom. I am a caregiver and nursemaid. I am on top of things. I am so far behind.
When people ask how I am holding up, they receive any of these answers and they are all true. At any given moment. We are fighting a battle that we never prepared for, but there is a big life around the battle, and it doesn’t stop for anyone or anything. I have friends and family who have rallied around us. I have been in communication with people I haven’t spoken to in ages, but have loved nonetheless. I have a company that has shown me compassion and kindness all the way through.
So aside from the devastation, the play was pretty good, thanks for asking. How are you?
Kali J Desautels 