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!
He is growing so fast, but sometimes he still needs his mama. Last night, with the new lockdown regulations in place, he wanted or needed to cuddle with me. Hours past his bedtime, he managed to settle in to sleep, and you had better believe that I enjoyed every single second of his small, deep breathing body curled up next to me. At his age, I don’t know when he will ever fall asleep in the crook of my arm again, so these small moments comfort me just as much as they do him.
2020 is hard on adults and kiddos alike. Sometimes it shows up as acting out, sometimes it shows up as not being able to sleep, sometimes it shows up in a need for extra cuddles, and those are not just for the adults.
Every so often Dave surprises me with something new around the house. This weekend, our garburator broke, my closet fell down, our dryer stopped working and our cat developed an ear infection. While picking up supplies to repair two of these, he remembered that I had mentioned a desire for some mason jar shelving in our bathroom, so he picked up the supplies for these as well.
Partway through the day, as I reorganized my repaired closet, he and our son began collecting mason jars from the kitchen and creating this beautiful wall!
After 21 years together, these random acts of kindness and affection show me how much he still loves me and pays attention to what I say (at least some of the time).
I just had to show off his most recent handy work and my new addition to my much prettier home ❤️
I am trying to relax and remember that I have no ability to affect the outcome of an election in a country that isn’t mine. I wish the effects of the decisions didn’t resonate across the world. I would like to say I don’t care and it has nothing to do with me, but I do care, and it affects all of us.
I just wish that what seems so obvious to me – basic human rights, dignity, and equality – were shared by more people. It breaks my heart that white women, once again, have followed their ingrained sexism and racism back down the Trump rabbit hole.
Today, in the US, your vote matters. If it didn’t, the prevailing power wouldn’t be trying so hard to suppress it.
White women – this message is especially for you – please, please, please don’t vote against your own self interest. Don’t vote for Trump. He is an awful, awful person who has proven time and time again that he does NOT care about you. Not even a little bit. You own your vote, so use it like your life depends on it. Use it like your daughter is LGBTQIA2S+. Use it like your son is afraid to be pulled over for no reason and killed. Use it like your babies have been taken away from you and locked in a cage.
I am not getting my hopes up that people will vote kindness in 2020, because it does not seem to be the way that things have gone this year. I am just really, really hoping you all prove me wrong.
Posted @withregram • @shopsonyabees Respect your right to vote! Every vote counts. You have the power to decide on the quality of life you want for yourself and future generations💪🏾 #vote #election2020 #votebidenharris2020 #dumptrump #votekindness #votelikeyourlifedependsonit #democratsabroad #democracy #lgbtq🌈 #womensupportingwomen #voteforchange #kalidesautelsreads
Set for the day of observing from the Northern side of the fence. I have my #pearlsforrbg, my Michelle Obama mug, and 12 evil eyes on my wrist for good measure.
Please, please, please vote kindness and human rights. Please don’t let the whole world down 2 elections in a row.
In 1953, Lt. Milo Radulovich was fired from the Air Force Reserves for being a Communist sympathizer, due to the accused affiliations of his father and sister by Sen. Joseph McCarthy and his refusal to renounce them.
Why am I sharing this right now? Because Radulovich and his family were the victims of the witch hunt that was McCarthyism. People were afraid to stand up to people because they were afraid of being seen as subversive, and having House Un-American Activities Committee come after them as well.
We may no longer be afraid of being labelled as “red” or “pinkos”, but where are now? Are we speaking up for BIPOC? Are we discussing the planned federal seizure of Mi’kmaq lobster traps in Nova Scotia? Are we still discussing the fact that Black and Indigenous people are being arrested and killed at a rate that far outweighs their populations in Canada? Are we discussing that the incumbent President is 2 days away from either being re-elected or conducting his own witch hunt to anyone who voted for his opponent? That he intends to refute any election that does not declare him a winner? Are we remembering that our own Prime Minister is making ethical decisions that are at best foolish and at worst dangerous to our country? Are we doing enough? Are we understanding what is happening?
As long as there has been news, there have been people, and journalists, and politicians all making use of the media to propagate, subvert, and inform. The media can be used for good and for evil, and as my very wise sister pointed out to me again today, we must always, always be critical of what we hear and we must always speak out.
We cannot allow a fear of how we will be perceived to stop us from discussing things that are important. We cannot forget that sometimes the media we are seeing or hearing is based on fact.
Even this post – this post is my opinion. This post is editorializing. Does that make it true? Yes. Does that make it false? Also yes.
From the 2005 film Good Night, and Good Luck. David Strathairn as Edward R. Murrow.
I found the quickest way to have my not-so-little littles want to cuddle up with their mama – let them try to watch one of the not funny episodes of Supernatural with me!
Now I wait to see if they sleep tonight and if I win the Worst Mom of 2020 Award…
Kali J Desautels 