everybody knows...

One of the blessings of a long road trip - particularly, but not exclusively, if it is to Montreal - is the chance for podcasts and conversation. Di is a master of locating quirky, informative, and satisfying collections that are emotionally and intellectually satisfying. Of late we have spent time with two dedicated to better understanding depression: Krista Tippet's "On Being" with Andrew Solomon, Parker Palmer, and Anita Barrows (https://onbeing.org/programs/the-soul-in-depression-mar2018/); and the APN program, "The Hilarious World of Depression," with Rachel Bloom (https://www. apmpodcasts.org/thwod/ 2018/01/rachel-bloom/) In different ways, each of these shows has opened my head and heart to new understandings of the agony of depression. I have also found some ways into owning some of my own mania and anxieties.

If you are open, both of these programs can be illuminating. Not necessarily easy, but transformative. It helps to have someone you can unpack the shared wisdom with as well as your own reactions. We devoted most of our three hour French dinner at Bistro Beaufort to this matter. And then another three hours back in the Air BnB. Like wrestling with the insights of the enneagram, I found myself recognizing uncomfortable truths about myself that I needed a trusted loved one to confirm. There's a lot of inner reflection to be done as well. If you are open, both of these programs can be illuminating. Not necessarily easy, but transformative. It helps to have someone you can unpack the shared wisdom as well as your own reactions. We devoted most of our three hour French dinner at Bistro Beaufort to this matter. And then another three hours back in the Air BnB. Like wrestling with the insights of the enneagram, I found myself recognizing uncomfortable truths about myself that I needed a trusted loved one to confirm. There's a lot of inner reflection to be done as we flâneur our way through Montreal over the next week.



Last year at this time while Di was studying for her ESL credentials, I was free to explore the old haunts of Leonard Cohen: his neighborhood, his music, and his biography. This year may be a time to turn my sights inward. My hunch is that Leonard's music will once again be my companion.