Posted by: Ms. Daryl Wood | April 9, 2026

And Then There is This

This morning I started very late after a poor night’s sleep. I’m rarely drinking my tea in my pajamas at 10 a.m. but that’s what today looks like. Browsing the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance website I found my recent blog for the Move-A-Thon and followed a path to an old blog written two years ago, not at all coincidentally, about the same time frame as now but with a different focus. It was about Finding Joy. Releasing Bitterness. It’s worth another read this today.

Lately I’ve had a series of disappointments because people have not done what they said they would do. I am more vulnerable now than I was when Doug was my back up for everything so when someone doesn’t show up or follow up or hold up, I’m disappointed. With three decades of personal growth and self-learning I need to be careful not to shame myself for feeling some bitterness. And just a reminder if you haven’t read the aforementioned article, the definition of bitterness in the Oxford dictionary is ‘angry, hurt, or resentful because of one’s bad experiences or a sense of unjust treatment.’

The ‘no surprise news’ is that we will all, without exception, all face times when we have bad experiences or feel a sense of unjust treatment. It may only last a few minutes until we can ‘right’ ourselves into a broader, more accepting and understanding mindset. And sometimes it can stretch on for days when we can’t seem to let go of the unfairness. And like all emotions, bitterness lives on in our bodies and unless acknowledged and released it bubbles up to the surface in uncomfortable ways.

I had no idea when I woke up this morning that I would be writing about this but it is exactly what is needed for my long meditation time today. This is what my body and spirit are asking me to release because they have been festering in the back of my mind in spite of thoughtful conversation that is only done in my head and not in my heart. The clues have been everywhere and I am awed by how many people have unknowingly played a role in helping me see that my impatience is rooted in some resentment and judgement. No time like the present to trust that everything unfolds in perfect harmony and my idea of the ‘right time’ isn’t always the best.

Lately I’ve been loving more, letting go more, finding more joy and being more in the moment to honour Doug’s unwavering commitment to life no matter how messy it got. Today, with this renewed intention to release bitterness I will be adding to the collective energy of love and acceptance for everyone including myself.

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Posted by: Ms. Daryl Wood | March 28, 2026

Doing What I Can

When my beloved Doug died in November 2023 the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance stepped in with supportive emails and a mentor, Sue Lim, who guided me through the difficult days and weeks. We had a shared experience and she understood the years of caregiving for someone with head and neck cancer. We joined forces and participated in the annual April HNCA Move-A-Thon. We raised money and awareness and I felt so good knowing I was helping an organization that had helped Doug for many years during his illness. This year, I hesitated. Sue wasn’t up to her best physical health after surgery and I didn’t want to talk about or think about what I’d been through for six years. I was letting myself shift focus and find things that brought me joy. I didn’t want to ask people for money. I wanted to be free of the memories. And then something happened, as it always does.

On the HNCA website I read an article I had read a few times before. It was written by the wife of a head and neck cancer patient and it was so accurate to a lot of what I’d experienced. It got me thinking about the people in the middle of treatment and those caring for them. I realized that while my biggest challenges were over, others were starting the journey, in the middle of it, or standing in the remnants of an unimaginable life. I felt compelled to do something.

So … I signed up the team Sue and I created two years ago and made a decision that it would be about awareness and not money. I am not in a position to raise funds and this is NOT a request for donations. This is a message – get checked. Ask your dentist for a thorough oral examination. Ask your family doctor, read about symptoms, see an ENT or whatever it takes to catch any signs early. The sooner you address minor issues the better you will be able to recover with less limitations. Doug had trouble swallowing and extra phlegm in his throat. He dismissed it until I found a large lump on the side of his neck.

If you read the article above you will have a glimpse into the hardships that head and neck cancer patients endure. Please take care of your oral health. This is the how I do what I can in memory of Doug and in honouring of the people who continue to work so hard to improve the wellness of head and neck cancer patients. From the outstanding head and neck oncologist at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto who sits on their board, this organization goes above and beyond.

Here is my link only for the purposes of giving more context. Again, I am not looking for donations. This is an awareness campaign and if it saves one person from debilitating treatment and loss, I’m glad I took a chance and share the message. Namaste my friends.

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Posted by: Ms. Daryl Wood | March 17, 2026

The Invitation: Oriah Mountain Dreamer

It has been many years since I read this poem and embraced the message. Today, in divine synchronicity, I was reminded to read it again and again. May you also be inspired to awaken and engage with these wise words. Namaste, Daryl

The Invitation

It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life’s betrayals or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it, or fade it, or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own; if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself. If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul. If you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty even when it is not pretty every day. And if you can source your own life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand at the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, ‘Yes.’

It doesn’t interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the centre of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

By Oriah Mountain Dreamer

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Posted by: Ms. Daryl Wood | March 9, 2026

Courage

Courage is fear that has said its prayers. Dorothy Bernard.

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Posted by: Ms. Daryl Wood | March 6, 2026

Routine Saves My Sanity

On the days when I feel confused, sad, anxious, uncertain, I lean into my routine. My wellness coach encouraged me to stack habits to help create a system/routine. I had been doing that in a scattered way but decided to make it consistent. So this morning when I woke up from a restless night and feeling discouraged, I followed my routine. Boil the kettle, Vitamin D drops, frozen blueberries in a bowl, prepare the wedge of lemon, heat the eye pad, put in the eye drops, etc. In the middle of this, the eye pad has to rest on my eyes for five minutes. Five whole minutes sitting in a recliner waiting for the timer to say done. This is one of the little pauses in my day that give me a chance to soften my body from the inevitable tension of being up and about.

Nothing glamorous or exciting about this routine but I have had a couple of occasions when I didn’t follow the pattern and left something out or changed the order. The result added more discomfort and had me backtracking to balance things. Being retired and being a widow now makes routine the way it was in the past almost unnecessary. Except that it feels so vital to my sanity, to my wellbeing as I start each day. And there are lots of little routines throughout the day as well but none as significant as the morning.

I’ve always loved scheduling and planning and have routines. What I know now is that all those years of being ‘on task’ laid the groundwork for how well I could function and achieve what mattered to me. In my women’s retreats there were agendas. Of course having three wide eyed, vulnerable women to care for meant continuously adjusting and accommodating. And it was the routine, the system that held things in place.

In any stressful situation it is our default thinking and acting that will help us through. When we have routines that resonant with our beliefs and our character we can more easily slip into the power of follow through. And for me, on days that feel wonky, routine and follow through gets me out of the weeds and into the sunshine. Even on a cloudy day.

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Posted by: Ms. Daryl Wood | March 2, 2026

We Are Never Lost

This morning I heard a woman say “We are never lost. There is always a gift wherever we are.”

I love that. I love that it reminds me to be present to whatever and wherever I am today. That somewhere in the midst of my not knowing or feeling confused or indeed, lost, there is something of value. Somehow I have landed here, in this place to see or feel or experience something that would not have been available to me if I was somewhere else.

Our language matters and what we say to ourselves is so important. I’ve heard myself say internally and externally that I am lost without Doug. Of course I am lost in the sense that I don’t have him here in physical form in the ways I so long for. Sometimes I feel that he is lost and I hope he finds his way home to me. And yet in feeling lost I have also arrived somewhere I didn’t expect. I would not have ever thought that living alone was nourishing and I could not have known that without losing him. I assumed that living with him was the only way I could survive. Apparently not. But how else would I have known.

How else would I have discovered the hidden gems of Nova Scotia without veering off on a sideroad looking for something and finding myself standing on a cliff overlooking the great Atlantic Ocean. Thank goodness for getting lost.

Thank goodness for not knowing what career path to follow only to find myself building something born out of creativity and enthusiasm. When I felt so lost and unsure I witnessed the power of time and space allowing opportunities where none had ever been.

Update: As I reflect on what I wrote I sense that we think we are lost because we are not where we expected to be, haven’t got to where we intended to go. And maybe that was the whole point after all. We were never supposed to be ‘there’. There is some reason we ended up somewhere else. How else could we learn about ourselves and how we react and handle things? How else might we discover new places inside and out that bring us wisdom and even perhaps joy?

So I wonder if you are feeling lost. And what gifts are there in the lostness of your life right now? If we are never really lost, we can be here now.

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Posted by: Ms. Daryl Wood | February 28, 2026

A Prayer For Today

“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.”
Meister Eckhart

“I can choose peace instead of this.”
Attributed to several sources including A Course in Miracles, Wayne Dyer, etc.

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Posted by: Ms. Daryl Wood | February 24, 2026

S.H.A.M.E.

Should. Have. Already. Mastered. Everything.

Anne Lamott is one of the people I listen to and read with great reverence. She makes things so real. Listening to her say this in an interview with Kate Bowler I paused. Is that true? Is that what I feel? Is there resonance?

The answer was yup. And maybe not everything but for sure the things that I don’t feel I have mastered or done well. The myth of perfectionism looms around me. I hear it in the language people use about ‘trying’, ‘getting there’, ‘working on it’, ‘making progress’, and my favourite (which I use all the time) ‘learning and growing’. It all sounds like we are striving for something, some kind of end goal or some imagined finish line where we can take a deep breath and relax. Did it! Done it! Got there! Over! Hurrah! Success!

And what if so much of what we are doing is really just living. Being present to what unfolds in our daily life. Noticing. Accepting. Next.

In my humble opinion there is nothing wrong with striving to learn or grow or achieve. It’s only when we shame ourselves for not getting there soon enough, fast enough or capably enough. And who is in charge of determining what mastery is anyway? Whose standards am I trying so hard to meet?

Shame has followed me throughout my life and my efforts to silence the inner critic have been broad and wide. Brene Brown was a champion to me in my quest to uncover and face my shaming behaviours. I’ve been at it for over thirty years and I’m still so surprised by how pervasive it can be. This is where I shame myself for not knowing how to deal with the shaming voice in my head. Does that make any sense? And if I use specific tools I can see that the inner critic is, in some strange way, trying to alert me to possible danger but what it mostly does it keep me afraid. Afraid of more shaming.

I haven’t already mastered everything. I have figured out how to mange grocery shopping, banking, wood stacking, yoga class, diamond art and appreciating the incredible views out my window every day. And I’ve mastered a lot more than that. Yesterday I told my wellness coach that I’m going to journal the question (rephrased after our call) ‘How might my life be different if I wasn’t so afraid?” This morning it feels like my inner critic is fuelling my fear with the threat of shame.

Time for a reset.

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Posted by: Ms. Daryl Wood | February 23, 2026

She’s Still Here

I saw her last week. I saw her this morning. I’ve seen her off and on the past few weeks. And right now, I had to stop eating breakfast and write because she is sitting firmly in my lap, in my heart, in my mind.

The curious, energetic, smiling, fun, adventurous, adorable little girl that I remember from my childhood. I felt her in my whole being at the end of this morning’s guided meditation and she surrounded me with a joy that I haven’t felt for a very long time.

My beautiful inner child, the one who was in awe of the world and gave herself permission to be outrageously creative is still here. The strong, determined little one who took on things that were so exciting there was no time to consider what might go wrong. She just jumped in with both feet. And she is still here.

I am SO happy this morning to share this world with her. My over-thinking, over-worrying, over-anxious, over-fearing, over-analysing mind is no match for her indomitable spirit. I loved her then. I love her now. I’m so grateful she is still here. Dirty elbows, untied shoes, uncombed hair, ripped trousers and a smile that lights up the world. Hello little one. Hello. Please stay.

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Posted by: Ms. Daryl Wood | February 20, 2026

Invest In People

In some form or another I’ve probably heard this lesson all of my life. It became a conscious part of my reality after taking The Hoffman Process in 1997. Since then, I’ve done what I can and gave myself grace for all the years I didn’t know and didn’t invest in people the way I would now. My beloved Doug would say “You can’t put an old head on young shoulders.” At least most of the time we can’t apply the wisdom of age when we are in the blossoming of our youth. I did the best I could until I learned more and then I did better. And I’m still doing my best. Sometimes on the easy days when presented with opportunities to care and other days when smiling feels empty. I’m doing my best.

A few days ago I watched one of many inspiring videos from Reflections of Life (link below). There is an important lesson in every one of these short films and this is where I heard the words:

“If you’ve got a short-term vision, you plant vegetables.
If you’ve got a long-term vision, you plant fruit trees.
If you’ve got an eternity vision, you invest in people.”

It made me think about people who do things with a long game in mind. They know they will likely never see the results of what they planted in the earth or in relationships but they do it anyone. They teach children to be kind. They show people how to live more fully. They love without limitation to prepare the young and old for what might lie ahead. All of this because they are investing in people. In the belief that everyone deserves our best so they can tap into their own best.

Yesterday, by sheer luck and divine timing I listened to renowned teacher Gary Zukav talk about the loss of his wife Linda Francis and how he felt he couldn’t go on. I understand that feeling so well. He said “I don’t have a reason for living now except to love people.” And maybe that’s what investing in people is all about. Loving others. As much and as often as we can in the midst of daily life, activity, turmoil, responsibility. Love others.

From a Reflections On Life Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB_I_XdtXdc

Gary’s Video: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1691283091862946

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