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This blog shares food, fitness and lifestyle tips, to help elevate mind, body, and spirit.
“Those who have the privilege to know, have the duty to act.”
~ Albert Einstein
I am a lifelong learner with several decades of experience as a parent, caregiver, employee, writer, speaker, and wellness consultant. More recently, I have become a grandmother.
My curiosity, life experience and love of learning compel me to teach what I've had the privilege to learn - and unlearn.
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Ready to come home
The magic thing about home is that it feels good to leave, and it feels even better to come back. ~ Wendy Wunder My husband picked a great time to escape this very cold and snowy Canadian winter. The tropical warmth and sunshine have been very healing. Watching the sun rise and set, along with the reprieve from daily chores, has been a welcome retreat. As we’d hoped, we have spent a lot of time outdoors. But I am ready to come home. I could not live in the tropics. I apprecia
Mary Maciel Pearson
6 hours ago1 min read
Travel and health
Anything that gets you out, that gets you physically active, is going to be good psychotherapy and stave off winter problems. ~ Jon Karkauer We spent five hours on a flight to Antigua yesterday. There were no delays. Healing my lungs has been my priority over the past month, so I had reservations about air travel. But my husband was very excited about this trip. Given the harsh winter conditions at home, we have spent little time outdoors. My concerns about flying, including
Mary Maciel Pearson
Jan 232 min read
Tai chi for me
Chi is the general life force of a human being. Chi is that which differentiates the living from the dead… the sum of many energetic frequencies that run through the body… Chi can be increased in a human being by doing qigong — exercises that work with your chi — or other internal energy practices, such as tai chi. Strong chi can make a person feel totally alive, alert and present. ~ Bruce Frantzis Having committed to overcoming a self-limiting belief that scheduling exercise
Mary Maciel Pearson
Jan 162 min read
Is exercise self-indulgent?
The Buddha's message was simple but profound. Neither a life of self-indulgence nor one of self-mortification can bring happiness. Only a middle path, avoiding these two extremes, leads to peace of mind, wisdom, and complete liberation from the dissatisfactions of life. ~ Henepola Gunaratana It’s January. Gyms across the country experience a surge in new memberships as individuals begin their fitness resolutions. I've occasionally worked in the fitness industry and have held
Mary Maciel Pearson
Jan 92 min read
A fresh start for me in 2026
New year — a new chapter, new verse, or just the same old story? Ultimately we write it. The choice is ours. ~ Alex Morritt After carpet-bombing my microbiome with broad-spectrum antibiotics to combat double lung pneumonia, I am in the process of building back better. I consider this to be part of a fresh start in the new year. I have always been a minimalist when it comes to prescription drugs - especially antibiotics - but in this case, I didn't have much of a choice. So,
Mary Maciel Pearson
Jan 21 min read
We did it
It is not good for all our wishes to be filled; through sickness we recognize the value of health; through evil, the value of good; through hunger, the value of food; through exertion, the value of rest. ~ Dorothy Canfield Fisher It is said that a healthy person wants a thousand things, a sick person only wants one. Besides my health, I had but one wish this Christmas. After cancelling many social gatherings around the holiday season, I aspired to be able to host our immed
Mary Maciel Pearson
Dec 26, 20251 min read
Emergency care saved me
Learn to read symptoms not only as problems to be overcome but as messages to be heeded. ~ Gabor Maté, MD It’s been a tough two weeks. My husband and I were exposed to a virus going around childcare facilities in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), the first week of December. We, mostly me, have been sick since then. I had manageable days, impossible days, and one day when I came to the conclusion that I needed emergency care. — This time, I couldn’t heal myself. I called TeleHea
Mary Maciel Pearson
Dec 19, 20252 min read
Failure to adapt
It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is most adaptable to change. ~ Charles Darwin Other than this week, my husband and I have had the privilege of spending the better part of a couple of weeks in the neighbourhood where we raised our children, near our daughter's family home. We are house sitting for friends who have another home in the Caribbean. We went from being pretty isolated in cottage country, where we saw
Mary Maciel Pearson
Dec 12, 20251 min read
Older people are over-medicated
Medicines ensures lengthy life but not necessarily healthy life. ~ Amit Kalantri I help manage the health care of four octogenarians. One refuses to see a doctor, socializes with people 20 years younger, and enjoys life. Although I have encouraged her to do a thorough health check with a trusted health professional, she has opted not to. Instead, she does her research and takes professional-grade supplements to help prevent chronic conditions. For the other three, the list
Mary Maciel Pearson
Dec 5, 20251 min read
Shopping makes me sick
Quiet people have the loudest minds. ~ Stephen Hawking Some people get a dopamine high from shopping. Not me. I have a lot of energy, but spending more than an hour in a shopping mall completely drains me. Meanwhile, my husband, an extrovert, is energized in such an environment. For introverts like me, Malls present sensory chaos: bright lights, loud noise, choice overload, artificial scents, crowds, small talk from salespeople, and zero quiet space to process my thoughts. T
Mary Maciel Pearson
Nov 28, 20251 min read
Beliefs divide. Principles unite.
Give me a child until he is 7 and I will show you the man. ~ Aristotle Most of our core beliefs (about self-worth, safety, worthiness, etc.) are formed by the age of seven or eight, when we’re in a hypnotic state . Children absorb beliefs from parents, caregivers, and authority figures through repeated exposure and emotional charge ("Money is the root of all evil," “Not good enough," "Don't trust strangers”). To develop a sense of belonging and to avoid rejection, we adopt t
Mary Maciel Pearson
Nov 21, 20252 min read
Family time
A family that travels together stays together. ~ Unknown We are grateful to be spending the better part of this week on vacation with our children. Traveling with toddlers is never a walk in the park but we are counting our blessings. The flight exceeded expectations, as has the destination so far. Seeing the world through the eyes of children is the greatest joy. Experiential learning is a lasting gift. We are thankful that our children are willing to travel and spend qualit
Mary Maciel Pearson
Nov 14, 20251 min read
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