Wellness

I had mentioned in a recent column that I was hesitant to review Safiya Sinclair’s How to Say Babylon, because I was afraid I would gush too much. My friend, Patrick, had quickly messaged me to object. He wanted to read my full response, he said. “Write the thing, in …

“[…] I have tried everything: therapy, school intervention, parenting strategies from every corner of the internet, gentle parenting, tough love, smothering him with affection, strict boundaries, reward systems. “Every time he crossed a line, I forgave him. Over and over. Told him we could start fresh, leave the past behind. …

If you have grown up in an agricultural environment, you have a strong sense of what fruits and vegetables look like in their natural state. You recognise their scents, even when you are not quite aware of it. I recall uncovering a container of shredded cabbage and discovering my late …

“[…] What happens beyond classroom removal matters because the students we expel are still children. Many of them are struggling with challenges far bigger than a ‘bad’ attitude including trauma, broken homes or mental health needs. “Simply moving them from one ministry to another won’t fix the issue if there …

Chapter 7: I had some dark days… Imagine moving from a place of ‘normal’ to being told you have breast cancer and having to process that. Now, imagine being told that the lump can be removed, but not before an MRI is done to get a better image. Next, imagine …

It has been a long time since I was so captivated by a book that I neglected other activities just to succumb to it. The book, Edible Economics – A Hungry Economist Explains the World, by Ha-Joon Chang, was enlightening, and such a pleasure to read that it was a …

I was surprised to find it was in December 2023 that I hosted a pepperpot lime at my home. Seems like it was just last Christmas when my friend Lynette came to teach us how to prepare this national dish of Guyana. My daughter was working on an article on …

“[…] The focus on who gets a pass is a distraction from the fact that for the past 15 years, the journey itself has become a daily punishment for law-abiding, tax-paying citizens. “[…] On a Wednesday morning during the school term, attempt the commute to your Port of Spain ministry …

Chapter 6: I got really angry… In many marriages, there is balance in terms of personalities. One party can go from 0 to 100 really quickly, and the other is often the voice of reason and calmness. Prior to May 16, 2024, I was the former in my marriage, while …

For as long as I can remember, cow heel soup was a regular on Caribbean tables. As a child, I did not like the texture, the way it made your lips sticky, and the work to get the gelatinous strips off those big hard bones. I was a terribly picky …

Miriam Castellano, the name by which a prolific social media commentator goes, responded to a column I had written on the distressing impact of global warfare. “Disengage! You sound like an empath. For your own mental health you should train yourself to know when a Time Out is necessary,” she …

Chapter 5: I cried for two days… By the second chemotherapy session, I had a routine. I’d wash my hair the night before in order to stretch the period of low manipulation for as long as possible. Nothing special to report on this occasion. Normal shedding and all was well… …