I have dealt with this situation far too often in many organizations (school, work, sports, religious, etc., non-profit) and that I thought I would address the issue and see what your opinion is on the matter.

As many of you know organizations (as is society) are usually divided up in a hierarchy based on position of authority or experience. Individuals who have been there for a long time or of higher authority are usually esteemed over people of little experience in the area and/or people with less power.  That’s just the common norm in society.

When I look back over my lifetime it seems that whenever my girlfriends and I get together we talk about relationships. Some mention what they are looking for in the "perfect" guy, others are mentioning about how they aren't liking the relationship they are in.

One of my good friends mentioned how she made a list of generally what she's looking for in her perfect guy. Oh and when I say perfect, I mean perfect/best fit for her.

I was reading Women's Health the other day, and Amy Spencer wrote an article called: Is it time to Rewrite your List???

After years of experience in the world of competitive and recreational sport (through active participation and watching many events), I know the importance of the coaches' role in the athletes development. There are some amazing coaches out there and if you have the pleasure to work with them, it’s a joy. However as in any occupation there are some which ruin the reputation  of the role for all the others.

The "bad coaches" in this case are the ones who go too far and "abuse" their athletes.  I have been doing a lot of work in emotional abuse and how harsh words can impact a person’s life. After reading an article by Ashley Stirling and Gretchen Kerr (2008) from the University of Toronto called “Defining and categorizing emotional abuse in sport”, many of athlete’s experiences got me thinking. 

People have many roles in their lives.  I became aware of all my roles when I had to write them down one day in class. For example, this is what I came up with:

- daughter, sister, grand-daughter, niece, friend, colleague, athlete, student, etc.

The one that stuck out to me that I have really examined the importance of recently was that of a sister.  I have always been the eldest sister to two younger beautiful sisters.  I think that because of the fact that I'm older than them I have always been very protective of them.

Have you ever been told by people that you are too nice? Or why do you put up with this behaviour? I have seen it happen on way too manyoccasions. In a relationship (either romantic or platonic) you don’t want to offend the other person so you give in to what they want. Then at some point you wake up and realize “hey what I need matters just as much” and that you are worth standing up for.

I have been to two weddings in the past couple weeks; one as a bridesmaid and one as a guest.  The main question that was on many peoples minds when they saw a mid-to-late twenty something woman was: WHY AREN'T YOU MARRIED YET?

For example, here is the conversation that I had with my cab driver leaving the city a couple days later.

"So what brought you to town? Were you on business?"

"No, I was in a friends wedding."

"Oh ok. So... when's your wedding?"

"Not for a while. I haven't found the right guy yet"

I woke up this morning and as I was having coffee, I watched a deer and her two fawns as they were eating and playing around in our front yard. It was adorable to watch these two siblings play with each other and have so much fun. They are always around and feel like adopted pets. I continued my morning and then left in the car an hour later. As I was driving, two minutes down the road a police car was on the side of the road with his hazards on. Passing him, I saw him picking up the dead fawn, which had obviously just been hit by a car. So sad - life ends so quickly. However, watching the police officer - he treated the fawn with respect and obviously sad that a life had just been lost. I love animals and all I could think of was how the mom and sister were dealing with the loss. All of this pain because a driver was going way too fast along the road.

I love having a great friend of mine around me. I know that he will always be completely honest with me and share his true opinion on issues and that is a rarity these days. When we go shopping, he will be honest about what he thinks (good and bad) of the clothes I pick out. Yes he might say some clothes aren't flattering but when he says it looks amazing, I trust him. He will be real and honest with me (and everyone else) and that is characteristic I really appreciate in our friendship. I give the same thing back to him. I really admire his courage to be bold and stand up for himself. I have learned a lot from him. He isnt afraid to ask the tough questions.

Participating in sports makes you learn many lessons. Observing athletes can also teach you many things. One of the main lessons that I have learned from athletes trying to better themselves is that they never quit. They are constantly overtired, working so hard and very focused on achieving their goal. Michael Phelps gets up every morning, even on his birthday and Christmas, to swim. Thats impressive, how many times do you wake up and think I'm too tired to do this and then go back to bed. Their drive to persist despite any obstacles impresses me and motivates me to do the same.

My question to you is: Why is participation in physical education class not a important/valued part of the curriculum in every faculty of the universities and colleges in Canada? I think this lack of physical activity for our students needs to be changed. The focus of post-secondary educational institutions is on academics, which is very important. However, participation in physical activity allows the students to promote physical and psychological well-being and to stay healthy. More importantly, it causes the students to be more well-rounded members of society. Every post-secondary educational institution in Canada is equipped with adequate athletic facilities. Why not make it mandatory for each student to take part in some sort of physical education class while on-campus? 

So I’ve realized today that I do a lot of sitting during the day… I mean I sit in the car to work and all day at my computer/desk job and then drive home. For an active person like me, this is a whole lot of inactivity. This is not only happening to me, I see it happen to many people in Canada. I try to counter this with going for a long workout later in the evening or trying to move as much as possible during the day. I’m trying to think of ways to improve my inactivity. Any suggestions????