Stories by Ordinary People

Author's Intro: Ego, pride, and the baggage we carry can make the practice of Love a challenge. However, the rewards are many, with the greatest one being peace. In this episode of the ebook, Love's Dynamic: The Practice of Love is a life-editing choice that can be made by anyone. But, like any lifestyle change, it requires a commitment to change lifelong habits of thought and action. Getting Started As in all things in life, implementing Love’s Code into your life requires a starting...

In this episode: A commentary by the author, Norah LeClare, about the riots in the United States after the murder of George Floyd by a white policeman in Minnesota. Reading the ebook, Love's Dynamic Behaviour Modification; The Tyranny of Habit See the Person You’re With Pointed Fingers Conscience, Not Guilt

"The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal from Domino’s Pizza Inc., leaving the company to face a lawsuit by a blind man who says its website and mobile-phone app don’t comply with a federal disabilities law. Corporate trade groups had urged the court to take up the case, saying they are seeing an explosion of lawsuits alleging that sites don’t comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. They contended that businesses can’t be sued for failing to make their websites and mobile-phone...

In this second half of Being Human, the subjects covered are:

Half a year has gone by since doing a personal podcast and, wow, has the world changed!! All things COVID-19 has taken over the media and affected the majority of the world's population to a greater or lesser degree. But this podcast is not about COVID. It is just me chatting about life and current projects. Included is a commitment to you (and myself) to make regular podcasts to share thoughts and ideas as well as stories about my life. A paraphrase of the quote that got my mojo going...

Being Human Every organism from the smallest to the largest has a combination of unique qualities that define it as a species. A few important aspects of being human are the ability to think rationally, the range of our emotions and our ego. In search of… A key to finding the answer to anything is to know enough to even ask the question. You cannot ask “What is a computer?” if you have never heard that such a thing exists. Personality Our individual personality is the lead character in...

Acceptance ~ Compassion ~ Gentleness ~ Joy ~ Honesty ~ Humility Nobility ~ Respectfulness ~ Thoughtfulness ~ Trustworthiness Just ten words and yet, with their inherent characteristics they describe love in its perfection. What makes it perfect is that every quality noted is applied equally to every human being and all living things in every situation. Were a human being to demonstrate all these qualities all the time then they would rightfully be deemed perfect. But this is not about...

Everything emits energy. But what does that look like in the human experience? The emotion of Love is a subject discussed widely. But what about the energy of Love? What is that? These are the topics discussed in this episode. Feel free to comment on Facebook or Twitter.

What we need is Love! What we need is connection! During this difficult time the practice of Love and understanding how we are all connected has become more important than ever. Love's Dynamic is a guide to understanding both. The first episode provides a forward to the Forward by the author (that would be me), the real Forward, and Understanding the Dynamics. The guide can be read at Love's Dynamic.com or it can be downloaded in a PDF format.

A stroke of luck on Maui turns to enjoyment for an older Thai couple in Chiangmai Mai, Thailand. They provided the laughter. The ants provided the pain.

The Banaue Rice Terraces are a magical place in the mountains of Luzon, Philippines. These man-made terraces are between 2,000 and 6,000 years old and have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Should you be in the Philippines, this is a must-see.

When taking public transit in developing countries one never knows what to expect. Although I have taken many dangerous bus rides, this one was just inconvenient.

Volunteering in the Philippines, Ian MacDonald had many opportunities to witness first-hand the heart-wrenching poverty. He says, "We as adults should be ashamed of ourselves for not prioritizing this urgent global problem." However, the star of this podcast, a little girl who will soon be 10, shines bright as a selfless individual who would make anyone proud. Blog

Have you ever wondered how our Christmas traditions got started? Did you know that Christmas is celebrated in 163 countries out of a total of 193 countries in the world? This podcast answers those questions along with a bit of trivia. In addition there are two Christmas tales; one from when I was very young and another about being alone at Christmas for the first time in my life.

No matter where we are in the world our day can change quickly. In this case, that change took 90 minutes when on a visit to Papua New Guinea I went from a hero to a zero volunteering to referee a soccer game.

Travel journals are an integral part of storing memories that we may forget over time. I always suggest that friends log their experiences while travelling so they can reminisce fondly about what he or she has witnessed. This podcast is a recollection of three sightings that didn't get captured on camera.

Hitchhiking through the lonely, desolate stretches in Australia's Northern Territory Ian McDonald had the misfortune to look like a German who had killed a family and stole their camper. The police were swarming the area and every time one would spot him on the road with his thumb out, they would stop to question him. It only took Ian to answer the first question for them to know that he was 'that Canadian'. And the bad guy in the movie? He was killed in a shoot-out with a police...

Ian McDonald, an avid traveller, talks about the differences between being a traveller versus a tourist with a few tips to help other travellers.

Story Photos Picture sitting at a table in the early years of your life. Who are the people sitting there and how have they influenced your life? At our table in St. David’s, Ontario, there were six people sitting there with me. Each one would play a part in the years to come. However, it was mom and dad who had the biggest influence and this podcast is about them. The year is 1939. Ralph Gordon Essex is 21 years old and a private in the Canadian army. Mary Edith Pettit is 30 and a...

Living in 33 cities in 50 years, having a hundred or so jobs, being fostered out, having an alcoholic father, being sexually molested at 12, running away at 15, being a single mom at 17, living through an earthquake, a fire, and a business bankruptcy are just some of the lemons life has thrown my way. Thankfully, they have been offset by the roses of knowing great love, having a loving mother and being married to the love of my life for the past 18 years. All these stories and more will be...