"Digital minimalism is a philosophy that helps you question what digital communication tools (and behaviors surrounding these tools) add the most value to your life. It is motivated by the belief that intentionally and aggressively clearing away low-value digital noise, and optimizing your use of the tools that really matter, can significantly improve your life."
– Cal Newport
Annual Maple Bear conventions in Brazil meant birthday celebrations in South American destinations every May 23rd. Tango show in Buenos Aires. Check. Panama Canal. Check. Machu Picchu. Check. Cartagena, Colombia. Check. Finally, it was time for the Iguazu waterfalls on the Brazil side. The breathtaking UNESCO Heritage site is a wonder of the world, straddling the…
Read More
“They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.” —F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby Like Tom and Daisy Buchanan, famous literary characters…
Read More
I’ve never been known to shy away from outrage. Pick a subject, any subject, and I can probably work myself into a lather over it. Once, I was even asked if I was outraged over the birth of quintuplets at a hospital in Ottawa. It happened on Morningside, a popular 1980’s radio program in my country. Once…
Read More
“Remind me again. How is Easter Island on our way to Uruguay?” We were headed for Montevideo with a quick meeting in Buenos Aires. Santiago de Chile—the jumping off point for Easter Island—seemed out of the way on my map. The Maple Bear CEO disagreed. Five and half hours of flying directly into the middle…
Read More
“The days are long but the years are short.” Wise words, but they didn’t originate from the pen of the ancient Roman sage of Stoicism, Lucius Annaeus Seneca (4 BC- AD 65). A modern-day American author, Gretchen Rubin, coined the meme-ready phrase in her bestseller “The Happiness Project” to remind young, sleep-deprived, exhausted parents that…
Read More
When my children were young, I consulted a lot of parenting books and magazines looking for help. On the subject of character building, I latched onto a particularly useful and memorable piece of advice. “Try to do a good deed every day,” I instructed Lilly and her younger brother Jay, parroting an article I’d read…
Read More