Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom (And Whimsy)

Posted on January 28, 2026 under Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom with 4 comments

Sandcut Beach near Jordan River, Vancouver Island

(Pete MacDonald photo)

 

I’m feeling schmaltzy… and liberated.

Let me explain.

If there’s such a thing as the dog days of winter, then surely, we are in the thick of it now. Bitter cold temperatures, snowstorms and icy sidewalks are frequent visitors. We’re all struggling to put on a brave face as we continue to try and honor our new year’s resolutions. So far, I’ve had no alcohol, no sugar, and no dairy which equates to no fun.

The news gets more depressing with every passing day. I can’t watch it anymore. What is a person to do?

My personal favourite is to indulge in schmaltz. In case you haven’t heard this word in a while, let me remind you. Schmaltz is excessive sentimentality, especially in music or movies.

Last week, I randomly stumbled upon a series on Netflix called Everwood which I recommended to a friend. If Webster’s Dictionary wanted to change the meaning of schmaltz, then they could use this series as a prime example. It’s light and fluffy like whipped egg whites, and easily digestible.

There are lots of great examples of schmaltz including the classic movie Love Story which features an over-the-top emotional plot, a tear-jerking musical score, and the famously sappy line, “Love means never having to say you’re Tory”. Oops. I mean sorry, not Tory! And when it comes to music, for raw, unfiltered sentimentality, grab Bread’s greatest hits as you curl under your electric blanket and pray for spring.

Schmaltz is rather harmless, wouldn’t you say?

“Please release me let me go,

For I don’t love you anymore.”

Release Me. Engelbert Humperdinck

My long affair with Facebook is coming to an end. Liberation is at hand. I was quite enamored with this site when I was a social media virgin 15 years ago. It was a great place to chat with friends and renew long lost acquaintances. Sadly, it has morphed into a full-blown dumpster fire. Consuming Facebook these days smells and tastes like rotten fish. I don’t know what your feed looks like but mine is filled with ads, smarmy reels, mindless memes, and the latest Trump rant. I simply can’t take it anymore.

While I am an eternal optimist (I still cheer for the Montreal Canadiens!), I find Facebook depressing and I’m convinced that a regular diet is simply unhealthy. If you want to paint a picture of what the end of civilization might look like, just spend a lot of time scrolling endlessly on Facebook. Your brain will soon have the consistency of Jello.

“Please release me can’t you see,

You’d be a fool to cling to me”.

Having said this, I plan to take a very long hiatus from Facebook. In the short term, I will deactivate my account. I won’t be sharing any more posts, including riveting pieces such as this one! However, fear not. All is not lost. You can go to my website at www.week45.com, go to the bottom of the page and subscribe to my site the good old-fashioned way by e-mail. There is no cost to subscribe.

I will continue to write a monthly column for the Guysborough Journal, our wonderful community paper.

I have been extremely gratified by the response to my autobiography. I have received dozens of comments and compliments. Many of us had a similar childhood.  I ramped up the nostalgia (schmaltz!) in the early chapters. Thank you for supporting my writing.

Speaking of books.

My plan was to stop writing books after my autobiography… my 8^th offering. It’s not official yet but I may be writing another this year. It is the remarkable story about a woman I met eight years ago. It is a story of incredible courage, caring, perseverance, determination, and love.

Salut. Bon voyage.

“Then one by one, the stars would all go out,

Then you and I would simply fly away”.

If – Bread

Have a great weekend.