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My 10th Anniversary Of Being Diagnosed With Cancer
Originally published January 8, 2019 Ten years ago, I received some life-changing news – I was diagnosed with having stage 3 throat cancer and was given only a 40% chance of surviving. At the time, I was 59 years old – and I remember thinking that I probably wouldn’t survive because I had never in…
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These Songs Will Make You Smile Today
My music library is full of incredible music and memories, and it has always helped me overcome sadness and loneliness. Hopefully, these songs will bring a smile to your face today. I change the song selection every few days, so please bookmark this page. Dedicated to Alice & Peter Hrehoruk. I hope these tunes are…
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An Update From The Oldest Teenager In Canada
Originally published February 6, 2026 I chose the funny title because I wanted to let you know it wouldn’t be a depressing story. I have had top-notch medical doctors, surgeons, and nurses, especially Dr. Tryell, the ER doctor who was treating me there and continues to see me on the medical floor. Unfortunately, he will…
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Meeting This Stranger Made Me Incredibly Sad
Originally published August 2, 2012 Although he had been seriously ill for several months, his passing was sudden – or at least that’s how it seemed to me. Death is so damn cruel, I thought, as I watched him take his last gasp of air. It was that last gasp of air he struggled to take –…
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Chasing A Dream Does Not Guarantee A Happy Ending
Originally published February 2, 2018 Chasing a dream does not always guarantee a happy ending, but giving up on a dream will always leave you wondering – what if? After Annette and I separated, we sold the house and split the proceeds equally. Annette decided to move back to Oshawa, Ontario, to be closer to…
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Why Santa Danny Is Coming To Town Earlier This Year
Santa Danny is coming to town earlier this year because our apartment building(s) are having a Christmas Party on Saturday, December 7, 2024. This will be my second time visiting kids aged 1 month to 110 years at the apartment building where I live. I am a bit out of the loop on how many…
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Here’s A Love Story That’s Forever & Ever
Originally published February 14, 2012 Several of my previous blogs have been stories featuring my Mom, my Dad, or both. Although they are no longer living (Dad passed in 2001 & Ma passed in 2010), they are still very much alive in my head and heart. The heartache never goes away – and it shouldn’t. This…
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My Best Pickup Line – Ever!
Originally published January 26, 2012 I have written this story as a guide to meeting someone you are attracted to and offer my best pickup line ever! Okay, Danny, why would you write a story, about the best pickup lines? ~ Spanky So, I can teach boys how to date girls, Spanky. ~ Danny While…
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A Surprising Update From My Friend Laura
Originally published October 19, 2015 On Sunday morning, I got up and made a cup of coffee to enjoy while reviewing the latest news via my email accounts and Facebook. I was just about to take my first sip when I noticed her smiling face in the pictures she had posted the night before. …
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Why Our Being Together Again, Warmed My Heart
Originally published September 22, 2015 In the last three years that I’ve been writing these stories (blogs), I have never written anything about my younger brother Ricky (Eric), until we got together again in Oakville, on Labor Day in 2015. Despite a University education, a promising career, a wife, and two awesome kids – Jennifer…
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This Is My First Date in 40 Years Part 2
Originally published June 19, 2015 Part 1 ended in the afternoon on Sunday, June 17, 2015. I had just gotten home and was playing with my dog, Holly, outside when my cell phone rang. I looked at the screen, and her name and number appeared. My legs started feeling weak, and my hand was shaking as…
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This Is My First Date in 40 Years Part 1
Originally published June 17, 2015 I was getting nervous about this, my first date in almost 40 years, and here’s how it all happened. Saturday, June 13th Although we had seen each other a few times in the past 20+ years, we were always in the company of other people. But this was different –…
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A Letter I Got From My Dog Holly Golightly
Originally published September 24, 2019 MYe daddie is playin in the bathh witout me and now I can wrote you sumthing about him. He’s losing hair and is old and he doesn’t ‘member wear heputs his stuff and I havtokeep from laughing at him. He tuke me to bad man withabeard and left me there…
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My First Pet Was Not A Dog
Originally published February 24, 2012 I have always loved animals – particularly dogs, but my first pet was not a dog. I got my first pet when I got my place to live in Oshawa in 1968 while attending high school. My family had moved from Oshawa to Georgetown that summer, but I decided to…
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Being The Odd Man Out Is Challenging
Originally published June 1, 2023 Being the odd man or woman out is challenging for most people, and I regrettably belong to that group. However, I am also thankful that I have lived a life that has been this long and eventful. Not everyone has had the experiences I have enjoyed in my 73-year life.…
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Dear Ma, When You Thought I Wasn’t Looking
On September 26, 2013, I wrote Dear Ma, the shortest story published on this site. It has a read time of just 38 seconds. I did not post a tune to accompany the story, as I usually do, because the story was a letter to my mother, and I could not think of a song…
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Another Love Story – 1969
Originally published July 26, 2012 Although I was not planning to write any more stories until the Fall, my mind suddenly wandered back to the ’60s—my only visit to Washington, D.C. It was a weekend full of surprises in the Land of the Free. But it is a story that still gives me shivers. So,…
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Something Bothered Me About Mother’s Day Today
Although my dear mom passed away in September 2010, I remember her daily, especially on her birthday and Mother’s Day. Today, while driving, I was bothered to see three elderly ladies pushing carts as they walked to or from the shopping center. I am always sad to see elderly women walking for reasons other than…
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Why Meeting This Teenybopper Made Me Feel Ancient
Originally published July 4, 2012 Nothing is better than waking up to a beautiful, sunny morning and walking on the beach in White Rock. However, today’s story about sunshine also includes meeting a teenybopper who made me feel ancient! The temperature doesn’t matter; I get excited if it’s sunny and the sky is blue. It’s like…
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Here’s Why Saying Goodbye to Eric Was So Painful
Originally published in October 2022 On Monday of this week, I received a message from my niece, Jennifer St. Andrews, advising me that her dad (my brother) had been in the hospital for a week and had just been placed in palliative care. She wanted me to know before he passed. I wrote about her…
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Love and Hate in the World Today
Originally published December 23, 2022 Although I seldom write about religion or politics, I am concerned about the love and hate in the world today. I can no longer be silent about the level of ignorance displayed by the current government of the United States of America. However, I have never harbored hatred for the…
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My Loss For Words Now Affects My Writing
Although I have not been able to speak coherently in the past few years, it was never because of a loss for words. I have always considered myself a storyteller and base my stories on personal experiences. However, my loss for words when writing short stories is not because of having ‘writer’s block,’ although I…
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What I Wanted You To Know!
It is 3:18 AM on December 28, 2024, and I woke up feeling uneasy a few minutes ago. It’s like feeling guilty for something you did before you did anything wrong. I am having surgery to have a pacemaker on Monday, December 30th, at 6:30 AM at the Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre…
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Here’s What Happened on The Winter Solstice
Today is the shortest day of the year, known as the Winter Solstice, and I spent some time in Richmond, BC, with some of the Vancouver Venturers Walking Club members. I knew many of the faces but forgot a few of their names. Although it was pouring rain, everyone met inside the Thompson Community Center…
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Why Overcoming This Addiction Was Easy!
The reason why overcoming this addiction was easy for me is because of one person: Donald J. Trump. Although my addiction was related to watching the daily primary TV network coverage of the 2024 presidential election. However, I do not watch Fox News or follow social media platforms that support the Trumpster and his MAGA…
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Why What This Person Told Me Almost Made Me Cry
Although I am unafraid to show my emotions, I usually try to be discreet. Recently, something Moe Toufic told me almost made me cry while getting my haircut at his Pacific Barbershop in White Rock. I seldom have the opportunity to speak with people because I cannot speak coherently. This is especially true when I…
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Why This Change In My Life Is Scary
This change in my life is scary for several reasons, one of which is that I now seem to have paradigm paralysis regarding my writing in this journal for the past fourteen years. Change creates anxiety and stretches most people’s comfort zones, including mine. On January 1, 2025, my website notifications will be subscription-only and…
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When Two Morning Walks Are Better Than One
I planned to walk the White Rock Pier this morning but didn’t know if I had the energy. I felt guilty because Buddy gets excited when he sees me putting my shoes on. After all, that usually means I’d be taking him for a walk. The pragmatic Danny convinced me that two morning walks are…
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Why I Quit Something I Used To Love
The title of this story is somewhat misleading because I have not yet quit the somethings I used to love. To quote one of my favorite baseball players and a great philosopher: For me, living is 90% mental and 10% physical. As much as I enjoyed attending baseball games (Toronto Blue Jays or Seattle Mariners),…
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Did Someone Here Lose A Piece Of Their Jigsaw Puzzle?
When I walk with my dog Buddy, I usually keep my head down to ensure he doesn’t eat anything other animals leave. This morning, while we walked around the apartment building, I found something precious to someone who lost a piece of their jigsaw puzzle. If that happened to me, I would go crazy because…