I was out with friends the other night listening to a great local musician play covers of some of the best hits from the 80s, 90s, and 2000s. The atmosphere was relaxed, the kind of evening where nostalgia mixes with laughter, good food and a few drinks. The conversation naturally shifted from the songs being played to the concerts we had attended in the past, and eventually to the “bucket list” acts we each wanted to see before they stopped touring. Names began to fly across the table: Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, AC/DC, Eminem, Jelly Roll, and dozens more. Then it was my turn. I’ve always like songwriters that tell a story so I casually mentioned that I’d like to catch P!nk someday. And that’s when it happened. The joke. The judgment. The reminder of an unwritten code. “Careful, we’ll have to take your man card.” It was meant as humour, but the message was unmistakable. Certain tastes, behaviours, or interests are apparently off-limits if you want to keep your membership in the club of traditional masculinity. Even in 2026, the spector of the “man card” looms large. THE BURDEN The concept of the “man card” is one of those cultural artifacts that you’d think we’d long buried, but it survives - mostly in jest, and it reflects something deeper: the policing of masculinity. At its core, the idea suggests that being a man is a fragile status, always at risk of being revoked if you stray from prescribed norms. If you admit to enjoying a female pop artist, showing too much emotion, or knowing your way around a laundry machine, you risk being called out. This pressure to conform is not harmless and it comes from all genders. It reduces manhood to a checklist of clichés: enjoy sports, drink beer, lift heavy things, remain stoic, avoid vulnerability, and never admit admiration for something coded as feminine. It teaches men that they must constantly perform to the ideal of a pre-dispositioned gender; type-casted into a role that discourages stepping outside of invisible boundaries for fear of ridicule or exclusion.

I had an idea. I only have 525 points until I get to Level 7. You guys have already helped me gain several hundred points in the last couple of weeks. So I had this fun idea: I'm going to start this post with a really good Dad joke. Then for every comment and LIKE, I will reply with another good one. Let's get this! What do mermaids use to wash their fins? Tide. 😄

I think only a few of you know this, so I'm going to leave it here for the tribe. A few years ago, when my daughter was much younger, she asked me to write her a fairy tale. And I took her seriously. I first hand-wrote it in a notebook, and it took me a few months to get it done. With a little encouragement, I actually turned it into a book. I had art commissioned for it and everything. The book is a story about a bunny named Figerly, and Figerly is based on a real bunny that Lila used to carry around. And there are several other real-world elements incorporated into the story which she loved. Mostly, it's a magical tale about gratitude, and since I'm really, really proud of how it turned out, I thought I would share with you guys. Right now I'm collecting reviews, so if anyone happens to get this on Kindle and read it, please review it. I would appreciate it. You can see the story here. Or scan on the QR code attached.

I have so much love and compassion for the people & cannot stand when people are suffering & manipulated. Something deep inside of me starts boiling! This is one of my biggest weaknesses. Also, one of my biggest strengths. I sat w my inner children to find out where is this coming from. I found out where: my triggers are coming from an injustice been done and me feeling helpless to do anything about it. Similar to Bulgarians being under Turkish slavery for 500 years. Turkish people came and set on fire villages, raped women and dehead husbands and put their heads on fences, took children to make them forcefully Muslims. For 500 years! Similar to Jews being taken in camps to work and being tortured and then killed painfully and soap has been made out of their bodies. This is what I learned growing up as part of history curriculum. I felt helpless. For all that cruel horrible injustice. Just as I felt helpless when some of our Tribers were misled and lied to. One of them I was able to help. Another one - after long multiple contemplation meditations - I realized that, he chose that and continued to choose. And a head that is falling of of its shoulders, you cannot stop, cuz when you turn around and stop holding it will fall back anyways…. So I made peace w that…. Been helpless. Let them. Just as I felt helpless being majorly physically abused and bitten when I was little girl. I also felt helpless and desperate and wanting to die. I am sorry to get this graphic… I tried to not use too many words. Nowadays, some of that gets triggered when I see people suffering and or being manipulated into suffering. And it happens!!! So often! It is one of my biggest strengths cuz it makes me do something to help and that drives me. Even something seemingly as lame as my Camera Confidence 7 Day Quest is my small way of helping people eliminate their limitations of not being good enough leading to frustration of their stuffs not working…. Or with my limitless sessions that are truly life changing….

I'm sure many of you have seen this video. Possibly orchestrated, but it still displays the power of music! Also one of Vivaldi's big pieces. Can you feel the V1B3! I for ne love it! https://youtube.com/shorts/DDVXibCrKiY?si=skbFuegn2fN5iBQv