Category: Entrepreneurial Wellness

July 2023 Vol 5 Issue 7

Tell Your Story Newsletter (TYSN):

Specializing in Entrepreneurial and Linguistic Communication

Let me teach you to tell your story!

IN THIS ISSUE:

ARTICLE 1: On summer FUN and how to get it, with Catherine Price 

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER:  The case of “lit” and “lighted” from American “Grammar Girl,” Mignon Fogarty

SHOP NEWS

ABOUT US

++++++++

Welcome Mid-July 2023! When meeting newcomers and visitors to Saskatoon each summer, I often refer to how the full summer days of July are precious in our province. “Do please get outdoors,” I urge those who have just deplaned from China, Pakistan and elsewhere. As I said to a group of newcomers at Saskatoon Open Door’s conversation circle, recently, “Summer helps us to be mindful of such times when we feel fully alive.” Those born and/or raised in Saskatchewan, often recall the halcyon days of childhood summers. Many of us–likely including you, good reader–do indeed try to get outdoors, between June and September. I walk as much as I can (often ditching sneakers for sandals), take some weekend hours to read the fiction of Saskatchewan authors, eat local produce, teach and tutor English outdoors and slather on sunscreen and bug spray, to keep these times healthy. Summer often feels like the easiest season of the year in which to live–and one when we can pause long enough to feel fully alive. And yet, much in the world is not right. With the war in Ukraine; political unrest in multiple world hotspots; extreme weather, due to climate change; and with soaring interest rates and inflation at home . . .  can we be mindful of the gift of life–and grateful for it? In Article One this month, I re-visit (from November 2022’s issue) journalist Catherine Price’s TEDTalk on the topic of FUN. Price suggests that experiencing some degree of fun preserves our experiences of joy in life, through which we find the resilience we need to cope through challenging times. And in what better month could we find fun, than in July? And as I write, good reader, many of us are enjoying some fun this summer, even if we’re limited by our economy and the cost of living. There are movies to watch (even if  summer “blockbusters” let us down); eScooters to try (preferably not on the sidewalk, thank you); camping; cycling; hiking; kayaking; and swimming, to name a few pursuits. . . . And perhaps most importantly, we can always curl up with some great summer reads, with new titles appearing from local authors like Tony Bidulka and Ashleigh Mattern. But how can we find fun on a regular basis? After defining what the term means, Price gives us some hints. And in “Storytellers’ Corner,” I visit the sometimes troubling tension between two different past tense formations of the verb “to light.” Should it be “lighted” or “lit,” you might ask? (Which lights you up more?!) While Covid-19 will always remain with us,  (many of us will queue up for our next vaccination this fall), our fleeting  summer in Saskatchewan still provides some much-needed days of relaxation, even if it’s simply to recline and daydream in our province’s backyards, balconies, parks and patios. May you have much FUN this month, good reader, to store  in your mind the pleasure and peace that summer can provide! They will help us to complete the next five months of our collective orbit around the sun. Sincerely, Elizabeth Principal Storytelling Communications www.elizabethshih.com ++++++++

Article One: From the Archives (2022): On summer FUN and how to get it, with Catherine Price In her recent TEDTalk, American science journalist Catherine Price observed something that should make us all pause:  “It’s harder than we think it should be to actually feel alive.” Consider that statement: We’re so busy constantly scrolling (and often “doing” things) that we forget how to live! We forget that life should consist of more than days filled with frenetic activity. Price says: “We keep ourselves busy to the point of exhaustion. But we’re also languishing. We feel a little bit dead inside.” She thinks we’re living close to despair, staying busy because we know that we are not truly living and we simply don’t know what else to do about it. Her answer? “We need to have more FUN!” But what does that mean? Price argues that our confusion over what actually constitutes “fun” arises from the sloppy way in which we use the term: we often use it to describe leisure activities (e.g. “We had a fun weekend with my in-laws at the family cabin”), when the activity may not be enjoyable–or worse, may even be “a waste of time” (present family, excluded, of course). Price gives as an example our scrolling through social media, an activity we might assume is “fun,” but which she says often “makes us feel bad about . . . everything.” Even our best English language dictionaries have trouble defining the term “fun”: According to them,“fun is amusement or enjoyment, or lighthearted pleasure,” and refers to what children “have in the play area.” Fun seems to be, as Price observes, “frivolous and optional.” When she was working on her project about fun, collecting stories on the topic from people all over the globe, Price says they would “tell you about some of the most joyful and treasured memories of their lives.” But such memories are not simply “lighthearted pleasure, not just for kids and . . . definitely not frivolous.” Price suggests that fun is, in fact, “the secret [to] feeling alive.” Clearly the term deserves a new, “more precise” definition! Fun is a feeling, she asserts, not an activity, although when asked to describe “fun,” most people list “dancing” or “skiing,” or “pickleball” as examples. Some “serendipity” (or downright chance) is involved in the word, since activities or events we expect to be fun often disappoint us, while those we don’t expect to enjoy can become “ridiculously fun.” Sound familiar? Price says that it’s easy to tell someone who is having fun, because they look as if “they’re being illuminated from within.” True fun “produces [a] visceral sense of lightness and joy.” People can radiate fun. From her interviews with dozens of people from diverse cultures, Price says that “three factors are consistently present” when we experience fun, yielding a much more accurate definition than what the OED or Webster’s tells us. These three terms are “playfulness,” “connection” and “flow.” Where these experiences overlap is the space of “true fun”(see the venn diagram below, provided by Price). “Playfulness,” she says, is not playing games or make-believe but “having a lighthearted attitude, of doing things for the sake of doing them and not caring too much about the outcome. Letting go of perfectionism.” Playfulness means not being defensive and “not taking ourselves too seriously.” “Connection” refers to “the feeling of having a special, shared experience.” It is possible to be alone when this happens (and so to feel connected to oneself and/or to an activity), but most often, another person is involved—“even for introverts.” “Flow” is a state where we’re so intensively engaged and focused on what we’re doing that “we can even lose track of time.” (e.g. “in the zone” as a musician or athlete). Price argues that “it’s possible to be in flow and not [to] have fun, like if you’re arguing with someone. But you cannot have fun if you’re not in flow,” she says. Each of these three factors is enjoyable on its own. “But when we experience all three at once, something magical happens: we have fun.” And that “doesn’t just feel good, it is good for us.” (i) She says that fun is so beneficial that it “ is not just the result of human thriving, it’s its cause.” For instance, fun is “energizing,” so that when people describe such moments, “they glow: It’s like a fire has been lit inside of them and the energy and the warmth they give off is contagious.” Whereas “so much of life drains us . . . fun fills us up.” (ii) Fun requires us to be “present,” or in-the-moment, but doesn’t require meditation, yoga, etc. Apart from presence, there’s no other way that fun can arise. (iii) Fun also unites us in a “really polarized world.” When we have fun with others, “we don’t see them as having different ethnicities or religions from ours. We connect with them as human beings.” She adds that such a connection is the first step whereby we can begin to solve the world’s problems. (iv) “Fun also makes us healthier.” Isolation and loneliness can cause hormonal changes in our brains and bodies that increase the risk of disease. But when we have fun, we become “relaxed and more socially connected,” both of which are health-giving. So, Price argues, “having fun is a health intervention.” (v) Finally, fun is “joyful.” While we read books or listen to favourite music, the truth is that “when we are in a moment of having fun, we are happy.” Price says this: The “secret of long-term happiness may be simply to have more everyday moments of fun.” In order to have “more fun,” she says, we should do all we can to increase our everyday moments of playfulness, connection and flow. Here are some ways: (i) Reduce distractions in order to increase flow. Distractions disrupt flow. The chief source of distraction in 2023 is our smartphones. (Act accordingly!) (ii) Increase connection by interacting more with other human beings in real life. This is easier and less scary than we (huddled over our phones) tend to fear. Interaction starts by making eye contact with someone. “Say ‘Hello,’” Price advises. If that goes well, introduce yourself. From there, ask an interesting question (e.g. “What’s one thing that delighted you today?”) (iii) Increase playfulness “by finding opportunities to rebel.” This doesn’t mean becoming a total iconoclast, but to show “playful deviance,” to “break the rules of responsible adulthood” and “give yourself permission to get a kick out of your own life.” (iv) Finally, Price recommends that having fun should be a “priority.” Try to reproduce the circumstances (including other people’s presence) that have created fun for you in the past. Make some time in your schedule to have fun. “Treat fun as if it’s important, because it is,” she enthuses. Fun brings “more creativity, more productivity, more resilience,” Price says. Fun can make us, as she claims,  a better spouse, parent and friend. Fun is needed during every month of the calendar, but reading Price’s insights on it may help you enjoy summer even more! Fun, she concludes, for anyone still puzzled by it, is “a distillation of life’s energy. And the more often we experience it, the more we will feel that we are actually alive.” Now what would be better than that, this summer? And now it’s your turn: do you agree with Price’s definition of fun and why it matters?  Please write in; I’d be delighted to hear from you! ++++++++

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER . . . . 

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER: Words, stories, riddles and articles on speaking, listening, writing and editing . . .

The case of “lit” versus “lighted,” with America’s “Grammar Girl,”

Mignon Fogarty

In a recent blog on modern English usage, American wordsmith, “Grammar Girl” Mignon Fogarty, observed that there are now two forms in use of the simple past tense of the verb “to light.” Have you noticed this?

I overheard someone in a local cafe recently, commenting that the smile of her (undisclosed) partner “lighted up the room.” That form of the simple past tense was grating, and I thought to myself, “it should be ‘lit up the room!’ ”

But Mignon Fogarty suggests otherwise. In her blog this week, she writes that “to light” is a “regular verb,” so that we can write its simple past tense by adding “-ed.” Therefore, we can correctly say and write “lighted.”

However, we can continue to use “lit” for the past tense, which remains the more common form.

Fogarty says that in ancient times, “people said they lit candles.” Over time, people started saying they “lighted candles.” Unusually, “around 1900, people switched back to using ‘lit’ as the past tense.” While “lit” remains “the more common form today,” “lighted” is not incorrect.

Has this usage tip enlightened you? Which form best lights you up (Ha ha!)?

Do you have an, idea, problem or joke involving any aspect of language or communications? Please share it with me; I’d be delighted to use it in an upcoming issue. 

++++++++

SHOP NEWS:

My candidate for “Entrepreneur of the Month” was unable to share his information in time for press, but no matter.

Special thanks go out this month to Lisa Focardi, Community Development Worker at Saskatoon’s Open Door Society (SODS). An Italian-Canadian immigrant, Lisa capably organizes (amongst many programs) the volunteer-led conversation circles, throughout the calendar year.

Her organizational efforts and generosity with others make sharing conversation skills with newcomers a great pleasure. Thank you, Lisa!

Are you a native speaker or are you otherwise fluent in English? Do you have 60-90 minutes each week to share your skills with others? Please drop me a line and I will connect you with Lisa, who is always glad to have more volunteers on board.

++++++++

And hearty congratulations to my colleague and friend, the multi-talented writer, web designer and athlete, Ashleigh Mattern, who recently launched her first novel, a young adult fantasy, called Magicked Born. Reading to a packed room at McNally Robinson on June 28th, Mattern spoke about various aspects of writing fantasy, including how journalism has contributed to the process.

I recommend Magicked Born highly (it’s a page turner!) and congratulate Mattern for not abandoning the project (which was under development over some 15 years), even when other work and life seemed to move in non-conducive directions. Congratulations, Ashleigh!

++++++

And special thanks this month to Professor Emeritus, Bob Calder, and fellow writer, Paula Jane Remlinger, who recently shared a lovely, very FUN two-hour visit with me, over summer refreshments.

We reminisced a little about our past studies,  favourite writers and current projects, thereby bridging the gap between  Calder’s extensive academic career and the non-academic writing that Remlinger and I (former students) now do.

Catherine Price would have approved of flow, connection and simple playfulness of our conversation.

Remlinger writes and publishes poetry and fiction, while also penning reports for a living, for the SK Human Rights’ Commission.

Calder (“Bob” to us)  has just completed the editing of a scholarly book on the film adaptations of  W. Somerset Maugham’s novels, which is forthcoming from the U of Wisconsin Press. He is also deeply involved in writing a memoir of his 40+ year career as a university English teacher.

I  cannot imagine two more engaging  interlocuters than these two, on a quiet July afternoon. All three of us left the table energized to return to our reading and writing!

Thank you, to both Bob and Paul Jane. And let’s meet again before winter returns . . . .

++++++++

There are always new businesses, people, non-profits and entrepreneurial programs to promote.   

Please write me to share your success stories!

I’m excited for what’s ahead in our entrepreneurial and literary community.

But for now, this is a wrap for mid-July!

ABOUT US:

Between 2011 and December 2018, Elizabeth Shih Communications chronicled the stories of B2B marketing and communications on the Prairies and across the country.

Effective January 1, 2019, I rebranded as “Storytelling Communications.” I now help local newcomers to secure better jobs by improving their language skills; I help SMEs close more sales by communicating more effectively; and I tell the legacy stories of major companies.

Interested in learning more? Please contact me through my CASL-compliant website (www.elizabethshih.com).

After I receive your message, I’ll be pleased to discuss projects with you!

Please visit my website for more information (also to be found at  www.storytellingcommunications.ca).

 

June 2023 Vol 5 Issue 6

Tell Your Story Newsletter (TYSN):

Specializing in Entrepreneurial and Linguistic Communication

Let me teach you to tell your story!

IN THIS ISSUE:

ARTICLE 1: Facing rejection? How to cope,  in this month’s issue 

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER:

 ‘The Beaverton’ keeps us laughing

SHOP NEWS

ABOUT US

++++++++

Welcome Mid-June 2023!

“Summertime, and the livin’ is easy”

–Heyward and Gershwin

As we enter mid-June, we approach the longest day of the year. And since we have lived with premature, summer-like weather for most of the last month, Saskatoon has unfurled her natural beauty: trees have “greened” up, and the flowering varieties have blossomed with loveliness. Has the luxurious scent of lilac accompanied you (as it has me) through daily walks in the neighbourhood?

. . .Across the city, the water parks have extended their hours, to the delight of young children; splendid garden centres have sold their best perennials and bedding plants; the Children’s Festival has come and gone (and this year wasn’t rained out); . . . . And promotions for our city’s “Jazz Festival” traverse the airwaves and internet.

 It’s true that chronic crises like homelessness, addiction and our broken health-care system fill a good deal of our news and warrant our immediate attention and action. Kudos to Marketing Maverick Sara Wheelwright for publicizing the plight of Saskatoon’s homeless and those with addictions by participating in the “Sanctum Survivor Challenge,” last month. . . .  And yet, notwithstanding that pain, the splendour of an early summer in the loveliness of Saskatoon has nonetheless turned Heyward and Gershwin’s famous ode–“Summertime”–into an earworm.

 

Even as we read, write and record stories in the media that often include loss or pain, can we also find moments of lightness in this season?

 

What will you do, to observe June—arguably the most beautiful month of the year—before the intense heat of July and August succeeds it?

 

In Article One, this month, I discuss the challenging topic of creative (and other) rejection, drawing on a recent article by social psychologist Thomas Smithyman, in the online journal, “Psyche.”

 

In “Storytellers’ Corner,” we visit some of the headlines of “North America’s Trusted Source of News,” “The Beaverton.” Those jokesters joined Twitter in May, 2010 and have had us laughing, ever since.

 

And in “Shop News” I thank some long-deserving colleagues in my professional circle, and also feature “Entrepreneur of the Month,” Paola Chiste, of Beppi’s Gelato.

 

Whether you hike, camp, glamp, swim, cycle, garden, harvest local mushrooms, fiddleheads or haskaps; or whether you partake in activities that transcend the seasons of our beautiful province (e.g. “Word on the Street” will return sooner than we think), I wish you a marvellous start to summer, good readers.

May the lightness of prairie sunshine and the scent of fresh rain fill your senses and nourish your souls this season.

 

Sincerely,

Elizabeth

 

Principal

Storytelling Communications

www.elizabethshih.com

 

++++++++

Article One: Facing rejection? How to cope, in this month’s issue of  ‘Tell Your Story Newsletter’

Whether we get fired from a valued job, “dumped” by a spouse, or forced to close an unprofitable business (to name only three examples),  rejection happens to us all.

Our much-laboured manuscript gets rejected by several publishers. A “blind date” set up by friends (or the internet) goes sour quickly. An application for a professional award fails. Or we can find ourselves excluded from a position we covet, writes clinical psychologist, Thomas Smithyman, in a recent issue of “Psyche.”

Most of us feel the pain that comes with rejection very deeply and work hard to try to prevent its recurrence. But that’s seldom possible and avoidance results in “people . . . giv[ing] up the pursuit of things that matter most to them.”

Social psychologist Mark Leary writes that “the ‘hurt’ feelings of rejection arise when an event suggests to you that someone doesn’t value [your] relationship with you as much as you want them to.”

Rejection is a universal experience, affecting all of us. Those who study brain imaging have found that the pain of different kinds of rejections is (according to Smithyman) “processed in similar ways” by our brains as when we feel physical pain. We lose self-esteem, may become hostile, repeat negative thought patterns (although rumination retriggers the pain of the original rejection) and we often isolate ourselves from others.

Yet there are healthy and reasonable ways to recover from rejection. Smithyman cites strategies that “can help you to heal and move on.”

He says that by learning to cope with rejection, we can feel more resilient about taking risks “in the pursuit of meeting [our] social needs.”

These techniques borrow from mindfulness, self-compassion, and cognitive behavioural therapies.

There is no expiration date on social suffering. Smithyman says he’s worked with patients who feel the pain of rejections that occurred years earlier. He recommends these strategies:

(1) Since rejection delivers a blow to our sense of belonging, it’s logical that we can recover by receiving “whatever social support is available—such as love and compassion” from someone else in our community—even if it comes from a different area of our lives. A friend or relative can restore our sense of belonging, after we break up with a partner or spouse, thereby

preventing depression and anxiety. Having someone caring listen to your experience is a powerful experience, even if it will not “solve the problem.” (He suggests here psychotherapy or psychoanalysis).

 

Even if we aren’t able to discuss rejection with others in our lives, simply “spending time with them” can replenish our self-esteem and distract ourselves from ruminating over the rejection.

 

But not everyone has enough social relationships that we can trust to get through the rejections we face, so that we may not find it easy to seek sufficient support.

 

(2) Mindfulness, whereby we “step back and notice what [we’re] feeling,” rather than getting lost in pain, can provide some distance from the pain of rejection.

 

Smithyman writes that the difference is “between being outside during  powerful storm, and being inside a comfortable cabin, watching the storm through a window. It doesn’t . . . prevent the storm, but it gives you a refuge from which to observe it.”

 

Naming and differentiating negative emotions can help (e.g. anxiety is separate from anger and from shame)

can reduce distress among people who have suffered social rejection: “There seems to be something about simply naming emotions that helps reduce their intensity—possibly because it offers a sense of control and facilitates the selection of more effective coping responses.”

 

(3) After we’ve gone inward to recognize some of our feelings over rejection, we can interpret and make sense of our “rejection experiences” with self-compassion. We need compassion for ourselves, since the strong emotions that arise from rejection are not always reasonable or helpful to us—i.e. we tend to blame ourselves or think we are “unintelligent” or unlovable. Having been declined once can cause some people to assume a “lifetime of ostracism and failure.”

 

Writing exercises, such as a letter to ourselves can help us to show compassion for ourselves: we take the position of a wiser, older, compassionate self, writing “to the vulnerable, suffering part of yourself.” Smithyman notes that “both offering and receiving compassion have been shown to help regulate psychological distress, and you’re doing both in this exercise.”

 

(4) Once we’ve dealt with some of the heavy emotions that follow rejection, we can respond to it with “problem-focused coping.” This means we develop a plan to “solve our problem” of having been rejected, to avoid emotionally driven but anti-social responses, such as withdrawal or “lashing out.”

 

Smithyman recommends a four-step model for problem-focused coping: (i) clarify the problem; (ii) brainstorm a range of possible options for dealing with it; (iii) consider the benefits and drawbacks of each option; (iv) identify the best option and which tangible steps we’ll take to achieve it.

Once our emotional response to rejection has eased by earlier responses (1, 2 and 3), we can summarize the problem in rational terms (e.g. “I asked someone online for a date but they never responded. It mustn’t have been a good fit or good timing for them.”) You then recognize that you still want to meet someone to date and brainstorm as many solutions as you can.

 

For instance, we might “try to repair” a rejection, when it results from conflict with a friend, relative or long-term romantic partner.

Other times, it will be better to “accept and heal” from a rejection, when “situations cannot be fixed.” If trying to repair a rejection will only lead to a repetition of rejection experiences, then turning to “acceptance and taking care of ourselves” is a better strategy. Mindful and self-compassion practices can heal us, such as spending time with other people, spending time in nature, practicing spirituality, reading, etc.

 

We can respond to rejection in a very effective way by “creating new opportunities for meeting [our] needs” (Smithyman). He observes that “if a group of our friends” keeps excluding us, we can look to others for social connections and to satisfy our need to belong, such as among other friends, family, colleagues, etc. and by methods like texting/calling, inviting, sharing some aspect of yourself and asking about the lives of these others.

 

Job loss is often like losing at dating, because we must take concrete steps to find new opportunities, by continuing to look and trying to connect with others.

 

Smithyman notes that people can sometimes become preoccupied with rejection in close relationships, developing what he terms “rejection sensitivity”—a heightened concern about being rejected by people who are important in your life. This can become self-fulfilling, so that great fear of rejection can underpin behaviour that drives others away, repeating the rejection that is so greatly feared and then reinforcing the “rejection sensitivity,” itself.

 

This kind of experience (due to past experiences of rejection, especially early in life) can be coped with according to steps one to four, but especially working to “create space between emotional triggers and habitual, defensive responses such as yelling, or isolating.” That space can be created by self-soothing and assessing the reality of the situation, feeling emotions but being skeptical of assumptions we could make about others’ motivations. Adopting the perspective of a compassionate outsider can help to interpret situations of pain or loss without being oversensitive to rejection.

 

Rejection is such a large part of business and entrepreneurship that one of Canada’s top marketers of all time–Terry O’Reilly– and team (including several family members) have started an entire podcast on it, called “We Regret to Inform You: The Rejection Podcast,” featuring fascinating stories of successful people who “triumphed over debilitating career rejection. And the insights those rejections provide.” Smithyman says solace can be found as that podcast “shed[s] light on the valuable insights gleaned from each person’s perseverance through adversity.”

 

Recommended listening!

 

Finally, Smithyman also recommends two other podcasts that feature rejection–“the Moth” and “Mortified”–some of which include stories that, in their humour and emotional authenticity, can provide cathartic results.

 

And now it’s your turn: Have you felt the sting of rejection recently? Do you think Smithyman’s suggestions would help? Please write in; I’d be delighted to hear from you!

++++++++

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER . . . .

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER: Words, stories, riddles and more on writing and editing . . .

This month: “The Beaverton” keeps us laughing

This month, I give some long overdue praise to the satire of “North America’s Trusted Source of News,” “The Beaverton.” Its Twitter page tells us that it joined Twitter in May, 2010.

Along with some 20 contacts of mine on Twitter (quite possibly including you, good reader), we’ve been laughing, ever since.

In good times, in bad times, in every kind of times, “The Beaverton” has had us chuckling or guffawing through our Twitter feed.

Here are some of their all-time classic headlines:

• “7 regional Canadian dishes that are poutine”;
• “University student working menial summer job unaware it will be permanent job after graduation”;
• “ ‘Politics don’t affect me,’ says guy complaining about inflation, the price of gas, the housing market, cost of living, ER wait times, and crippling student debt”’;
• “Fugitive Trump’s attempt to flee to Mexico thwarted by big wall”;
• “Toronto Goodwill asking people to stop donating Leafs jerseys.”

More recently:

• “Canadians celebrate summer with nationwide campfire”;
• “7 facts about Pierre Poilievre that probably aren’t true but we refused to be briefed on the actual situation”;
• “First Canadian to orbit moon [Jeremy Hansen] in attempt to find affordable housing”; and
• “Chinese government asks Elections Canada for tax receipt”  . . . & on and on “The Beaverton” goes . . . .

Besides taking donations to keep their social media satire going., The Beaverton has plenty of promotional  merchandise available for sale on their website, and even offers “a series of Satire and Comedy Courses” via Zoom, including a six-week class that covers all forms of professional satire writing, in partnership with Toronto’s “Comedy Bar.”

Endorsements for the group’s publications and work include those from the late Pierre Berton (beyond the grave), a selfie-seeking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and “The guy who does all the History Minutes.”

Visit thebeaverton.com/news/national/  for more medicinal laughter, dispensed especially for these challenging times.

Do you have a concept, idea, problem or joke involving any aspect of writing or communications? Please share it with me; I’d be delighted to use it in an upcoming issue. 

++++++++

SHOP NEWS: Special thanks this month (and every month, really) go to my wonderful IT specialist, Jordon MacKenzie, whom I met during his tenure as principal for ABA Technology Solutions. Jordon was a fellow entrepreneur-in-training at the Praxis School of Entrepreneurship some five years ago, and has advised me and answered my tech-related questions  ever since. He’s done so with expertise and judgment that are second to none. After reducing hours for ABA Technology Solutions and after providing IT related services at Audio Warehouse for several years, Jordon now works for another IT company, but continues to assist his freelance friends. In his spare time, Jordon can be found with his wife, Michaela, and their canine fur baby, Ozzie (a Pyrenees-Maremma cross). The latter sometimes enjoys a “doggy cone” of gelato at Beppi’s on Broadway! ++++++++ Special thanks to another Praxis alum, Jolene Watson. of Clarity Coaching and Development, for sharing with me some of the resources she uses to teach (and engage in) networking, this quarter. Considering sources like the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (of personality) for newcomer students has been crucial to their preparation for the workplace. +++++++ I must again extend words of gratitude to parish nurse Laura Van Loon, who tirelessly works for families and individuals in need of better health care. Thank you, Laura, and I will share my support in upcoming months, I’m sure! +++++++ This month, I also thank my colleague and mentor, Steve Cavan, who has suggested great alterations to curriculum that will make our  “Workplace Employment Readiness” classes more useful for those newcomers. ++++++++ A word of encouragement and wish for healing this month to my French ESL student, Eliane, who has been a wonderful interlocutor for the past 14 months and who is struggling with Covid in her home, south of Paris: Je vous souhaite un bon retablissement, mon amie! ++++++++ And I remain grateful as ever for the friendship of local novelist Lesley-Anne McLeod and her daughter, the multi-talented Kat Bens. When life amidst the 21st century state of elder care in Saskatchewan feels overwhelmingly hopeless, these women’s resilience and generosity encourage me to endure. ++++++++ Entrepreneur of the Month: Paola Chiste, of “Beppi’s Gelato”. . . .  Just one parking lot from the corner of 10th St. and Broadway Ave is located one of Saskatoon’s favourite specialty eateries, “Beppi’s Gelato.” Gelato (an Italian style ice cream) is lower in fat, sugar, and made with more natural ingredients (such as fresh fruit) than ice cream (which can be half air!). With its dense texture, gelato is meant to be consumed in smaller portions, too. These are all good news for those of us wanting to shed some of last winter’s weight! Born in Canada to Italian immigrant parents, founder and chief gelato maker, Paola Chiste,  returned to Bologna to study at “Gelato University,” after losing her job at the University of Saskatchewan. When studying in Bologna, Chiste learned how to make authentic Italian gelato, as well as how to set up and run gelato shop. She named the shop after her “Nonno” (grandfather), “Beppi.” The shop opened in 2019. Chiste and her husband used to travel to Calgary to find Italian grocery stores, because their products were hard to find in Saskatoon. So they started to order Italian delicacies for the market side of Beppi’s. Now gelato lovers can also buy Rummo pasta, a variety of olives and preserves, handmade chocolates, cookies made on-site, vinegars, olive oils and other, unexpected treats. “Beppi’s’” is known for creating sugar-reduced, plain gelato, available in free mini-cones for all canine customers. “Doggy cones” have become the eatery’s famous offering and a “great marketing” tool, Paola says. Beppi’s is open 9:00 am to 9:00 pm, seven days a week during the summer (starting May 1st) and during winter (Tues-Sun) from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. During winter months, Beppi’s also offers gelato for take-out, featuring nine standard flavours plus two monthly features. Hot Italian coffees and other drinks are also available then. Beppi’s is a summer favourite, for visitors as far away as Penticton and Halifax, Chiste reports. What flavour of gelato will you try? See you in line and bring your canine friend(s), too! Beppi’s Gelato https://www.beppis.ca/ 616-10th St. E, #1 (306) 227-2214 Email: beppis@sasktel.net FB and Insta: @beppisgelato ++++++++ There are always new businesses and entrepreneurial programs to promote.    Please write me to share your success stories! I’m excited for what’s ahead in our entrepreneurial community. But for now, this is a wrap for mid-June! ++++++++ ABOUT US: Between 2011 and December 2018, Elizabeth Shih Communications chronicled the stories of B2B marketing and communications on the Prairies and across the country. Effective January 1, 2019, I rebranded as “Storytelling Communications.” I help new and economic immigrants to secure better jobs by improving their English skills; I help SMEs close more sales by communicating more effectively; and I help major companies write their legacy stories. Interested in learning more? Please contact me through my CASL-compliant website (www.elizabethshih.com). After I receive your message, I’ll be pleased to discuss projects with you! Please visit my website for more information (www.storytellingcommunications.ca).