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you don’t know what you don’t know
As I set out on my daily walk near my new home in Calgary, I pause to look into the distance, and see the range of Rocky Mountains that...
Ilan Cooley
Dec 14, 20212 min read
21 views
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fifty days to fifty
There are 50 days until I turn 50. I love a good milestone—and I love birthdays in general, so I’ve decided to count down to the big day...
Ilan Cooley
Dec 13, 20212 min read
18 views
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my next thirty years
"Thirty years ago, I did not think about what my life would look like today. Now that I am nearing fifty, thoughts about what my life...
Ilan Cooley
Oct 18, 20213 min read
79 views
1 comment

would you trade your life?
"No one can complete us. That has to happen in our own time, at our own pace, and in our own space. Your life is yours. Slide the pieces...
Ilan Cooley
Sep 13, 20213 min read
21 views
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isolation 201 - a new chapter
"It is time to step into the reality of what is, and let go of what will not be. Even though abstract and unknown factors and influences...
Ilan Cooley
Aug 16, 20212 min read
26 views
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a seat at the table
"I will let go of loneliness, and replace it with liveliness. I will let go of the disappointments, and replace them with hopefulness. I...
Ilan Cooley
Jun 28, 20213 min read
22 views
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room
"Room can be a tangible space, or an abstract concept. All living things need the right amount of it, but it is difficult to define, or...
Ilan Cooley
May 31, 20212 min read
27 views
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moments
Our lives are lived in moments, and defined by moments. The record of our existence is made up of all our moments, strung together. How a...
Ilan Cooley
May 3, 20213 min read
27 views
0 comments


we can fly
"Something beautiful comes from solitude and darkness. Find your wings and fly. Find your way and go. But please know, everything you...
Ilan Cooley
Apr 20, 20212 min read
15 views
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the truth
"I learned something important about myself that took a long time to learn. I have boundary issues. I don’t have issues with other...
Ilan Cooley
Apr 5, 20213 min read
60 views
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see me
"We need to let people know we still see them. We see them, even if we cannot wrap our arms around them. As I sit here alone, feeling...
Ilan Cooley
Mar 22, 20214 min read
75 views
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1918
"A lot of women came before me to forge the path I now walk freely. I am thankful for the women who set precedents, and anyone who...
Ilan Cooley
Mar 8, 20213 min read
29 views
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the good place
"Both positivity, and negativity can multiply, so we need to be careful what we are putting out there. Each day is the product of our...
Ilan Cooley
Feb 22, 20212 min read
6 views
0 comments


grief vs depression
" I felt I had to write this entire thing to justify that my grief was real and difficult. I felt I had to defend my struggles. I felt I...
Ilan Cooley
Feb 8, 20213 min read
54 views
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sourdough and other sticky things
"I guess there is a little bit of comfort in knowing we are all in this together. We are all stuck in it. Stuck together—stuck like...
Ilan Cooley
Jan 25, 20214 min read
48 views
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whimper and roar
"I have found a way to be thankful for many things, including adversity, because I know nobody only gets the good stuff. " My life tends...
Ilan Cooley
Jan 11, 20213 min read
53 views
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when I think of you
When I think of you, you will know that I do. When I cross your mind, you are dancing in my thoughts, and running down my memory lane....
Ilan Cooley
Dec 23, 20201 min read
34 views
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walking away
We hold each other’s hands as he draws his last breath, her head on his chest. Inaudible words escape our lips. The world is a blur...
Ilan Cooley
Dec 7, 20203 min read
61 views
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10,000 hours
"In his book Outliers, Malcom Gladwell asserts it takes 10,000 hours of dedicated practice to become expert at something. Theoretically,...
Ilan Cooley
Nov 24, 20203 min read
51 views
0 comments


the gift of aging
"If I can start one trend it will be to stop the word aging from being a bad word, and to forbid the word anti from ever being placed in...
Ilan Cooley
Nov 2, 20203 min read
42 views
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