High emotions, solidarity and a whole lot of self-reflection is how many would describe this year in a nutshell. Let’s be honest, this year has been tragic for many, but it has also opened our eyes to a lot of things about the world, our community and ourselves.

From witnessing the injustice that the black community has gone through for decades, the shift a global pandemic has made, a whole lot of devastating deaths and ongoing tragedies, this year felt like it would never come to an end. Every time you checked your phone or turned on the tv, all it was filled with was ongoing negative and disheartening news.

We saw heroic actions take place from health care workers, retail workers, strangers, neighbours, colleagues, family members, friends, social workers, students, teachers, business owners and so many more.

There is a lot that 2020 has taught us about our relationships, our values, our courage, and our passions. As we made our 2019 New Year’s resolutions, we had nothing but hope and faith jumping into the new year, knowing we would be faced with challenges along the way. But 2020, however, had different plans. If we could take away everything that happened this year, we would but we can’t so let’s look at the silver lining. From tough times comes tough lessons, personal growth, and many learning opportunities.

​ Here we are reflecting on what this crazy year has taught us.

1. Take a leap of faith

Don’t waste your life waiting for that right thing to happen to you. Make it happen for yourself. This year showed us that when we wait for that “thing“ we always dreamed of it leaves us disappointed. We have become more courageous and passionate individuals because of this year, whether that be working on that dream we always wanted, starting a new hobby, or simply just educating ourselves on something we always wanted to learn.

2. Finding happiness in the simple things

You need darkness for there to be light, so when everything was closing and shutting down, we had to shift our focus onto something else besides our everyday lives. Small things like, the way the sun shines through your bedroom window, the way the fresh coffee grounds smell in the morning or even just delighting yourself in a zoom call with a family member, these small things showed us that we don’t need anything big to make us happy, it’s all within.


3. Actions matter more than words

Dreaming is different than doing, thinking something is different than showing up and being there for someone during their tough times. As the world keeps shifting and changing daily, we saw people that have never met, come together to fight for the same equality and justice. People from every corner of the world came together to fight for the same thing, whether that was through wearing a mask and keeping your distance or fighting for the injustice of the black community, the world supported one another.

4.Different times reveal the truth

It’s funny how 2020 opened our eyes to a lot of new things in our lives. Did any of your friendships or relationships fizzle out during this year or surprisingly reignite and grow stronger than ever during this year?

5 Follow Your Passions

Do the things that light a fire in your heart. This year showed us just how much time we can have. Being stuck inside for days to weeks helped reignite that creativity we use to experience as a young child. Our imagination went wild when it came to the things, we realized that we really wanted to do with our lives.

6.Slow Down

This year showed us we need to give ourselves time to breathe in and breathe out. A time to focus on our physical health but more importantly our mental health. It showed us that even if we are working daily and interacting with others, there could be some internal issues that need to be focused on. With being in lockdown, it gave us tons of time for self-reflection and growth.

7.Be you

You got one life baby! So why not live in the way you want to? The year 2020 showed us that this is your life, and it can be lived whichever way you envision it. It helps us to stop being afraid of owning your authentic self and to start living and embodying who we truly are.

8.Never Stop Learning

Heck, when you get bored, what’s the best thing to do to fill your time? Learn!
We all tend to say, well if I had time, I would love to learn how to do that. Well, this year has given you the opportunity to take up something new, whether that be baking, karate, singing or learning more about yourself, this year has been helpful with that!
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9. Gratitude

I know I’ve done it; I usually don’t acknowledge all the things I do have in my life. This year showed me how amazing life can be when you start realizing all the things you have. And I’m not taking about a Nintendo switch or the newest X-Box game, I’m taking about the small things. Clean water, a roof over your head and food in your belly. These are small things that help me realized how good my life is.

What 2020 has taught us might be different from what it taught you, but this year has still been a year of self-growth and eye-opening things that happened in the world that put things in a new perspective for us. What has 2020 taught you? Leave us an answer in the comments below!

YOU WILL NEED: 

-Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Bar

-Icing (Green)

-Candy Canes 

-Sprinkles


TO MAKE THE BROWNIES

4 ounces Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Bar

1/2 cup (1 stick)Butter, unsalted, cut into pieces

1 cup Brown sugar, dark or light, packed

1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

2Eggs, large

3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons All-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoonBaking powder

3/8 teaspoonSalt
​
1/2 cup Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Chips


ONCE BROWNIES ARE COOKED:

-Cut them into triangles
-Then add your green icing in the format of a Christmas tree
-Add your sprinkles 
-Add your Candy Canes (CUT IN HALF)

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Santa doesn’t need Rudolph’s nose to find Leamington this Christmas.

For over a year or so, light pollution has been under investigation in the Kingsville/Leamington area. It has been the center of many complaints among its residents.
 
What is often dubbed as the “Leamington Glow”, this occurrence is essentially an orange, yellow or sometimes purple light that illuminates the sky at night due to the heating lamps in greenhouses to stimulate growth during colder months.
 
The greenhouse industry in the area is growing, and so is the amount of attention. The glow has even caught the attention of residents across the border.
 
Channel 4, the local NBC affiliate in Detroit, made a whole news segment about the glow, coining the term “Southern Lights” when discussing them during a segment that aired on November 25.
 
After a few years of resident complaints, enough was enough.
 
According to the Windsor Star, Leamington proposed a bylaw that would require greenhouse owners to install blackout curtains on the walls of their greenhouses by April 2021 and ceilings by October 2021. It also must be closed from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. to block all light from shining on neighbouring properties or into the sky at night.  
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Christmas came early for Leamington because by Tuesday, December 8, Leamington Council passed the bylaw for greenhouses to eliminate 90 percent of the light coming from their facilities between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m.
If a greenhouse doesn’t have the proper curtains in place, it will not be allowed to operate the lights and subject to a $1000 fine each day.
 
It looks like the people of Leamington will finally be getting their wish this year. By 2021, the Leamington glow will finally extinguish, and the sky will be dark once again.
 
Tell us in the comments if you can see the lights from where you are, and let us know what you think of the lights and if you’re looking forward to dark skies again in Leamington.
 

You’re busy, you’re stressed and guess what, you’re definitely not in the mood for anything. It seems that science has it fully figured out when it’s comes to helping men’s boners stand at full attention, but when it comes to a women’s sexuality, things start to become a little more complicated.

One of the reason’s that women’s sex drives are not as high as the opposite sex, is potentially due to psychological, physical, and emotional stress. Many experts believe a combination of things influence the libido and with emotional and mental stress being a leading cause, this is one of the many reasons why you’re never in the mood.  According to webmd.com, a recent study showed that nearly one-third of women ages 18 to 59 suffer from a lost interest in sex.

So how do you fix it? Well, no one has the ultimate answer to how you can magically make your libido go up, but here are some of the reasons that many experts have collected over the years as to why your sex drive has potentially, driven away.

1. Stress levels

Stress pretty much ruins everything- your sleep habits, your eating habits and definitely, your sexy time. Stress can make you anxious, depressed and tends to make your hormones go out of whack. Since stress affects so much, it plays a big role as to why your sex drive may be low. The more sleep you get, the more energy you have.
 

1. You’re dealing with some relationship issues

From time to time, you and your partner may be fighting a lot about small issues or big issues. Regardless of that, this can impact your sex life. According to studies, at the beginning of most relationships, women feel a spike in desire and want but over the years, that spike starts to decrease and the feeling of want starts to feel more routined.
 

1. You recently had a baby

After having a baby, most women experience a decrease in sexual desire for many reasons. Some of those reasons include, your body is going through huge hormonal shifts, you’re exhausted, and your body still needs time to heal. And depending on what your delivery was like; some women need weeks to months to heal.
 

1. Medical problems

Mental illnesses such as high anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts can hugely impact your drive to have sex. Other conditions such as endometriosis or fibroids can impact a woman's sexual drive both mentally and physically.
 
There are many more reasons why your sex drive many be low, including low self esteem, previous negative experience with sex, post menopausal, pain during sex or maybe you just had surgery. Many things can lower your sex drive and the stress behind it all can lead to you having no desire for it.
 

With Christmas right around the corner, one charity that should be highlighted is The Shoebox Project.
The Shoebox Project's mission is to give gifts to women who are experiencing homelessness, poverty, or are staying in a shelter during the holidays.
 
Approximately 200 people are struggling with homelessness in Windsor alone and according to the City Of Windsor Homelessness Point In Time Count, 25 per cent of them are women.
 
Up until this day, The Shoebox Project has collected and distributed approximately 245,000 shoeboxes. Each box is valued at $50 and is designed to increase self-esteem and decrease feelings of loneliness and isolation around the holidays.
 
Individuals can fill a box with items that women need in previous years, include a handwritten card and wrap it in your favourite wrapping paper.
 
However, this year will be different due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, you can donate by visiting their website shoeboxproject.com to build a virtual shoebox.
The process begins by selecting your location, through the website you can choose to fill your box with different item options in each category.
 
The categories are something useful, something warm, something luxurious and a gift card of your choice. You can also include a note or digital card to add that extra special touch and hopefully make a woman's day.
 
With many making boxes throughout the holiday season, there is also the option to just leave a monetary donation or a gift card donation. 
 
Homelessness is such a prevalent topic in today's society. This organization is doing all it can to let local women know they have not been forgotten about during the holiday season.
Visit their website and follow the steps to support their cause and help women less fortunate feel valued and appreciated this Christmas.
 
Link: shoeboxproject.com