Sheila Pinder

Course Instructor/Facilitator (OntarioLearn), Writer, Editor, Proofreader. Retired Elementary school Principal (TVDSB). Kindness, Compassion, Respect

[Sheila Pinder @pinderse]

@CrazyVibes_1 It’s amazing! Fun, creative and beautiful. Kudos to your talented mom 😊💛

[Keira Connolly @keira_con]

Wise words

“My name’s Frank. I’m 64, a retired electrician.
Forty-two years I spent running wires through houses, fixing breakers, making sure people had light in their kitchens and heat in their winters. Never once did anyone ask me where I went to college. Mostly, they just wanted to know if I could get the power back on before their ice cream melted.

Last May, I was at my granddaughter Emily’s school career day. You know the drill — doctors, lawyers, a software guy in a slick suit talking about “scaling startups.” I was the only one there with a tool belt and work boots.

When it was my turn, I told the kids, “I don’t have a degree. I’ve never sat in a lecture hall. But I’ve wired schools, hospitals, and your principal’s house. And when the hospital generator failed during a snowstorm in ’98, I was the one in the basement with a flashlight, keeping the lights on for newborn babies upstairs.”

The kids leaned forward. They had questions — real ones. “How do you fix stuff in the dark?” “Do you make a lot of money?” “Do you ever get zapped?” (Yes, once, and it’ll curl your hair.)

When the bell rang, one boy hung back. Small kid, freckles, hoodie too big for him. He mumbled, “My uncle’s a plumber. People laugh at him ’cause he didn’t finish high school. But… he’s the only one in the family who can fix anything.”

I looked that boy in the eye and said, “Kid, your uncle’s a hero. When your toilet overflows at midnight, Harvard ain’t sending anyone. A plumber is.”

Here’s the thing nobody told me when I was young — the world doesn’t run without tradespeople. You can have all the engineers you want, but if nobody builds the house, wires the power, or lays the pipes, those blueprints just sit in a drawer.

We’ve made it sound like trades are what you do if you can’t go to college, instead of a path you choose because you like working with your hands, solving problems, and seeing your work stand solid for decades.

Four years after high school, some kids walk away with diplomas. Others walk away with zero debt, a union card, and a skill they can take anywhere in the world. And guess what? When your furnace dies in January, it’s not the diploma that saves you.

A few weeks ago, that same freckled kid’s mom stopped me at the grocery store. She said, “You probably don’t remember, but you told my son trades are important. He’s shadowing his uncle this summer. First time I’ve seen him excited about anything in years.”

That’s the part we forget — for some kids, knowing their path is respected changes everything. It’s not about “just” fixing wires or pipes. It’s about pride. Purpose. The kind that sticks with you long after the job’s done.

So next time you meet a teenager, don’t just ask, “Where are you going to college?” Ask, “What’s your plan?” And if they say, “I’m learning to weld,” or “I’m starting an apprenticeship,” smile big and say, “That’s fantastic. We’re going to need you.”

Because we will. More than ever. And when the lights go out, you’ll be glad they showed up.”

[Best in Dogs @BestinDogs]

Maybe his name is Duke, or maybe no one ever named him. What we know is that he has known fear, cold, loneliness.

When they found him, this big brown pitbull was sitting quietly on a blue blanket, a little orange toy monkey tucked between his paws. The monkey’s arms were gone, its color faded, its stuffing half missing but to him, it was everything. The only piece left from a life he once knew. Maybe once, it smelled like home. Maybe it reminded him of hands that used to pet him, of laughter that used to echo around him.

Now, in the shelter, he never lets it go. He sleeps with it. Eats beside it. And sometimes, when the world feels too heavy, he lays his head on it, as if it still whispers, “You’re not alone.”

Duke doesn’t bark much. He doesn’t beg for attention. Every morning, when the volunteers open the doors, he lifts his head just a little eyes shining for a second with that fragile hope: “Maybe today.”
But most days, no one stops. Maybe because he’s a pitbull strong, muscular, serious-looking. Maybe they can’t see past the face that looks tough but hides a heart that’s all softness.

If you stay, if you kneel down and look into his eyes, you’ll see it. That quiet love. That unspoken plea for someone to finally say, “You’re safe now.”

He’s not just a shelter dog. He’s a soul that’s been through too much, and still chooses to wait. He’s the kind of dog who once gave his whole heart to someone and never got it back. And yet, he still believes. He still holds onto that little monkey, like a promise that someday, someone will come.

Duke doesn’t need much. Just a warm hand to rest on his head. A gentle voice to tell him he’s home. He won’t ask for toys, or long walks, or fancy beds. All he wants is to be loved the way he’s always loved, with everything he has.

One day, someone will see him. They’ll look past the breed, past the tough look, and they’ll see the truth: a kind, loyal heart still waiting behind those tired eyes.

Because behind that cage, there isn’t just a pitbull.
There’s a story.
There’s hope.
And a little orange monkey, waiting beside him — a reminder that love, no matter how long it’s been lost, is still worth waiting for.

🧡 If you can, come meet him. Let’s give Duke the home he’s been dreaming of.

[Sheila Pinder @pinderse]

To this I’d add . . .
“Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
And remember what Peace there may be in silence.”

[Gordana Biernat @MyPowertalk]

I have come to realize
that everyone who sincerely
looks for The Truth,
with a humble mind
and a gentle heart,
ultimately finds
the same thing…

Love is everywhere
and in everything. ♥️

Happy New Month!

[Sheila Pinder @pinderse]

Just beautiful 💛

[Gordana Biernat @MyPowertalk]

Happy First Day of Fall!

🍁A falling leaf
🍃allows you to see,
🍂the beauty of releasing things
🌿that do not serve you anymore.

🍁Autumn is the time of:
🍃letting go, releasing, unwinding,
🍂looking inward, retrospecting,
🌿evaluating, discharging, settling...

#MondayMotivation

[Sheila Pinder @pinderse]

A few magical minutes taking my granddaughter to the park after school, and my heart was full ❤️

[Gordana Biernat @MyPowertalk]

Good Wednesday!♥️

Words have creative power.

We’re narrating
our own existence
with the stories
we tell ourselves
about ourselves.

Every word is a prayer.

So, be careful
what you speak
into existence.

The Universe is always listening
and always providing...

Unconditionally.

[Sheila Pinder @pinderse]

Did you know that Doug Ford’s government is rolling back protections for Ontario’s species at risk? Learn about Bill 5, the dangerous environmental deregulation that they were hoping you wouldn’t notice.

Add your voice to this campaign! https://t.co/blpnRKoiE2

[best dog content @BestDogContent]

@NiallHarbison Went from fighting for his life to fighting for theirs. Amazing. ❤️ 🫡

[Kylie Riordan @mindfulheal]

🤍

[Sheila Pinder @pinderse]

Black Friday Phenom meets the CFG. Click the link for further details. There's no time like the present.
https://t.co/DTn8A3qYAV

[Sheila Pinder @pinderse]

Interesting chart! Would make a great conversation-generator for students taking the Creative and Critical Thinking - Leadership Development course, whether through OntarioLearn or on campus.

[Ben Meer @SystemSunday]

How to win any argument.

7 ‘logical fallacies’ to outsmart:

[Sheila Pinder @pinderse]

#NewProfilePic

[Jo Boaler @joboaler]

Wow Jill, what a gorgeous representation of Math-ish, thank you ❤️

[Sheila Pinder @pinderse]

Here’s to all the caregivers who make the time to read with children. . .

[Todd Whitaker @ToddWhitaker]

Reading to children.